Partners

Established in Hartford in 1825, The Connecticut Historical Society is a non-profit museum, library and education center which collects, preserves and interprets the history of the diverse people "past and present " who have made our state their home. The Graphics Collection houses 239,000 prints, photographs and drawings. The museum's collections of Connecticut-related furniture, silver, pewter, costumes, paintings, tavern signs, and graphics materials are among the largest in existence. The library holds three million manuscripts and nearly 100,000 volumes, including one of the finest genealogy collections in New England. Located at One Elizabeth Street in Hartford, the CHS may be reached by phone at (860) 236-5621, or online at www.chs.org.

The Connecticut State Library is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. The State Librarian, who reports to an independent Board, directs the agency. The State Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of State government. The Connecticut State Archives and the Museum of Connecticut History are components of the State Library. Students, researchers, public libraries and town governments throughout the state are also served by the State Library. In addition, the State Library directs a program of statewide library development and administers the Library Services and Technology Act state grant. The State Library, in conjunction with the Department of Higher Education, administers iCONN, the Connecticut Digital Library. Located at 231 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, the Connecticut State Library may be reached by telephone at 860-757-6500 or online at www.cslib.org.

Mystic Seaport The Museum of America and the Sea - was founded in 1929 and houses the largest collection of boats and maritime photography in the world. This private, not-for-profit educational institution serves over a million people annually, including visitors, researchers and scholars from around the world, and approximately 25,000 members from each of the 50 states and 30 foreign countries. Renowned for its recreated 19th-century village area of historic buildings and tall ships, Mystic Seaport offers exhibit galleries and a unique shipyard where the nearly lost art of wooden shipbuilding comes to life. The Museum's planetarium, publishing program, acclaimed research library and exceptional online access complement extensive youth, undergraduate and graduate maritime education courses. For more information, call Mystic Seaport at (888) 969-7842, or online at www.mysticseaport.org.

Dedicated in 1995, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center acquires and preserves unique and irreplaceable books, manuscripts, and archives, housing them in a state-of-the-art facility. Significant collection areas in Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center include Alternative Politics and Culture; American and English Literature; Children's Literature; Connecticut Business, Labor, Politics, Railroads, and Public Affairs; Hispanic History and Culture; Natural History; and the University of Connecticut Archives. The Center also serves students, faculty, and members of the public with lectures, special events, and exhibitions. The Thomas J. Dodd Center is on The University of Connecticut campus in Storrs. For more information call (860) 486-2524, or online at www.lib.uconn.edu/doddcenter.

Other Contributing Organizations

In Phase II, the New Haven Museum (formerly the New Haven Colony Historical Society) participated in the CHO project. A private, non-profit museum, library and educational facility located at 114 Whitney Avenue in New Haven, the New Haven Museum and Historical Society is one of Connecticut's older and most significant historical institutions. Established in 1862, its mission is to promote the study and appreciation of the past by collecting, preserving and interpreting matters of local history through an array of programs, exhibitions, and services that serve a wide audience. The museum collection reflects over three centuries of American culture and contains approximately 8,000 objects, including Eli Whitney's cotton gin. The Whitney Library contains more than 30,000 printed items and over 250 manuscript collections. The library also houses important genealogical records and a map collection. For more information, call (203) 562-4183 or visit the New Haven Museum and Historical Society Web site at newhavenmuseum.org/.

The Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library is a noncirculating, multi-media collection comprised of more than 50,000 books, trade publications, directories, postcards, photographs and memorabilia that convey community life in Hartford spanning nearly 300 years. For more information, call (860) 695-6297 or visit The Hartford History Center Web site at www.hplct.org/hhc/wordpress/.

The Stonington Historical Society is dedicated to illuminating the more than 350 years of history of the Town of Stonington, located in the southeastern corner of the state. the society's three historic sites provide a physical and archival record of the lives and fortunes of colonial settlers, blockade runners, ship captains, whale hunters, patriots, explorers, artists, and writers. For more information, call (860) 535-8445 or visit The Stonington Historical Society Web site at www.stoningtonhistory.org/.