Upcoming events

Polish Holidayfest (Wakacyjny Festyn)
Dec
14
to Dec 15

Polish Holidayfest (Wakacyjny Festyn)

Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 4pm

Polish folk art and treats are at Holidayfest this year.

Polish items are needed to loan for the exhibit. Please bring Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - noon, until November 27 or call Sara Zak 860-668-7194.

📍 King House Museum

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Hudson River School Painters
Jan
22

Hudson River School Painters

Presented by Jan Beatty, Wadsworth Atheneum

Beatty will talk about the Hudson River School with a focus on Frederic Church, who grew up in Hartford, and his teacher Thomas Cole. The Wadsworth owns several of their paintings.

💻 Zoom only, details to come

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18th-Century Chocolate
Feb
5

18th-Century Chocolate

Presented by Robert Lecce, Pewter Pot Fine Spiced Chocolates

Immerse yourself in 18th-century chocolate making during this lecture and demonstration. Samples of chocolate and hot cocoa. Chocolates available for purchase. Limited registrations.

📍 In-person only • Suffield Volunteer Ambulance, 205 Bridge Street

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Poultices, Decoctions & Infusions: A Look at 19th-Century Cures
Mar
12

Poultices, Decoctions & Infusions: A Look at 19th-Century Cures

Presented by Dennis Picard, Historian

When trained medical practioners were scarce, feared and expensive, Americans trusted general store cure-alls: nostrums and elixirs to cure everything from headaches to cholera and cancer. Come hear some stories of popular nostrums.

📍 Suffield Volunteer Ambulance, 205 Bridge Street

💻 Zoom details to come

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Cesar Negro: A Patriot on the Veterans Memorial
Apr
15

Cesar Negro: A Patriot on the Veterans Memorial

Bill Sullivan’s American Studies Class, Suffield Academy

The class will present their discoveries of Cesar Negro, a Revolutionary War soldier, whose name is inscribed on the Suffield Veterans Memorial.

📍 Suffield Volunteer Ambulance, 205 Bridge Street

💻 Zoom details to come

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Plein Air Painting Class
May
17

Plein Air Painting Class

Presented by Lynda Montefusco, artist and teacher

Rain date: Sunday, May 18, 2025

For experienced beginners to advanced Plein Air painters. Teacher will provide an oil palette upon request. Students will provide a canvas (11x14 or 12x16), easel, chair, table, paint brushes, sunscreen, water, etc. Limited enrollment.

  • Cost: $75 total, $40 deposit immediately.
    Balance of $35 paid by May 1, 2025.

  • Mail check to:
    The Suffield Historical Society - Plein Air Class
    PO Box 893
    Suffield, CT 06078

📍 King House Grounds

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Doctor of Note: Mason Fitch Cogswell
May
22

Doctor of Note: Mason Fitch Cogswell

Presented by Christine Ritok, Curator

Cogswell (1761-1830) was a prominent physician who specialized in advanced surgical techniques around the turn of the 18th and 19th century. His papers provide insight into the daily life of a doctor.

📍 Suffield Volunteer Ambulance, 205 Bridge Street

💻 Zoom details to come

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Seeking Justice: Freedom Suits of Flora’s Descendants
Jun
11

Seeking Justice: Freedom Suits of Flora’s Descendants

Presented by Daniel Thorp, Professor Virginia Tech, Author

Annual Meeting at 7:00 p.m. • Program starts at 7:30 p.m.

Flora was an enslaved woman living in Suffield, Connecticut, who in 1781 ran away to be with her husband in Massachusetts. Her owner recaptured Flora and sold her. She spent the rest of her life enslaved in Virginia. 60 years after her mother’s second enslavement, Unis, Flora’s daughter and other family members sued for their freedom. It was the longest-running freedom suit in Virginia history.

📍 Suffield Volunteer Ambulance, 205 Bridge Street

💻 Zoom details to come

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Old Center Cemetery Tour
Sep
28

Old Center Cemetery Tour

The walk is historical, not scary and not for young children. Older children and adults are welcome.

  • WALK-INS WELCOME!

  • $5/person fee

📍 Old Center Cemetery, behind the First Congregational Church

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Ice Cream Social
Jul
9

Ice Cream Social

Bring family and friends. Pack a picnic and lawn chairs to enjoy an old-fashioned ice cream social. Ice cream and entertainment provided by SHS. Supply your appetite for ice cream and fun!

Rain date: Thursday, July 11, 2024.

