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Description
According to legend, the sign that once graced the General Wolfe Taven in Brooklyn, Connecticut (originally owned by Israel Putnam), was shot at by disgruntled patriots during the Revolution because it depicted a British redcoat officer. Rachel Beauchemin, museum educator at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History (CMCH), will share fascinating tales of tavern life during,“ Tapping Into the Past: Tavern Life in Early Connecticut,” at the Pardee-Morris House on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 2 p.m. For weather updates check our Facebook/Instagram pages or visit https://www.newhavenmuseum.org.
In the 1600s every Connecticut town was required to have a tavern (known in that period as an "ordinary") in order to facilitate travel. Beauchemin will show examples from the impressive early-Connecticut tavern-sign collection at CMCH, including the sign for Phelps' Inn in North Colebrook, which features a docile-seeming lion on one side and a fierce eagle on the other, a commonly used image meant to invoke the power of the young United States against the weak Great Britain.
Beauchemin will demonstrate how taverns in early Connecticut were much more than just a place to drink. Beauchemin explains, “Travelers and locals alike saw taverns as a place to be entertained, spread news and gossip, have a good meal, and get a night’s lodging.”
Taverns were also centers for entertainment, politics, and business. Beauchemin notes that the Aetna Fire Insurance Company was founded at a coffee house in Hartford in 1819. Traveling troupes of actors or acrobats might perform in a tavern, local government might even hold court.
About Rachel Beauchemin
Beauchemin is a museum educator at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. She develops and teaches educational programs for school and adult audiences. She has had experience in both education and museums in Connecticut and holds a B.A. in political science and women’s studies from Gettysburg College.
About NH250
This event is part of NH250, an ongoing series of programming developed by New Haven Museum to complement “America 250” and the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present.
About the Pardee-Morris House
Located at 325 Lighthouse Road, in New Haven, the Pardee-Morris House dates from about 1780, and is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Built by Amos Morris around 1750, the house was burned by the British during their raid on New Haven in 1779 and rebuilt and expanded by the Morris family. In 1918, William S. Pardee, a descendant of the Morris family, willed the property to the New Haven Colony Historical Society, today the New Haven Museum. For a complete list of summer events at the Pardee-Morris House, visit: http://newhavenmuseum.org/visit/pardee-morris-house/ For New Haven Museum’s event calendar: http://newhavenmuseum.org/visit/events-calendar/ Sign up for e-blasts at info@newhavenmuseum.org.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum, founded in 1862 as the New Haven Colony Historical Society, is located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue. The Museum collects, preserves and interprets the history and heritage of Greater New Haven and through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach brings more than 375 years of the Elm City’s history to life. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @newhavenmuseum or call 203-562-4183.
Date & Time
Sun, Jul 26, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Venue Details
Pardee-Morris House
325 Lighthouse RoadNew Haven, Connecticut 06510
