November 2010

The Ranch House on the Quarter Circle A Ranch, on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1892 by William Moncreiffe, renovated and enlarged by Bradford Brinton in 1927-28, and opened to the public as a memorial to Western art and history through Helen Brinton’s will in 1961. The Brintons’ collection, on display in its original setting, includes splendid artwork by Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, Edward Borein, Frank Tenney Johnson, Hans Kleiber & Bill Gollings and many others.

The museum preserves the Quarter Circle A Ranch lands on the Western Plains and the frontier of the Rocky Mountains as well as the Brinton's collection of fine art, furnishings and historic and Native American artifacts. Items in the collection include an original letter by Abraham Lincoln and a document written by George Washington. Besides the main ranch house, the grounds include the Little Goose Creek Lodge and the Gallery, which contains the Native American collection.

The society operates the Bates-Scofield Homestead, an eighteenth century house-museum with herb garden, resource library, and exhibition art galleries for the enrichment and enjoyment of all the community.

Located in the heart of the Cheney National Historic District, The Fire Museum is housed in a retired 1901 fire station with a unique atmosphere that saw the transition from hand drawn to horse drawn, then to motorized apparatus. In addition to a working Gamewell Fire Alarm System, our collection includes hundreds of fine examples of early American craftsmanship related to firefighting such as glassware, lighting, leather making, photography, textiles and paintings.

As part of the mission, the society provides local schools with materials and resources to tell children the story of Coventry's rich history and its place in the history of our great nation. The society has several projects currently underway including the restoration of the North and South Coventry Hearses, restoration of a 19th century Armstrong Wagon, built in South Coventry, and restoration of the carriage shed at the Strong-Porter House. Future projects include restoration of the barn at Strong-Porter and reconstruction of the "Great Barn" that once stood on the property.

The Chester Historical Society was founded in 1970. In keeping with its mission, the Chester Historical Society has had a vibrant history. It has restored the Old Town Hall or Meeting House (circa 1793-94), established the Robbie Collomore Concert Series, sponsored numerous presentations on historic topics and worked with the local school system on educational programs.

The Chester Historical Society has written an impressive variety of publications about Chester, Connecticut. The six published books explore topics such as historical houses, a prominent citizen (Capt. Warner), and life in Chester 100 years ago. In addition the Society has published three maps showing the early town and its industries and residencies.

At its peak 100 plows a day were manufactured by the company. In 1924 the building was converted to a recreational facility for employees with a bowling alley on the second floor and fireplaces added.

Step back in time to a reconstructed 19th century general store, post office, barber shop, and blacksmith shop. Examine a fire apparatus pulled by hand, a case containing old medical instruments of the "horse and buggy" doctor, and a Civil War casket.

In May 1788, by resolution of the Connecticut General Assembly, the Parish of Newbury was established from land taken from Newtown, New Milford and Danbury in 1752. The parish was given town status and renamed Brookfield. Over the next 200 plus years, the town metamorphosed several times to become the friendly community we now enjoy.

The purpose of the Brookfield Museum and Historical Society is to collect the history of Brookfield and make it available, educational and interesting to all.

In May 2001, the Brookfield Museum and Historical Society went on-line in an attempt to reach out to our friends and neighbors using technology that we playfully imagine our founding fathers had envisioned for us.

In keeping with its mission, the society strives to offer its members and the public a comprehensive view of each property's architecture, interiors, landscapes and social history.

The society is headquartered in a three-story Romanesque Revival mansion, constructed in 1888 as a summer residence for William H. Osgood of New York. Its last private owner was Herbert Claiborne Pell, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and Hungary. After several incarnations as a school building, the property was purchased in 1992 by the Preservation Society, which conducted an extensive restoration and renovation of the building for use as its administrative headquarters.

That exhibition has delighted youngsters who have enjoyed writing on old slates, sitting at an actual old fashioned blackboard made of wood. The school room has been presented with a minimum of interpretation and without much historical context to explain the items on display.

When the society decided to rent office space on Weaver Street in Arctic, donations of books, photographs and a wide variety of other memorabilia soon crowded the limited space. In 1993, the society negotiated a lease with the town of West Warwick for the use of the old Crompton Library built in 1876 by the Crompton Company as a library for the "Velvet Village".