UPCOMING PROGRAM:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2019
6:30 p.m.
Meriden Public Library
105 Miller St., Meriden, CT
MAKING HISTORY / MAKING PLACE: A CELEBRATION OF CONNECTICUT MUSEUMS
Picture Show and Lecture with William Hosley.
Connecticut has 169 towns and as many community-based historical museums. Most are small. Many are run by volunteers. No two are alike. They preserve & present great local stuff and stories. They collect. They offer public programs. They advocate for preservation. They serve schools and greet tourists. They are a civic miracle. This is their story and why they matter.
This program is co-sponsored by the Meriden Historical Society and the Meriden Public Library. The program is free and open to the general public.
OUR MUSEUM’S OCTOBER OPEN HOUSE & SPECIAL EXHIBIT:
THOMPSON CHOCOLATE Celebrating the 140th Anniversary of Meriden’s Chocolatier
- SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 13, 20 & 27
- 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- The Andrews Homestead – Meriden Historical Society Museum, 424 West Main St., Meriden, CT
Andrews Homestead, Meriden Historical Society Museum, will be open to the public every Sunday in October from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Dedicated to the history of our city’s manufacturing era, the museum is chuck-full of examples of items made here in town. Come see our newest acquisitions.
OUR SPECIAL EXHIBIT THIS YEAR is dedicated to THOMPSON CHOCOLATE in conjunction with the company’s 140th anniversary.
The Andrews Homestead shares a parking lot with Benjamin Franklin School. By permission of the Police Department, for this exhibit – Sundays only, you may disregard the “do-not-enter†sign posted at the entrance to the parking lot.
We will be raffling a Thompson Chocolate basket on each of the open house dates.
Admission is free – donations are always appreciated.
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT:
I am writing to introduce myself, Sherwin Borsuk, as incoming president of the Meriden Historical Society (The Society), and to let you know what we are up to this year.
Our board of directors is engaged in the revision of the bylaws and the formalization of the standing committees.
The standing committees will be:
- Marketing and Public Relations – promote and publicize events, provide access to media, and maintain The Society website and bulletin.
- Membership – promote new membership, maintaining member records and renewals, as well as thanking donors.
- Collections Management – acquire items for The Society’s collections, keep records of holdings, and sell or donate items not related to the mission of The Society.
- Programs – arrange for 5-6 speaker programs yearly, coordinating site, equipment and refreshments, as well as arranging exhibits at The Society’s museum (Andrews Homestead).
- Facilities – maintain and improve The Society’s properties.
- Grants – apply for grants as directed by the board of directors and report the status of grant monies to the board and grantor(s).
- Nominating – nominate board members and officers annually and provide biographies to the Secretary.
- Tag Sales – coordinate, staff, and publicize the summer tag sale fundraisers.
- Finance – steward the financial assets of The Society, investments, real estate, etc.
You, as a member of The Society, are encouraged to join any of the standing committees that appeal to you. Your participation will enhance the vitality of our organization. The work of The Society is never-ending and the various committees outlined above can always use more hands.
If you are interested in joining one of the committees, please e-mail me at meridenhistoricalsociety@gmail.com or leave me a message at 203-639-1913
We will be having a continued series of talks in partnership with the Meriden Pubic Library. Please see our newsletter or our website (www.meridenhistoricalsociety.org) for updated details.
Our Fall exhibit at the Andrews Homestead is devoted to Meriden’s Thompson Chocolate Company, founded in 1879. Rumor has it that there will be free samples of Thompson products (according to Mayor Kevin Scarpati). You are encouraged to come and enjoy it!
Finally, we are currently looking for a larger home for our research center here in Meriden, as our research and other materials have us bursting at the seams. Sometime in the near future we hope to find a suitable solution be it a new location or a major expansion and we’ll likely need to have a fundraising campaign to enable us to afford a larger home.
As always, your support of the Meriden Historical Society is, and will be, greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Sherwin Borsuk
NEWS FROM THE ARCHIVES: Rockwell and silver city Overlay by: Paul S. Butkus
Meriden was home to several silver overlay companies, most notably the Rockwell Silver Company and the Silver City Glass Company. There are references to other companies producing silver overlay in Meriden but none to the same extent or notoriety. Overlay companies did not produce their own glass but rather decorated pieces made by the large glass, china or ceramic companies and the same blanks were frequently used by competing overlay companies. The use of the same blanks, paper labels or similarly themed designs can often complicate the proper attribution for some pieces. As a result, collectors often identify a piece simply by the glass manufacturer due to the greater availability of information on those companies. Another complicating factor in overlay identification is the way in which some patterns were adapted to varying sized pieces. The overall composition was cropped as needed to fit smaller pieces.
A case in point… (Click here to read the complete article and see all images associated with it)
FOR THEIR GENEROSITY WE THANK:
- Don Lyle for his donation of C. F. Monroe Co. research material. The comprehensive research material came from the collection of Don’s wife, Carrol of blessed memory.
- Andy Piatek who lent us some of his Silver Overlay catalogs so that we could digitize/copy them and add them to our collection of reference catalogs.
- All our friends who have been bringing items of Meriden interest to the Research Center.
- All who supported us by bringing items for our tag-sale booth and for our Savers Fund Raiser event.
- Our Anonymous Donor at Your Cause.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Our November Lecture will take place on
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
6:30 p.m.
Meriden Public Library, 105 Miller St., Meriden, CT
HISTORICAL FICTION AS A PORTAL TO THE PAST. A PROGRAM ABOUT A NEW NOVEL BASED ON THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYMAN FAMILY OF LYMAN ORCHARDS with author Diana Ross McCain.
Please support our Corporate Members
Mahon, Quinn & Mahon, P.C.
636 Broad St., Meriden, CT
203-238-1010
Nest Egg Auctions
758 Four Rod Rd., Berlin, CT
203-630-1400
New England Capital
Financial Advisors LLC
79 Main St., Meriden, CT
203-935-0265
www.newenglandcapital.com
Record Journal
500 S. Broad St., Meriden, CT
203-317-2407
Spoonshoppe Brooke Deli
1320 E. Main St., Meriden, CT
203-630-3354
www.spoonshoppe.com
Suzio Insurance Center, Inc.
54 Chamberlain Hwy., Meriden, CT
203-237-7403