Faith Trumbull Chapter DAR Norwich, Connecticut

06/08/2026

Happy Birthday to the artist John Trumbull, born this week in 1756 in Lebanon, Connecticut. This ca. 1834 portrait by Trumbull from our collections depicts Continental Army officer Ebenezer Huntington and was recently put on display in the Original Library of Anderson House.

Huntington, who was born on December 26, 1754, in Norwich, Connecticut, was a senior at Yale College when he learned of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Just three days after those battles on April 22, 1775, Huntington left his studies and volunteered to serve with the American Patriots participating in the siege of British-occupied Boston. Huntington was commissioned into the Connecticut Line and served at the Battles of Long Island, White Plains, and Rhode Island and the Siege of Yorktown, in which he commanded a battalion of light infantry. At war’s end, Huntington became an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.

05/17/2026

Perkins Rockwell House Museum

“Heroes, Villains, or Legends?
Stories of Revolutionary Eastern Connecticut”

Open 2nd & 4th Saturdays 1-4pm
42 Rockwell Street
860-887-8737

05/13/2026

America 250 Trivia for $20

Calling all history buffs! Join the Friends of Slater Memorial Museum for an evening of Semiquincentennial trivia! Tickets are $20 per person, including light refreshments. Call to reserve tickets for you and your team today!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day from the Connecticut Society of Genealogists! 💐

Today in the U.S., we celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and generations of women whose lives and stories shaped our families.

As genealogists, we know how important it is to preserve not only names and dates, but the memories, traditions, recipes, letters, photographs, and everyday stories passed down through generations.

This Mother’s Day, consider:
📸 Labeling old family photographs
📝 Recording a favorite family memory
🎙️ Interviewing a mother or grandmother
🌸 Sharing stories with younger generations

What is one special memory or tradition you inherited from the mothers in your family?

05/10/2026

This year marks the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776. In celebration of this nationwide anniversary, Slater Museum will be launching three exhibitions in 2026, beginning with "Norwich Stories of the American Revolution," opening May 9, 2026!

Norwich, Connecticut was a center of Revolutionary activity in Eastern Connecticut. From bands of Sons of Liberty to dedicated soldiers of all backgrounds, the city produced scores of men and women who served in all capacities. From humble militiamen to a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, come and learn the lesser-known stories of these valiant Patriots as well as the story of America’s most infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold. Among a few original 18th-century artifacts on display will be an original copy of Connecticut’s first newspaper, the Connecticut Gazette, printed the day after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 5, 1776.

Opening May 9, 2026 - Exhibition will run through 2027

Slater Memorial Museum is a proud partner with the America's 250th, Norwich, Connecticut Committee.

05/08/2026

Our museum will open for the 2026 season tomorrow, May 9 between
1 pm and 4 PM

05/06/2026

In early May 1776, Norwich, Connecticut, was a crucial, bustling logistical hub for the American Revolution, functioning as a key supply depot for the Continental Army during the transition from the Siege of Boston to the defense of New York.

On This Day (May 5, 1776 - Early May Context)
• Troop Movement and Embarkation: Following the British evacuation of Boston, American troops under George Washington were ordered to New York. Throughout April and early May 1776, detachments moved through Connecticut by land before embarking at Norwich and New London to finish the route by water.
• Strategic Supplies: Norwich acted as a major inland supply base, with local agents like Christopher Leffingwell, who oversaw the manufacturing of paper, pottery, chocolate, and other provisions, coordinating materials for the patriotic cause.
• The "Black Facings" Regiment: Jedediah Huntington, a prominent Norwich native, commanded the \(17^{th}\) Continental Regiment (known as "Black Facings"), which was stationed in the area assisting with fortification efforts in spring 1776 before being sent to fortify New York in the summer.
• Patriot Leadership: Local leaders like Samuel Huntington (a future signer of the Declaration of Independence) were active, and the town was a known center of Patriot activity and manufacturing, particularly in the Leffingwell and Huntington neighborhoods.

By May 1776, the town was actively engaged in the war effort, having already experienced the transit of George Washington (in June 1775) and maintaining a high level of vigilance and logistical support as the war moved to New York.

05/01/2026