exhibits

Artifacts From the John Hollister Archaeology Dig Site in South Glastonbury

Location: Museum on the Green

Opening: October 1, 2024

Glastonbury is fortunate to have a significant, well preserved historic site in South Glastonbury. After ten years of excavating there are still many more stories to tell about the early English colonists, the indigenous peoples and the trade that occurred down the Connecticut River and out to the world. Thanks to the property owners of the dig site, the Office of the State Archaeology, Friends of the State Archaeologist (FOSA) and the University of Connecticut the work continues to this day. Considered one of the most important sites in the state, the area was part of the 17th century territory of the Indigenous People's, the Wangunk and the English colonist that called it home from the 1640's to 1711.

Old State House Puppets Presented the Legend of the Charter Oak

Location: Museum on the Green

Opening: February 14, 2025

The Museum on the Green is the temporary home for the Old State House Puppets, on loan until summer of 2025. The puppets were designed and created by graduates of the world renown puppetry arts program at the University of Connecticut. The program at UConn was founded by Frank Ballard in the 1960's and continues to this day. Today the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the Storrs campus. Graduates of the puppetry arts program have created their own troupes, worked in entertainment and education, with many working in film and television including the Muppets. The puppet production was directed and designed by UConn Puppetry Arts program graduate, Rolande Duprey. In 1997, Robert Laughlin, a former student of Frank Ballard was hired by Bill Faude, executive director of the Old State House, to begin work on a puppet troupe that would be based at the Hartford landmark. He wrote a story that combined Connecticut's Legend of the Charter Oak, with the story told by animals from the odd little museum room on the top floor of the Old State House. That story was the basis of the play that was performed in a newly created puppet theater in Hartford between 1998 to 2005. The puppet characters were based on animals that had been part of a late 18th century museum that was set up at the top floor of the Hartford State House just after the historic building was built in 1796. An artist, Mr. Joseph Steward was granted permission by the Connecticut General Assembly to operate a portrait studio and a museum of curiosity inside the State House. It is believed he was inspired by Charles Willson Peale, the famous artist that had a similar arrangement at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Eventually in the early 19th century Joseph Steward moved the museum down the street to a larger space at his home. The artifacts from the original museum of curiosity may have found their way into the Wadsworth Atheneum when it was established by Daniel Wadsworth. In 1996, Bill Faude recreated Mr. Joseph Steward's Museum of Curiosity researching the objects that would have been included in the collection by pouring through old copies of the Connecticut Courant (Hartford Courant). Mr. Steward had listed his collection in the newspaper. Bill Faude found objects to represent those items in the original museum, including a stuffed tiger, a mummy's hand and a narwal horn. The objects in the new Museum of Curiosity are real, not original to 1796, but it is a real mummy's hand, crocodile and the two headed calf that you can still visit at the Old State House today. The puppet forms of these animals are on loan and part of an exhibit at the Museum on the Green until this summer.

Curious Collectibles: An exhibit about the things our neighbors collect.

Location: Museum on the Green

Opening: February 14, 2025

A whimsical exhibit about the things your Glastonbury neighbors collect.

I little bit of fun after a long winter. This eclectic collection includes objects like colorful stress balls to handcrafted wooden figures and from Whaler's memorabilia to fine 18th century tea pots. The collectibles are on loan for this exhibit until late April 30th.

Why do we collect things? There are scientific theories as to why humans are compelled to collect objects. It appears to be an evolutionary holdover, an older behavior, perhaps utilitarian in nature that has changed over time to become a leisurely pursuit. Neolithic tools have been found in Europe that were created for nothing more than decorative purposes. Scientists have found crystals that early humans collected inside a South African cave over 105,000 years ago. Modern museums and their collections evolved from the "cabinets of curiosity" of 17th century Europe. These collections of historical artifacts, art and scientific specimens would often include oddities. In the United States, the first collections for public viewing were "museums of curiosity", like Charles Willson Peale's Museum at Independence Hall and Joseph Steward's Museum of Curiosity at the 1796 Hartford State House.

At the Museum on the Green, we have some more contemporary examples of this very ancient behavior on loan until the end of April. What do you collect?

Walk This Way – Shoes and Bags in Our Collection

Location: Museum on the Green

As part of our new revolving exhibit “Unearthing The Treasures In Our Cupboards,” we are displaying some of the more beautiful and interesting shoes and bags in collection. There are beaded silk pumps worn by a Glastonbury bride more than 100 years ago, children’s shoes mended repeatedly and worn by many siblings and shoes and a bag that traveled out west with a Glastonbury resident in the 1800’s. Come in and see the latest treasures we have found in our vast collection!

Victorian Finery

Location: Museum on the Green

Opening: July 15, 2024

Our Curatorial Department has unearthed a stunning array of Victorian-era clothing, hats, bags and finery from our collection. The fashionable, detailed gowns, fabrics, laces, ribbons and bonnets will be displayed from July 15 to August 31 and are a stunning example of how our small-town Glastonbury residents kept up with the styles and fashions of the time.