Author of “At Home Inside: A Daughter’s Tribute to Ann Petry” & “Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family’s Letters,” in conversation with Jesse Nasta, Executive Director, Middlesex County Historical Society and Visiting Assistant Professor of African American History at Wesleyan University.
Co-sponsors:The Center for African American Studies, Wesleyan UniversityThe Department of African American Studies, Wesleyan University
A Middlesex County Historical Society Online Event
Elisabeth Petry, Middletown author and daughter of novelist Ann Petry (1908-1997),will discuss her family’s Connecticut roots and national impact.Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street, became the <rst novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies.Ann Petry’s aunt, Anna Louise James, daughter of a formerly enslaved man, became the <rst African American woman pharmacist licensed in Connecticut, in 1909. She owned the James Pharmacy in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, for over 50years. Having published two family memoirs, Elisabeth Petry is at work on a documentary<lm about her mother and her ancestors.
Elizabeth Petry, Author of At Home Inside: A Daughter’s Tribute to Ann Petry & Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family’s Letters in conversation with Jesse Nasta, Executive Director, Middlesex County Historical Society and Visiting Assistant Professor of African American History at Wesleyan University.
Co-sponsors:The Center for African American Studies, Wesleyan UniversityThe Department of African American Studies, Wesleyan University
A Middlesex County Historical Society Online Event
Elisabeth Petry, Middletown author and daughter of novelist Ann Petry (1908-1997),will discuss her family’s Connecticut roots and national impact.Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street, became the <rst novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies.Ann Petry’s aunt, Anna Louise James, daughter of a formerly enslaved man, became the <rst African American woman pharmacist licensed in Connecticut, in 1909. She owned the James Pharmacy in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, for over 50years. Having published two family memoirs, Elisabeth Petry is at work on a documentary<lm about her mother and her ancestors.
Monday, December 14, 6:30 p.m.
“We Were There” Stories of the Russell Library Veterans’ Writing Group
A Middlesex County Historical Society Webinar
“We Were There,” a Middletown veterans’ writing workshop sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library, has met at the Russell Library every week since 2012. The group, which has included veterans of World War II through Operation Iraqi Freedom will publish a collection of their writing soon. During the meetings, veterans are invited to share their stories of service, in and out of combat. The group is at work on a book, We Were There: Essays and Poems by American Veterans, which will be published by En Route Books and Media. Middletown author Elisabeth Petry serves as director for the workshop, with the assistance of Christy Billings, program coordinator for information services and adult learning at the Russell Library.
Please join this online event to hear these remarkable local veterans share their stories of service and read selections from their forthcoming book. They will speak of their experiences during the Korean and Vietnam wars and read selections of their writing from the group’s forthcoming book. A question and answer discussion will follow. Author Elisabeth Petry, director of the writing workshop, will also speak.
Follow the link below for full details and to get online tickets. To get an online ticket, please make a pay-what-you can donation ($10 suggested). All proceeds benefit the Middlesex County Historical Society, a nonprofit organization. Questions? Please contact the Middlesex County Historical Society at mchs@wesleyan.edu, or (860) 346-0746.
THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL BE CLOSED FROM MONDAY, 09/30/2019 THROUGH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019. WE WILL RETURN ON MONDAY, 10/07/2019 FROM 10:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M.
PLEASE EMAIL THE SOCIETY AT MCHS@WESLEYAN.EDU FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH.
The Middlesex County Historical Society’s annual Car Show & Flea Market will be held this year on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at Palmer Field, Bernie O’Rourke Drive in Middletown. Be sure to stop by and check out the amazing vintage vehicles!
Starting in December, the General Mansfield House will be open the first Saturday of the month from 10am – 2pm, but closed other Saturdays in the month.
The weekday open hours remain Monday – Thursday from 10am – 2pm.
On the 14th of August, 1788, the sloop Hannah, William Van Deursen commanding, ran into a hurricane off the island of Martinique. His account, published in the Middlesex Gazette on his return to Middletown in September, is available in the Middletown 366 blog:
