Torrington Historical Society

Create an Herbarium Album
2024-07-13 09:30 - 11:00 UTC | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Join us for a morning in the beautiful Hotchkiss Fyler Gardens as we explore the grounds and learn about the centuries old practice of creating an Herbarium album. What is an Herbarium you ask? Great question! An herbarium is a collection of preserved plants that records the diversity of plant life in a particular area and is primarily used for study. During the Victorian Era, creating an herbarium album evolved and became a popular pastime and craft for women, artists, poets and travelers. The Torrington Historical Society is fortunate to have two herbarium albums in their collection made by Torrington residents Julia Brooker and Effie Didsbury in the late 1800’s. Participants will have an opportunity to view these books which will become the inspiration for creating their own record of the plants and flowers found on the grounds of the Hotchkiss Fyler House. Participants will spend some time on the grounds collecting materials, learn how to preserve them and create their own unique herbarium album using pre-prepared materials
Whether garden lover, budding botanist, environmentalist or creative soul this program is for you! Grab a friend, your family or come solo – all that’s needed is your curiosity and we’ll have the rest. All ages welcome, but best suited for adults, teens and students entering 4th grade or above. Anyone younger than 12 needs to be accompanied by an adult. Please dress for the weather, as we will be out in the gardens rain or shine to collect materials but will only remain outdoors for the duration of the program if weather permits. The program is free, but please register using the Eventbrite link below or by emailing sue@torringtonhistoricalsociety.org indicating your name and the number of people attending. Space is limited, so please register early. See you soon

Herbarium Garden Program

Jazz In The Garden - Dave Santoro-Peter McEachern Quintet
2024-07-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Peter McEachern and David Santoro Quintet
Join us for a night of Jazz in the Garden with The Peter McEachern and David Santoro Quintet featuring Peter on trombone, Dave on bass, Mike DiRubbo on saxophone, Mike Carabello on piano and Jimmy Gavagan on drums.
Tickets are $15 for Torrington Historical Society members and $18 for non-members.
Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets and refreshments.
Sponsored by Torrington Savings Bank
Peter McEachern, (trombone), has been a presence on the Connecticut and International Music scene and longtime performer in the garden at the Torrington Historical Society. He has recorded and toured with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Mario Pavone, Thomas Chapin and Lamont Young among others. His CD Code 2 garnered 4.5 stars by Downbeat Magazine and was named as one of the top CD’s of 2021. In March 2022, he received a grant to compose and install an ambient music piece at The Five Points Center for the Visual Arts.
Dave Santoro, (bass), is a full professor at Berklee College of Music. He has appeared on over 50 jazz CD’s including 6 as leader or co-leader. He has played, toured or recorded with Red Rodney Quintet, Mulgrew Miller, Joe Magnarelli, Phil Grenadier, Tom Harrell, Bob Berg, Pepper Adams, Bruce Barth, Kenny Baron, Victor Lewis, Nick Brignola, Dizzy Reece, Junior Cook, Terrel Stafford and many others.
Mike DiRubbo (saxophone). On his instrument DiRubbo has it all: from Benny Carter’s mastery of melody, and Johnny Hodges’ ballad mellow tones to Charlie Parker’s light-speed fluency. But what truly sets DiRubbo apart from the rest was his apprenticeship under the legendary alto saxophonist/educator Jackie McLean: the Harlem bebop whiz kid who literally grew up on Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and surged the alto saxophone toward the change of the century with his alto-centric embrace of hard and post-bop, soul jazz and the avant-garde.
Mike Carabello (piano) – Mike is a multifaceted pianist in the tri-state area, a product of the Artists Collective Youth Jazz Orchestra under master artist in residence Rene McLean, as well as the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music. Mike has worked with many artists including bassist Nat Reeves, drummer Ronnie Burrage, saxophonist Rene McLean, saxophonist Antoine Roney, and trombonist Steve Davis. He studied piano under Rick Germanson, Andy Laverne, Alan Palmer and Rashid Lanie. He has performed at the New York Jazz Piano Festival at Kalvierhaus, Jazz at Lincoln Center Live in Times Square, The Side Door Jazz Club and The New Haven “On the Green” Jazz Festival, Rubber City Jazz Festival and performed at The White House for First Lady Michelle Obama.
Jimmy Gavagan (drums) is an up-and-coming drummer, educator and composer. He is a recent graduate of the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. He currently lives in Hartford but originally hails from Boston.
Tickets:

