Preston Historical Society

Preston Historical Society
TypeNonprofit, historical society
HeadquartersLong Society Meetinghouse
President
Bridget Park
Websitehttps://www.preston-ct.org/294/Historical-Society

The Preston Historical Society is a historical society located in Preston, Connecticut. They maintain historical records for the town and maintain historical locations, such as National Register of Historic Places listed places like the Long Society Meetinghouse[1] and Preston City Historic District.[2]

Organization

The Historical Society is a small, volunteer operated organization. They meet four times a year, generally within the Long Society Meetinghouse, with exceptions made for cold or hot weather.[3]

Activities

The Preston Historical Society has extensively cataloged Preston history and has produced publications documenting it, such as records of the many small cemeteries within the town and Preston in Review.[4][5] They are in the process of digitizing their collection.[6]

The Society maintains and advocates for historic and monuments, such as the Long Society Meetinghouse[7] and a Revolutionary War memorial.[8] They have also been involved with historical research on Norwich State Hospital[9][10] and Amos Lake.[5] During their restoration of the Long Society Meetinghouse, the Society formed a relationship with the Mohegan Tribe.[11]

The Society has also been involved in archaeological research within Preston, especially relating to historic New England architecture.[12] In 2015, they held an archaeological excavation at the Meetinghouse.[13]

References

  1. ^ Bessette, Claire (2022-10-29). "1817 Long Society Meetinghouse in Preston restored, ready for rededication". The Day. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  2. ^ "Connecticut SP Preston City Historic District". National Archives. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  3. ^ Bessette, Claire (2019-10-06). "Preston Historical Society ready to show off meeting house renovations". The Day. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  4. ^ Harper, Ross; Clouette, Bruce (2013-12-09). "Archaeology at the 1777 Ebenezer Story Site: The Household Economy of a Family of Fishermen-Farmers on the Thames River, Preston, Connecticut". Northeast Historical Archaeology. 38 (1). doi:10.22191/neha/vol38/iss1/5. ISSN 0048-0738.
  5. ^ a b Bessette, Claire (2013-03-28). "Amos Lake enjoyed by many but ownership unresolved". The Day. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  6. ^ "Connecticut Collections". ctcollections.org. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
  7. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (2015-08-29). "Preston Music Festival benefits Long Society Meetinghouse restoration". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  8. ^ Mosher, James (2012-10-15). "Preston fixing up Revolutionary War memorial". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  9. ^ Blessing, Ryan (2015-07-15). "Volunteer historians reveal contents of mysterious Preston box". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  10. ^ Rockledge, Christine M. (2018). Norwich State Hospital. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1540236265.
  11. ^ Bessette, Claire (2016-12-04). "Mohegan Tribal Council supports Preston Long Society Meetinghouse restoration". The Day. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  12. ^ Harper, Ross K. (2012-12-01). ""Their Houses are Ancient and Ordinary": Archaeology and Connecticut's Eighteenth-Century Domestic Architecture". Historical Archaeology. 46 (4): 8–47. doi:10.1007/BF03376877. ISSN 2328-1103.
  13. ^ Bessette, Claire (2015-06-02). "Artifacts found at Long Society Meetinghouse dig in Preston span centuries". The Day. Retrieved 2024-08-13.