Recurring Programs

Washington History Club in the Morning

“Washington Inns,  Hotels and Taverns”

Monday, September 20, 2021 at 10am, in-person at the Senior Center

Click Here to Register

Through the past three centuries dozens of lodging places have existed in town to accommodate visitors. These businesses also employed many Washington residents. If you worked for or stayed at any of the inns in town we’d love to hear from you. Some current and former innkeepers will be attending and participating in the discussion. Bring your related stories, photographs and objects to share! The Washington History Club in the Morning is a program of the Gunn Historical Museum and meets at the Washington Senior Center to discuss the history of Washington, Washington Depot, Marbledale, New Preston and Woodville. Share your memories with the group or just come and listen to the fascinating conversation about our town’s past. Registration is requested, but not required. The Washington Senior Center is located at 6 Bryan Hall Plaza in Washington Depot. We ask that everyone attending this in-person indoor program to please wear a face mask.

Washington History Club at Night

“Washington Fun Times: Dances, Proms & Other Celebrations”

Tuesday, November 23, 2021, at 6:30pm, in-person at the Gunn Library

Click Here to Register

Join us for a lively conversation, moderated by long-time Washington resident Dimitri Rimsky, about Washington’s dances, proms, and other celebrations as we remember the fun times in our town’s history. Bring your favorite stories, photos and objects to share! The Washington History Club at Night, a program of the Gunn Historical Museum, meets in the Wykeham Room of the Gunn Library to discuss the history of Washington, Washington Depot, Marbledale, New Preston and Woodville. Share your memories with the group or just come and listen to the fascinating conversation about our town’s past. Registration is requested, but not required. The Gunn Library is located at 5 Wykeham Rd. on Washington Green. We ask that everyone attending this in-person indoor program to please wear a face mask.

Cemetery Tour

14th Annual Washington Cemetery Tour

Friday, October 29, 2021, 6:30-8:30pm

Ticket Registration Opens on Oct. 1: Click Here to Get Tickets

The Washington Cemetery Tour is an annual “living history” event produced by the Gunn Museum with the support of local theater luminaries, Doug and Martha Winkel of the Washington Dramalites, showcasing the rich history of Washington using costumed actors to portray residents from the past. In this year’s tour, which will be in-person, we will be sharing new stories about “Green People”; the untold fascinating stories of those who lived and worked around Washington Green in the past. Costumed tour guides with lanterns will lead groups of visitors along a magical path of 1,000 luminarias, spanning a quarter-mile from the Gunn Museum through the shadowy Washington Green Cemetery, where the town’s departed citizens will be stationed at their graves to tell their true tales. The rain date is Sat. Oct. 30, 6:30-8:30pm. New this year: Tickets are required to attend and can only be obtained in advance by online reservation starting on October 1 here. 

To maintain everyone’s safety during the pandemic, there was no in-person tour in 2020. Instead, a pre-recorded virtual cemetery tour was released online. Visit our YouTube channel to watch the video. For more information and behind-the-scenes photos from filming, click here: 13th Annual Washington Cemetery Tour 10.30.2020

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: Canceled due to Coronavirus Pandemic

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.

2021 New Year’s Tea – Canceled due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Readings from the Archives

Next Meeting: TBA

Next Topic: TBA