McEachern & Santoro Quintet

Jazz in the Garden - Kris Jensen's Jazz Allstars with vocalist Linda Ransom
2024-08-10 18:30 - 20:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
The Torrington Historical Society’s popular Jazz in the Garden series will present the Kris Jensen’s Jazz All Stars featuring renowned saxophonist Kris Jensen with accomplished vocalist, Linda Ransom. The concert will take place on the grounds of the Hotchkiss Fyler House at 192 Main Street, Torrington. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or through Eventbrite using the link below.
Jensen’s Jazz All Stars
Band leader Kris Jensen resides in Torrington. He was a semi-finalist in the 1996 prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. He studied Jazz and African-American music at the University of Hartford where he would later teach under the auspices of jazz saxophone legend Jackie McLean. Jensen continues to carry on that great tradition as both a performer and educator. Recent performance of particular note have included concerts or appearances with jazz legends such as trombonist Curtis Fuller, alto saxophonist Phil Woods and pianist Larry Willis. He has appeared on New Jersey Public Television with Maynard Ferguson, on “Late Night with David Letterman” with Greg Allman & Friends and on stage with the Allman Brothers Band, the Dave Matthews Band and with Warren Haynes and Govt. Mule.
Vocalist Linda Ransom has a voice and style beyond compare. Originally from New London and currently residing in Hartford, she has been singing with some of the finest musicians in Connecticut for decades. Linda’s vocal ability compares with many of the well-known jazz greats such as Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughn. Just as easily, she can pour her soul out on an R&B hit by Gladys Knight. She has performed throughout the U.S. and in London, Paris and Matsumoto, Japan.
The Jazz All Stars will present an evening of music drawing from the great American songbook in a program ranging from swing standards to blues, soul and pop classics. In addition to Jensen and Ransom, the Jazz All Stars feature Doug Schlink on piano, Morris Trent on bass and Jocelyn Pleasant on drums.

It's My Time Now - Free Event
2024-08-24 15:30 - 17:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
It’s My Time Now proudly presents women and men expressing their confidence, courage, talent and language using the art of drumming, songs and storytelling.
Featuring:
Eight women drummers
Soulful Sounds by Suzanne Whitney
Angaza Mwando and drummers
Storytelling by Effie Mwando of Our Culture is Beautiful

Nelson Bello and Friends Latin Jazz Quintet
2024-08-31 18:00 - 19:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Esteemed percussionist and bandleader Nelson Bello and Friends will end the 2024 Jazz in the Garden Series with an evening of Latin Jazz!
Bello began playing Latin percussion at the age of 8 and traveled to Cuba when he was 15 to perform at the Havana International Jazz Festival as part of “Latin Flavor” (known today as “Insight”). He studied at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, The Hartford Conservatory and with Jackie McLean at The Artist Collective. He has worked with such notables as Cheo Feliciano, Ismael Miranda, Tony Vega, Charles Flores, Andy Gonzalez, Curtis Brothers among others. Along with trombonist Hommy Ramos he co-founded “TROMBEATZ” and released their debut album “A Caribbean Thing”. Beyond his musical ability he is known for his energy on and off the stage and his passion for the arts and education. Joining Nelson will be Benny Valasquez on bass, Alex Pastrana on piano, Marco Torres on drums and a trombonist to be announced.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite using the link below:
Nelson Bello and Friends Tickets

