208. Saving Connecticut’s Mid-Century Modern Homes

Grating the Nutmeg

https://www.ctexplored.org/the-answer-is-risom/

33:58

On June 25th 2025, in collaboration with Open Folk, we presented our first ever live interview event in Los Angeles. As Open Folk put it: "In These Lines is a live event where three artists each bring one song — not just to perform, but to explore. They sit down with Sofia Loporcaro, host of Before The Chorus, to talk about where the song came from, what it meant to write it, and what it still holds. Then they play it. Just the song, and the truth behind it." Find Open Folk on Instagram: @openfolkla Find Gaby on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0K9pSmFx0kWESA9jqx8aCW?si=Wz4RUP88Qlm_RKs7QTLvWQ On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/gaby-moreno/472697737 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaby_moreno/ Find Lily on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0p0ksmwMDQlAM24TWKu4Ua?si=Bmdg-uIUTHu-zRUc_dqL3g On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/lily-kershaw/526884610 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilykershaw/ Find James on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3u50TPoLvMBXNT1KrLa3iT?si=OoLoq7ZTRZyUiytQcz0FsQ On Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/james-spaite/905076868 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesspaite/ Subscribe: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beforethechorus.bio.to/listen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up for our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.beforethechorus.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@beforethechoruspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@soundslikesofia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ About the podcast: Welcome to Before the Chorus , where we go beyond the sounds of our favourite songs to hear the stories of the artists who wrote them. Before a song is released, a record is produced, or a chorus is written, the musicians that write them think. A lot. They live. A lot. And they feel. A LOT. Hosted by award-winning interviewer Sofia Loporcaro, Before the Chorus explores the genuine human experiences behind the music. Sofia’s deep knowledge of music and personal journey with mental health help her connect with artists on a meaningful level. This is a space where fans connect with artists, and listeners from all walks of life feel seen through the stories that shape the music we love. About the host: Sofia Loporcaro is an award-winning interviewer and radio host who’s spent over 8 years helping musicians share their stories. She’s hosted shows for Amazing Radio, and Transmission Roundhouse. Now on Before the Chorus, she’s had the chance to host guests like Glass Animals, Feist, Madison Cunningham, Mick Jenkins, & Ru Paul's Drag Race winner Shea Couleé. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

about a year ago 40:34

MP3•Episode home

We’re celebrating May, Historic Preservation Month, with an episode on the Modern houses of the 1950s and 1960s.

Could you live in a glass house? New Canaan, Connecticut’s Mid-Century Modern homes designed after the Second War are world famous. In addition to Philip Johnson’s Glass House, now a museum, New Canaan has homes designed by Marcel Breuer, Eliot Noyes, Frank Lloyd Wright and Edward Durell Stone. Each one is a part of architectural history and is a masterwork of the era’s most talented architects. But by the 1990s, people began to demolish these relatively small homes sited on large lots. People in New Canaan began to band together to save these artworks-”machines for living”. Towns across Connecticut have at least one or two good Mid-Century Modern homes worth saving and celebrating.

Host Mary Donohue discusses what a homeowners and community members can do to help save these modern homes. Her guests are Gwen North Reiss, historian and author of New Canaan Modern: A Preservation History published by the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society in 2024 and Mary Dunne, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Dept of Economic and Community Development and homeowner of an architect-designed, Mid-Century Modern home.

For more information on New Canaan’s Modern houses, order your copy of Gwen North Reiss’s book New Canaan Modern: A Preservation History from the New Canaan Historical Society. It has really tremendous photography-a joy if you are a fan of this era!

To buy the book, contact the New Canaan Historical Society at info@nchistory.org

To learn more about Modernism in New Canaan, go to: https://nchistory.org/modern-new-canaan/

To visit the Glass House, go to: https://theglasshouse.org/

You can find the link to the New Canaan Modern House Survey on the website of the Glass House Museum here: https://theglasshouse.org/learn/modern-homes-survey/

To read more about Mary Dunne’s mid-century modern home and furniture designer Jens Risom, go to:

https://www.ctexplored.org/the-modern-style-in-manchester/

photo: Michael Biondo

----------------------------------------------------------------

Visit Connecticut’s four state museums operated by the State Historic Preservation Office including the Eric Sloane Museum in Kent, with the artist’s studio; the Henry Whitfield House in Guilford, the state’s oldest house built in 1639, , Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine in East Granby, the Nation’s first chartered copper mine and state prison; and the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, the first school for young black women.

Learn more here: https://portal.ct.gov/decd/services/historic-preservation/state-museums

Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now.

Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don’t miss the Summer issue!

Each issue offers a photo essay, feature-length stories you can sink your teeth into, and shorter stories you can breeze through—plus lots of beautiful, large historic images. We include oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, and more. From Colonial history to pop-culture, you’ll find it all in this magazine.

Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at ctexplored.org

This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.

Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!

193 episodes

#History #Connecticuthistory #Newengland #Socialstudies #Stories #Travel #Society #Connecticut Explored Magazine

208. Saving Connecticut’s Mid-Century Modern Homes

Grating the Nutmeg

12 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

We’re celebrating May, Historic Preservation Month, with an episode on the Modern houses of the 1950s and 1960s.

To buy the book, contact the New Canaan Historical Society at info@nchistory.org

To learn more about Modernism in New Canaan, go to: https://nchistory.org/modern-new-canaan/

To visit the Glass House, go to: https://theglasshouse.org/

You can find the link to the New Canaan Modern House Survey on the website of the Glass House Museum here: https://theglasshouse.org/learn/modern-homes-survey/

To read more about Mary Dunne’s mid-century modern home and furniture designer Jens Risom, go to:

https://www.ctexplored.org/the-answer-is-risom/

https://www.ctexplored.org/the-modern-style-in-manchester/

photo: Michael Biondo

----------------------------------------------------------------

Learn more here: https://portal.ct.gov/decd/services/historic-preservation/state-museums

Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don’t miss the Summer issue!

Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at ctexplored.org

193 episodes

#History #Connecticuthistory #Newengland #Socialstudies #Stories #Travel #Society #Connecticut Explored Magazine

All episodes

Grating the Nutmeg

1
213. When the Continental Army Camped in Connecticut 34:42

11 days ago34:42

34:42

The Redding Encampment, Connecticut’s first State Archaeological Preserve, is located in Putnam Memorial State Park. Understanding of the Revolutionary War has emphasized the battles, maneuvers, and war meetings; but far more time was expended during the long periods of winter encampment. The winter months were a brutal test of individual fortitude, unifying command, and local support. In the journal Joseph Plumb Martin kept at the time, he wrote, “We arrived at Redding about Christmas or a little before and prepared to build huts for our winter quarters. And now came on the time again between grass and hay, that is, the winter campaign of starving.” Compared to Valley Forge or Morristown, the archaeological evidence supports the poor conditions described by Martin. The site remains intact and is a relatively unknown archaeological gem, administered by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Our publisher Dr. Kathy Hermes chats with Ellery Leary, the official park historian of Putnam Memorial State Park and a member of the Friends & Neighbors of Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding, Connecticut. They studied history and art history, and they hold an MA in archaeology. They also served as a consultant on a National Park Service Battlefield Interpretation Grant obtained by Cris Radio to create an app with a downloadable audio tour for Putnam Park and a website that tells the stories of people of color at the Redding Encampment. We discuss the importance of Putnam Park as a historical site, the experiences of the soldiers and camp followers, and the efforts at historic preservation of the site. Visit the websites, Dr. Kathy Hermes, et al, Forgotten Voices of the Revolutionary War: People of Color and the Redding Encampment, 1778-1779 at https://forgottenvoicesrevwar.org/ and Cris Radio, Forgotten Voices of the Revolutionary War, which offers audio recordings of narratives and documents. https://crisradio.org/voice/forgotten-voices-of-the-revolutionary-war/ For more about Abimelech Uncus, see: www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/abimeleck-uncus ---------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Kathy Hermes and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com. Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
212. Ingredients for Revolution: Feminist Restaurants featuring Bloodroot Restaurant 42:06

