Bristol Historical Society

June Third Thursday Event
2026-06-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for our June Third Thursday event presented by the Memorial Military Museum.
Doors open at 6:00 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

May Third Thursday Event
2026-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for our May Third Thursday event presented by the Memorial Military Museum.
Doors open at 6:00 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

Lewis Street Cemetery Tours
2026-04-25 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Step back in time and explore the Lewis Street (Old North) Cemetery on Lewis Street (opposite Lexington Street). Lewis Street Cemetery is the final resting place for many of Bristol’s Revolutionary War soldiers. Learn about them and some of other
notable Bristol residents buried there.
The tour is self guided and a booklet will be provided with information about the gravesites. Guides will be on hand to fill in details, provide extra information, and help visitors find their way around the site.
Admission is $10 and includes the booklet. The event will be from 1 to 4, Saturday, April 25.

2026 Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner
2026-04-16 17:00 - 19:00 UTC | Parkside Restaurant, 224 North Main Street, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States
PICKUP or DINE IN at Parkside Café, Thursday, April 16, from 5 to 7 pm, for our annual Scholarship Dinner. This fundraiser to supports the Historical Society’s annual scholarship of $1500 to a graduating college-bound Bristol senior.
* PRE-PAID RESERVATIONS REQUIRED BY APRIL 13. NO WALK-INS*
Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children under 10.
There are take-out and gluten-free options, but reservations are required. Please return form found below or call and let us know you would like to come (860-583-6309) by April 13.
Adults – $30.00
Children (under the age of 10) – $20
The dinner reservation form link is below.
If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation to the Scholarship Fund.
Make checks payable to: Bristol Historical Society; P.O. Box 1393; Bristol, CT. 06011-1393 or you may donate online at bristolhistoricalsociety.org or by clicking the button below.
Reservation Form (pdf)

Donate to the BHS Scholarship Fund

Third Thursday Program: The Web They Wove presented by the Dirty Blue Shirts
2026-03-19 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Join us, tonight, Thursday, March 19 at 6:30pm for this presentation by the Dirty Blue Shirts!
Underpinning the sensationalism of battle reports & broadsides is the often silent steadiness of women’s work with textiles. From the mythology of homespun to legends of midnight rides in red cloaked & calashes, costumed historians share stories of the women who waged war on multiple fronts as well as look at wore they wore as their worlds turned upside down. This Semiquincentennial fashion & fabric show includes reproduction clothing pieces & cloth samples as well as a PowerPoint presentation with images of extant originals.
Doors open at 6:00 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

Love Gone Wrong - A Special Friday the 13th Program
2026-02-13 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Love doesn’t always go right, even for some otherwise successful historical Bristol citizens.
Runaway brides, public affairs, partner swapping, murder, and more. Join us the day before Valentine’s Day to meet some of the romantic scandals that pop up from time to time in Bristol history!
Doors open at 6:30pm. There is parking in the rear of the building. Refreshments will be provided. This program is free to members with a suggested donation of $5 for nonmembers.

Holiday Craft Fair 2025
2025-12-06 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
The 2025 BHS Holiday Craft Fair will be held on Saturday, December 6th from 10am to 4pm.

This annual event is great way to usher in the holidays! There will be 20+ crafters/vendors, a bake sale, a teacup raffle, and our popular Christmas Boutique!

The “White Elephant” Christmas Boutique will have a preview sale on Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving Day from 10am to 2pm.

We always welcome any gently used Christmas-themed items that can be added to the Christmas Boutique inventory.
Donations may be dropped off at BHS during our open hours on Wed. and Sat. from 10am until 2pm. (At this time, we can’t accept artificial trees due to space constraints.) Your patronage and assistance are greatly appreciated, and we look forward to another successful event this year.
Mark your calendar and plan to attend our fair, a traditional favorite at BHS!

BHS White Elephant Shop Opens for 2025!
2025-11-28 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
White Elephant Holiday Shop Opens Friday, Nov. 28!
If you are looking for that special touch for your holiday decorations or a unique gift before the holiday, the BHS White Elephant Holiday Shop will open for the season Friday, November 28th from 10 to 2. This popular part of our Holiday Craft Fair opens early for those who want to get a head start on their shopping and decorations!
The shop features gently used Christmas decorations, china, figurines, garland, wreaths, nutcrackers, stockings, and so much more!
After that, the shop will be open during regular BHS hours until Christmas.
Note: We are also collecting nonperishable food items throughout the holidays for local food pantries. We will grateful accept those donations through during our open hours!

