Historic Stonington

Historic Stonington Historic Stonington was founded in 1895. The Capt. Palmer House & the Lighthouse Museum are open seasonally. Our National Historic Site, the Nathaniel B.

The Woolworth Library is open Monday - Thursday 9am to 2pm, and Fridays 1pm to 5pm. The mission of the Stonington Historical Society is to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the history of all of Stonington. Our Society is dedicated to illuminating the more than 350 years of history of the Town of Stonington, located in the southeastern corner of Connecticut. We offer here records of the lives and

fortunes of colonial settlers, blockade runners, ship captains, whale hunters, patriots, explorers, artists, and writers. We recall the struggles between Native Americans and Europeans, the repulse of British forces in 1775 and 1814, the exploration of distant oceans by Stonington seafarers. We see Stonington's era as a polyglot seaport, a community of English, Portuguese, Irish, Italians, Germans, and African Americans. There are glimpses too of later years, when Stonington became known as a city-dwellers' refuge from the twentieth century, where village life and community survived. We invite you to explore the resources of this site, and to see Stonington in person as well. When you come, take the time to visit our three historic sites:

The Old Lighthouse Museum, where you can climb into its light tower and look far out toward the Atlantic. Palmer House, home of the Stonington seafarer credited with discovering Antarctica. The Richard W. Woolworth Library, a growing archive of local records, manuscripts, and photographs, serving a national research audience. Please visit us at any or all of our sites. You will find a warm welcome. Wish to support our efforts? You can become a Member and/or make a donation! MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Membership includes a subscription to Historical Footnotes and free admission to our museum sites and research library. Members are notified of coming programs and exhibitions and are entitled to a ten percent discount on our books and most gift shop items. Membership Applications are available at each of our sites and through our website: www.stoningtonhistory.org

HOW TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
The Stonington Historical Society welcomes financial contributions to support its efforts to preserve and display the rich history of the Town. The organization enjoys the 501 (c) (3) status of a charitable institution. Please make checks payable to The Stonington Historical Society and mail them to:

The Stonington Historical Society
P.O. Box 103
Stonington, CT 06378

After a career spent protecting Stonington Borough for 35 years, Fire Chief Jeff Hoadley is hanging up his helmet on Jul...
06/01/2026

After a career spent protecting Stonington Borough for 35 years, Fire Chief Jeff Hoadley is hanging up his helmet on July 4th and there's no more fitting send-off than this.

We are proud to announce that Chief Hoadley will receive the Hero Award at the 27th annual Cannon Ball on June 27, 2026. It's a small token of the enormous gratitude this community owes him.

Join us in honoring a true Stonington hero. Tickets at the link in bio.
📷 Photograph by Bergin O’Malley

Private First Class John Roderick was born in 1919 to Manuel Roderick and Rose Gils. He attended Stonington High School ...
05/30/2026

Private First Class John Roderick was born in 1919 to Manuel Roderick and Rose Gils. He attended Stonington High School for one year, and was drafted into the US Army. As a part of Hodges 1st Army, he took part in the invasion of Normandy and fought in the battles of France, Belgium and Germany. After the battle of Aachen, he was moved to the 9th Army and took part in the Battles of Holland, the Rhine and Elbe. He was promoted to Corporal in June 1945, and was discharged in September the same year.

Join us Saturday, June 27th 2026 for the 27th annual Cannonball!Have you purchased your tickets yet? This isn't just an ...
05/28/2026

Join us Saturday, June 27th 2026 for the 27th annual Cannonball!

Have you purchased your tickets yet?

This isn't just an event - it's the reason we can keep restoring, teaching and sharing the history of Stonington. Every seat at the table makes that work possible. Not to mention the Cannon Ball is one of the best events of the year!

