Meriden Historical Society

10/19/2026

This week at the museum
Thursday Oct 22 6:30-7:45
Hippies, Hard Hats and the Hanging HIlls
JoIn us for our on going lecture series Meriden Through War. This lecture focuses on the Vietnam era and features a local vet sharing his experiences. Please register at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/hippies-hard-hats-and-the-hanging-hills-meriden-in-the-viet-nam-era

Sunday Oct 25 11-3
This is your final Sunday to see the 175th Anniversary of the Fire Department. Come and see it before it says goodbye. Of course it is also available during our regular public hours. See the calendar on our website www.meridenhistoricalsociety.org

10/19/2026

This week at the museum
Thursday 10/22. Hippies, Hard Hats and Hanging Hills. 6:30. 41 W Main Street
Step back into Meriden during the Viet Nam era—a time of protest, factory shifts, family kitchens, and the Hanging Hills watching over it all. This lecture explores how the national tensions of the Vietnam War era were reflected in the community of Meriden. Register below.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/hippies-hard-hats-and-the-hanging-hills-meriden-in-the-viet-nam-era

The Exhibit featuring the 175th Anniversary of the Meriden Fire Department will be here until November 14th and we will be open on Sundays in Ocotber from 11-3.

Step back into Meriden during the Viet Nam era—a time of protest, factory shifts, family kitchens, and the Hanging Hills watching over it all. This lecture…

10/18/2026

We are open today for our Fall Exhibit 11-3.

10/17/2026

Cemetery Tour today at East Cemetery. Register below please

Walk through Meriden’s past on our guided Cemetery Tours as we share stories of the people who built our city—factory workers, civic leaders, veterans, and…

10/16/2026

Figure it out Friday
Here you are. About 10" long.

10/16/2026

This is a wooden plug for an old school fire "hydrant." Before modern fire hydrants existed, city water mains were made from hollowed-out wooden logs. During a fire, firefighters had to dig down to the underground wooden water main and bore or chop a hole into the pipe to get water for buckets or hoses. Once the fire was out, firefighters hammered a tapered wooden dowel or plug tightly into the hole to stop the leak. Crews marked the location of the plug. The next time a fire broke out nearby, they could just dig up and knock out the existing wooden plug instead of drilling a brand-new hole into the main. This old practice is the exact reason why fire hydrants are still called "fire plugs" and why firefighters today use the phrase "catching the plug".
https://www.ffam.org/the-saga-of-the-fire-hydrant/

10/15/2026

Throwback Thursday
Pay attention to the last couple of sentences. The Statin Agent requested that the trains make as little noise as possible going through town because Mr. Dodd is sick and needs his rest.
In 1882, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad opened a large, elegant French Second Empire style brick train station in Meriden. It featured a fashionable mansard roof, prominent quoins (cornerstones), and fancy scrolled brackets.

10/14/2026

Out next most obvious question is what is considered to be the most haunted place in Connecticut?

10/14/2026

Join us on Thursday October 15th from 3-5 at this event sponsored by the Village at Kensington. Be sure to RSVP to 203-235-0181.

10/14/2026

According to the polls, now remember this is scariest, not most haunted, the answer is Dudleytown in Cornwall, is widely considered the scariest place in the state. Tucked away in the remote woods of Cornwall (Litchfield County) along Dark Entry Road is a remote farming village founded in the 1740s by colonial settlers, that suffered a series of bizarre tragedies, untimely deaths, and suicides over the generations.
Legend claims the family was cursed in England before ever arriving in America, leading people to believe the land itself brings despair and madness. Visitors and researchers have reported an unnatural, heavy silence in the woods—not even hearing birds or insects—along with unexplained mists, floating orbs of light, and cameras failing to develop photos only while inside the area. The property is strictly closed to the public by the private landowners (the Cornwall Association), and local state troopers actively patrol the area to issue trespassing fines.