Third Thursday: Miners and Grass Hands
2025-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Thursday, November 20, at 7pm.
In 1953, The Connecticut Mining and Milling Company officially closed the Bristol copper mine for the final time, bringing an end to more than a century of copper mining in northeast Bristol. Although multiple attempts were made throughout the mine’s history to make the operations viable, each enterprise ended in shutdowns, bankruptcy or failure. In Miners and Grass Hands, A History of Bristol, Connecticut’s Copper Mine, author and Bristol native, Matthew Crowley shares his research on the Bristol copper mine with a focus on stories of tragedy, setback and daily survival for the miners and their families connected to the mine’s history.
Doors open at 6:30 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

Federal Hill Walking Tour 2025
2025-10-26 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 26 DUE TO WEATHER.
Sunday, October 26, starting at 1pm!
Join us for a walk around Federal Hill for a tour of some historic homes and other buildings, with a nod to a couple places that “used to be.” Discover a little more about some of the graceful homes, churches, and the green that give Federal Hill some of its character and their history. Tours leave from the Bristol Historical Society building at 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, and 2:30 beginning in the front parking lot. Come inside before and/or after for water, lemonade and a look at the exhibits.
Each tour participant will receive a booklet with information about the sights so they can recreate the tour on their own.
No registration is required. Parking is available in the rear lot. Suggested donation for the event is $5 for BHS member and children under 14 and $10 for nonmembers.
The walk will be about 35 to 40 minutes long. Provisions can be made for those who want to join us on the Federal Hill Green and skip the hill.

Third Thursday: The Peck Letters (and Their Envelopes)
2025-10-16 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Thursday, October 16, at 7pm.
In the nineteenth century, members of the Peck family were prolific letter writers. Letters in general are considered primary source documents that historians and researchers covet access to. The Bristol Historical Society is lucky enough to have in its collection a handful of these letters penned by members of the Peck family, and what we can learn from them is absolutely fascinating. October is National Stamp Collecting Month, and in recognition of that, we will also take a look at the envelopes these letters traveled in, which do tell their own stories. Topics touched on during this presentation will include the Lincoln candidacy, the Civil war, international treaties, how the mail moved in the 1860s, and Pre-empire Germany.
Doors open at 6:30 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

West Cemetery Lantern Tour - Saturday Tours
2025-10-04 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | West Cemetery, 49 Pound Street, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States
Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4!
With a Dress Rehearsal open to the Public Thursday, October 2 at BHS at 7:30pm!
The West Cemetery Lantern Tour is returning on the first Friday and Saturday in October. This event is sponsored by the Bristol Cemetery Commission and the Bristol Historical Society. For those who have not attended in previous years, during this evening guided walk through West Cemetery, you will be introduced to notable cemetery “residents” who will share some of their history with attendees. This is an engaging way to spend an evening and learn a little Bristol history.
Tours will step off at 6:00pm, 6:20pm, 6:40pm, 7:00pm, 7:20pm, 7:40pm, and 8:00pm. The first tour is intended for those who prefer a daylight option.
The rain date for both days is October 5. If we have to use the rain date, those have signed up will be notified by email and the change will be posted on our website and Facebook page. Suggestion donation for the tours is $10.
Reservations for the tours are required and can be made online via Sign Up Genius:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4AA9AA2DA7F58-51412733-west
or by emailing president@bristolhistoricalsociety.org
2025 Cast of Characters : Learn more about the characters you will meet this year! Click here.
DRESS REHEARSAL: If you prefer to meet your cemetery reenactors inside, we are inviting the public to a dress rehearsal on October 2 at 7:30 pm at the Bristol Historical Society at 98 Summer Street. We will have refreshments, programs with information about the historical figures portrayed, and a period for questions from the audience. (Please note: There is a meeting in our main event room at 6 and people will not be admitted to the dress rehearsal until it ends.)
Suggested donation for both the regular tour and the dress rehearsal is $10.
Reservations for the Dress Rehearsal are recommended and can be made by calling 860-583-6309 or emailing president@bristolhistoricalsociety.org

West Cemetery Lantern Tour - Friday Tours
2025-10-03 18:00 - 21:00 UTC | West Cemetery, 49 Pound Street, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States

West Cemetery Lantern Tour - Thursday Dress Rehearsal
2025-10-02 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States

Third Thursday: The Evolution of Headstones
2025-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Thursday, September 18, at 7pm.
Join us for an evening with Adam Paul Heller, one of only a handful of artisans creating hand-carved gravestones. He will discuss the evolution of headstones throughout history against the backdrop of cultural changes and personal preferences.
Heller lives and works as a sculptor and artist in Norfolk, CT. A story about his work, “Monumental Devotion” appeared in the October 2023 issue of Connecticut magazine.
Doors open at 6:30 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.

