Ledyard Celebrates 250

05/29/2026

This looks like a great event to learn about the wife of Colonel Ledyard!

We always think of Col. Ledyard, but what about his widow Anne?

05/28/2026

The first recording of enslaved Africans in Connecticut is in 1639 when an enslaved Black boy named Louis Berbice, from Dutch Guinea, was killed by his owner in Hartford, according to The Yale and Slavery Research Project.

Connecticut went on to become the largest slaveholding state in New England in 1774, with 5,085 people enslaved within its borders, according to Dartmouth University Libraries’ website.

The institution of slavery helped build the wealth — and in some cases, the literal cities and towns — of Connecticut, where enslaved people worked alongside free laborers and lived in the same houses as the people who enslaved them.

Read more:
https://www.ctinsider.com/america250/article/america-250-ct-slavery-22220351.php

05/27/2026

Long before the founding of the United States, our people endured one of the darkest chapters in Indigenous history.

Following the Pequot War and the devastation of 1637, surviving Pequots faced displacement, enslavement, and an intentional effort to erase our identity, culture, and existence. Even after being declared “extinct” by colonial powers, we remained. Through our resilience, we persevered.

In 1666, our Mashantucket reservation was established and it continues to stand today as the longest continually occupied Indian reservation in North America.

Our story did not end in 1637.

We are still here.

05/26/2026

05/25/2026

In honor of Memorial Day, today we recognize Franklin B. Kohrs, Jr., the only person from Ledyard who died in combat in WWII. Read his story here.

05/13/2026

Calling all history buffs! Join the Friends of Slater Memorial Museum for an evening of Semiquincentennial trivia! Tickets are $20 per person, including light refreshments. Call to reserve tickets for you and your team today!

05/05/2026

This year marks the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776. In celebration of this nationwide anniversary, Slater Museum will be launching three exhibitions in 2026, beginning with "Norwich Stories of the American Revolution," opening May 9, 2026!

Norwich, Connecticut was a center of Revolutionary activity in Eastern Connecticut. From bands of Sons of Liberty to dedicated soldiers of all backgrounds, the city produced scores of men and women who served in all capacities. From humble militiamen to a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, come and learn the lesser-known stories of these valiant Patriots as well as the story of America’s most infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold. Among a few original 18th-century artifacts on display will be an original copy of Connecticut’s first newspaper, the Connecticut Gazette, printed the day after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 5, 1776.

Opening May 9, 2026 - Exhibition will run through 2027

Slater Memorial Museum is a proud partner with the America's 250th, Norwich, Connecticut Committee.

01/22/2026

Check this out in Groton for more local history