Bristol Historical Society

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!

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.

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.

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

Lewis Street Cemetery Tours
2026-04-25 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | CT
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.

May Third Thursday Event
2026-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CT
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.

June Third Thursday Event
2026-06-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CT
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.

250 Years of Buttons
2026-07-11 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | CT
Join us for a special 250-themed program from the CT Button Society, exploring the American history of this small but import item!
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.

Third Thursday: Henry Beach's Trip to Egypt
2026-09-17 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CT
Join us for a program about a Bristol citizen’s remarkable trip to Egypt. The program is presented by Bob Adamczyk.
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.

Third Thursday: Bristol's Musical Heritage
2026-10-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CT
Music has always been part of America’s heritage. “A Bristol Pop Music Time Machine” is an informative and entertaining program of songs that were well known in Bristol, CT from the colonial era to the middle of the 20th century. The songs provide cultural context to various trends and events that were part of the city’s interesting history, from early agricultural roots through the industrial era and to the days of modern media. This program will be presented by Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle.
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.
Rick Spencer and Dawn Indermuehle develop and present theme-based music and history programs, performing songs that give cultural insight into interesting times, places and events in American history. Rick and Dawn carefully craft their vocals and accompaniment to sound as true to a song’s era or style as possible. Their vast repertoire includes music from the Colonial era to the present day. Rick and Dawn use these songs to illustrate the evolution of our nation’s culture and history in an informative and entertaining way.

Third Thursday: Bristol Through the Years
2026-11-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | CT
Join us for this program about Bristol during the last 250 years. This program will be presented by Tom Dickau.
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.
