Recurring Programs
The museum’s recurring programs include the Washington History Club, Readings from the Archives, the Washington Cemetery Tour, New Years Tea, and History Bites.
Washington History Club
In the morning: Meets the third Monday of the months of March, June, September, and December at 10:00 a.m. at the Washington Senior Center to discuss the history of Washington, Washington Depot, Marbledale, New Preston and Woodville. Share your stories with the group or just listen to the fascinating conversation about our town’s past. Bring your photos and objects for show and tell!
Next meeting: Monday, March 16, 10am
Topic: Hotels, Taverns and Inns – Dozens of places offered lodging in town and employed many residents over the years.
At Night: The Washington History Club at Night is a program of the Gunn Historical Museum and Meets the third Tuesday of the months of November, February, and May at 6:30 pm in the Wykeham Room of the Gunn Library to discuss the history of Washington, Washington Depot, Marbledale, New Preston and Woodville. Share your stories with the group or just come and listen to the fascinating conversation about our town’s past. Bring your memories, photos and objects for show and tell!
Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 18, 6:30pm
Topic: The Town Road Crew and Washington Roads Past & Presentecreation in Washington
Readings from the Archives
Meets the first Monday of the months of January, April, and October at 10:00 a.m. at the Washington Senior Center. Staff present a paper about the history of Washington from the museum’s archive, related photos and artifacts from the museum are displayed and a discussion follows.
Next Meeting: Monday, October 7, 10am
Topic: The Holiday House
A reading of the paper, The Holiday House, written by Nell Irwin Whitman will take place. The Holiday House was a magnificent hotel overlooking the Shepaug River that once stood on the hillside above the riding ring at Steep Rock Preserve. Owned by Edward and Mary Van Ingen, Holiday House was conceived as a vacation retreat for working class women from New York City.
History Bites
Each spring ten heritage sites throughout Northwestern Connecticut present History Bites, a series of weekly lunchtime programs designed to bring topics of local history to the attention of the regional community. The lunchtime series is hosted on Thursdays between April and June from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring lunch. Beverage and dessert will be provided by the hosting organization. Lectures are free and open to the public. History Bites is sponsored in part by the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Next Meeting: TBD
Cemetery Tour
Friday, October 25, 2019, 6:30-8:30 pm (Rain Date: Sunday, October 27, 2019, 6:30-8:30)
Tours start at Gunn Historical Museum, 5 Wykeham Road, Washington, CT. Parking is extremely limited and carpooling encouraged.
Take a candlelit tour through the Washington Green Cemetery and meet some of Washington’s unforgettable residents from the past! A community favorite – hundreds attend each year.
Groups of visitors will be led by tour guides dressed in vintage attire along a path of 1,000 luminaries through the Washington Cemetery. Citizens from centuries long ago will be brought to life by costumed actors who will tell their true stories; some amusing, some sad and some tragic.
Members of Friends of the Gunn Historical Museum will be given preference for the first tour at 6:30pm and should pre-register by emailing info@gunnhistoricalmuseum.org or calling 860-868-7756. Not a member? Click here to join now!
Tickets will be distributed under a tent in the Museum’s parking lot, on a first-come-first-serve basis, starting at 6:00 pm on Friday, October 25, 2019, and continue through the evening until tickets run out. Tickets can’t be reserved in advance.
Tours depart every ten minutes between 6:30-8:30 pm and last approximately one hour. A Halloween themed movie will be shown in the Wykeham Room of Gunn Memorial Library where attendees can wait inside for their tour group to depart.
Tour guests are encouraged to bring a flashlight, dress warmly and wear comfortable walking shoes as they will be walking on uneven terrain. While there is no fee for this event, donations are greatly appreciated.
New Year’s Tea
Ring in the New Year with an old-fashioned tea hosted by the Gunn Historical Museum . Visitors will have the opportunity to socialize with friends in the museum and view the exhibit Washington, Connecticut – An American Story. Guests are asked to bring their favorite tea cup and we’ll provide the rest.