Visit • Discover • Learn
Located in three historic buildings in downtown Torrington, the Torrington Historical Society is home to the Torrington History Museum, the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum and the John H. Thompson Library & Archive. The Society also owns the West Torrington site where noted abolitionist John Brown was born.
We invite you to discover the history of Torrington by touring our exhibits and house museum, attending programs and events, using our research library or visiting the John Brown Birthplace. All are welcome.
Torrington
History Museum
Hotchkiss-Fyler House
Guided Tours
The John H. Thompson
Library & Archive
The History of Beekeeping - May 7th at 6:30
Join us as Tammi Worsham from Backyard Beekeepers of Connecticut helps us understand the evolution of beekeeping in Connecticut, the U.S. and the World.
Learn the evolution of beekeeping from the collection of honey from wild hives to the domestication of bees into managed hives. Learn how ancient civilizations collected and used honey, how bees came to the US, the rising popularity of beekeeping as a hobby in CT and the importance of hives in modern agricultural practices. Participants can taste early summer and fall honey to observe the differences. Information on planting for bee health will be provided.
Please register using the link below:
This program is generously sponsored by Thomaston Savings Bank.
Help to Celebrate John Brown's Birthday on May 9th at 7 pm at the Memorial AME Zion Church. Speakers, African Drumming and of course, Birthday Cake!
Join us for Frederick Douglass: From Slave to Statesman with Professor Bryan Sinche, UHART
May 21 6:30 p.m.
Frederick Douglass was a writer, an editor, an activist, a government minister, and the de facto spokesman for nineteenth-century Black America. In this lecture, Bryan Sinche will highlight Douglass’s achievements as a pre-Civil War author and abolitionist, explain his importance as a Civil Rights leader in the postwar period, and reflect on Douglass’s enduring legacy.
Bryan Sinche is Professor and Chair of English and Modern Languages at the University of Hartford. He is a scholar of nineteenth-century African American literature and, most recently, the author of Published by the Author: Self-Publication and Nineteenth-Century African American Literature, which was published by the University of North Carolina Press and was a finalist for the 2024 Book Prize presented by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Please register using the link below:
This program is generously sponsored by Thomaston Savings Bank.
Performer Kevin Johnson brought "Professor Jim" to life at James "Professor Jim" Williams: An African American Story on April 2nd. Thank you!
History Education Center Community Forum
Watch • Learn • Share
The link below will bring you to our History Education Center web page. Here you can learn more about this transformational project, watch a video presentation from the community forum, and access an online form to share your thoughts and ideas with us.