25 days ago42:06

42:06

Connecticut Explored and our podcast, Grating the Nutmeg , have featured many of the heritage trails that mark the important histories and sites of Connecticut’s people. Preservation Connecticut has undertaken a survey of LGBTQ+ heritage sites across the state. Now, Grating the Nutmeg and Preservation Connecticut have teamed up to bring you a three-episode podcast series that pairs new research on LGBTQ+ identity and activism with accounts of the Connecticut places where history was made. The episodes include a thriving vegetarian cafe-bookstore run by lesbian feminists in a working-class former factory town, a transgender medical researcher working on an urgent public health issue in the center of Connecticut politics, and a gay, Jewish, best-selling children’s book author in affluent Fairfield County. In this episode, Dr. Alex Ketchum, author of Ingredients for Revolution: A History of American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffeehouses , published by Concordia University Press in 2022, reveals the history of women-owned restaurants in the 1970s and 1980s that had a feminist mission. In a first-ever overview of feminist cafe subculture, Ketchum’s book details the role eateries played in social justice movements, including women’s and LGBTQ+ liberation, and food justice. And we will highlight Bloodroot, the almost 50-year-old lesbian-feminist bookstore, collective, and vegetarian restaurant in Bridgeport. Dr. Ketchum is Assistant Professor at McGill University's Institute for Gender, Sexuality, Feminist Studies, and the Director of the Just Feminist Tech and Scholarship Lab, co-editor of Queers at the Table: An Illustrated Guide to Queer Food (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022), and creator of The Feminist Restaurant Project: thefeministrestaurantproject.com Follow Dr. Ketchum on her social media pages- bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aketchum22.bsky.social @aketchum22.bsky.social instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.alexketchum/ @dr.alexketchum To find out more information on Bloodroot Restaurant, check out these sources: Restaurant Website https://www.bloodroot.com/ Public Broadcasting Interview with the founders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtxLyIqYhxQ Documentary Trailer “A Culinary Uprising: The Story of Bloodroot” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh2K7RAeBf4 This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was supported by Preservation Connecticut , preserving the state’s heritage for 50 years and a Quick Grant from CT Humanities . CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, programs, and collaboration with other organizations. CTH is supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. Connecticut Landmarks LGBTQ+ Archives The archival collections of East Haddam’s Palmer-Warner House include the diaries and letters of previous residents Frederic Palmer and his partner Howard Metzger. On view during the museum’s open hours through August 23,2025, “Letters of Unity” explores the evolution of LGBTQ+ communication over more than a century through the stories of Frederic, Howard, and other members of LGBTQ+ communities. From love letters to social media and personal diaries to protest flyers, this display showcases how love, resistance, and solidarity have been expressed through various mediums. Purchase tickets at https://ctlandmarks.org/properties/palmer-warner-house/ The Palmer-Warner House will host a thought-provoking free community panel discussion on queer independence on Saturday, July 12 from 1 pm-4 pm. This panel will offer the opportunity to connect with diverse voices from across generations as they reflect on past, present, and future LGBTQ+ resilience, self-determination, and community support. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate the strength of queer identities. Register at https://114536.blackbaudhosting.com/114536/Queer-Independence-Discussion-Panel ---------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials: Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at West Hartford Town Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
211. Leviathan: New Englanders and the History of Whaling 50:52

6 weeks ago50:52

50:52

American whale oil lit the world. The Industrial Revolution couldn’t have happened without it. Connecticut was part of the whaling industry of the nineteenth century that sent thousands of American ships manned by tens of thousands of men to hunt whales across the world’s oceans. Stonington, Mystic, New London, and New Haven were part of New England’s predominance in successful whaling. In fact, New London, Connecticut is known today as the “Whaling City”. My guest Eric Jay Dolan is the author of sixteen award-winning books on maritime history. In this episode, we will be talking about the history of American whaling taken from his work in Leviathan The History of Whaling in America published in 2007 byW.W. Norton Press. His latest book, is Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World . Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Note: Listeners may find this episode disturbing. Whaling was a brutal trade - we are describing the industry in its historic context. To find out more about the other books that Eric has written, go to his website: www.ericjaydolin.com/ His website also has information on upcoming events he’s doing and contact information. He is available for book talks and lectures both in person and remotely. You’ll find the link to the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park here: www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm Don’t forget that our August 1st episode will feature Mystic Seaport’s new whaling exhibit. ----------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky. Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
210. The Mattatuck Museum: Waterbury and Summer Leisure 39:56

8 weeks ago39:56

39:56

In this episode, host Mary Donohue visits the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, a place that includes stellar architecture, art by some of the most renowned artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and an exhibition that tells the story of Waterbury’s rise as a manufacturing powerhouse. The Mattatuck Museum is an art and regional history museum on the Green in downtown Waterbury, that started out as a historical society in 1877. Our guest is Rebecca Lo Presti, Assistant Curator. She served as the curator for “ The Art of Leisure” an exhibit that is up now until June 15, 2025. From pencil sketches of working-class families picnicking to paintings done by Americans on the European Grand Tour, the exhibit shows how artists depicted recreation, relaxation, and travel in their work. They also talk about what else you’ll see at museum when you visit including the artwork of American masters associated with Connecticut such as Anni Albers, Alexander Calder and Frederic Church. And, on the quirkier side, the museum is also home to a button gallery displaying 10,000 buttons -miniature works of art collected from around the globe. A big thanks to Becca Lo Presti, Asst. Curator and Tanya Labeck, Marketing & Media Coordinator at the Mattatuck Museum. Visit the museum before June 15th to see the Art of Leisure, but remember that any time is a good time to go! You’ll always find something interesting, beautiful or inspiring on display. Find out more at their website at mattmuseum.org/ To learn more about Waterbury’s industrial history, go to the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials- Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
209. Mary Hall and the Good Will Club 20:03

10 weeks ago20:03

20:03

In this episode, Natalie Belanger of the CT Museum of Culture and History tells the story of the Good Will Club, the forerunner of the youth club movement that got its start in Hartford. But the story of the club can't be separated from that of its founder, a woman who's an inductee of the CT Women's Hall of Fame for her barrier-breaking work in the legal field. There are lots of ways to learn more about the history of the Good Will Club and about Mary Hall. Here’s a partial list of sources consulted for this episode: Elizabeth Warren, “Mary Hall: Breaking the Legal Barrier,” CT Explored, Spring 2010 Kevin Flood, “The Boys and Girls Clubs of America Started Here,” CT Explored, Fall 2019 Mary Hall’s Entry in the CT Women’s Hall of Fame Judge A. Susan Peck, “ Upcoming Survey on the Status of Connecticut Women in the Legal Profession ,” CT Lawyer, September/October 2024 Some other sources you might like to check out: You can look at digitized issues of the Good Will Star , the newspaper published by the boys of the Good Will Club, held at the Connecticut State Library; see a timeline of the history of the Boys and Girls Club of Hartford; and visit the Connecticut Museum’s Waterman Research Center to see published histories of the Good Will/Boys and Girls Club as well as Mary Hall’s scrapbook. This episode received support from the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Hartford, Connecticut. image: Mary Hall and Good Will Club Boys, Mary Hall Scrapbook, MS 78249 CMCH Collection. -------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don’t miss the Summer issue! Each issue offers a photo essay, feature-length stories you can sink your teeth into, and shorter stories you can breeze through—plus lots of beautiful, large historic images. We include oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, and more. From Colonial history to pop-culture, you’ll find it all in this magazine. Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at ctexplored.org This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials - Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
208. Saving Connecticut’s Mid-Century Modern Homes 40:34