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Doors of Suffield
Jun
12

Doors of Suffield

Using historic photographs from Delphina Clark’s collection, Art Sikes, Jr., will explore Suffield history and architecture through its historic doors. Join us to explore innovative and interesting designs of Suffield’s past.

📍 Second Baptist Church
💻 Join meeting via Zoom
The program will start at approximately 7:30pm, after the Annual Meeting

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Hidden Hands: The Craftsmen Behind the Shops of Aaron Chapin and Aaron Colton
May
15

Hidden Hands: The Craftsmen Behind the Shops of Aaron Chapin and Aaron Colton

Presented by Curator Christine Ritok and Kevin G. Ferrigno

Recent research has documented previously unknown identities of laborers, products, and business practices of two well-known proprietors of successful furniture-making shops in Hartford. This helps us better understand how these shops, run by first cousins, were able to remain in existence for decades while skilled competitors’ businesses failed.

📍 Second Baptist Church and via Zoom
💻 Join meeting via Zoom

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Show and Tell
Mar
13

Show and Tell

Sign up for a five-to-ten minutes presentation on any aspect of local history. Anecdotes about local characters, folklore, artifacts or photographs are most welcome.

Contact Jackie Hemond (jives98@hotmail.com or 860-539-7367) by March 10 to sign up.

📍 Second Baptist Church and via Zoom

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Unique House of Chick Austin
Jan
24

Unique House of Chick Austin

Jan Beatty, a Wadsworth Atheneum docent, will be our guide to the Austin House. It is a National Historic Landmark and was the Hartford residence of the legendary and innovative A. Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr., the Atheneum’s director from 1927 to 1944. A true visionary, Austin, along with his wife, Helen Goodwin, designed their Neo-Classical Revival house after the Italian 1596 Villa Ferretti at Dolo. Set on nearly two acres, the two-story, 3,000-square-foot house is set apart by its long and narrow design, only one room deep.

📍 Zoom only
💻 Join Zoom meeting

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Holidayfest at the King House
Dec
9
to Dec 10

Holidayfest at the King House

Saturday and Sunday • 11:00am – 4:00pm

Our special festive exhibit will feature Teddy Bears, on loan from members and local residents. Bring us your favorite Teddy, and if there is a story about your bear, please include it on a 3x5 card. Come for tasty refreshments, a walk through our beautifully decorated house and a share of the seasonal cheer.

Bring in your Teddy Bear to share on Wednesday mornings (9 a.m. to Noon) no later than November 29 or call Anne Borg at 860 668-7841.

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Kings Island
Nov
15

Kings Island

Local historian and Kings Island expert Bill Fournier will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Adventists awaiting the predicted end of the world in November 1873 on what was then known as Terry’s Island. Bill will share his discoveries about the event, the Terry family, and life on the Connecticut River island in the late 19th century.

📍 Second Baptist Church
💻 Join Zoom meeting

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Old Center Cemetery Tour
Oct
28

Old Center Cemetery Tour

A tour of the Old Center Cemetery, located behind the First Congregational Church on High Street. Get to know the people who reside in the cemetery. This historical walk will not be scary. It is not for young children. Older children with an interest in Suffield history are welcome, as are adults.

Registration required at rsvphistory@gmail.com. Limited registrations accepted. Please no walk-ins.

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Historic Houses of the Connecticut River Valley
Sep
20

Historic Houses of the Connecticut River Valley

Book Talk: Architect and author Alain Munkittrick will present his new book Historic Houses of the Connecticut River Valley (Arcadia Publishing, 2023) which includes historic houses in Suffield.

Following the presentation, guests will be able to purchase a signed copy of his book.

📍 Second Baptist Church and via Zoom
💻 Join Zoom meeting

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Historical Photographs
Jun
14

Historical Photographs

Using the historic photographs of Delphina Clark, Art Sikes, Jr. will explore Suffield history and architecture through its historic windows. Join us to explore innovative and interesting designs as we consider Suffield's windows to the past.

📍 Second Baptist Church and via Zoom

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Oliver Phelps’ Slaves
Apr
19

Oliver Phelps’ Slaves

Bill Sullivan's American Studies students from Suffield Academy will share history about the two individuals that Oliver Phelps enslaved when he lived in Suffield's Phelps-Hatheway House and Gardens. Students will update the Society about their Witness Stone installation ceremony for these two individuals as well as more original history about Phelps's impact on the Haudenosaunee, or "people of the longhouse," commonly referred to as Iroquois or Six Nations in New York State's Finger Lakes region where Phelps settled after living in Suffield.

📍 Second Baptist Church and via Zoom

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