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HISTORY OF THE CORNWALL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Society was formed in February, 1964, by a group of citizens who had been working together for a special event that would take place that May: the commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Cornwall’s Civil War hero, Major General John Sedgwick of Cornwall Hollow. They planned to make available to the Sedgwick Centennial Committee the memorabilia available in Cornwall and to help arrange for the extensive program for that day.

Writing in an informational letter to fellow townsmen, the incorporators wrote that the Society “has been organized for the purpose of collecting, preserving and exhibiting the rare books, documents and other objects of interest that tell the story of Cornwall’s past. It is not only the privilege but the duty of our generation to take steps to protect and preserve the flavor and reality of our community. To do this, we ask the cooperation of our fellow townsmen and former townsmen.” After making reference to the first history of Cornwall by the Rev. Timothy Stone in (early 1800s, transcribed 1999 by Town Historian Michael Gannett), the History of Cornwall by T.S. Gold, 1877, and Cornwall, Connecticut: a Typical New England Town (1926) by the Rev. Edward C. Starr, the letter expresses the expectation of a future historian, for whom material must be assembled. “As many of you know, there is already a valuable collection of Cornwall Historical materials, dating back to Indian days, in the vaults of the town library. . . . We hope to attempt a listing of such material. . . . We would like to help the present and succeeding generations understand how the Cornwall they know or will know came to be what it is.”

The Society recognized the need for a home for the artifacts and documents that had been collected and stored at the Cornwall Free Library under the direction of long-time librarian Miss Emily Marsh. When Miss Marsh died in 1966, the Society took steps to purchase her home for its own home, and with the help of the community and benefactors this hope became a reality. Archives were moved from the Library to the Society building, and in the early 1970s a vault was constructed to protect the most valuable items.

Over the years, the Society has produced exhibits during the summer and held programs on various historical themes. The Society’s publishing program includes important reference materials including town meeting minutes, census and vital statistics, and transcriptions of early historical accounts by our town historian In 2001 Cornwall in Pictures was published, which later received an award from the American Association for State and Local History for its “extraordinary quality.”

In 2003 the Society hired consultants to help the Board study and set strategies for the critical issues it faced in governance, collections, facility management, visibility, community involvement, programs and finances. The Society reaffirmed its mission and vision, developed a strategic plan, hired a part-time curator, increased its hours, and increased the number of exhibits. Three years later, the Board tackled the most daunting challenge - a review of the space needs at 7 Pine Street. The Victorian building, originally a carriage house and later a private home, was deteriorating. In 2007, the Board embarked on a capital campaign and began renovation in 2009. The renovated building has substantially greater exhibit and storage areas, improved lighting, and better flow between the galleries.