12 weeks ago40:34

40:34

We’re celebrating May, Historic Preservation Month, with an episode on the Modern houses of the 1950s and 1960s. Could you live in a glass house? New Canaan, Connecticut’s Mid-Century Modern homes designed after the Second War are world famous. In addition to Philip Johnson’s Glass House, now a museum, New Canaan has homes designed by Marcel Breuer, Eliot Noyes, Frank Lloyd Wright and Edward Durell Stone. Each one is a part of architectural history and is a masterwork of the era’s most talented architects. But by the 1990s, people began to demolish these relatively small homes sited on large lots. People in New Canaan began to band together to save these artworks-”machines for living”. Towns across Connecticut have at least one or two good Mid-Century Modern homes worth saving and celebrating. Host Mary Donohue discusses what a homeowners and community members can do to help save these modern homes. Her guests are Gwen North Reiss, historian and author of New Canaan Modern: A Preservation History published by the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society in 2024 and Mary Dunne, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Dept of Economic and Community Development and homeowner of an architect-designed, Mid-Century Modern home. For more information on New Canaan’s Modern houses, order your copy of Gwen North Reiss’s book New Canaan Modern: A Preservation History from the New Canaan Historical Society. It has really tremendous photography-a joy if you are a fan of this era! To buy the book, contact the New Canaan Historical Society at info@nchistory.org To learn more about Modernism in New Canaan, go to: https://nchistory.org/modern-new-canaan/ To visit the Glass House, go to: https://theglasshouse.org/ You can find the link to the New Canaan Modern House Survey on the website of the Glass House Museum here: https://theglasshouse.org/learn/modern-homes-survey/ To read more about Mary Dunne’s mid-century modern home and furniture designer Jens Risom, go to: https://www.ctexplored.org/the-answer-is-risom/ https://www.ctexplored.org/the-modern-style-in-manchester/ photo: Michael Biondo ---------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Connecticut’s four state museums operated by the State Historic Preservation Office including the Eric Sloane Museum in Kent, with the artist’s studio; the Henry Whitfield House in Guilford, the state’s oldest house built in 1639, , Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine in East Granby, the Nation’s first chartered copper mine and state prison; and the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, the first school for young black women. Learn more here: https://portal.ct.gov/decd/services/historic-preservation/state-museums Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don’t miss the Summer issue! Each issue offers a photo essay, feature-length stories you can sink your teeth into, and shorter stories you can breeze through—plus lots of beautiful, large historic images. We include oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, and more. From Colonial history to pop-culture, you’ll find it all in this magazine. Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at ctexplored.org This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials- Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

1
207. Book and Dagger: Yale Professors Become Successful WWII Spies 40:36

15 weeks ago40:36

40:36

In her new book, Book and Dagger, How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of the World , Dr. Elyse Graham tells the story of academics, like Yale literature professor Joseph Curtis, who hunted down German spies and turned them into double agents, and Sherman Kent, a Yale history professor who rose to become the head of analysis for all of Europe and Africa. At the start of World War II, the United States found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to today’s CIA, was quickly formed—and in an effort to fill its ranks with experts, the OSS turned to academia for recruits. Suddenly, literature professors, librarians, and historians were training to perform undercover operations and investigative work-and these surprising spies would go on to profoundly shape both the course of the war and the future CIA with their efforts. This episode’s guest is Dr. Elyse Graham, professor in the English Department at Stony Brook University and the author of four books. Dr.Graham is available for book talks-find the link to her website here: https://www.elyse-graham.com/ -------------------------------------------------- Like Grating the Nutmeg? Want to support it? Make a donation ! 100% of the funds from your donation go directly to the production and promotion of the show. Go to ctexplored.org to send your donation now. Get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine, in print and digital editions now so you don’t miss the Summer issue! https://www.ctexplored.org/ Each issue offers a photo essay, feature-length stories you can sink your teeth into, and shorter stories you can breeze through—plus lots of beautiful, large historic images. We include oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, and more. From Colonial history to pop-culture, you’ll find it all in this magazine This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials- Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

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206. Hartford’s Rural Cemetery: Cedar Hill 30:58

17 weeks ago30:58

30:58

Last year in episode 186, we talked about Grove Street Cemetery’s pioneering role as the first planned cemetery in the country. The design of Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven in the 1790s used several of the features that became standard, like family plots and established walkways. Today, we’re going to move the clock forward and discuss the rural cemetery movement of the 19th century with Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford as a signature example. Established in 1864, Cedar Hill Cemetery encompasses 270 acres of landscaped woodlands, waterways, and memorial grounds. The urban oasis serves as a sanctuary for Connecticut history, impressive funerary art, and natural beauty. In this episode, Host Mary Donohue interviews Beverly Lucas, Director of the Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation. The Foundation is the non-profit that raises money for the restoration of the monuments and also hosts many events and guided tours. Be sure to follow the Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation on Facebook and Instagram to find out about upcoming programs. ----------------------------------------------------- Wesleyan Press book offer! Grating the Nutmeg has an exciting offer from Wesleyan University Press. Order the beautiful coffee table book Joseph Weidenmann, pioneer landscape architect by Rudi Favretti from their website and use the code Q301 to receive a 30% discount! https://www.weslpress.org/9780819568472/jacob-weidenmann/ ------------------------------------------------------ Want to find out more about Connecticut’s historic cemeteries? Listen to these Grating the Nutmeg episodes: https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/186-new-havens-pioneering-grove-street-cemetery https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/135-zinc-gravestones-bridgeports-monumental-bronze-company https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/154-numbers-to-names-restoring-humanity-to-ct-valley-hospital-cemetery https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/78-uncovering-african-and-native-american-lives-in-17th-18th-century-hartford ------------------------------------------------------ We count on our sponsors, advertisers and most importantly our listeners for their support. Help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gratingthenutmeg/ We appreciate donations in any amount! Connecticut Explored magazine is a place where readers encounter the fascinating, and often untold, stories of our state’s people, places, and events. Subscriptions include print + digital access. Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at https://www.ctexplored.org/ If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our enewsletter at our website at https://www.ctexplored.org/ This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials- Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

Grating the Nutmeg

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205. Coffee — A Connecticut Story 34:01

19 weeks ago34:01

34:01

Coffee is more than a hot drink or a boost of caffeine. For Connecticans, it’s hundreds of years of history. It has fueled new ideas, social reform, and workers’ rights. It is comfort in wartime and connections across cultures. It is universal, yet distinctly local. In this episode, the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History 's Natalie Belanger chats with her colleague, Karen Li Miller, about the Museum's new exhibition exploring these connections, Coffee — A Connecticut Story . Make sure to visit the Museum's web site to see upcoming programs! https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/exhibition/coffee-exhibition/ Thanks to the Connecticut Museum of Culture & History for their financial sponsorship of Grating the Nutmeg, helping us bring you a new episode every two weeks. ----------------------------------------------- We count on our sponsors, advertisers and most importantly our listeners for their support. Help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website: ctexplored.org - Click the "Donate" button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We need and appreciate donations in any amount! Connecticut Explored magazine is a place where readers encounter the fascinating, and often untold, stories of our state’s people, places, and events. Subscriptions include print + digital access. Subscribe to get your copy today in your mailbox or your inbox at ctexplored.org If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our enewsletter at our website at ctexplored.org ----------------------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials - Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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204. Artistry, Charm, and Whimsy: Connecticut’s Carousel Museum 34:28

