Stamford Historical Society Museum
The Stamford Historical Society was founded in 1901. Like most historical societies, organized at the beginning of the twentieth century, the then world of Stamford smokestack industries and immigrant labor was ignored. The Society’s founders looked for inspiration to an earlier, pre-smokestack time, and focused on collecting artifacts and objects from the 17th and 18th centuries.
As with many Americans of the era, the founders viewed the past as largely immutable, and their 17th and 18th century forebears as largely rooted in one spot. Today it is recognized that the constant movement of settlers has been an American trait since the first generation arrived, built their meeting houses, and excluded later arrivals from them.
The early Stamford Historical Society collections ignored Long Island Sound, and the town’s access to the sea, despite the evidence that Stamford was built where it is because of its access to the water.
We are the history center for the City of Stamford. What has happened and what is happening is being retained for future generations by The Stamford Historical Society.
The Stamford Historical Society, the municipal historian of Stamford, is an educational and research institution, whose primary functions are to collect, preserve, conserve, interpret, and exhibit materials relating to Stamford, Connecticut and our region in order to engage citizens in the telling of their stories.
The Society is dedicated to preserving regional history and providing opportunities for the community to understand and experience the past through the presentation of exhibits and displays, lectures, demonstrations, special events and participatory programs. In particular, we preserve and offer tours of the unique Hoyt Barnum house, built in 1699. As the city of Stamford’s history center, we have a responsibility to all citizens of our community to preserve the varied experiences that reflect our cultural heritage.