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.

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.

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: 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.

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
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 - Saturday Tours
2025-10-04 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | West Cemetery, 49 Pound Street, Bristol, CT, 06010, United States

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.

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: 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.

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!

Holiday Craft Fair 2025
2025-12-06 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | CT
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!