21 weeks ago34:28

34:28

Carousels are marvels of brightly painted animals, mechanical excellence, music and lights. Located in a historic mill building in Bristol, the Carousel Museum houses well over 100 antique wooden carousel animals including white rabbits, pigs, lions and even an alligator. The museum has a full-size carousel inside the building complete with beautifully painted horses and Wurlitzer music - and you can take a merry-go-round ride during any season of the year. Plus, you can take a peek into their restoration workshop. Our guest for this episode is Morgan Fippinger, Executive Director. Plan your visit to the Carousel Museum at www.thecarouselmuseum.org The museum can also be rented for birthdays, weddings, and other events-find out more on their website. Be sure to let us know on our social media pages which enchanting carousel animal is your favorite! Search for carousels to visit across the country here: www.collectorsweekly.com/hall-of-fame/view/national-carousel-association -------------------------------------------------- Get ready for #CivicLearningWeek! From March 10th through the 14th, students, educators, policymakers, and private and public sector leaders will come together to energize the movement for civic education as a nationwide priority. Prepare with Grating the Nutmeg and Connecticut Explored by reading and listening to civics-focused stories including How Connecticut Got Zoning; Radical Connecticut Labor Strikes; Disability Rights Activist Phyllis Zlotnick; and Miss Crandall’s School for Black Women! Learn more at ctexplored.org and civiclearningweek.org Links for the these stories and podcast episodes: https://www.ctexplored.org/disrupters-in-small-packages/ https://www.ctexplored.org/misscrandallsschool/ https://www.ctexplored.org/radical-connecticut-labor-strikes/ https://www.ctexplored.org/the-labor-movement-in-connecticut/ https://www.ctexplored.org/phyllis-zlotnick-disability-rights-activist/ https://www.ctexplored.org/phyllis-zlotnick/ https://www.ctexplored.org/how-connecticut-got-zoning-cte-game-changer-series/ https://www.ctexplored.org/game-changer-the-rise-of-exclusionary-zoning-in-connecticut/ ------------------------------------------------- This episode is sponsored by Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. We have a serious funding gap for 2025. You can help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We need and appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our enewsletter at our website at ctexplored.org This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials- Facebook , Instagram , Threads , and BlueSky . Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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203. Amistad Retold: New Haven and the 1839 Amistad Revolt 42:27

23 weeks ago42:27

42:27

The New Haven Museum staff and their community partners have reinterpreted the Amistad story in an exhibition that takes a new angle on the familiar story of the Amistad. The 1839 Amistad Revolt was led by 53 West African captives who were being trafficked from Havana’s slave markets on the schooner La Amistad after being kidnapped from their homeland. For nearly 19 months in New Haven, the Amistad captives worked closely with anti-slavery activists who formed the Amistad Committee and connected with networks of engaged citizens to organize and fundraise for their legal defense. The New Haven Museum exhibition, “Amistad: Retold,” centers the people who led the 1839 revolt and their collective actions to determine their own lives. It also focuses on New Haven as the site of their incarceration and abolitionist organizing. My guests for this episode are award-winning historian, writer, and filmmaker Dr. Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh, and Joanna Steinberg, the New Haven Museum’s Director of Learning and Engagement. Dr. Rediker will present, “Rethinking the Amistad Story” at the New Haven Museum on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 6 p.m. This is a rare local opportunity to meet the historian whose work transformed the understanding of the Amistad revolt and was central to the recent re-interpretation of the New Haven Museum exhibit, “Amistad: Retold." Don’t forget to register for Dr. Rediker’s upcoming lecture on April 3rd at the New Haven Museum-the link with further information is here: https://www.newhavenmuseum.org/50304-2/ Be sure to visit Dr. Rediker’s website at www.marcusrediker.com/ for information on his 2012 book The Amistad Rebellion, An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Rebellion published by Penguin Press. To watch his award-winning film about visiting Sierra Leonne , Ghosts of Amistad , go to the website www.ghostsofamistad.com ----------------------------------------------- We have a serious funding gap for 2025. You can help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gratingthenutmeg/ We need and appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our free enewsletter at our website at ctexplored.org This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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202. Miss Crandall’s School for Black Women 56:17

25 weeks ago56:17

56:17

After a campaign initiated by schoolchildren, Prudence Crandall was designated the Connecticut State Heroine by the Connecticut General Assembly on Oct. 1, 1995. You may not know Connecticut has a state heroine, or you might have some inkling that Crandall was maybe a spinster Quaker schoolmarm, who had an unsuccessful school in the hinterlands of eastern Connecticut. Founded in 1833, the Crandall Academy educated more than two dozen Black women during its eighteen-month existence. In this episode we’ll hear how a trio of like-minded women helped to get the academy off the ground, and the tremendous impact the school had in its short existence. Many of the Black women who attended the Canterbury Female Academy went on to be teachers, activists, and leaders in the Black community. Likewise, the important white and Black Abolitionists drawn to the struggle in Canterbury made lasting contributions across the decades leading to emancipation. The story of the Canterbury Female Academy is replete with courtroom dramas and vigilante attacks, bravery in the face of opposition, and the noble work of pursuing education despite constant insult and threat. It is a story of inter-racial cooperation and women’s actions that we as Americans need to know, now more than ever. The initiative for the Academy came from women, Black and white, and its continuity was nurtured by support from the students’ families and a growing white female Abolitionist movement. Mary Donohue talks to Dr. Jennifer Rycenga about her new book Schooling the Nation, The Success of the Canterbury Academy for Black Women , published in 2025 by the University of Illinois Press. Dr. Jennifer Rycenga is a professor emerita of comparative religious studies and humanities at San Jose State University. Dr. Rycenga is available for book talks and lectures, both remotely and in-person. Her contact email is jennife.rycenga@sjsu.edu Her author page on Amazon is here: https://us.amazon.com/stores/Jennifer-Rycenga/author/B06XJRSDV7?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Her book can be ordered from the University of Illinois Press here: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088377 Interested in visiting the Prudence Crandall Museum where today’s story took place? Plan you visit here: https://portal.ct.gov/ecd-prudencecrandallmuseum ---------------------------------------------- We have a serious funding gap for 2025. You can help us continue to tell the important stories from Connecticut’s history by donating a fixed dollar amount monthly. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website. We need and appreciate your support! Here’s our donation link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gratingthenutmeg/ Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored If you are looking for fun and interesting things to do around the state, our magazine and bi-monthly enewsletter will fill you in! Subscribe and sign up for our enewsletter at our website at https://www.ctexplored.org/ This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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201. The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir with Griffin Dunne 58:24

27 weeks ago58:24

58:24

In this episode, Host Mary Donohue talks to Griffin Dunne, actor, producer and director and now New York Times best-selling author about his family memoir The Friday Afternoon Club. His Hartford to Hollywood family includes generations of writers, movie producers, journalists, and actors including his father Dominick Dunne, uncle John Gregory Dunne, and aunt Joan Didion. This prominent family dynasty has part of its roots in Irish-American Connecticut, coming from Ireland to Derby and Hartford. Irish Catholics, unwelcome in Protestant Connecticut from the jump in the 1820s, nevertheless made Connecticut home. In this episode, Dunne shares stories about family figures such as Hartford’s Dominick Burns, a self-made man who immigrated from Ireland at age 11 and became a business owner and bank president. And Dr. Edwin Dunne, a Harvard-trained surgeon, who was the grandson of an Irish immigrant and the son of a machinist at the Farrell Foundry and Machine Company in Ansonia. And we don’t forget the Hollywood part of the story either with Dunne’s vivid memories of his father’s life as a movie producer and crime journalist! Our thanks again to Griffin Dunne for joining us for this episode. His book is available at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon. The new Hartford Public Library Park Street at the Lyric Branch is located at 603 Park Street. The building that housed the Park Street Trust Company where Dominick Burns served as co-founder and president is located at 617 Park Street, on the southwest corner of Park and Broad Streets. The grave monument company that is mentioned is Beij, Williams and Zito-still in business. John Zito, Jr. was a sculptor as well as a partner in the cemetery monument company. Their website is here: https://fineartstone.com/companyhistory/ If you want to learn more about Connecticut’s Irish-American history and landmarks, go to the website of the Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society here: http://www.ctirishhistory.org/website/publish/about/index.php?About-Us-2 ------------------------------------------------ To celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gratingthenutmeg/ We appreciate your support in any amount! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored Our current issue is on food-find out where to get the best ice cream sundaes in West Hartford. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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200. Erector Sets, Trains and New Haven’s Toymaker A.C. Gilbert 35:58