The Energy of Falling Water - Connecticut's Early Mills
2024-09-25 18:30 - 19:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
The Energy of Falling Water – Connecticut’s Early Mills
Water-powered mills brought civilization to Connecticut as early as 1650. In the early days, every small Connecticut village had to depend upon itself for almost every necessity. There was no electricity, steam power had not been invented and water-powered mills were the answer.
Communities often started around a sawmill or a gristmill. More factories whose machines were powered by water or other mills making hats, buttons, clocks, cider, plaster or iron works would follow. Connecticut water powered mills and factories expanded to serve a world market in the mid-1800s. Access to appropriate river sites wasn’t taken lightly and was one of the reasons Mark Twain said, Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.
Join us for an interesting view into Connecticut’s many of the water-powered mills that helped create the great state of Connecticut.

Speaker Bio: John Cilio
John Cilio is a historical storyteller, author and researcher who has brought historical stories back to life for over 15 years. He is a member of the Organization of American Historians and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History. He has numerous articles printed in national magazines and newspapers and has published eight historical books. John hails from a career in corporate marketing and has spoken to large and small audiences in over 60 countries around the world. He lives in Sherman, Connecticut.
The Event is sponsored by the Torrington Savings Bank. It is free, but registration is requested through Eventbrite using the link below.
CT’s Early Mill

A Walk Along Migeon Avenue
2024-10-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Join us as we tour Migeon Avenue, which has been described over the years as the “grandest street in Torrington”. We’ll explore it’s rich past, including the many families that called Migeon Avenue home, from factory workers, small business owners and wealthy industrialists; the assorted architectural styles and unique features that grace both elaborate mansions and modest worker housing and also hear the stories of those who lived and worked here, all of which will bring the street to life and illustrate how this impressive avenue evolved with Torrington’s development during the 1800’s and early 1900’s.
We’ll meet at the intersection of Pearl and Migeon promptly at 10 am and walk to Pulaski Street and return to our starting point, covering both sides of the street. Our focus is primarily in the 1800’s to early 1900’s due to time constraints. Please note that the sidewalk is uneven in some places, so please wear appropriate footwear.

In The Watches of the Night: Life in the Nocturnal City, 1820-1930
2024-10-16 18:30 - 19:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
In the Watches of the Night: Life in the Nocturnal City, 1820-1930.
Presenter – Professor Peter C. Baldwin, Department of History, University of Connecticut
Before skyscrapers and streetlights glowed at all hours, American cities fell into inky blackness with each setting of the sun. But over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, new technologies began to light up streets, sidewalks, buildings and public spaces. Baldwin will discuss the changing experience of the urban night over this period, exploring work, crime, transportation and leisure, moving through the gaslight era with the spread of modern police forces and the emergence of late-night entertainment to the era of electricity, when social campaigns sought to remove women and children from public areas at night. Professor Baldwin’s presentation, based on research for his book of the same name, is an illuminating review of a vital era in American urban history.
Peter Baldwin is a Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received both an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Brown University. Prior to joining the University of Connecticut, Peter worked as newspaper reporter for the Hartford Courant and served as an assistant professor of history at DePaul University in Chicago He came to the University of Connecticut in 2001 where he teaches classes in the History of Urban America, History of Childhood in America and America Since 1877. He has written numerous books and other publications on urban and social history and is currently studying the experience of Civil Defense blackouts in New York during WWII.
The event is sponsored by Torrington Savings Bank. The event is free, but registration is requested through EventBrite using the link below
Watches of the Night