4th Annual Mum Festival Photo Contest
2025-09-02 - 2025-09-30 | Bristol Mum Festival, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States
2025 Photo Contest

As part of the Mum Festival season of events, the Bristol Historical Society is excited to host a photo contest as part of this year’s Festival. Photos will be on display for your viewing pleasure in the Marquee Tent on the festival grounds. Photos judging will be done by a jury of local professional photographers. Awards will presented Sunday at 12 noon.
2025 Photo Contest Entry Form
Rules:
1)As part of the Mum Festival season of events, the Bristol Historical Society is excited to host a photo contest as part of this year’s Festival. Photos will be on display for your viewing pleasure in the Marquee Tent on the festival grounds. Photos judging will be done by a jury of local professional photographers. Awards will presented Sunday at 12 noon.
Rules:
1) Entrant must have taken the photo(s)
2) Print sizes between 4×6 and 8×10, they must be matted but not framed.
3) Entrant self-selects category.
4) Only one photo per category please.
5) Entrant must write name and contact info on back of each photo.
6) Photos to be dropped off at the Bristol Historical Society Museum any Wednesday or Saturday between 10am and 2pm in the month September, or by appointment( Call Steve at 860-944-6567)
7) Photos should be picked up Sunday 9/28 between 2pm and 5pm, or by appointment ( Call Steve at 860-944-6567)
8) Color photos and black and white photos will be judged together.
9) Please note; due to frequent strong winds at the festival grounds, photos will be mounted with 2-way tape. All effort will be made to remove the photo and matte carefully so they can be reused.
Divisions and Categories:
There are two divisions, Youth (0 to 17) and Adult (18 and up).
There are eight categories to chose from.
1) Portraits (formal and informal)
2) Architecture, landscapes and seascapes
3) Action (sports, kids at play, etc., anything with movement.)
4) Plants and agriculture
5) Animals
6) Photos from previous Mum Festivals
7) Candid
8) Miscellaneous
Awards and Prizes:
In each division, first and second place ribbons will be awarded in each category. Best in Show as determined by the jury of judges will receive a $25 gift card from a local business.
Contact info:
For any questions please call or text Steve Vastola at 860-944-6567 or email him at Activities@BristolHistoricalSociety.org

Third Thursday: Remembering the Flood of '55
2025-08-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Flood of ’55, which caused catastrophic damage, both in Bristol and Connecticut as a whole. Join us for a video production about the flood, a brief history, and time for audience members to share their reminiscences or relatives’ stories about the experience.
Doors open at 6:30. Additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. This program is free to member with a suggested donation of $5 for others.

The Know Nothings and Irish Immigration
2025-07-24 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
A decade or so before the Civil War, the abolition question was not the only conflict brewing. Learn more about the Know Nothings, a secret society that grew into a political party, its presence in Connecticut, and its chief concern: the growing numbers of Irish immigrants at that time. The Irish came to Bristol and stayed and, despite their presence in town, the Know Nothings proved a fleeting movement.
Find out what happened to the Know Nothings and how the Irish outlasted the nativists in the country’s history – and Bristol’s, Thursday, July 24, at 7pm.
Doors open at 6:30 and additional parking can be found in the rear of the building. The program is free to members, with a suggested donation of $5 for others. Refreshments will be served.
Please note: This “fourth-Thursday” program replaces our usual Third Thursday event.

Christmas in July Sale
2025-07-19 09:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Start your holiday shopping early!
Join us for our Christmas-in-July sale, featuring a curated selection of new or like-new artificial trees, lights, ornaments, wrapping paper, and other décor on Saturday, July 19, from 9am to 2pm at the Bristol Historical Society. Everything is priced to sell.
Get in the holiday spirit and squirrel away some items for winter!