31 weeks ago35:58

35:58

We did it!! This is our 200th episode of Grating the Nutmeg! Thanks to our listeners, we have travelled across the state during every time period to bring you vivid, fascinating stories from our state’s history. Become a podcast subscriber to get notified every time there’s a new episode! During this holiday season, it seemed like the perfect time to bring you the story of Connecticut’s biggest toymaker! Of all the toys that are enshrined in the National Toy of Fame, two stand out as having solid Connecticut connections, the Cabbage Patch doll and the Erector Set. In this episode, we’re going to find out how A.C. Gilbert, a Yale educated doctor, became a millionaire with an idea he got while riding the Metro North train from New Haven to New York City. His construction toy, the Erector Set, sold in the millions and helped to educate generations of scientists and engineers. He came up with dozens of best-selling toys that were all manufactured at his factory in New Haven, Connecticut. We’ll also interview Walter Zawalich, Gilbert Trains Curator, at the Eli Whitney Museum about their holiday Gilbert train show. Co-host Patrick O’Sullivan will share his information on 1965’s James Bond slot car toy that helped to push the company into closing. Much of today’s information comes from the book The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made, The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas by Bruce Watson and the website of the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden, Connecticut. The Whitney Museum collects and studies the products and legacy of A.C. Gilbert and his company. Find out more here: https://www.eliwhitney.org/museum/-gilbert-project/-man/a-c-gilbert-scientific-toymaker-essays-arts-and-sciences-october The information on the Eli Whitney Train Show is here: https://www.eliwhitney.org/exhibitions/train-display-2024-25 Other museums with train shows: Connecticut River Museum https://ctrivermuseum.org/events/steve-cryans-31st-annual-train-show/ Wilton Historical Society https://wiltonhistorical.org/events/great-train-holiday-show/ To get information about how to visit Erector Square, the A.C.Gilbert Factory complex now adaptively reused as artist studios, go to their website at https://erectorsquarestudios.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- To celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored Our current issue is on food-find out where to get the best ice cream sundaes in West Hartford. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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199. G. Fox and Company Department Store and the Holidays 45:13

34 weeks ago45:13

45:13

In the mid-20th century, Hartford's G. Fox and Co. was one of the most successful family-owned department stores in the United States. Today, many Connecticans have fond memories of visiting G. Fox at the holiday season -- marvelling at the Christmas Village atop the marquee and meeting Santa in Toyland. In this episode, Natalie Belanger and Jen Busa of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History talk about the history of the store, owner Beatrice Fox Auerbach's commitment to customer service, and the holiday traditions that so many customers still remember. You'll hear snippets from oral histories conducted in the 2000s by the Stave Group for the Connecticut Museum. Transcripts and audio files of these oral histories are available at the CT Digital Archive , a collaborative member organization that supports digital preservation and access for all Connecticut's people. The voices you heard today were those of Ann Uccello, Bruce Blawie, Ruth Blawie, Betty Jane Ladd, Bruce Stave, and Fanny Raptopolous. Want to try making the Date Nut Bread that Jen and Natalie made for this episode? Here's the recipe, as published in the Hartford Courant February 26, 2009. G. FOX & CO.’S DATE NUT BREAD RECIPE 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces 1 cup sugar 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs, well beaten 2 cups flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla Grease a 9-by-5-inch pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place dates and sugar in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, combine the water and shortening and simmer until shortening is melted. Pour over dates and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir mix ingredients with a wooden spoon, not an electric mixer. Add eggs, beating well. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into date mixture until well blended. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Add walnuts and vanilla. Turn batter into greased loaf pan and bake one hour until center of loaf springs back when touched. Cool thoroughly before removing from pan. Image credit: G. Fox 1969 holiday catalogue, CMCH collection 2020.57.25 Hear more about how G. Fox intergrated their workforce on Grating the Nutmeg episode 73 Dept Stores, G. Fox and the Black Freedom Movement. Listen here: https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/73-dept-stores-gfox-and-the-black-freedom-movement --------------------------------- To celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored Our current issue is on food-find out our recommendation for the best ice cream sundaes in West Hartford! ----------------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram: @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!…

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198. Entwined: Black and Indigenous Maritime History 43:23

36 weeks ago43:23

43:23

We all know a little about New England and Connecticut’s European maritime history. Dutch traders came to North America to trade for beaver pelts and English colonists came to start new communities such as Hartford. But a new exhibition at the Mystic Seaport Museum doesn’t rehash this history - it looks to reveal African and Indigenous perspectives on water and the sea. Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea is an exhibition that surveys the interplay of maritime histories through Indigenous, African, and African American worldviews. On view until Spring 2026, the exhibition examines twelve millennia of Black and Indigenous history through objects and loaned belongings from Indigenous and African communities dating back 2,500 years, coalescing in a selection of 22 contemporary artworks. For more on the exhibition, go here: https://mysticseaport.org/press-release/a-new-major-exhibition-at-mystic-seaport-museum-entwined-freedom-sovereignty-and-the-sea/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlsy5BhDeARIsABRc6ZsdXrwnuOdXNuyzChssJb7G7QDvtp-1ou95r4jkzwwmo2qLD7Q_1P4aAi39EALw_wcB Entwined is the first exhibition by my guest Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, Senior Curator of Social Histories at Mystic Seaport Museum. She earned her PhD in Anthropology with a focus in Archeology at the University of Connecticut. Our second guest is Dr. Kathy Hermes, publisher of Connecticut Explored magazine and Project Historian of the award-winning project Uncovering Their History: African, African American and Native American Burials in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground. This is the third and final episode in our 2024 series on Connecticut’s maritime history. Don’t miss listening to Episode 182. Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution with best-selling author Eric Jay Dolan and Episode 180. Colonial Connecticut: Sugar, Slavery, and Connections to the West Indies with Dr. Mathew Warshaurer and Dr. Kathy Hermes. Here’s the links to these episodes: https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/182-rebels-at-sea-privateering-in-the-american-revolution https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/180-colonial-connecticut-sugar-slavery-and-connections-to-the-west-indies Here’s the link to the Seaman’s Protection Certificates-list on the Mystic Seaport website: https://research.mysticseaport.org/databases/protection/ -------------------------------- Help us make up our loss of state funding and celebrate our 200 episodes by donating $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Here's the link to our online benefit auction-valid until Nov. 20, 2024. https://secure.qgiv.com/event/gtn2024/ Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. https:/simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored -------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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197. Mark Twain and the American Presidents 43:56

38 weeks ago43:56

43:56

Early voting has already started in the 2024 presidential election and I just couldn’t resist the suggestion by my guests to explore what Samuel Clemens alias Mark Twain, Hartford’s greatest Gilded Age humorist, had to say about the United States presidents. Was Twain the John Stewart or John Oliver of his day? Known for his sharp wit and scathing satire, what presidents met with his approval? Corruption, national identity, the power of big business, and America’s global role were just as contested then as they are now. His funny, insightful observations about the presidents of his day apply readily to the modern presidency. Guests on this episode are Twain experts Mallory Howard, Assistant Curator at The Mark Twain House & Museum and Dr. Jason Scappaticci, historian and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Connecticut State Community College Capital in Hartford. Looking for a fun and informative event for your library, book club, or historical society? The Mark Twain House & Museum can bring you distinctive, entertaining, and interactive presentations on Mark Twain’s life, work, interests, and era. You can book a presentation on the subject of this episode at the Mark Twain House website here: https://marktwainhouse.org/outreach/ -------------------------------- We’re almost there! This is our 197th episode. Thanks to our listeners, Grating the Nutmeg is going to hit 200 episodes soon! We love bringing you a new episode every two weeks. In celebration of our 200th episode and to help fund Grating the Nutmeg in 2025, we are holding our first ever Grating the Nutmeg Benefit Online Auction. The auction bidding opens on November 1st. You can bid on art, special one-of -a- kind experiences like a private tour of the Connecticut State Capitol including the Hall of Flags, theater tickets, museum admissions, hands-on genealogy assistance, behind the scenes tours at fascinating places, and restaurant gift cards. You’ll be able to bid on a delish lunch at one of Hartford’s best restaurants with our publisher Dr. Kathy Hermes and the Connecticut State Historian Dr. Andy Horowitz. All the bidding information is on our website and links to the auction bidding are on our social media pages. Go to the auction here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/gtn2024/ It’s easy to bid on your phone or laptop. The holidays are coming up-you may find that perfect gift in our auction items for that hard to buy for person! Toast the start of conservation work with the team working to stabilize the 18th-century wallpaper adorning the Phelps-Hatheway House . Enjoy exclusive access to the expertise of conservators who will explain and demonstrate their work caring for the papers. To reserve your spot for the Nov. 3, 2024 event, go to https://ctlandmarks.org/wallpaper/ To celebrate our 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. ---------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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196. Connecticut Body Snatchers: Merchandising the Dead in the 19th Century 43:00

