Litchfield Historical Society

Since 1856 the Litchfield Historical Society has been dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of Litchfield County, Connecticut, through its museum, research library, and historic house.

The Litchfield History Museum invites visitors to explore the evolution of a small New England town. Furniture, historic clothing, household objects and paintings reveal Litchfield's history from its earliest European settlement to the present day. The museum's seven galleries highlight family life and work during the fifty years after the American Revolution, a time when Litchfield was a bustling commercial, political, and educational center. Hands-on areas help visitors discover the town's past.

In addition to the Litchfield History Museum, the Historical Society maintains the Litchfield Law School--the first law school in the country, founded in 1784--and the home of its founder, Tapping Reeve. The two sites take visitors on a journey through the life of a real student from the early nineteenth century. Through role-playing, hands-on areas, and interpretive exhibits, each visitor explores timeless issues of travel, communication, education, and community. To learn more about the law school and its graduates, click here: http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/.

The Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library houses information about Litchfield's 280 years of growth and change as reflected through the papers, publications, photographs, and ephemera of local residents, homes, businesses, institutions and organizations. The Society's library also serves as the official repository for the records of many local institutions. The library is open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 am-12:00 pm and 1:00 pm-4:00 pm. To search our collections, click here: http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/archon/.

Please note: Both museums are closed for the season, but will reopen in April of 2013. Our library and shop are open throughout the winter.