Category: News & Events

The Meriden Historical Society has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Commercial Cleaning Services. Proposals are due on or before Friday, April 21, 2023 at 2:00PM, Eastern Time. Contact meridenhistoricalsociety@gmail.com to obtain the RFP documents. Contact meridenhistoricalsociety@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding this RFP. The Meriden Historical Society reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive proposal informalities, and to accept the lowest responsible proposal that serves the best interest of the college. We encourage women and minority business firms to submit bids and Bidders to utilize women and minority businesses for supplies, equipment and services.

OCTAGONAL HOUSES – Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 6:30 pm, 41 W. Main St. downtown Meriden

PAST EVENTS

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The Meriden Historical Society’s Annual Membership Meeting will take place on Thursday, September 8, 2022

6:00 pm

at our downtown Museum & History Center 41 W. Main Street, Meriden.

Agenda: Committee reports; President’s report; Meet Michael J. Zaffino – our administrator; Eat and schmooze on the patio

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JULY PROGRAM: An Aerial View – Meriden Present and Past

Thursday, July 28, 2022 6:30 pm at our Museum and History Center 41 W. Main St. Meriden, and streaming on Zoom.

Free admission. Donations gratefully accepted and help keep our doors open.

Sam Carr – Will present photographs of Meriden from the view of drones providing mostly current images of both iconic and typical views of the City from unique perspectives.  There will also be some older views of Meriden, taken from an airplane from the 1930’s thru 1980’s, that will be compared to recent images to show how the city has changed over the years.  A short discussion of drone rules and regulations will be included.  Sam holds a private pilot license from the FAA as well as a commercial UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle – drone) license.

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JULY PROGRAM Co-sponsored with the Meriden Public Library:

Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 6:30 pm at the Meriden Mall, 470 Lewis Ave, Meriden – next to Champs. Presented by Christina Rewinski

Which side are you on? That’s the question that every single person in Connecticut had to answer in 1775, as the thirteen colonies began a rebellion against British rule. Loyalty was not only a matter of words or opinion, For soldiers and civilians alike, loyalty could mean loss of fortune, of friends, and even of life. This presentation reveals stories – some well known, some obscure – of Nutmeggers who risked and sacrificed to support their chosen side during this “tumultuous jarring time of civil war”

Link to register: https://meriden.librarycalendar.com/event/tories-spies-traitors-divided-loyalty-revolutionary-connecticut
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/35205933023569

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JUNE PROGRAM

SYLVESTER POLI – THEATER MAGNATE, his life and involvement in Meriden.

Presented by Michael J. Zaffino.

Thursday, June 30^th at 6:30 pm at the Meriden Historical Society’s Museum and History Center, 41 W. Main St. Meriden CT

41 w. Main St., downtown Meriden

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Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 6:00 PM in the Lecture Hall of the Meriden Historical Society’s new History Center 39-41 West Main Street, downtown Meriden and on zoom. Registration is required for a zoom attendance and can be done by clicking HERE

James T. Powers, author of Shadows Over Dawnland will discuss the historical experience of the Quinnipiac people during the first fifty years of the English colonization 350 years ago, of their ancestral home.

“How do people confront a series of catastrophic and transformative events that threaten the very existence of their way of life? How does a culture survive a catastrophic epidemic that kills 80% of the population in two years followed by war, ecological collapse, and economic ruin? Then the survivors face a relentless and devastating cultural disintegration resulting in marginalization and even genocide. It is a perfect formula for a dystopian future only it actually happened 350 years ago. This is what the Quinnipiac people of Southern New England faced once the English colonization of their homeland, the Dawnland, began.”

The Meriden Historical Society wishes to thank the Meriden Public Library for hosting the registration process on their scheduling site.

The Meriden Historical Society has kicked off a $500,000 fundraising campaign to cover the costs of the purchase of the new building. Our current facility in South Meriden will be sold and those proceeds will go toward costs related to getting us set up in the new building and to create a dedicated endowment to cover the increased operating costs for the larger facility. Our goal is to be able to better present and preserve Meriden’s rich cultural heritage today, and for generations to come.

Initial commitments toward the campaign have already exceeded $125,000.

Your tax deductible gift is greatly appreciated.

contributions 

*Donations over $100 will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the society and acknowledgement in our Newsletter.
** Additional recognition will be made for major gifts. 

Donor Levels are: 

** Angel 

$100,000 and Above 

** Champion 

$50,000 – $99,999 

** Patron 

$25,000 – $49,999 

**Benefactor 

$10,000 – $24,999 

Advocate 

$5,000 – $9,999 

Supporter 

$2,500 – $4,999 

Contributor 

$500 – $2,499 

*Friend 

$1 – $499


Please mail contributions to:
The Meriden Historical Society, Inc. 

P.O. Box 3005 Meriden, CT 06450 

Online Contributions can also be made via PayPal through our website, www.meridenhistoricalsociety.org
   PayPal charges us a fee to process each donation.
 If you are making a larger donation, please consider mailing it to us to maximize how far your donation can go toward our goal. 

The Meriden Historical Society is a Federally recognized 501 (c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible
to the extent allowed by law.

OUR MISSION
To steward the rich and diverse history of Meriden, Connecticut and its people. We collect, preserve, research, and exhibit artifacts; create educational programming; and support research that accurately interprets Meriden’s past. We inspire and engage others to learn about and take pride in the history of our community.

OUR VISION
To be a vibrant center, providing multi-media access and resources for all members of our community, scholars, students, and others, to understand, appreciate, and experience the history of Meriden.

Saturday, 6/12/2021 (Rain date: Sunday, 6/13/2021) – Meet inside Hubbard Park’s Bandshell at 10 AM for a walk through the lower park. During this slightly over 1 hour walking tour, you will learn about Walter Hubbard, the park’s prehistory, little known park details like the “Man in the Stone”, structures like the Cahill House and pool, now gone features like the zoo and the legacy of the park. Due to layout of the park, this walking tour is not wheelchair friendly.

Following the tour, Justin’s newly-published book Hubbard Park will be available for purchase and book-signing at the Society’s museum, The Moses Andrews Homestead. The Museum is located down the road from Hubbard Park, at 424 W. Main St., Meriden. The Museum closes at 3:00 PM.