Mx County Historical Society Annual Meeting - Pat Tully Talk on "150 Years Ago in Middletown"

150 Years Ago in Middletown: History in the News

 

In a community survey conducted by the Middlesex County Historical Society a few years ago, people were asked what they most enjoyed about local history.  The answer given by many was that they loved hearing about people and how they lived through momentous events in the past.  The Civil War was one of the landmark events in the history of our country.  What was Middletown like in the early 1860s?  How—and how much—did Middletonians know about the war?  What else did they care about?  What were their daily lives like?  Pat Tully will answer many of these questions in her talk to be given at the annual meeting of the Historical Society on Monday, April 25 at 7:00 pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.

Starting in March 2011, Tully undertook a project she hoped would answer some of these questions.  She created a blog, 150 Years Ago In Middletown, Connecticut, with weekly posts consisting of excerpts from one of the local newspapers of the time: the Middletown Constitution.  This close reading of the newspaper shed new light on what it was like to live in Middletown during the Civil War, with an immediacy not often achievable in history books or documentaries. 

This talk will summarize and illustrate a few of the Middletown stories brought to light in this project, which was completed in June 2015.  It will also describe how the project was begun, how articles and story lines were selected, and how it changed over time.  

Pat Tully is a librarian with a passion for the history of Middletown and Middlesex County. She has lived in the area for 12 years, and been an active member of the Historical Society since 2006, having served as President for four years.  She is also a member of the Middletown Rotary Club and the One Book on the Riverbend literacy project.

The Historical Society, headquartered in the General Joseph Mansfield House, will hold its annual business meeting at 6:30 pm preceding the lecture, which is delivered each year in memory of Arthur Schultz.  The Russell Library is handicap accessible.  The presentation is free and open to the public.  For further information, please call the Society at 860-346-0746.

For more information, contact:

Deborah D. Shapiro, Executive Director

Middlesex County Historical Society

Phone and fax: 860-346-0746

mchs@wesleyan.edu