Tickets and tables available now at cannonball2026.givesmart.com and in the link in bio
Where: Nathaniel B. Palmer House at 40 Palmer Street in Stonington
Time: 5 - 10 pm

05/27/2026
Our next America 250 event is coming up on Saturday, June 6th. Meet us at the Robinson Burial Ground on Broad Street in ...
05/26/2026

Our next America 250 event is coming up on Saturday, June 6th. Meet us at the Robinson Burial Ground on Broad Street in Stonington Borough between 10am and 12pm for a cemetery clean up! Members of the Stonington Cemetery Commission and Abigail Hinman Chapter DAR will be there to show you how to properly clean the stones - all materials provided. Please bring your own water and work gloves. Parking is available at the Town Docks, a short walk from the burial ground.

Eugene Bessette was born in 1918 to parents Arsene Bessette and Rosanna Martin. He graduated from Stonington High School...
05/24/2026

Eugene Bessette was born in 1918 to parents Arsene Bessette and Rosanna Martin. He graduated from Stonington High School in 1936, and Providence College in 1940. He enlisted in the Air Force, and became a 1st Lieutenant. Eugene served as a Flight Commander in Iceland, before he was killed in an airplane accident at Raleigh, NC in October of 1943. He was awarded the Air Medal for meritorious service.

This Memorial Day, as we remember Lt. Bessette and so many others like him who never made it home, we may not know them all, but we owe them all. Let us pause to reflect on the true price of freedom, honor our fallen countrymen, and stand united in respect of their courage and sacrifice.

If you lived in Stonington before 2006, you'll surely remember Stonington Lumber. The company was started in 1929 by And...
05/22/2026

If you lived in Stonington before 2006, you'll surely remember Stonington Lumber. The company was started in 1929 by Andrew Wheaton Perry (1867-1948) and his son, Burrows Perry (1897-1990), as an off-shoot of their construction company, A.W. Perry & Son. What fond memories do you have of this iconic Stonington business?

Our museums are open! One of our new additions to the Lighthouse Museum this year is this beautiful painting of the whal...
05/20/2026

Our museums are open! One of our new additions to the Lighthouse Museum this year is this beautiful painting of the whaleship S. H. Waterman by lighthouse keeper Charles E. P. Noyes. Generously donated by Peter Solomon of New York, this painting has now rejoined the only other two paintings known to have been done by CEP Noyes. Come in and see this impressive artwork in person! The Lighthouse Museum is open Thursday to Monday, 10am to 4pm.

Tickets are live for The Cannonball!One if by Land, Two if by SeaSaturday, the Twenty-Seventh of JuneIn the year Two Tho...
05/18/2026

Tickets are live for The Cannonball!

One if by Land, Two if by Sea
Saturday, the Twenty-Seventh of June
In the year Two Thousand Twenty-Six
A Most Splendid & Revolutionary Gala

Powder thy wigs, polish thy dancing slippers, and mark well thy calendar for the Cannon Ball!

When in the course of human festivities it becomes necessary to cast aside the ordinary and convene for revelry most resplendent, let it be known throughout the colony: A grand affair approaches!

By the glow of lantern light and the daring of midnight riders, we shall assemble in fine fashion to toast to liberty, bold adventure, and independence with uncommon cheer. Expect spirited libations, jubilant company, and merriment enough to make even the Sons of Liberty tap their buckled shoes.

If one wishes to secure their attendance, they need only traverse the digital fields between us to cannonball2026.givesmart.com to acquire tickets. You may also register to bid on many fine offerings the online auction may hold beginning June 19!

Cannon Ball 2026
When: June 27, 2026 5-10 PM
Where: Captain Nathaniel B Palmer House. 40 Palmer Street, Stonington

40 days to go. Last year's event sold out so don't wait.

Private First Class Harry J. Bowman, Jr.  Harry was born December 7, 1921 in Stonington to Harry Bowman and Constance Ha...
05/17/2026

Private First Class Harry J. Bowman, Jr. Harry was born December 7, 1921 in Stonington to Harry Bowman and Constance Harvey, and lived at 5 Broad Street in Stonington Borough. He enlisted in the US Army, and served in the infantry of the 95th division of General Patton's 3rd Army in France. The division was tasked with reducing the heavily fortified city of Metz in November 1944, and their intense, house-to-house fighting earned them the nickname the "Iron Men of Metz". Harry was injured in this battle, and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was discharged in December of 1945.

Address

40 Palmer Street
Stonington, CT
06378

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