June BHS Gaming Club Meeting
2025-06-21 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Do you love role-playing games or are curious about them? Do you have kids that want to play Dungeons & Dragons or other role-playing games? Spend a Saturday immersed in a different world at the Historical Society, on March 22, 2025, from 11am to 2pm. All ages welcome! Free to play or just come learn more about gaming at the BHS gaming club. Additional parking is in back and the museum will be open so you can learn a little about Bristol while you’re here!
For more information or to register email jaymess@rocketmail.com or call Jay @ 860-841-1141

2025 Bristol Scavenger Hunt
2025-06-20 16:00 - 2025-06-21 16:00 UTC | Bristol Mum Festival, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States
🏙️ 2025 Bristol Scavenger Hunt 🗺️
June 20–21 | FREE to participate!
Get ready to explore, discover, and celebrate Bristol like never before! Join us for the 2025 Bristol Scavenger Hunt, a cultural district-wide adventure where you can be a tourist in your own town.

DOWNLOAD YOUR SCAVENGER PASSPORT HERE:
– 2025 Scavenger Hunt Passport –

🌟 What to Expect:
Fun and family-friendly exploration of cultural attractions, historic homes and sites, and local businesses across Bristol’s cultural district.
Fascinating clues and fun facts that teach you a little local history, introduce you to the area attractions, and help celebrate Bristol’s cultural heritage!
Work solo or team up with friends and family
Great prizes for top finishers!
Watch this space or clues and details!📍
How It Works:
Clue sheets ( scavenger hunt “passports”) will be available at participating locations and on the Bristol Historical Society website starting at 4PM on June 20
Solve clues and visit locations at your own pace for the next 24 hours
Turn in your completed answer sheet (your “passport”) by 4PM on June 21 at New Cambridge Project Brewery
Prizes will be awarded shortly after!
🎉 Cost to Join:
Absolutely FREE!
Grab your walking shoes, round up your crew, and get ready to rediscover your town through a whole new lens!

Annual Tag Sale
2025-05-31 09:00 - 12:00, 2025-05-30 09:00 - 13:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Save the Date!
The Annual BHS tag sale is here! This HUGE tag sale features antiques, household items, glassware, curiosities, and other treasures.
Organizers have already been hard at work pricing and organizing! There are also toys, puzzles, games, framed prints and paintings, and decorative items–priced to sell! Dealers welcome. Parking in the rear of the building.
There is also a bake sale both days!
Thanks for supporting the non-profit, all volunteer BHS!
Friday, May 30, 9am to 1pm
Saturday, May 31, 9am to noon

May BHS Gaming Club Meeting
2025-05-17 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Games for all! Join us in May for a family game day from 10-2 on Saturday, May 17! Why let all the role-playing gamers have all the fun? Bring your favorite board game and catch up over a game of Scrabble, Chess, Scattergories, and more! Bring some snacks, check out the museum, and spend a morning with us!
Do you love role-playing games or are curious about them? Do you have kids that want to play Dungeons & Dragons or other role-playing games? Spend a Saturday immersed in a different world at the Historical Society, on May 17, 2025, from 11am to 2pm. All ages welcome! Free to play or just come learn more about gaming at the BHS gaming club. Additional parking is in back and the museum will be open so you can learn a little about Bristol while you’re here!
For more information or to register email jaymess@rocketmail.com or call Jay @ 860-841-1141

Third Thursday - Trivia Night!
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Join us Thursday, May 15 at 7pm for Trivia!
Did you enjoy Trivial Pursuit? Do you never miss Jeopardy? Do you know a little bit about Bristol history and an assortment of other miscellaneous things? Join us to test your knowledge and learn a few fun facts! We won’t even make you provide the answers in the form of a question!
Our regular Third Thursday program had to be postponed, so we thought we’d have a little fun. There will be a Bristol History category (we ARE the Historical Society, after all!) but you also never know will show up during a trivia night.
Doors open at 6:30pm, refreshments will be served. Additional parking is at the rear of the building. This program is free for all! Fun prizes will be awarded.
Come for the trivia, stay and have a look around the museum!

