Stamford History Real Time

True Tales of Horror and Death a Success!

True Tales of Horror and Death, on October 21 at the Hoyt Barnum House, was a resounding success! Pam Coleman reports that the tours were packed.

"In keeping with the Halloween season, we recently offered our first Tales of Horror and Death event at the Hoyt Barnum House in downtown Stamford.  The house was built in 1699 and has certainly seen its share of difficult times.  The 30 minute tours on the evening of October 21st focused on the period from 1680–1780 in Stamford, CT.  Our 3 docents (Tom, Linda & Pam) talked about the terrible smells, back breaking work, gruesome accidents and disfiguring diseases that were a part of most colonists’ lives during that period of time.  Our guests were amazed, horrified and edified by the tour.  Some teens started to tear up over the fate of terrible illness and early death faced by so many children in the 17th and 18th centuries."

If you missed this year’s tour, don’t worry – we’ll be back!  Join us next October to listen to more stories of colonial horror and death.  Oh, and next year we’ll be adding a few ghost stories. 

For those who want to learn more about the house and the general history of the Hoyt Family, please call 203-329-1183 to schedule your visit.  We are happy to take people through by appointment.

 

News from the Hoyt Barnum House; fund-raising appeal

Sadly, due to lack of interest, we have discontinued our recently instituted regular hours for the summer and return to "open by appointment" only again.  (Call 203-329-1183)

Editor's note:  It was also conveyed to me that passers-by who stopped in to investigate lost interest when they found they would have to pay for a tour. That is a very sad sign of the times!

Repairs

The Hoyt Barnum House, the oldest preserved residence in Stamford, will be closed for repairs soon. Every conservation effort aims to conserve, preserve and strengthen the house while maintaining, as much as possible, its early 18th century appearance inside and out. In 2004, we replaced the over 40 year old roof. Now, age has caught up with the heating system of the house. Our old cast iron pipes are leaking and have, in the process, caused damage to the floors and interior and exterior walls. The Society must replace the pipes as soon as possible as well as address the damage to the structure.

Fund-raising needed

The Society is grappling with how to address the House's current needs in light of depressed economic circumstances. This year, the City of Stamford cut its support to the Stamford Historical Society by 43%. We are making efforts to close this enormous gap by modifying programming and reducing our hours of operation. Most of our previous sources of income have been reduced or eliminated.  We are relying on the generosity of our community to help us preserve one of Stamford's greatest treasures. We are fortunate to have found an angel who has agreed to match every dollar we raise for the first $1,500.

This means we need to raise $3,000 in additional funds to reach or goal of $4,500, which will go along way toward addressing the needs at the Hoyt Barnum House.  All those who contribute $250 or more will have their names put on a plaque that will reside at Hoyt Barnum as a permanent reminder of those whose efforts have helped secure the house for future generations. In addition, these donors will be invited on an “insiders” tour of the house after completion of the repairs.

Any dollar amount, and be it the smallest, will help. You may call 203-329-1183 for more information, or mail a check to

The Stamford Historical Society
1508 High Ridge Rd.
Stamford, CT 06903

Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Reduced Public Hours at the Society: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only

June 21, 2010 Press Release

… Changes in the public hours at the Society’s headquarters at 1508 High Ridge Road [will] begin July 1. The Society’s research library and exhibit galleries will now be open Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM throughout the year.

“Like many non-profit organizations, the Society has been hard hit by reduced financial support in these difficult economic times,“ continued Coleman. “Unfortunately, the City of Stamford, our primary backer since we are the municipal historian for the City, has had to make significant cuts to outside agencies including ours. We are looking at every way to conserve our resources without jeopardizing our services to the Stamford community.  So we have expanded our hours on our usually busiest days, and cut hours on those days when we have fewer visitors.”

To recap, hours are:

• Thursdays 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Fridays 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
• Saturdays 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

(closed on Saturday, July 3 for the holiday weekend)

The Hoyt Barnum House:

Open to the public every Friday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM beginning Friday July 2 and continuing through Friday September 3. Tours will be conducted on the hour. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for members, seniors and children.

More information and directions

The Hoyt Barnum House will be open Fridays from 11 to 4 in July and August!

Update 1:

The Hoyt Barnum House will be open Fridays 11 to 4 PM in July and August, and September 3

Tours are given on the hour.

The house is located on 713 Bedford Street next to Police Headquarters.

View Larger Map

Admission:

$7/Adults
$5/Members, Seniors & Children
(Children age 5 and under are gratis)