Historic Center Cemetery Halloween Lantern Walking Tour
2024-10-17 08:00 - 17:00, 2024-10-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2024-10-25 18:20 - 19:20, 2024-10-25 18:40 - 19:40, 2024-10-25 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-25 19:20 - 20:20, 2024-10-25 19:40 - 20:40 | Connecticut
Center Cemetery is the only remaining burial ground in Downtown Torrington. Tour guides will lead groups through the cemetery by lantern with stops at seven graves where actors will share the stories of early Torrington residents. Tours will start at the Torrington Historical Society (meet at the shed on the property near the cemetery gate to the left of the Carriage House) and end at the Main cemetery entrance behind City Hall. Please arrive 5 minutes ahead of time and bring a flashlight. Parking available behind the Historical Society or on the street. In the event of rain, the event will be held on Saturday, October 26th.
Tours are presented in conjunction with the Halloween Hoopla Downtown event. Proceeds to benefit Torrington Historical Society educational programs. Members tickets $8, Non Members $10. Children 5 and under are free and do not require registration.

Animal Mascots of the Civil War with Professor Hamish Lutris
2024-11-06 18:30 - 19:30 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
The Civil War was fought by citizen armies that often had their own, very un-military, ways of fighting. One thing they did was to bring or adopt animals of many kinds. This talk will focus on those much-loved unit mascots. The idea of using animals to represent military units throughout history will be discussed, as well as the particular animals honored in Civil War lore and memorialization. The audience should learn something of the more personal side of a war that is often examined only in terms of casualties and logistics.
Hamas Lutris is an Associate Professor of History, Political Science and Geography at Capital Community College in Hartford. He is a well known speaker and instructor throughout Connecticut and the region with long experience in Central Europe, having been involved in education, strategic planning and international agricultural research cooperation programs there. He has also worked in some of America’s premier natural and historical sites and has led naturalist and educational programs in both the U.S. and Europe. His program interests cover a number of areas including Native American history, the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the American West, as well as Scientific, Social and Cultural history.
This event is sponsored by the Torrington Savings Bank. It is free but registration is requested through Eventbrite using the link below.

Mascots of the Civil War

Evening Holiday Tours at the Hotchkiss Fyler House Museum
2024-12-06 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-12-06 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-12-06 18:00 - 19:00, 2024-12-11 06:00 - 19:00, 2024-12-11 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-12-11 17:00 - 18:00, 2024-12-18 06:00 - 19:00, 2024-12-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Candlelight Holiday tours at the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum
Take a guided tour of one of Connecticut’s notable house museums, decorated for the Christmas season. Operated by the Torrington Historical Society, the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, built in 1900, features original family furnishings, impressive woodwork, painted and stenciled walls, and collections of fine and decorative arts. During the holiday season the house takes on a special ambiance when it is decorated with Christmas trees, vintage ornaments, wreaths, greenery, and white lights. Antique toys from the Society’s collection will also be on display and the dining room table will be set for Christmas dinner with linens, fine china, silverware and crystal from the Hotchkiss collection. Tours are for the first and second floors of the home.
Evening Tour Admission:
$20 Non Members; $15 for Torrington Historical Society members.

Register using the following link:
Holiday Candlelight Tours

Daytime Holiday Tours at the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum
2024-12-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-12-13 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-12-14 13:00 - 14:00, 2024-12-14 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-12-14 15:00 - 16:00 | Torrington Historical Society, 192 Main Street, Torrington, CT, 06790
Daytime Holiday tours at the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum
Take a guided tour of one of Connecticut’s notable house museums, decorated for the Christmas season. Operated by the Torrington Historical Society, the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, built in 1900, features original family furnishings, impressive woodwork, painted and stenciled walls, and collections of fine and decorative arts. During the holiday season the house takes on a special ambiance when it is decorated with Christmas trees, vintage ornaments, wreaths, greenery, and white lights. Antique toys from the Society’s collection will also be on display and the dining room table will be set for Christmas dinner with linens, fine china, silverware and crystal from the Hotchkiss collection. Tours are for the first and second floors of the home.
Day time Tours Admission:
$15 Non Members; $5 for Torrington Historical Society members.
Children 6 and under $5
To Register please use the link below:
Holiday Daytime Tours