Third Thursday Program: Tories, Spies, and Traitors, Divided Loyalty in Revolutionary Connecticut
2025-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Which side are you on? That’s the question that every single person in Connecticut had to answer in 1775, as the thirteen colonies began a rebellion against British rule. Loyalty was not only a matter of words or opinion. For soldiers and civilians alike, loyalty could mean loss of fortune, of friends, and even of life. This presentation reveals stories— some well known, some obscure— of Nutmeggers who risked and sacrificed to support their chosen side.
Join us for this program about Revolutionary-era Connecticut presented by Rachel Beauchemin of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (formerly the CT Historical Society) and discover more about this divisive time in the state and the Bristol area.
PLEASE NOTE the earlier date!
Doors will open at 6:30. Additional parking is in the rear of the building and refreshments will be served. This program is free to members of BHS or the MMM or a suggested donation of $5 for nonmembers.
Rachel Beauchemin is a Museum Educator at the Connecticut Museum of
Culture and History. She develops and teaches educational programs for
school and adult audiences. Rachel has had experience in both education and
museums in CT and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies
from Gettysburg College.

March BHS Gaming Club Meeting
2025-03-22 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Do you love role-playing games or are curious about them? Do you have kids that want to play Dungeons & Dragons or other role-playing games? Spend a Saturday immersed in a different world at the Historical Society, on March 22, 2025, from 11am to 2pm. All ages welcome! Free to play or just come learn more about gaming at the BHS gaming club. Additional parking is in back and the museum will be open so you can learn a little about Bristol while you’re here!
This month’s featured game is Enclave: A Tableless Roleplaying Game, which will be moderated by the game’s designer!
For more information or to register email jaymess@rocketmail.com or call Jay @ 860-841-1141

Salute to Bristol WWII Service Women
2025-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Join us for a special program co-sponsored by the Memorial Military Museum and the Bristol Historical Society.
For decades now, women have had a vital role in all branches of the US Military, but it was not always that way. When World War II began, women were accepted begrudgingly, if at all. When the Navy created the WAVES, the Army the WAACs, the Coast Guard the SPARS, and the Women Marines were established, it was to be for “only the duration plus six months.” Gradually, their varied skills and dedication to “doing their part” made them invaluable. We will salute some of our hometown young women who volunteered to leave Bristol and serve in places often far from home and often in traditional male jobs and duties.
The second half of the program will be a video introducing Michelena Masterbone, who was Bristol’s last surviving WWII Female Veteran. Members of the Memorial Military Museum visited this witty, articulate, adventuresome woman on September 9, 2024, to celebrate her 101st birthday in Walla Walla, WA. Over two days of video interviews, “Call Me Mickey” tirelessly shared stories of growing up in Bristol, her pride in being a WAVE and her time Camp Detrick, Maryland. The war time research being conducted there was “cloaked in the deepest wartime secrecy . . . matched only by the Manhattan Project.”
Bristol has rightfully honored our male veterans. Bristol has forgotten our female veterans. In the fall of 2024, the Memorial Military Museum established the Bristol Women in the Military Committee to honor Bristol’s female veterans, not documented or honored before in Bristol’s history, and for the first time their stories, from the Civil War nurses to the present, will be told. This is the first in a series of 6 programs that will showcase many of the 113 Bristol female WWII veterans.
Doors will open at 6:30. Additional parking is in the rear of the building and refreshments will be served. This program is free to members of BHS or the MMM or a suggested donation of $5 for nonmembers.

February BHS Gaming Club Meeting
2025-02-22 11:00 - 14:00 UTC | Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol, CT, 06011-1393, United States
Do you love role-playing games or are curious about them? Do you have kids that want to play Dungeons & Dragons or other role-playing games? Spend a Saturday immersed in a different world at the Historical Society, on February 22, 2025, from 11am to 2pm. All ages welcome! Free to play or just come learn more about gaming at the BHS gaming club. Additional parking is in back and the museum will be open so you can learn a little about Bristol while you’re here!
For more information or to register email jaymess@rocketmail.com or call Jay @ 860-841-1141

Black History Month Panel Discussion
2025-02-19 17:30 - 19:30 UTC
Join us for a panel discussion celebrating Black History in Bristol, CT, exploring topics like how the Great Migration from southern states affected Bristol and its manufacturing base, and the Civil Rights movement.
Esteemed panelists will share insights on the past of the community. Engage in meaningful dialogue, ask questions, and deepen your understanding of the vital roles Black individual have played in shaping society. This is a valuable opportunity for reflection and inspiration. Don’t miss it!
FREE ADMISSION. Snow date is Feb. 27. Additional parking is located in the back of the building.