40 weeks ago43:00

43:00

Have you got your Halloween costume ready? Been on any graveyard tours this month? Well, this story for you! I’d never thought of body snatching as having anything to do with Connecticut but as this episode proves, the disappearance of a young women’s body lead to a New Haven riot. I’ll get the details from Richard Ross author of the new book American Body Snatchers, Merchandising the Dead in 19th Century New England and Washington, DC. Dick Ross is a retired college librarian and professor emeritius from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Order his new book American Body Snatchers, Merchandising the Dead in New England and Washington, D.C. from Amazon here: American Body Snatchers: Merchandising the Dead in 19th Century New England and Washington, D.C. Order his book on the Connecticut witch trials here: Before Salem: Witch Hunting in the Connecticut River Valley, 1647-1663 You can hear more about that topic in GTN #39, parts 1-3, here: https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/39-witch-hunting-in-connecticut-part-1-the-european-prelude https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/39-witch-hunting-in-connecticut-part-2-the-connecticut-trials-0 https://gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com/39-witch-hunting-in-connecticut-part-3-interview-with-richard-ross-before-salem -------------------------------------------- Toast the start of conservation work with the team working to stabilize the 18th-century Réveillon wallpaper adorning the Phelps-Hatheway House . Enjoy exclusive access to the expertise of conservators from Studio TKM Associates, who will explain and demonstrate their work caring for the papers. Attendees of this intimate gathering are invited to learn about the house and its residents while imagining the turbulence of the 1790s as two nations attempted to assert their independence—and their identities. To reserve your spot for the Nov. 3, 2024 event, go to https://ctlandmarks.org/wallpaper/ Proceeds from this event benefit the wallpaper conservation project at the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden. Learn more here . ------------------------------------------- We’re almost there! This is our 196th episode. Thanks to our listeners, Grating the Nutmeg is going to hit 200 episodes soon! We love bringing you a new episode every two weeks. In celebration of our 200th episode and to help fund Grating the Nutmeg in 2025, we are holding our first ever Grating the Nutmeg Benefit Online Auction in November. We’ll have special, one of a kind experiences, tickets, museum admissions, behind the scenes tours, and restaurant gift cards. All the information will be on our website in November and links to the auction will be on our social media pages. If you have something to donate, email Kathy Hermes at publisher@ctexplored.org To celebrate our 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate it! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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195. George Griffin: Revealing the Life and Likeness of Mark Twain’s Butler 47:20

43 weeks ago47:20

47:20

Most people know something about Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens. After all, he wrote his most famous books while living in Hartford, Connecticut. His 25-room house on Farmington Avenue cost over $40,000 in 1874 dollars. Raised as a child in Missouri, he became world famous for his wit and humor both in print and on stage. But what if the man who served as Twain’s butler for 17 years had a story that was just as powerful and gripping as Twain’s? In today’s episode we are going to meet that man, George Griffin. Twain scholar and collector Kevin MacDonnell's biographical sketch George Griffin: Meeting Mark Twain's Butler which provides the most comprehensive look into Griffin’s life to date, and brings us face to face with the man who is said to have inspired Jim in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . George Griffin came to wash the windows in Mark Twain’s new house in 1874 and stayed for seventeen years, taking on the position of butler, the highest-ranking employee in the household. A photograph of Griffin was discovered recently. It is the only known picture of the man who was also a prominent leader in Hartford’s Black community, serving as deacon of Hartford’s Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The guests in this episode are Dr. Camesha Scruggs, professor of history at Central Connecticut State University and Twain scholar Kevin MacDonnell. Dr. Scruggs received her PhD in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her current manuscript project is a further examination of how interventions from social, civic, government, secondary and higher education institutions impact the occupation of domestic service during the New Deal Era. She may be contacted at cscruggs@ccsu.edu Kevin MacDonnell earned his MLS at the University of Texas and serves on the editorial board of the Mark Twain Journal . He has contributed articles to the Mark Twain Encyclopedia (1993), co-edited Mark Twain and Youth , and has reviewed over fifty books for the Mark Twain Forum. His collection of more than 11,000 Mark Twain items--first editions, letters, photographs, archives, manuscripts, and artifacts--is the largest in private hands and is frequently shared with other scholars and museums. He gives frequent lectures on Twain and may be reached at info@macdonnellrarebooks.com Copies of The Mark Twain Journal featuring Kevin MacDonnell’s biographical sketch George Griffin: Meeting Mark Twain’s Butler Face-to-Face may be purchased from the Mark Twain House Museum Store for $12.00. The link to the journal in the museum shop is here: https://marktwainhousestore.org/products/mark-twain-journal-volume-62-number-1 You can also take a special tour of the Twain House. The George Griffin Living History Tour invites visitors to step back in time to the year 1885. The premise of the tour is that the Clemens family are looking to hire a new cook, and Mr. Griffin has been tasked with conducting the first round of interviews—after all, as the head of the domestic staff, he knows exactly the kind of temperament and skills needed to keep the house running. He leads visitors through each restored room of the house, and gives them his own experience of not only the domestic labor done in that space, but also the emotional labor that he must navigate daily as a formerly enslaved black man working in the house of a wealthy white family. And who is “G. G., Chief of Ordnance?” Find out for yourself when you take a Living History tour with George Griffin. Dr. Scruggs' Reading Recommendations: To Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War by Tera Hunter The African -American Experience in Nineteenth Century Connecticut: Benevolence and Bitterness by Theresa Vara Dannen Hopes and Expectations: The Origins of the Black Middle Class in Hartford by Barbara Beeching VIDEO: Dr. Cameesha Scruggs, Rev. Samuel Blanks of the AME Zion Church, and Kevin MacDonnell participate in a panel discussion led by Steve Courtney: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mark+twain+house+griffin ------------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. You can find host and executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram: @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for the next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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194. Revolutionary War Hero Lafayette Makes a Triumphal Return Tour 37:22

45 weeks ago37:22

37:22

In this episode, you'll hear about the remarkable life and legacy of the man that Lin-Manuel Miranda called "America's favorite fighting Frenchman," the Marquis de Lafayette. This month marks the 200th anniversary of Lafayette's visit to Connecticut, part of his so-called "Farewell Tour" of America in 1824. Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History spoke with Julien Icher of the Lafayette Trail about the Marquis' role in the American Revolution, and how his farewell tour 50 years later helped Americans to reflect on how far they'd come. Check out The Lafayette Trail's YouTube series "Follow the Frenchmen” here: https://www.youtube.com/@thelafayettetrailinc.1207/videos?app=desktop The website for the Lafayette Trail is here: https://www.thelafayettetrail.org/ And the Connecticut Lafayette Trail website is here: https://lafayettecttrail.org/ ---------------------------------------------------- To celebrate our 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. This is Mary Donohue for Grating the Nutmeg. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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193. Radical Connecticut: Labor Strikes! 44:56

