Director’s College Event: The War of 1812 in Connecticut

On Saturday, November 17, Dr. Glenn S. Gordinier, Robert G. Albion Historian & Co-Director of the Munson Institute at the Mystic Seaport and Visiting Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, will speak at the Farmington Libraries. This event is sponsored by the Sarah Whitman Hooker DAR, the Farmington Historical Society, and the Farmington Libraries.  The topic of his talk is The War of 1812 in Connecticut. A reception sponsored by the Farmington Historical Society will immediately follow the lecture. Copies of the book, The Rockets’ Red Glare: The War of 1812 and Connecticut will be available for purchase for $18 each with Dr. Gordinier available for signing.

The war that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the poem that later became our national anthem is not one that lives vividly in public memory. To remind us why this war mattered—and why Connecticut residents initially objected to what they saw as an unconstitutional act of military aggression by the US against Great Britain—five museums and historical societies have collaborated on “The Rockets’ Red Glare,” Connecticut and the War of 1812. The companion volume to the exhibition, The Rockets’ Red Glare: The War of 1812 and Connecticut (New London County Historical Society, 2012) by Glenn Gordinier et al., provides a broader focus than the exhibit by placing Connecticut’s involvement within the larger framework of the war and international affairs.

Supported in part by a major grant from Connecticut Humanities, the exhibition draws together artifacts from each of the partners: the Stonington Historical Society, Mystic Seaport, the New London County Historical Society, the New London Maritime Society, and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, as well as items from other museums and private collections. “The Rockets’ Red Glare,” Connecticut and the War of 1812 will be on view at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum from July 6, 2012 through December 2012.

Advance registration is required for this program. Please call 860-673-6791 for details or register through the library’s web site at http://www.farmingtonlibraries.org. The event will take place at 1:00 p.m. in the Hoppin Gallery of the Barney Library at 71 Main Street.