Waterford Historical Society (CT)
Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 5 p.m. | Members Meeting |
| Thursday, February 20, 2025 | 6 p.m. social 6:30 p.m. program | Public presentation: "Researching Great Neck's pre-Civil War Freed Slaves: A Continuation". John Morgan, self-described archivist/historian/"Their-storian" and caretaker of West Neck Cemetery in Waterford, reports on his further research on the topic he first covered in February 2024. Co-sponsored with the Waterford Public Library. Waterford Public Library Meeting Room. Free, open to the public. |
Saturday, April 12 | 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. | Reopening Celebration of the Ralph Madara Blacksmith Shop. Extensive repairs were made to the forge, which was closed over the winter months. Observers young, old and in-between are welcome to watch the blacksmiths at work again making hand-forged items, some of which will be for sale. Contributions to the forge restoration are greatly appreciated! |
Saturday, May 3 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon | "Tending our Buildings." Annual clean-up of our historic buildings. We dust, clean, take down the curtains and polish the furniture! Members are encouraged to attend and lend a hand! |
Saturday, May 10 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Second Saturday: "Common Threads: Fiber Arts in 1850s Waterford" with the Dirty Blue Shirts living historians. Demonstrations, quilting, tours of our historic buildings. |
June 1-30 | Library hours. | "Portraits of the Irish in Waterford" |
| June 12 | 5 p.m. | Members Meeting in Jordan Park House All members are encouraged to attend and hear of the Society's programs, finances and progress. There are many roles to play in our Society, and we welcome new ideas and energy from our members! |
Saturday, June 14 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Celebrating CT Open House Day! |
Saturday, July 12 | 9-10 a.m. | Semi-Annual Members Meeting with a breakfast potluck for members. Jordan Park House. All members are encouraged to attend and hear of the Society's programs, finances and progress. There are many roles to play in our Society, and we welcome new ideas and energy from our members! |
Saturday, July 12 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Second Saturday: "Summer at Sea" with the Dirty Blue Shirts. Sea chanteys, rope-making, sailmaking and repairing. Demonstrations and tours of historic buildings. |
Thursday, July 31 | 4:30 Social Time 5 p.m. Concert 6 p.m. Reception | Edward MacDowell Piano Concert |
Saturday, August 9 | 11 a.m. | Waterford Town Parade. Our historic buildings will remain closed, but Jordan Green will be filled with townspeople, floats, and celebration! |
Saturday, September 13 | 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Second Saturday: "West Farms/Waterford in the Revolution" with the Dirty Blue Shirts as the USA prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday. Originally a part of New London, Waterford was known as West Farms. Demonstrations, tours of historic buildings. |
Saturday, November 8 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | "Harvest to Hearth: Thanksgiving in 1850s Waterford" The Dirty Blue Shirts living historians will be in and around Jordan Green's historic buildings on Rope Ferry Road with a focus on the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. What did Thanksgiving mean for our mid-19th-century Waterford ancestors? Food, family, gratitude for what they had, remembering those who were gone, and charity baskets for those who had less. - See and smell hearth cooking in the Beebe-Phillips House fireplace. - Take a turn to crank the antique cider press and taste fresh cider from a local farm. - Stop by the popular blacksmith shop open for observation and watch the smiths forging. - In Stacy Barn, marvel at the human ingenuity that created the antique farming equipment from Waterford's agricultural past, when Waterford boasted more than 100 dairy farms. - Stroll the grounds and stop in to sit on the handmade, hard wooden benches in Jordan District Schoolhouse, typical of a 1740s schoolhouse. - Pick up a loaf of fresh homemade bread or hermit cookies for sale from local Dove Hill Farms cottage bakery. - Buy a ticket for a chance to win a print of the watercolor painting of "Graniteville," a stately granite mansion that once stood on Rope Ferry Road, a reminder of Waterford's once-flourishing quarry industry. In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, visitors are asked to please bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Waterford Food Bank. |
Calendar of Events 2025
Remember to visit the Waterford Historical Society's Facebook page for frequent updates and event notices for which you can register or indicate interest. Events are also published in The Day newspaper, Waterford Patch and the Connecticut Tourism Office website, ctvisit.com.
- All events are free and open to the public
- We are a not-for-profit organization. Donations support our programs, help maintain and preserve our buildings and are gratefully accepted!
- Members are encouraged to attend monthly meetings; visitors are always welcome and may join the Society at meetings and events.