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| Our History Room Volunteers CLICK to enlarge |
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Al Gorman History Room
at Miller Library - Top Floor
Regular Hours: Tuesday 11 AM to 3 PM
Also by appointment
Inquiries should be sent to
The history room is now open
for the 2024-25 season.
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Latest update
May 5, 2025
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Join or Donate to the
Hamden Historical Society
during
The Great Give 2025
The Historical Society is participating in this major fundraising campaign throughout Greater New Haven, this Wednesday, May 7 at 8:00 AM through Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 PM. Click here to go to our fundraising page. First-time contributors of $20 or more will become members of the Historical Society and receive our newsletter.
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How did the paths taken by the Quinnipiac Tribe influence the way our streets are laid out today?
Why did suburban development of Hamden begin in the 1860s, long before anyone had an automobile?
Why were the plans for subdivisions in the early twentieth century sometimes a little too ambitious?
Join Hamden Historical Society resarcher Paul Saubestre for an interactive presentation on the
History of Hamden Streets
7:00 PM, Wednesday, May 14
Miller Library complex • Rear of building
Senior Center Social Hall
2901 Dixwell Ave, Hamden
Sponsored by Hamden Historical Society
Refreshments will be served
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It's Up! It's Down! It's Up! It's Down! It's Up!
MILESTONE V UPRIGHT AGAIN
The Hamden Historical Society archives contain a picture of the circa 1800 milestone marking five miles from the New Haven Green, taken around 1975 in front of what was then the IBM building. In 2018, Municipal Historian Dave Johnson found the stone leaning close to the ground and covered by brush, likely the result of a motor vehicle accident. In 2021, members of the Historical Society set it back upright. Read the story here. In 2024, the stone was found completely flat on the ground. A police report confirmed that this resulted from a motor vehicle accident. Last month the stone was found upright again, thanks to the efforts of an unknown party. How long will it remain standing this time?
Click on any photo for a larger image.
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| Milestone V in 1975 |
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| Milestone leaning in 2019 |
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| On the ground in February 2025 |
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| Milestone up once again. |
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| Milestone in front of the Spring Glen Medical Center at 2200 Whitney Ave. |
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| Damage to Milestone VIII |
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The Historical Society is aware that Milestone VIII, in front of the inn at 3400 Whitney Ave., has been damaged and is currently assessing the best way to restore it.
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Rachel Hartley, The Hamden Historian
In honor of Women's History Month, we spotlight Rachel Hartley, who literally wrote the book on the history of Hamden. To celebrate the town's sesquicentennial in 1936, she wrote The History of Hamden, Connecticut, 1786-1936. She was a reporter for the New Haven Register during World War II, then served as the editor of the Hamden Chronicle for 15 years. She wrote columns in several publications and gave humorous lectures. In 1959, she published an updated edition of her History which remains the definitive book on the subject to this day. She was then elected the first female selectman in the town's history—and was destined to be the only one, as the town then switched to a mayor-council government. In 1962, she wrote The Story of Hamden, Land of the Sleeping Giant, a shorter historical book that was used in the public schools. She died in 1983 at age 87.
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| Rachel Hartley and fellow selectman William Adams turn in their nameplates to the first mayor, John DeNicola, Sr. From the 1966 town annual report. |
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The Hamden Historical Society is very pleased to announce that payments for new memberships, renewals of memberships, and donations of any kind may now be made through PayPal.
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CLICK on the applicable PayPal button below for annual individual, annual family or lifetime membership.
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Hamden Historical Society
P.O. Box 5512
Hamden, Connecticut 06518-0512
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In observance of Black History Month, we again feature a famous 19th century Black resident of Hamden, the medical practitioner known as "Doctor Hurd."
Worth noting in the page about him from Hamden: Images of America (Arcadia Publishing, 2004) is his observance of "temperance". Unlike some established medical professionals of the time, he did not use alcohol in his medications. This is followed by a page from the Hamden Historical Society's Fall 2007 newsletter.
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Hamden in Shadow of Total Solar Eclipse 100 Years Ago This Week
Click here for the story of an event that will not be seen again in our area until 2079.
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Gilbert J. Spencer
1935-2025
We are saddened by the passing of Gil Spencer on January 16, 2025. Known as "Mr. Sleeping Giant" for his many years of service to the Sleeping Giant Park Association, he was a member of the Hamden Fire Department for 39 years, and also served many other Hamden organizations. His obituary from Beecher & Bennett Funeral Service may be found here.
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| Jonathan Dickerman House (1792) |
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The Hamden Historical Society
Jonathan Dickerman House
and
Talmadge Cider Mill Barn
105 Mount Carmel Avenue
No Admission Charge
CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
See you in Summer 2025
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