Page 16 - North Haven Magazine Issue 25 Autumn 2022

Historical

Society’s

Museum

by Susan A. Iverson
Loom
hanks to the generous support of our town’s administration and
Tthe tireless labor of many volunteers, the North Haven Historical
Society’s Museum is once again welcoming visitors! This museum
visually tells its visitors the story of North Haven; how it came into
being, how it grew and prospered, and how its citizens passed their
days in earlier times. Nothing can take the place of seeing it yourself
– but here’s a preview of what you will find there!

Of course, North Haven’s history must begin with its first inhabi-
tants, the Quinnipiac People. A small display of Quinnipiac items
located in the lobby hints at much more to see when the collection of
artifacts is fully curated – watch for notifications when this exciting
exhibit is complete.
As visitors descend into the museum they are greeted by a large sign
“Entering North Haven”; this sign had greeted visitors to our town
on one of its main thoroughfares many years ago – I’m so glad it was Sports Uniforms
salvaged and brought here to its new home!
Once in the museum, one can see that North Haven was home to
several early industries – an agricultural works manufacturing farm-
ing tools, a cigar-making factory (!), carpentry businesses, black-
smiths and brickmakers, and a publishing / printing business. On
display you can see many of the tools that had been employed in
these enterprises. Of course, North Haven was also home to many
farms; there were dairy farms, fruit orchards, vegetable farmers who
trucked their produce to nearby urban centers, pig farms, and chick-
en farms. Farm implements abound in the museum; the variety is
amazing!
A section of the museum is dedicated to items used in daily life – one
can see cooking pots and pans and looms to produce hard-to-obtain
fabric (used since the 18th century), appliances that made house-
keeping less labor-intensive in the 19th century, and entertainment
devices that became popular in the early 20th century.

The Historical Society is fortunate to possess many more artifacts Corn Sheller Entering North Haven Sign
than can be housed in its museum, however. Several volunteers have
therefore assembled small displays throughout the building show-
casing items that might be of interest to our visitors. For example,
an exceptional collection of sports memorabilia and uniforms used
by early North Haven teams is presently on display. There is also a
collection of Revolutionary War artifacts not to be missed. A World
War One scrapbook assembled by North Haven’s self-proclaimed
historian, Sheldon Thorpe, is viewable – its contents have been digi-
tized and can be perused without damaging the precious document.
Around every corner is yet another peek into an earlier time!

Visiting is easy – stop by on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 1 to 4 PM
and someone will gladly welcome you; there is no admission fee, and
parking is also free and plentiful. Unfortunately, we are not hand-
icapped- accessible but the stairs up to the main entrance do have
handrails. For more information you can call 203-239-7722 or email
us – [email protected]. See you soon!

Museum Hearth
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