September 2016

HAPPENINGS

Summer is almost over and here, at the society, much has been happening and more is being planned.

C.L.H.O COLLEAGUE CIRCLE MEETING: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

We will be hosting the next meeting of the Connecticut League of Historic Organization – Colleague Circle. In this meeting historical societies, history museums and historic sites run only by volunteers will brainstorm and share information abut the challenges they all face and, in some cases, have overcome. Among the issues to be discussed are governance, collections, digitization, and a whole lot more. The meeting will take place at the Research Center.

 

MERIDEN GREEN GRAND OPENING

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 & 10

The Meriden Historical Society will take part in the community-wide event at the opening of the park.

Visit us on Saturday between 8:30 and 4:00 pm. We will be at booth 44 on the Pratt Street side of the Park.

Sincere thanks to Ruth Grandy for loaning her post-card boards for the event.

 

TAG SALE

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17

9:00 am – 1:00 pm. At the Research Center 1090 Hanover in South Meriden.

Following the success of our June tag sale, we will be holding our second (and last for this year) tag sale fund raising event at the Society’s Bernice Morehouse Research Center’s parking lot. Members and non-members are welcome to set up at the sale. The cost is a $15.00 donation to the Society per set-up ($10.00 for members). 

As previously, the Meriden Historical Society will set up its own booth.  We hope to see you there.

 

GROUNDS BEAUTIFICATION: Lesley Carabetta and Diantha Morse have been gardening, weeding, trimming and soon will be planting at both the Research Center and the Andrews Homestead.

Lesley managed to apply a second coat of paint to the rear of the Andrews Homestead. Her next project is a major landscaping. Please call the society (203-639-1913) if you can help. The job includes moving of soil and stones.

Thanks to the City of Meriden’s tree warden for removing the dead tree from the lawn of the Andrews Homestead.

 

CARPENTER DAM REMOVAL

Andrew Piatek served as the Meriden Historical Society’s representative at the removal of Carpenter Dam on the Quinnipiac river. Andy brought back some archaeological relics unearthed at the event.

 

GRANTS: Work has begun on the Annex at the Research Center thanks to a grant from the CUNO Foundation.

 

MERIDEN HEALTH DEPARTMENT WALKING TRAILS

We have teamed up with the Meriden Health Department and Midstate Medical Center and provided points of historic interest to their “Step it Up”, walking and hiking program.

 

CATALOGS DIGITIZATION

Kudos to Paul Butkus who has taken upon himself the enormous task of digitizing our vast collection of catalogs and setting same on a database program. In conjunction, thanks to Lesley Solkoske, who had compiled a list of all catalogues, design books etc. and had labeled the shelves hosting those catalogs. Her work will help facilitate the cataloging of our catalogs.

 

SAVE THE DATE:

EVERY SUNDAY IN OCTOBER AT THE ANDREWS HOMESTEAD

OPEN HOUSE. On display will be MERIDEN RELATED ITEMS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE MERIDEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

 

THEY CAME FROM ITALY – Italian Immigration to Meriden at the Turn of the Century

THURSDAY OCTOBER 13 6:30 pm at the Meriden Public Library

Stories of immigration to Meriden. The meeting will be led by Christine Pittsley, of the Connecticut State Library.

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 – DIGITIZATION – FUND RAISER

Tired of having boxes of photographs, photo albums that take space, VHS tapes with no players, old movies without a projector to screen them?

Here is your chance to convert them into digital documents. Digital Memory Media of East Brunswick, NJ will be at the Research Center to collect your old media and, for a fee, they will convert it to digital form for you in their laboratories. Digital Memory Media will donate a percentage of the fees collected to the Meriden Historical Society.

 

CT IN WORLD WAR I – STORIES AND MEMORABILIA COLLECTION

The Connecticut State Library is collecting stories, images, and memorabilia of World War I and digitizing them. We will be holding a digitization meet sometime later this year. Members and the public are encouraged to bring WWI memorabilia to be digitized on the spot. This can include items and stories. More details to follow.

 

FOR THEIR GENEROSITY

We thank: Bill Glick and Paul Butkus. Special thanks to Frank Chiarenza and the estate of Lester Dequaine for their very generous donations.

 

WE NOTE WITH SORROW

The passing of Lester Dequaine this past June. Lester, a long time member, was a member of the board of directors and a past treasurer of the Society.

Our heartfelt sympathy to our long time member and past president Betty Masterson and her family on the passing of her beloved husband Jim Masterson this past August. Jim was a long time member of the Society and had served on its board of directors.

Both men will be missed and long remembered for their generosity and their dedicated support of the Meriden Historical Society.

 

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR

CORPORATE MEMBERS

 

NEST EGG AUCTIONS

758 Four Rod Road

Berlin, CT 06037

203-630-1400

THE RECORD JOURNAL

500 S. Broad St,

Meriden CT 06450

203-235-1661

THE REMODELING COMPANY

848 N. Colony Rd

Meriden, CT 06450

203-213-1053