Old Mystic History Center

11/16/2025

The Reliance Fire Department of Old Mystic was started in 1837. Pictured here is a 1937 Ford which was made into a fire truck by the fire department membership. The name "Old Mystic Fire Department" was added in the early 1940s.

Special thanks to Angel Otano and Kenneth Richards Jr. of the OMFD for their insight into this truck and department. Old Mystic Fire Department (Official)

11/15/2025

Today was the Old Mystic History Center's 58th Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon. Many thanks to all who participated today, and a special thanks to our speaker Dayne Rugh for his talk about Benedict Arnold. Dayne gave us a new perspective and interesting insights into the life of and times of Arnold.

11/14/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EZmG5izk3/

In the pre-dawn hours of November 12, 1833, the sky over North America seemed to explode with falling stars. Unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, and visible over the entire continent, an Illinois newspaper reported “the very heavens seemed ablaze.” An Alabama newspaper described “thousands of luminous bodies shooting across the firmament in every direction.” Observers in Boston estimated that there were over 72,000 “falling stars” visible per hour during the remarkable celestial storm.

The Lakota people were so amazed by the event that they reset their calendar to commemorate it. Joseph Smith, traveling with Mormon refugees, noted in his diary that it was surely a sign of the Second Coming. Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman, among many others, described seeing it. It became known as “The Night the Stars Fell.”

So, what was this amazing occurrence?

Many of those who witnessed it interpreted it as a sign of the Biblical end times, remembering words from the gospel of St. Mark: “And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.” But Yale astronomer Denison Olmsted sought a scientific explanation, and shortly afterwards he issued a call to the public—perhaps the first scientific crowd-sourced data gathering effort. At Olmsted’s request, newspapers across the country printed his call for data: “As the cause of ‘Falling Stars’ is not understood by meteorologists, it is desirable to collect all the facts attending this phenomenon, stated with as much precision as possible. The subscriber, therefore, requests to be informed of any particulars which were observed by others, respecting the time when it was first discovered, the position of the radiant point above mentioned, whether progressive or stationary, and of any other facts relative to the meteors.”

Olmsted published his conclusions the following years, the information he had received from lay observers having helped him draw new scientific conclusions in the study of meteors and meteor showers. He noted that the shower radiated from a point in the constellation Leo and speculated that it was caused by the earth passing through a cloud of space dust. The event, and the public’s fascination with it, caused a surge of interest in “citizen science” and significantly increased public scientific awareness.

Nowadays we know that every November the earth passes through the debris in the trail of a comet known as Tempel-Tuttle, causing the meteor showers we know as the Leonids. Impressive every year, every 33 year or so they are especially spectacular, although very rarely attaining the magnificence of the 1833 event.

The Leonid meteor showers are ongoing now and are expected to peak on November 17. But don’t expect a show like the one in 1833. This year at its peak the Leonids are expected to generate 15 “shooting stars” per hour.

November 12, 1833, one hundred ninety-two years ago today, was “The Night the Stars Fell.”

The image is an 1889 depiction of the event.

11/02/2025

https://oldmystichistory.org/no-title/ The Old Mystic History Center is looking for volunteers to help with our Oral History Project. Great opportunity for students!

Old Mystic History Center/ Volunteer Job Description
Old Mystic Oral History Project – Transcription Assistant

About your role as a Transcription Assistant:
Our Transcription Assistant will be aiding the Board of Directors in transcribing and gathering meta data from interviews recorded for the Old Mystic Oral History Project. This data will then be entered into our database for use by researchers. Volunteers will assist the project director in producing short film clips to be used on our website and in exhibits. Volunteers will learn the interview process and train to run the video equipment.
Responsibilities
Volunteer will:
Be instructed as to how to use “Sonix” software, an online, automated transcription application.
Extract meta data from transcriptions and list items for entry into our database.
Training and work will take place remotely, as well as at the Center. Training for transcriptions will be through ZOOM workshops.
Volunteer reports directly to the Board of Directors
Location & commitments
Volunteers will work remotely using their own schedule, and also at the Old Mystic History Center.
Candidate requirements:
Excellent written and oral skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications. Working knowledge of Past Perfect a plus.
Interest in local history, including colonial and indigenous history a plus.
Experience/interest in filming and documentation a plus.


Contact us to apply:

Old Mystic History Center - 39 Main St. Old Mystic, CT 06372

Phone: (860) 536-9771 - Email: [email protected]

Oral History / Memory Bank Creating A Community Oral History We learn about our community and who we are, sometimes, through stories from the past. Most often, these stories come from books written long ago or by outsiders. Oral history projects that include testimonies of everyday people offer a di...

11/01/2025

Become a member! We extend an invitation to you and everyone interested in the history of Eastern Connecticut from the 17th to the 20th centuries to join the many individuals and families who support the Old Mystic History Center. Membership in the Old Mystic History Center allows us to accomplish our mission.

Membership in the Old Mystic History Center supports:

Collecting and preserving objects, documents, manuscripts, and photographs related to local history that can be used for exhibition, education, or research
Creating educational exhibits in our gallery
Opening opportunities for volunteers to serve
Taking care and maintaining our historic building, and
Preserving our community’s historical memory

Member benefits include free use of the library, research assistance from our friendly volunteers, and a quarterly newsletter. In addition, Old Mystic History Center is an incorporated genealogy center, recognized by and registered with the Secretary of the State of Connecticut in accordance with Section 7-51 of the General Statutes. Our members will receive a membership card that allows you to access Connecticut Vital Records located at the state’s town clerks’ offices and other municipal repositories.

For more info and to access a new membership form: https://oldmystichistory.org/join-us/

11/01/2025

Members: Time to renew !

10/28/2025

The Westerly Historical Society's Regional History Fair - OMHC was delighted to be a participant on Saturday, October 25th.

10/20/2025

Join the Old Mystic History Center at this year’s Regional History Fair, October 25, 1:00-4:00 at the Westerly Armory. Saturday, October 25, 1:00-4:00. Address: 41 Railroad Ave.
Co-sponsored by the Westerly Historical Society and the Westerly Armory
This free public event will showcase dozens of the historical societies and museums in the surrounding area and allow a unique opportunity for the public to meet and greet members of these various organizations while viewing their favorite treasured artifacts. The event is free and open to the public. Complementary drinks and light refreshments will be provided.