47 weeks ago44:56

44:56

Author Steve Thornton asks “Who really makes history”? In his new book, Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State , co-authored by Andy Piascik, guest Steve Thornton tells the stories of everyday people and well-known figures whose work has often been obscured, denigrated, or dismissed. There are narratives of movements, strikes, popular organizations and people in Connecticut who changed the state and the country for the better. Unlike a traditional history that focuses on the actions of politicians, generals, business moguls and other elites, Radical Connecticut is about workers, the poor, people of color, women, artists and others who engaged in the never-ending struggle for justice and freedom. In this episode, we’ll hear more about unions and labor strikes in Connecticut history including Thornton’s participation in the Colt Firearms strike of the 1980’s. Historian, activist, and union organizer, Thornton was designated a Connecticut History Gamechanger by Connecticut Explored magazine in 2022 for his bottom-up approach to Connecticut history. He authors the website The Shoeleather History Project which documents and explores progressive organizing from Hartford’s grassroots. You can also hear more from Steve in our Grating the Nutmeg episode # 145. Activists Paul and Eslanda Robeson in Connecticut The link to Steve’s Shoeleather History Project website and to purchase his new book is here: https://shoeleatherhistoryproject.com/ Read Dr. Cecelia Bucki’s feature article on labor history here: https://www.ctexplored.org/the-labor-movement-in-connecticut/ Can you spare $10 a month to help support Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at the link below. Thank you! https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. This is Mary Donohue for Grating the Nutmeg. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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192. More than Dinosaurs: The New Peabody Museum of Natural History 33:30

51 weeks ago33:30

33:30

Have you ever discovered that one of your favorite places is being renovated? Like your grandmother’s kitchen, your favorite restaurant, or even a museum, and you worry that the charm or the appeal of the place might be gone after the renovation? Podcast editor Patrick O’Sullivan and Producer Mary Donohue went to just such a place, the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale in New Haven. We had both been to the museum many times before the pandemic. But, the newly-reopened Peabody Museum is not just better, it’s fantastic! The massive dinosaur and prehistoric fossil collections in the Burke Hall of Dinosaurs are what every schoolchild remembers from a fieldtrip. The renovation has created new space for exhibiting more of its cultural, anthropological, and other scientific collections, including never-before displayed artifacts and contemporary art. For example, one intriguing new area was the History of Science and Technology gallery that included Yale’s first microscope — purchased in 1734. Just this summer, the Hall of the Pacific has opened with artwork, photographs and artifacts that celebrate the cultures of Pacific Islander communities. With a $160 million dollar bequest, they’ve increased the size of the museum from 30,000 to 44,000 square feet, added 5 classrooms, new galleries and a study gallery for faculty and students to use. The space is bright, inviting and provides visitors a place to sit down or bring lunch. Maybe the two things that will have the biggest impact in the future is that the museum is now completely free to visit. They have also worked hard to correct old, outdated information as well as to interpret the artifacts in a way that acknowledges their history more fully and authentically. The guest for this episode is David Skelly, Director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History and Yale Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Our thanks to David Skelly and Steven Scarpa, Associate Director of the museum’s Marketing & Communications Department for making arrangements for the podcast recording as well as a fabulous tour. Don’t forget that the museum admission is now free! You can reserve timed entrance passes on the museum’s website to help you plan your visit. https://peabody.yale.edu/visit And once you’re in New Haven, don’t forget that the Grove Street Cemetery from Grating the Nutmeg episode # 186 is just blocks away - or check out the New Haven Museum’s new Amistad gallery! ------------------------------------------------------ Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books we feature on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages.…

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191. The Hartford Circus Fire Tragedy 31:47

1 year ago31:47

31:47

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Hartford Circus Fire. In this episode of Grating the Nutmeg , Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History tells the story of the deadliest man-made disaster in Connecticut history. On July 6, 1944, the Big Top of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus caught fire during a matinee performance. Within ten minutes the tent was burned away, taking the lives of 168 people with it. Hundreds of people were injured, and thousands of survivors would remember that day for the rest of their lives. For generations, people have been drawn to the story of the fire, and to the mystery surrounding the identify of the unclaimed child victim who came to be known as "Little Miss 1565." Please note that this story includes graphic content and may not be suitable for all listeners. If you'd like to learn more about the disaster, there are many sources available. Here's a partial list. You can also visit the site of the disaster , which is marked with a memorial, on Barbour Street in Hartford, behind the site of the former Fred D. Wish School. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33804-d3324207-Reviews-Hartford_Circus_Fire_Memorial-Hartford_Connecticut.html Stewart O'Nan, The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy , 2000 Don Massey and Rick Davey, A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire and the Mystery of Little Miss 1565 , 2001 Don Massey, ed., Circus Fire Memories: Survivor Recollections of July 6, 1944 , 2006 Michael Skidgell, The Hartford Circus Fire: Tragedy Under the Big Top, 2014 You can read some survivor accounts in this Fall 2006 CT Explored article . A wide collection of primary sources are collected by Michael Skidgell on the website https://www.circusfire1944.com/ You can also read more here: https://connecticuthistory.org/the-hartford-circus-fire/ Image credit: Connecticut Museum of Culture and History ------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg brings you top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories, and new voices in Connecticut history. Your donation will ensure that Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger can bring you a fresh episode at no cost every two weeks! GTN works with museums around the state to spotlight places that you’ll want to visit, books published by Connecticut authors, new exhibit openings, and more. Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages to get behind the scenes photos and links to the latest episodes.…

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190. Phyllis Zlotnick, Disability Rights Activist 46:26

1 year ago46:26

46:26

July 1990 marked the passing of a landmark piece of federal legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA. To recognize this event and to celebrate Disability Pride Month, we are uncovering the legacy of disability rights leader, Phyllis Zlotnick (1942-2011). Zlotnick was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at birth. Beginning in the 1970's, Phyllis recognized she was being “shut out” of society, a phrase she used in her writings and public testimonies at the Connecticut State Capitol. She dedicated her life to claiming the right to participate in public life. Executive Producer Mary Donohue spoke to author Arianna Basche about the challenges Zlotnick faced in her early life, her influence on Connecticut's accessibility policies, and her involvement in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Basche is the Ad Manager for Connecticut Explored magazine and is a historian and museum educator. Her feature story on Zlotnick will be published in the Fall 2024 issue of Connecticut Explored magazine. Warning for listeners - this episode contains some words that are not used now to describe members of the disabled community such as handicapped. These are taken from historic sources such as period newspaper stories or written first-hand accounts. Zlotnick’s papers are held in the Special Collections Archive at the University of Connecticut. For more information, go to: https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/repositories/2/resources/1016 https://blogs.lib.uconn.edu/archives/2017/02/24/vulnerability-empowering-advocacy-the-phyllis-zlotnick-papers/ Photo credit: Phyllis Zlotnick papers, Special Collections Archives, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. Subscribe to Connecticut Explored today to receive the fall issue with Zlotnick’s story- get your subscription delivered in print to your mailbox or digitally to your inbox. Subscribe at: ctexplored.org --------------------------------------------------------- Historic preservationist Frederic Palmer named his East Haddam house and the 50 acres it occupies “Dunstaffnage,” after a castle with the same name in Scotland. The prefix "dun" means "fort" in Gaelic, which perfectly captures the sense of protected sanctuary Frederic created for his LGBTQ friends, neighbors, and family to gather and live unhindered by societal norms. On July 13th, Connecticut Landmarks is excited to celebrate Scottish culture with the first ever Mid-Summer Pipes & Cider event on the grounds of Frederic Palmer's Dunstaffnage. Sip cider and connect with Scotland during a trail walk around the beautiful Palmer-Warner grounds led by Coreyanne Armstrong and Portland & District Pipers . Enjoy local cider tastings from Yankee Cider Co . including a signature “Dunstaffnage” bourbon that will transport you to the Scottish Moors through hints of Highland peat smoke. Bring your friends to test your knowledge in a round of Celtic-themed pub trivia, with prizes for first- and second-place teams. The bourbon is aging, and the pipers are practicing! For tickets, please visit ctlandmarks.org/midsummer . ----------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg brings you top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories, and new voices in Connecticut history. Your donation will ensure that Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger can bring you a fresh episode at no cost every two weeks! Donate here: https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. This is Mary Donohue for Grating the Nutmeg. Follow me on my Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg.…

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189. Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette's Castle 42:14

