November 2010

The society manages The History Center, 175 Pine Street, site of our administrative offices, special events, and Sunday lectures; the Cheney Homestead at 106 Hartford Road, given to our society through a gracious bequest of the Cheney family in 1969; the Keeney Schoolhouse next to the Homestead; and the Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street, the former Cheney School building, restored by volunteers and business donors. The museum opened in 1985 and has three floors of collections, as well as the research facility.

Lockwood's financial reversals in 1869 and his untimely death in 1872 resulted in the loss of the estate, then known as "Elm Park" through foreclosure in 1874. The property was sold to Charles D. Mathews and his wife Rebecca in 1876. Mathews, a prominent importer, from Staten Island, New York, and his family, resided in the mansion until 1938. In 1941 the estate was sold to the City of Norwalk and designated a public park.

When the building was threatened with demolition in the 1950s, local preservationists succeeded in saving the mansion and formed the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, Inc. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971, the structure serves as a valuable resource of 19th-century American history. The museum's mission is to conserve the building while creating educational programs on the material, artistic and social culture of the Victorian era.

The Swift House has recently become the focus of town wide attention. Owned by the Town of Kent, the house is in need of significant repair. The archives and office of the Kent Historical Society are located here, and we are the unofficial stewards of the 18th century building. After an in depth survey by Hudson Valley Preservation Corporation, the process of applying for listing on the Connecticut Registry of Historic Places has begun, with hopes of soon qualifying for state restoration funding. Stay tuned for this next exciting step in the life of the venerable old building.

The museum complex includes the award-winning interactive exhibition, "Turning the Soil: the Land and People of Lebanon," changing exhibitions, a library and research center, and visitor services. Public programs are also offered on a regular basis.

The Lebanon Historical Society maintains a growing library of genealogical data and reference materials housed at our new museum and visitor center located just opposite the famous Lebanon Green.

Designated an Archaeological Area and National Historic Site in 1970, Chimney Rock lies on 4,100 acres of San Juan National Forest land surrounded by the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. The site was home to the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians 1,000 years ago and is of great spiritual significance to these tribes. Their ancestors built over 200 homes and ceremonial buildings high above the valley floor, probably to be near the sacred twin rock pinnacles. Four of these sites have been excavated and stabilized and are visited on the tour. The tour consists of the Great Kiva Trail Loop and the Pueblo Trail and is approximately one mile walking, including a 200 foot climb on the Pueblo Trail.

The mission home, built on the site of the Royal compound of Kahekili, last ruling chief of Maui, served as the Mission station for the Wailuku Female Seminary for Girls until 1847. It was occupied by Edward Bailey and his family until 1888. It now houses a museum including gardens with native Hawaiian and missionary-era plants, Hawaiian artifacts, missionary furnishings, and paintings by Edward Bailey.

One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was devoted to creating imagery that expressed what she called “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.” She was a leading member of the Stieglitz Circle artists, headed by Alfred Stieglitz, America’s first advocate of modern art in America. These avant-garde artists began to flourish in New York in the 1910s. O’Keeffe’s images—instantly recognizable as her own —include abstractions, large-scale depictions of flowers, leaves, rocks, shells, bones, and other natural forms, New York cityscapes, and paintings of the unusual shapes and colors of architectural and landscape forms of northern New Mexico.

The historic site consists of Kūka‘ō‘ō Heiau, a Native Hawaiian garden and the historic home Kūali‘i. The heiau and historic home are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, only Kūka‘ō‘ō Heiau and the Native Hawaiian garden are open to visitors. The center is committed to preserving and interpreting the heiau, the Native Hawaiian garden, the historic home and the natural and cultural history of Mānoa Valley for future generations.

The Litchfield History Museum invites visitors to explore the evolution of a small New England town. Furniture, historic clothing, household objects and paintings reveal Litchfield's history from its earliest European settlement to the present day. The museum's seven galleries highlight family life and work during the fifty years after the American Revolution, a time when Litchfield was a bustling commercial, political, and educational center. Hands-on areas help visitors discover the town's past.

Designated a Historic Landmark District in 1966, Leadville is one of Colorado’s largest historic districts. With a wide variety of historic sites, a visitor can stop anywhere from the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum to the Annunciation Church, started in 1879. Make sure to stop by the Tabor Residence, the one time home to the Tabor family, one of Leadville’s most influential couples.