CASTLE ON THE COVE

Do you want to explore the evolution of the Connecticut State Prison system while it was in Wethersfield from 1827 to1963? This latest exhibition by Wethersfield Historical Society focuses on the Connecticut State Prison while in town.For 136 years the Prison housed criminal offenders while employing local residents, bringing opportunities to town and changing the landscape of Wethersfield. Come view the prison history through material culture! This exhibition is dedicated to past, present and future correctional officers and Department of Corrections employees. Support provided by the William & Alice Mortensen Foundation,  the Robert Allan Keeney Memorial Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Farmington Bank.

LEGENDARY PEOPLE, ORDINARY LIVES

Do you know how to rope onions? Would you like to try different architectural styles on a house? Are you interested in ships and the sea? Ever wondered what school was like in the “Good Old Days?” All these questions are part of the exhibition “Legendary People, Ordinary Lives,” which was funded in part by a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council. This exhibit employs a thematic approach to history, organized around six areas which focus on the history of Wethersfield’s architecture, agricultural heritage, historic preservation, social and suburban development, and entrepreneurial spirit. Among the “legendary people” featured is Wallace Nutting, whose restoration of the Joseph Webb House and interest in the collection and preservation of historic objects and architecture inspired many local historians. Also included are quotes from “ordinary people” of the time. The exhibition brings together a wide range of artifacts from the Society’s collection, many on view for the first time. These include a Connecticut River Valley Doorway from the Churchill House in Newington (no longer standing), portraits of Sarah Noyes Chester and Ashbel and Abigail Wright, chests made by Wethersfield cabinetmakers Edward Shepard and Peter Blin, a sweet grass bonnet made by Sophia Woodhouse, agricultural implements, maritime artifacts, and signs from the Wethersfield Village Hotel, the Thomas Griswold Co. seed company, and the distinctive Hubbard Community. Interactive activities to engage visitors appear throughout the exhibition. Among them is a magnet board with movable architectural elements inviting visitors to change the design of a house. Finally, the “Signposts to History” direct visitors, through photographs, text and maps, to 24 other sites nearby where they can see and learn more. Location:  The Keeney Memorial Cultural Center (200 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT) Hours: Open  Tues. – Sat., 10-4, Sun. 1-4. Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

HURLBUT – DUNHAM HOUSE MUSEUM

Built in 1790’s in the Georgian style, the house was occupied in 1804 by Captain John Hurlbut, a successful mariner who circumnavigated the globe on the ship Neptune. In the 1860’s, the house was remodeled by Levi Goodwin to reflect the Italianate style popular at that time. An ell containing kitchens, servants’ quarters and a large copper cistern to hold rainwater was added. In 1875 the house was purchased by Silas Robbins, a prominent Wethersfield merchant, for his son Elisha. Elisha married Ida Adams in 1879. They had one child, a daughter named Jane. Elisha died in 1894, and Ida and her daughter Jane lived alone in the house until Jane married Howard Dunham in 1907. At that time he joined them in the home. Mrs. Robbins and the Dunhams were prominent in Hartford social circles; Howard Dunham was Insurance Commissioner of Connecticut from 1923 to 1935. The Dunhams were enthusiastic antiques collectors and avid supporters of historic preservation, and their home reflects these interests. Jane Dunham bequeathed the home to the Historical Society which received it in 1970. After an extensive restoration, the house was opened as a museum in 1995, reflecting the residency of the Dunhams between 1907 – 1935. It is rich in early 20th century features including original Rococo Revival wallpapers, painted ceilings and cornices, and furnishings and accessories. Wethersfield Historical Society received the Connecticut League of Historical Societies’ Award of Merit for the restoration of the house in June of 1996. Location: The Hurlbut-Dunham House at 212 Main Street is located next to the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center. Tours originate at the Keeney Memorial. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

* 2026 – Wethersfield Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the State of Connecticut in the amount of $10,000.00 which paid for the replacement of the Hurlbut-Dunham’s failing furnace.

Hours: Due to ongoing restoration work, The Hurlbut -Dunham House will be open on the dates and times below. Additional dates will be added as they become available.

• Saturday, October 17: 1:00pm – 4pm
• Saturday, October 24: 1:00pm-4pm
• Saturday, December 5: 1:00pm-6pm
• Sunday, December 6: 1:00pm-4pm
• Saturday, December 12: 1-4pm

THE COVE WAREHOUSE MARITIME MUSEUM

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The Cove Warehouse is located on the waterfront of the Wethersfield Cove and used to interpret Wethersfield’s maritime trade with the West Indies that flourished between 1650 and 1830. Visit the Cove to learn the significance of the Red Onion trade, shipbuilding, privateers, fisheries and early yachts. Location:  The Cove Warehouse is located in Cove Park at the north end of Main Street. Please park in the Cove Park parking lot and use the path.

Beginning August 15, 2026, the Cove Warehouse will be closed to the public for the remainder of the season due to pending renovations. We will publish more details about the work as they become available. Wethersfield Historical Society apologizes for any inconvenience. Renovations are expected to be completed by November and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Warehouse next season (Spring 2027).

The venerable Cove Warehouse on our Wethersfield Cove is said to date to the late 17^th Century, but is possibly an 18^th Century building. Six warehouses built in the late 17^th Century on the Landing Place at the river’s edge handled Wethersfield’s brisk maritime trade. These warehouses were swept away in a massive flood, circa 1697, changing the course of the Connecticut River and creating the Wethersfield Cove. Circa 1890s to the early 20^th Century, the warehouse was used by Charles Hanmer as a fish house. Restoration work was done by the local American Legion Post of the Town’s 300^th Anniversary in 1934. After the 1936 flood, prisoners from the neighboring Connecticut State Prison moved the warehouse back onto a repaired foundation. It became a Wethersfield Historical Society museum in 1962. Owned by the Town, it is leased to the historical society for an annual rent of one rope of red onions.