1 year ago42:14

42:14

We love a Sherlock Holmes "who done it" whether it's Basil Rathbone from the 1940s, Benedict Cumberbacth from the 2000s, or Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock's sister Enola Holmes from the 2020s. But it was a Hartford-born actor who gave Sherlock Holmes his signature look - his curved pipe, deerstalker cap and magnifying glass. William Gillette was born into a wealthy Hartford family in 1853 but became a millionaire in his own right as an actor and a playwright. He was the first actor to be universally acclaimed for portraying Sherlock Holmes, having staged the first authorized play in 1899. His retirement home, Gillette's Castle, cost millions to construct and is a combination escape room, medieval stone ruin and Steampunk fantasy. Our guest is Paul Schiller. Paul spent almost a decade working at Gillette Castle. In addition to providing engaging and informative tours to castle visitors, he served as an archivist, researcher and educator for the park. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Paul created a series of video tours of the castle, available on the Friends of Gillette Castle Youtube channel. ---------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books featured on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow Connecticut historian Mary Donohue on her Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian…

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188. Revealing Queer Lives: Connecticut’s LGBTQ History 50:39

1 year ago50:39

50:39

June is PRIDE month and we’re celebrating by bringing you an episode about efforts to bring LGBTQ+ history to light. As one guest, historian William Mann writes, “Throughout its history, Connecticut’s LGBTQ population has moved from leading hidden, solitary lives to claiming visible, powerful, valuable, and contributing places in society.” In this episode, we talk about what historians have found in Connecticut’s Colonial records, some surprising connections to famous individuals and landmarks and at the end of the episode, there’s a recommendation for three places to visit to celebrate LGBTQ+ history. In order to prepare for this episode, two digital resources created by our guests were used. Both of these are available on the web and the links are below. The first is the Historic Timeline of Connecticut’s LGBTQ Community online exhibition directed by William Mann for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Mann is an author and historian whose books include Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn, named a Notable Book of the Year by th e New York Times ; The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America’s Greatest Political Family ; Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood ; and Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood . He is an Assistant Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, where he teaches LGBTQ History. See the timeline here: https://www.connecticutmuseum.org/lgbtqtimeline/ Mann is available for lectures and book talks. He can be reached at williammannauthor@gmail.com The second digital resource is a recorded lecture, Intemperate Habits: LGBTQ History from a Connecticut Perspective, a talk by Dr. Susan Ferentinos . She is an advisor to an inspiring new project, the Ridgefield LGBTQ Oral History Project. The Ridgefield Oral History project is a partnership between the Ridgefield Historical Society and Ridgefield Pride that will train high school students to conduct oral interviews with members of Ridgefield’s gay community. Ferentinos is a public history researcher, writer, and consultant helping cultural organizations share untold stories about women and LGBTQ people. She is advising the Ridgefield LGBTQ Oral History Project and has recently worked with the Palmer-Warner House in East Haddam, Connecticut, and the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York. She is the author of the award-winning book Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites and has contributed her expertise to the National Park Service initiative “Telling All Americans’ Stories.” Ferentinos is available for lectures and book talks. Contact her at https://susanferentinos.com/ Watch her lecture here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1111325966517828 Here are three fantastic places to visit that celebrate LGBTQ+ lives-links for each of these is below: 1) James Merrill House CT Open House Day @ the James Merrill House Jun 08, 2024, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM EDT Stonington, 107 Water St, Stonington, CT 06378, USA The James Merrill House is a writer's home and a home for writers. As part of CT Open House Day, we will open the doors of the JMH to the public for an opportunity to tour the charming, color-drenched home of one of America's greatest poets at 107 Water Street in the picturesque Stonington Borough. https://www.jamesmerrillhouse.org/ 2) Philip Johnson’s Glass House-New Canaan, open now for the summer tour season, order your tickets on line at: https://theglasshouse.org/visit/hours/ 3) Bloodroot Restaurant https://www.bloodroot.com/ Bloodroot, a vegan, feminist, activist restaurant, owned by lesbians Selma Miriam and Noel Furie in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has thrived for 42 years. See their website for information on reservations for dinner or lunch. ---------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books featured on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow Connecticut historian Mary Donohue on her Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian…

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187. Derby's Charlton Comics: "No Other Place Like It" 33:12

1 year ago33:12

33:12

Did you know that comic books were invented in Connecticut? Well, sort of. There are lots of precedents for printing texts with images. But the origin of mass market comic book printing is 1930s Waterbury, where Eastern Color printing began by re-publishing comic strips from newspapers in magazine form. Eventually they partnered with Dell publishing to print the first original content American comic books. But today’s episode takes us a ways down Route 8 from Waterbury to Derby. From the 1940s to 1991, Derby was the home of Charlton Comics, unique for being a one-stop shop that included writers, artists, publishing, and distribution under one roof. The story of Charlton is colorful in more than one way. In this episode, Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum talks to Jon B. Cooke, author of The Charlton Companion . Learn about the seedy origins of the company, its often lackadaisical approach to quality control, and why there was nothing else like it in American comics. Learn more about the Nutmeg state’s connection to the comic industry by visiting the Connecticut Museum’s exhibition, Connecticut’s Bookshelf now on display at the museum in Hartford. Jon B. Cooke’s book, The Charlton Companion , is available in digital form online at twomorrows.com ------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Help us produce the podcast by donating to non-profit Connecticut Explored at https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg Photo Credit: My Secret Life, Charlton Publications, Vol. 1, No. 25, Sept. 1958. Connecticut Museum Collection.…

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186. New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery 41:01

1 year ago41:01

41:01

It’s Spring in Connecticut and this episode is part of our celebration of May as Historic Preservation Month. Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven is the first planned cemetery in the country. The design of Grove Street Cemetery in the 1790s pioneered several of the features that became standard like family plots and an established walkway grid. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut and is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. It is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Executive Producer Mary Donohue’s guests are Michael Morand and Channing Harris. Michael Morand is Director of Community Engagement for Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. He was just appointed the official City Historian of New Haven and currently chairs the Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery. Channing Harris is a landscape architect. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Preservation Trust and on the Board of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery. At the cemetery he's been involved with replanting the next generation of trees, enhancing the front border garden, and assisted with the certification of the cemetery as an Arboretum. Make a day of it in New Haven with a visit to Grove Street Cemetery and perhaps the New Haven Museum or the newly-reopened Peabody Museum. The Cemetery gates are open every day from 9-4. For the times and dates of the 2024 guided tours, go to the Facebook page of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery. For more information on joining the Friends or volunteering, go to their website at https://www.grovestreetcemetery.org/become-member ------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Mary Donohue is an award-winning author, historian and preservationist. Contact her at marydonohue@comcast.net and follow her Facebook and Instagram pages at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Help us produce the podcast by donating to non-profit Connecticut Explored at https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg image: Henry Austin Papers (MS 1034). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.…

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185. Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory: Pratt, Read & Co Gliders 39:40

1 year ago39:40

39:40

In this episode, we uncover a Connecticut World War II story that features airplanes without engines. Sound crazy? You’ll learn how these engineless gliders helped beat the Nazis. Executive Producer Mary Donohue will also talk to the author of a new book that details the role that over 45 Connecticut companies played in producing the ammunition, weapons and machines that the United States needed as part of the massive war effort during World War II. Her guests today are Connecticut author Sharon Cohen and Melissa Josefiak, Executive Director of the Essex Historical Society. Cohen has authored several books. Her new book Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory was published in 2023 and placed second in the 2024 New England Book Festival. Its available from High Point Publishing: www.highpointpub.com . Sharon Cohen is available for book talks and signings. Contact her at cohencomm1@earthlink.net The Essex Historical Society has new publications on the three Essex villages-Ivoryton, Centerbrook and Essex, where much of today’s story takes place. For information on the publications and programs of the Essex Historical Society, go to their website at https://www.essexhistory.org/ and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/connecticut-explored You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! image: Courtesy of Essex Historical Society ------------------------------------ You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website here: https://ctexplored.networkforgood.com/projects/179036-support-ct-history-podcast-grating-the-nutmeg Executive producer Mary Donohue is an award-winning author, historic preservationist and architectural historian. She can be reached at marydonohue@comcast.net This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at https://www.highwattagemedia.com/ Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history.…

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184. The Borinqueneers: Puerto Rico’s Men of the 65th Regiment 30:32

1 year ago30:32