News and Events

The University of Hartford recently discovered in its vaults a tape recording of a speech Martin Luther King Jr. delivered at the Bushnell on May 7, 1959, according to the Hartford Courant. King, then 30 years old, told an audience of about 1,400: "I come to Hartford not totally a stranger because I have very pleasant memories of this city." He was referring to visiting the city as a teenager, while among a group of Morehouse College students who worked on a tobacco farm in Simsbury one summer. His speech also contained hints of the more famous "I Have a Dream Speech" he would deliver four years later in Washington, D.C., the Courant reports. Alongside the article is a link to a sample of the recording.

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 10:19 AM

Saturday, January 14, 2006

The 'Muni' is gone. Long live ... Dunkin' Donuts

The Municipal Cafeteria was a Main Street landmark for decades. Located across the street from City Hall and the Hartford Public Library, it was an ideal spot for downtown workers -- and a treasure trove of old Hartford photographs, which lined the walls. Unfortunately, it also became rundown in its later years; letting rock bands perform there at night didn't help the decor either. Finally, the Muni closed. Now a Dunkin' Donuts is preparing to open in that space. Say what you want about chain operations, but the place looks cleaner than it has in many years. And it's one less vacant storefront.

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 5:07 PM

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Author of new Hartford memoir profiled

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, author of "Girls of Tender Age," recounts in a Hartford Courant profile what it was like growing up in Hartford during the 1950s. The memoir focuses on the murder of her fifth-grade classmate in December 1953, along with difficulties (though she didn't see them as such at the time) of growing up with an autistic brother.

Author's page on Simon & Schuster site

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 9:41 PM

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Twain and Stowe homes featured in New York Times

In an article headlined, "Huck Finn's Hartford Birthplace, With Little Eva Across the Lawn," the New York Times on Friday profiled the homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, located next-door to each other on Farmington Avenue. "Both houses are treasures," the Times reports. "Stowe's is simple and reflects the accomplishments of a storied career. Clemens's is a shrine to his family life but also contains the room where both Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer emerged from his pen--1,000 miles from their home on the Mississippi."

# Posted by Kevin Flood at 11:36 AM

Friday, January 06, 2006

New resources on State Library site

Check out these recent additions to the Connecticut State Library's website:

Research guide to old houses. "Today, many people are interested in finding the history of old houses," the library notes. "They may have purchased an old house, have one in their family, or just want to know more about the famous historic houses in their town. The Connecticut State Library has many sources that can help in this search."
Facts about Connecticut's governors. This page contains more than 50 questions -- and, thankfully, the answers. Several pertain to Hartford.
Connecticut Freedom Trail quilts. To convey the dramatic and important story of Connecticut's African-American experience, the legistature in 1995 approved the creation of the Connecticut Freedom Trail, a network of 40 public and private historic properties. This page contains images of quilts depicting the properties, including these in Hartford: the Frank T. Simpson House, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, North Cemetery, the Old State House, Union Baptist Church, and Faith Congregational Church.

Hartford History