Stamford History Center facts for kids

The Stamford History Center is a special place in Stamford, Connecticut. It's a non-profit organization, which means it's not trying to make money. Instead, it works to teach people about history. It's also part of the New England Museum Association, connecting it with other museums in the region.

A Look Back: The History of the Center

The Stamford History Center started a long time ago, in 1901. It was first known as the Stamford Historical Society. When it first began, it collected many old items from farms, like wooden tools, old furniture, and metal objects.

For many years, starting in the 1950s, the society was located at the Hoyt-Barnum House. This house is the oldest one in Stamford and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Big Gift and a New Home

In 1979, the Historical Society received a very important gift. A lifelong Stamford resident named Charlotte Dewing Smith Cruikshank left them a large collection of old American furniture and other items. She also left them a lot of money, $1.2 million!

To hold all these new treasures, the society needed a much bigger space. So, in 1984, they moved to the Martha Hoyt School. This old school building was built in 1914 and was empty at the time.

Moving the Oldest House

Something really interesting happened in 2016. The City of Stamford needed the land where the Hoyt-Barnum House was located. So, they carefully moved the entire house to the Historical Society's campus in North Stamford! This made room for a new police station.

A New Name for a New Era

In 2017, the people in charge of the society decided to change its name. They voted to call it the Stamford History Center. This new name better showed that the organization had changed physically and was growing.

Discovering History: The Research Library

The Stamford History Center has a special part called the Marcus Research Library and Archives. This library is full of amazing historical materials.

You can find books, pamphlets, and magazines there. It also has many old documents, some dating all the way back to the 1600s! There are also 200 old handwritten books from the 1700s to the 1900s. If you like maps, you'll find many old maps, atlases, and newspapers from different centuries too. It's a great place to learn about the past!

Where to Find the Center

The Stamford History Center is located at 1508 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut.