Grating the Nutmeg

Connecticut is a small state with big stories. GTN episodes include top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories and new voices in Connecticut history. Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger look at the people and places that have made a difference in CT history. New episodes every two weeks. A production of Connecticut Explored magazine.

ENCORE: Our Top 10 Most Streamed GTN Episodes 01/01/2025

200. Erector Sets, Trains and New Haven’s Toymaker A.C. Gilbert 12/19/2024

200. Erector Sets, Trains and New Haven’s Toymaker A.C. Gilbert We did it!! This is our 200th episode of Grating the Nutmeg! Thanks to our listeners, we have travelled across the state during every time period to bring you vivid, fascinating stories from our state’s history. Become a podcast subscriber to get notified every time there’s a new episode! During this holiday season, it seemed like the perfect time to bring you the story of Connecticut’s biggest toymaker! Of all the toys that are enshrined in the National Toy of Fame, two stand out as having solid Connecticut connections, the Cabbage Patch doll and the Erector Set. In this episode, we’re going to find out how A.C. Gilbert, a Yale educated doctor, became a millionaire with an idea he got while riding the Metro North train from New Haven to New York City. His construction toy, the Erector Set, sold in the millions and helped to educate generations of scientists and engineers. He came up with dozens of best-selling toys that were all manufactured at his factory in New Haven, Connecticut. We’ll also interview Walter Zawalich, Gilbert Trains Curator, at the Eli Whitney Museum about their holiday Gilbert train show. Co-host Patrick O’Sullivan will share his information on 1965’s James Bond slot car toy that helped to push the company into closing. Much of today’s information comes from the book The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made, The Life and Times of A.C. Gilbert, the Man Who Saved Christmas by Bruce Watson and the website of the Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden, Connecticut. The Whitney Museum collects and studies the products and legacy of A.C. Gilbert and his company. Find out more here: The information on the Eli Whitney Train Show is here: Other museums with train shows: Connecticut River Museum Wilton Historical Society To get information about how to visit Erector Square, the A.C.Gilbert Factory complex now adaptively reused as artist studios, go to their website at ------------------------------------------------------- To celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at Our current issue is on food-find out where to get the best ice cream sundaes in West Hartford. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/34533145

TOP 5 of 2024! 12/15/2024

199. G. Fox and Company Department Store and the Holidays 12/01/2024

199. G. Fox and Company Department Store and the Holidays In the mid-20th century, Hartford's G. Fox and Co. was one of the most successful family-owned department stores in the United States. Today, many Connecticans have fond memories of visiting G. Fox at the holiday season -- marvelling at the Christmas Village atop the marquee and meeting Santa in Toyland. In this episode, Natalie Belanger and Jen Busa of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History talk about the history of the store, owner Beatrice Fox Auerbach's commitment to customer service, and the holiday traditions that so many customers still remember. You'll hear snippets from oral histories conducted in the 2000s by the Stave Group for the Connecticut Museum. of these oral histories are available at the , a collaborative member organization that supports digital preservation and access for all Connecticut's people. The voices you heard today were those of Ann Uccello, Bruce Blawie, Ruth Blawie, Betty Jane Ladd, Bruce Stave, and Fanny Raptopolous. Want to try making the Date Nut Bread that Jen and Natalie made for this episode? Here's the recipe, as published in the Hartford Courant February 26, 2009. G. FOX & CO.’S DATE NUT BREAD RECIPE 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces 1 cup sugar 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs, well beaten 2 cups flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla Grease a 9-by-5-inch pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place dates and sugar in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, combine the water and shortening and simmer until shortening is melted. Pour over dates and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Stir mix ingredients with a wooden spoon, not an electric mixer. Add eggs, beating well. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into date mixture until well blended. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Add walnuts and vanilla. Turn batter into greased loaf pan and bake one hour until center of loaf springs back when touched. Cool thoroughly before removing from pan. Image credit: G. Fox 1969 holiday catalogue, CMCH collection 2020.57.25 Hear more about how G. Fox intergrated their workforce on Grating the Nutmeg episode 73 Dept Stores, G. Fox and the Black Freedom Movement. Listen here: --------------------------------- To celebrate reaching 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of our beautiful magazine Connecticut Explored delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at Our current issue is on food-find out our recommendation for the best ice cream sundaes in West Hartford! ----------------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram , Threads, and BlueSky. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram: @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening! /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/34221235

198. Entwined: Black and Indigenous Maritime History 11/15/2024

198. Entwined: Black and Indigenous Maritime History We all know a little about New England and Connecticut’s European maritime history. Dutch traders came to North America to trade for beaver pelts and English colonists came to start new communities such as Hartford. But a new exhibition at the Mystic Seaport Museum doesn’t rehash this history - it looks to reveal African and Indigenous perspectives on water and the sea. Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea is an exhibition that surveys the interplay of maritime histories through Indigenous, African, and African American worldviews. On view until Spring 2026, the exhibition examines twelve millennia of Black and Indigenous history through objects and loaned belongings from Indigenous and African communities dating back 2,500 years, coalescing in a selection of 22 contemporary artworks. For more on the exhibition, go here: Entwined is the first exhibition by my guest Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, Senior Curator of Social Histories at Mystic Seaport Museum. She earned her PhD in Anthropology with a focus in Archeology at the University of Connecticut. Our second guest is Dr. Kathy Hermes, publisher of Connecticut Explored magazine and Project Historian of the award-winning project Uncovering Their History: African, African American and Native American Burials in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground. This is the third and final episode in our 2024 series on Connecticut’s maritime history. Don’t miss listening to Episode 182. Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution with best-selling author Eric Jay Dolan and Episode 180. Colonial Connecticut: Sugar, Slavery, and Connections to the West Indies with Dr. Mathew Warshaurer and Dr. Kathy Hermes. Here’s the links to these episodes: Here’s the link to the Seaman’s Protection Certificates-list on the Mystic Seaport website: -------------------------------- Help us make up our loss of state funding and celebrate our 200 episodes by donating $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Here's the link to our online benefit auction-valid until Nov. 20, 2024. Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. -------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/33948002

197. Mark Twain and the American Presidents 11/01/2024

197. Mark Twain and the American Presidents Early voting has already started in the 2024 presidential election and I just couldn’t resist the suggestion by my guests to explore what Samuel Clemens alias Mark Twain, Hartford’s greatest Gilded Age humorist, had to say about the United States presidents. Was Twain the John Stewart or John Oliver of his day? Known for his sharp wit and scathing satire, what presidents met with his approval? Corruption, national identity, the power of big business, and America’s global role were just as contested then as they are now. His funny, insightful observations about the presidents of his day apply readily to the modern presidency. Guests on this episode are Twain experts Mallory Howard, Assistant Curator at The Mark Twain House & Museum and Dr. Jason Scappaticci, historian and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Connecticut State Community College Capital in Hartford. Looking for a fun and informative event for your library, book club, or historical society? The Mark Twain House & Museum can bring you distinctive, entertaining, and interactive presentations on Mark Twain’s life, work, interests, and era. You can book a presentation on the subject of this episode at the Mark Twain House website here: -------------------------------- We’re almost there! This is our 197th episode. Thanks to our listeners, Grating the Nutmeg is going to hit 200 episodes soon! We love bringing you a new episode every two weeks. In celebration of our 200th episode and to help fund Grating the Nutmeg in 2025, we are holding our first ever Grating the Nutmeg Benefit Online Auction. The auction bidding opens on November 1st. You can bid on art, special one-of -a- kind experiences like a private tour of the Connecticut State Capitol including the Hall of Flags, theater tickets, museum admissions, hands-on genealogy assistance, behind the scenes tours at fascinating places, and restaurant gift cards. You’ll be able to bid on a delish lunch at one of Hartford’s best restaurants with our publisher Dr. Kathy Hermes and the Connecticut State Historian Dr. Andy Horowitz. All the bidding information is on our website and links to the auction bidding are on our social media pages. Go to the auction here: It’s easy to bid on your phone or laptop. The holidays are coming up-you may find that perfect gift in our auction items for that hard to buy for person! Toast the start of conservation work with the team working to stabilize the 18th-century wallpaper adorning the . Enjoy exclusive access to the expertise of conservators who will explain and demonstrate their work caring for the papers. To reserve your spot for the Nov. 3, 2024 event, go to To celebrate our 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate your support! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. ---------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow host Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/33737222

196. Connecticut Body Snatchers: Merchandising the Dead in the 19th Century 10/17/2024

196. Connecticut Body Snatchers: Merchandising the Dead in the 19th Century Have you got your Halloween costume ready? Been on any graveyard tours this month? Well, this story for you! I’d never thought of body snatching as having anything to do with Connecticut but as this episode proves, the disappearance of a young women’s body lead to a New Haven riot. I’ll get the details from Richard Ross author of the new book American Body Snatchers, Merchandising the Dead in 19th Century New England and Washington, DC. Dick Ross is a retired college librarian and professor emeritius from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Order his new book American Body Snatchers, Merchandising the Dead in New England and Washington, D.C. from Amazon here: Order his book on the Connecticut witch trials here: You can hear more about that topic in GTN #39, parts 1-3, here: -------------------------------------------- Toast the start of conservation work with the team working to stabilize the 18th-century Réveillon wallpaper adorning the . Enjoy exclusive access to the expertise of conservators from Studio TKM Associates, who will explain and demonstrate their work caring for the papers. Attendees of this intimate gathering are invited to learn about the house and its residents while imagining the turbulence of the 1790s as two nations attempted to assert their independence—and their identities. To reserve your spot for the Nov. 3, 2024 event, go to Proceeds from this event benefit the wallpaper conservation project at the Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden. . ------------------------------------------- We’re almost there! This is our 196th episode. Thanks to our listeners, Grating the Nutmeg is going to hit 200 episodes soon! We love bringing you a new episode every two weeks. In celebration of our 200th episode and to help fund Grating the Nutmeg in 2025, we are holding our first ever Grating the Nutmeg Benefit Online Auction in November. We’ll have special, one of a kind experiences, tickets, museum admissions, behind the scenes tours, and restaurant gift cards. All the information will be on our website in November and links to the auction will be on our social media pages. If you have something to donate, email Kathy Hermes at To celebrate our 200 episodes, we’re asking listeners to donate $20 a month or $200 annually to help us continue to bring you new episodes every two weeks. It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. We appreciate it! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/33494282

195. George Griffin: Revealing the Life and Likeness of Mark Twain’s Butler 10/01/2024

195. George Griffin: Revealing the Life and Likeness of Mark Twain’s Butler Most people know something about Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens. After all, he wrote his most famous books while living in Hartford, Connecticut. His 25-room house on Farmington Avenue cost over $40,000 in 1874 dollars. Raised as a child in Missouri, he became world famous for his wit and humor both in print and on stage. But what if the man who served as Twain’s butler for 17 years had a story that was just as powerful and gripping as Twain’s? In today’s episode we are going to meet that man, George Griffin. Twain scholar and collector Kevin MacDonnell's biographical sketch George Griffin: Meeting Mark Twain's Butler which provides the most comprehensive look into Griffin’s life to date, and brings us face to face with the man who is said to have inspired Jim in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. George Griffin came to wash the windows in Mark Twain’s new house in 1874 and stayed for seventeen years, taking on the position of butler, the highest-ranking employee in the household. A photograph of Griffin was discovered recently. It is the only known picture of the man who was also a prominent leader in Hartford’s Black community, serving as deacon of Hartford’s Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. The guests in this episode are Dr. Camesha Scruggs, professor of history at Central Connecticut State University and Twain scholar Kevin MacDonnell. Dr. Scruggs received her PhD in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her current manuscript project is a further examination of how interventions from social, civic, government, secondary and higher education institutions impact the occupation of domestic service during the New Deal Era. She may be contacted at Kevin MacDonnell earned his MLS at the University of Texas and serves on the editorial board of the Mark Twain Journal. He has contributed articles to the Mark Twain Encyclopedia (1993), co-edited Mark Twain and Youth, and has reviewed over fifty books for the Mark Twain Forum. His collection of more than 11,000 Mark Twain items--first editions, letters, photographs, archives, manuscripts, and artifacts--is the largest in private hands and is frequently shared with other scholars and museums. He gives frequent lectures on Twain and may be reached at Copies of The Mark Twain Journal featuring Kevin MacDonnell’s biographical sketch George Griffin: Meeting Mark Twain’s Butler Face-to-Face may be purchased from the Mark Twain House Museum Store for $12.00. The link to the journal in the museum shop is here: You can also take a special tour of the Twain House. The George Griffin Living History Tour invites visitors to step back in time to the year 1885. The premise of the tour is that the Clemens family are looking to hire a new cook, and Mr. Griffin has been tasked with conducting the first round of interviews—after all, as the head of the domestic staff, he knows exactly the kind of temperament and skills needed to keep the house running. He leads visitors through each restored room of the house, and gives them his own experience of not only the domestic labor done in that space, but also the emotional labor that he must navigate daily as a formerly enslaved black man working in the house of a wealthy white family. And who is “G. G., Chief of Ordnance?” Find out for yourself when you take a Living History tour with George Griffin. Dr. Scruggs' Reading Recommendations: To Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors after the Civil War by Tera Hunter The African -American Experience in Nineteenth Century Connecticut: Benevolence and Bitterness by Theresa Vara Dannen Hopes and Expectations: The Origins of the Black Middle Class in Hartford by Barbara Beeching VIDEO: Dr. Cameesha Scruggs, Rev. Samuel Blanks of the AME Zion Church, and Kevin MacDonnell participate in a panel discussion led by Steve Courtney: ------------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. You can find host and executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram: @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for the next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/33283632

194. Revolutionary War Hero Lafayette Makes a Triumphal Return Tour 09/15/2024

193. Radical Connecticut: Labor Strikes! 09/01/2024

193. Radical Connecticut: Labor Strikes! Author Steve Thornton asks “Who really makes history”? In his new book, Radical Connecticut: People’s History in the Constitution State, co-authored by Andy Piascik, guest Steve Thornton tells the stories of everyday people and well-known figures whose work has often been obscured, denigrated, or dismissed. There are narratives of movements, strikes, popular organizations and people in Connecticut who changed the state and the country for the better. Unlike a traditional history that focuses on the actions of politicians, generals, business moguls and other elites, Radical Connecticut is about workers, the poor, people of color, women, artists and others who engaged in the never-ending struggle for justice and freedom. In this episode, we’ll hear more about unions and labor strikes in Connecticut history including Thornton’s participation in the Colt Firearms strike of the 1980’s. Historian, activist, and union organizer, Thornton was designated a Connecticut History Gamechanger by Connecticut Explored magazine in 2022 for his bottom-up approach to Connecticut history. He authors the website The Shoeleather History Project which documents and explores progressive organizing from Hartford’s grassroots. You can also hear more from Steve in our Grating the Nutmeg episode The link to Steve’s Shoeleather History Project website and to purchase his new book is here: Read Dr. Cecelia Bucki’s feature article on labor history here: Can you spare $10 a month to help support Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at the link below. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. This is Mary Donohue for Grating the Nutmeg. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/32854182

192. More than Dinosaurs: The New Peabody Museum of Natural History 08/01/2024

192. More than Dinosaurs: The New Peabody Museum of Natural History Have you ever discovered that one of your favorite places is being renovated? Like your grandmother’s kitchen, your favorite restaurant, or even a museum, and you worry that the charm or the appeal of the place might be gone after the renovation? Podcast editor Patrick O’Sullivan and Producer Mary Donohue went to just such a place, the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale in New Haven. We had both been to the museum many times before the pandemic. But, the newly-reopened Peabody Museum is not just better, it’s fantastic! The massive dinosaur and prehistoric fossil collections in the Burke Hall of Dinosaurs are what every schoolchild remembers from a fieldtrip. The renovation has created new space for exhibiting more of its cultural, anthropological, and other scientific collections, including never-before displayed artifacts and contemporary art. For example, one intriguing new area was the History of Science and Technology gallery that included Yale’s first microscope — purchased in 1734. Just this summer, the Hall of the Pacific has opened with artwork, photographs and artifacts that celebrate the cultures of Pacific Islander communities. With a $160 million dollar bequest, they’ve increased the size of the museum from 30,000 to 44,000 square feet, added 5 classrooms, new galleries and a study gallery for faculty and students to use. The space is bright, inviting and provides visitors a place to sit down or bring lunch. Maybe the two things that will have the biggest impact in the future is that the museum is now completely free to visit. They have also worked hard to correct old, outdated information as well as to interpret the artifacts in a way that acknowledges their history more fully and authentically. The guest for this episode is David Skelly, Director of the Peabody Museum of Natural History and Yale Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Our thanks to David Skelly and Steven Scarpa, Associate Director of the museum’s Marketing & Communications Department for making arrangements for the podcast recording as well as a fabulous tour. Don’t forget that the museum admission is now free! You can reserve timed entrance passes on the museum’s website to help you plan your visit. And once you’re in New Haven, don’t forget that the Grove Street Cemetery from Grating the Nutmeg episode # 186 is just blocks away - or check out the New Haven Museum’s new Amistad gallery! ------------------------------------------------------ Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books we feature on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. We’ve got issues coming up on food, celebrations and the environment with places you’ll want to read about and visit. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/32386027

191. The Hartford Circus Fire Tragedy 07/15/2024

191. The Hartford Circus Fire Tragedy This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Hartford Circus Fire. In this episode of Grating the Nutmeg, Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History tells the story of the deadliest man-made disaster in Connecticut history. On July 6, 1944, the Big Top of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus caught fire during a matinee performance. Within ten minutes the tent was burned away, taking the lives of 168 people with it. Hundreds of people were injured, and thousands of survivors would remember that day for the rest of their lives. For generations, people have been drawn to the story of the fire, and to the mystery surrounding the identify of the unclaimed child victim who came to be known as "Little Miss 1565." Please note that this story includes graphic content and may not be suitable for all listeners. If you'd like to learn more about the disaster, there are many sources available. Here's a partial list. You can also visit the , which is marked with a memorial, on Barbour Street in Hartford, behind the site of the former Fred D. Wish School. Stewart O'Nan, The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy, 2000 Don Massey and Rick Davey, A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire and the Mystery of Little Miss 1565, 2001 Don Massey, ed., Circus Fire Memories: Survivor Recollections of July 6, 1944, 2006 Michael Skidgell, The Hartford Circus Fire: Tragedy Under the Big Top, 2014 You can read some survivor accounts in this . A wide collection of primary sources are collected by Michael Skidgell on the website You can also read more here: Image credit: Connecticut Museum of Culture and History ------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg brings you top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories, and new voices in Connecticut history. Your donation will ensure that Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger can bring you a fresh episode at no cost every two weeks! GTN works with museums around the state to spotlight places that you’ll want to visit, books published by Connecticut authors, new exhibit openings, and more. Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages to get behind the scenes photos and links to the latest episodes. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/32148257

190. Phyllis Zlotnick, Disability Rights Activist 07/01/2024

190. Phyllis Zlotnick, Disability Rights Activist July 1990 marked the passing of a landmark piece of federal legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA. To recognize this event and to celebrate Disability Pride Month, we are uncovering the legacy of disability rights leader, Phyllis Zlotnick (1942-2011). Zlotnick was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at birth. Beginning in the 1970's, Phyllis recognized she was being “shut out” of society, a phrase she used in her writings and public testimonies at the Connecticut State Capitol. She dedicated her life to claiming the right to participate in public life. Executive Producer Mary Donohue spoke to author Arianna Basche about the challenges Zlotnick faced in her early life, her influence on Connecticut's accessibility policies, and her involvement in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Basche is the Ad Manager for Connecticut Explored magazine and is a historian and museum educator. Her feature story on Zlotnick will be published in the Fall 2024 issue of Connecticut Explored magazine. Warning for listeners - this episode contains some words that are not used now to describe members of the disabled community such as handicapped. These are taken from historic sources such as period newspaper stories or written first-hand accounts. Zlotnick’s papers are held in the Special Collections Archive at the University of Connecticut. For more information, go to: Photo credit: Phyllis Zlotnick papers, Special Collections Archives, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. Subscribe to Connecticut Explored today to receive the fall issue with Zlotnick’s story- get your subscription delivered in print to your mailbox or digitally to your inbox. Subscribe at: --------------------------------------------------------- Historic preservationist Frederic Palmer named his East Haddam house and the 50 acres it occupies “Dunstaffnage,” after a castle with the same name in Scotland. The prefix "dun" means "fort" in Gaelic, which perfectly captures the sense of protected sanctuary Frederic created for his LGBTQ friends, neighbors, and family to gather and live unhindered by societal norms. On July 13th, Connecticut Landmarks is excited to celebrate Scottish culture with the first ever Mid-Summer Pipes & Cider event on the grounds of Frederic Palmer's Dunstaffnage. Sip cider and connect with Scotland during a trail walk around the beautiful Palmer-Warner grounds led by and . Enjoy local cider tastings from . including a signature “Dunstaffnage” bourbon that will transport you to the Scottish Moors through hints of Highland peat smoke. Bring your friends to test your knowledge in a round of Celtic-themed pub trivia, with prizes for first- and second-place teams. The bourbon is aging, and the pipers are practicing! For tickets, please visit . ----------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg brings you top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories, and new voices in Connecticut history. Your donation will ensure that Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger can bring you a fresh episode at no cost every two weeks! Donate here: This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. This is Mary Donohue for Grating the Nutmeg. Follow me on my Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31966567

189. Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette's Castle 06/15/2024

189. Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette's Castle We love a Sherlock Holmes "who done it" whether it's Basil Rathbone from the 1940s, Benedict Cumberbacth from the 2000s, or Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock's sister Enola Holmes from the 2020s. But it was a Hartford-born actor who gave Sherlock Holmes his signature look - his curved pipe, deerstalker cap and magnifying glass. William Gillette was born into a wealthy Hartford family in 1853 but became a millionaire in his own right as an actor and a playwright. He was the first actor to be universally acclaimed for portraying Sherlock Holmes, having staged the first authorized play in 1899. His retirement home, Gillette's Castle, cost millions to construct and is a combination escape room, medieval stone ruin and Steampunk fantasy. Our guest is Paul Schiller. Paul spent almost a decade working at Gillette Castle. In addition to providing engaging and informative tours to castle visitors, he served as an archivist, researcher and educator for the park. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Paul created a series of video tours of the castle, available on the Friends of Gillette Castle Youtube channel. ---------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books featured on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at www.highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow Connecticut historian Mary Donohue on her Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31758137

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with Grating the Nutmeg! 06/04/2024

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with Grating the Nutmeg! Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with Grating the Nutmeg! June 1st marks the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. To celebrate, we’ve gathered a sampling of episodes that share the incredible stories of Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ history. Click on the links below, and then press play on the next page for your next good story. Once you’re done listening, be sure to click the last link to discover Connecticut Explored articles uncovering even more LGBTQ+ history in our state! : Lives of the state’s LGBTQ+ citizens have moved from being hidden and solitary to claiming visible, powerful, valuable, and contributing places in society. In this episode, Mary Donohue interviews historian William J. Mann about when and how the LGBTQ+ movement started in Connecticut, what legislative goals and strategies drove the movement, and what the current goals are for the LGBTQ+ movement. Mann also wrote Connecticut Explored’s “A Brief History of Connecticut’s Gay Media,” available . The Glass House, internationally famous for its design, is also a landmark in the history of historic preservation and the LGBTQ+ community. Tune in to hear the story of its owner and designer, Philip Johnson, and his Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. You’ll hear from Glass House educator Gwen North Reiss, who also wrote Connecticut Explored’s “Philip Johnson’s 50-Year Experiment in Architecture and Landscape.” You can read her article . : In our most recent episode, we celebrate the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month by highlighting efforts to bring LGBTQ+ history to light. Author, professor, and historian William J. Mann returns with public history researcher, writer, and consultant Dr. Susan Ferentinos to talk about what historians have found in Connecticut’s colonial records and some surprising connections to famous individuals and landmarks. Stay tuned until the end of the episode where we will share three recommendations for places to visit in CT to celebrate LGBTQ+ history. Loved what you listened to? Want to discover more about our state’s LGBTQ+ history? Click the link to explore Connecticut Explored articles relating to LGBTQ+ topics. You’ll find William J. Mann and Gwen North Reiss’ articles as well as other fascinating stories including East Haddam’s Palmer-Warner House, Bridgeport’s feminist bookstore and restaurant, Bloodroot, and early advocate for Connecticut’s gay community, Canon Clinton Jones. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31603882

188. Revealing Queer Lives: Connecticut’s LGBTQ History 06/01/2024

188. Revealing Queer Lives: Connecticut’s LGBTQ History June is PRIDE month and we’re celebrating by bringing you an episode about efforts to bring LGBTQ+ history to light. As one guest, historian William Mann writes, “Throughout its history, Connecticut’s LGBTQ population has moved from leading hidden, solitary lives to claiming visible, powerful, valuable, and contributing places in society.” In this episode, we talk about what historians have found in Connecticut’s Colonial records, some surprising connections to famous individuals and landmarks and at the end of the episode, there’s a recommendation for three places to visit to celebrate LGBTQ+ history. In order to prepare for this episode, two digital resources created by our guests were used. Both of these are available on the web and the links are below. The first is the Historic Timeline of Connecticut’s LGBTQ Community online exhibition directed by William Mann for the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Mann is an author and historian whose books include Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn, named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times; The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America’s Greatest Political Family; Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood; and Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood. He is an Assistant Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, where he teaches LGBTQ History. See the timeline here: Mann is available for lectures and book talks. He can be reached at The second digital resource is a recorded lecture, Intemperate Habits: LGBTQ History from a Connecticut Perspective, a talk by Dr. Susan Ferentinos . She is an advisor to an inspiring new project, the Ridgefield LGBTQ Oral History Project. The Ridgefield Oral History project is a partnership between the Ridgefield Historical Society and Ridgefield Pride that will train high school students to conduct oral interviews with members of Ridgefield’s gay community. Ferentinos is a public history researcher, writer, and consultant helping cultural organizations share untold stories about women and LGBTQ people. She is advising the Ridgefield LGBTQ Oral History Project and has recently worked with the Palmer-Warner House in East Haddam, Connecticut, and the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York. She is the author of the award-winning book Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites and has contributed her expertise to the National Park Service initiative “Telling All Americans’ Stories.” Ferentinos is available for lectures and book talks. Contact her at https://susanferentinos.com/ Watch her lecture here: Here are three fantastic places to visit that celebrate LGBTQ+ lives-links for each of these is below: 1) James Merrill House Jun 08, 2024, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM EDT Stonington, 107 Water St, Stonington, CT 06378, USA The James Merrill House is a writer's home and a home for writers. As part of CT Open House Day, we will open the doors of the JMH to the public for an opportunity to tour the charming, color-drenched home of one of America's greatest poets at 107 Water Street in the picturesque Stonington Borough. 2) Philip Johnson’s Glass House-New Canaan, open now for the summer tour season, order your tickets on line at: 3) Bloodroot Restaurant Bloodroot, a vegan, feminist, activist restaurant, owned by lesbians Selma Miriam and Noel Furie in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has thrived for 42 years. See their website for information on reservations for dinner or lunch. ---------------------------------------------------- Can you spare $10 a month to help support the new voices, research, and books featured on Grating the Nutmeg? It’s easy to set up a monthly donation on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg link. Thank you! Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Follow GTN on our Facebook, Instagram and Threads pages. Follow Connecticut historian Mary Donohue on her Facebook and Instagram pages @WeHaSidewalkHistorian /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31559542

187. Derby's Charlton Comics: "No Other Place Like It" 05/15/2024

187. Derby's Charlton Comics: "No Other Place Like It" Did you know that comic books were invented in Connecticut? Well, sort of. There are lots of precedents for printing texts with images. But the origin of mass market comic book printing is 1930s Waterbury, where Eastern Color printing began by re-publishing comic strips from newspapers in magazine form. Eventually they partnered with Dell publishing to print the first original content American comic books. But today’s episode takes us a ways down Route 8 from Waterbury to Derby. From the 1940s to 1991, Derby was the home of Charlton Comics, unique for being a one-stop shop that included writers, artists, publishing, and distribution under one roof. The story of Charlton is colorful in more than one way. In this episode, Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum talks to Jon B. Cooke, author of The Charlton Companion. Learn about the seedy origins of the company, its often lackadaisical approach to quality control, and why there was nothing else like it in American comics. Learn more about the Nutmeg state’s connection to the comic industry by visiting the Connecticut Museum’s exhibition, Connecticut’s Bookshelf now on display at the museum in Hartford. Jon B. Cooke’s book, The Charlton Companion, is available in digital form online at ------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Help us produce the podcast by donating to non-profit Connecticut Explored at Photo Credit: My Secret Life, Charlton Publications, Vol. 1, No. 25, Sept. 1958. Connecticut Museum Collection. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31311237

186. New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery 05/01/2024

186. New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery It’s Spring in Connecticut and this episode is part of our celebration of May as Historic Preservation Month. Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven is the first planned cemetery in the country. The design of Grove Street Cemetery in the 1790s pioneered several of the features that became standard like family plots and an established walkway grid. It is also one of the most beautiful places in Connecticut and is designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. It is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Executive Producer Mary Donohue’s guests are Michael Morand and Channing Harris. Michael Morand is Director of Community Engagement for Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. He was just appointed the official City Historian of New Haven and currently chairs the Friends of the Grove Street Cemetery. Channing Harris is a landscape architect. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Preservation Trust and on the Board of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery. At the cemetery he's been involved with replanting the next generation of trees, enhancing the front border garden, and assisted with the certification of the cemetery as an Arboretum. Make a day of it in New Haven with a visit to Grove Street Cemetery and perhaps the New Haven Museum or the newly-reopened Peabody Museum. The Cemetery gates are open every day from 9-4. For the times and dates of the 2024 guided tours, go to the Facebook page of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery. For more information on joining the Friends or volunteering, go to their website at ------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Mary Donohue is an award-winning author, historian and preservationist. Contact her at and follow her Facebook and Instagram pages at WeHa Sidewalk Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Help us produce the podcast by donating to non-profit Connecticut Explored at image: Henry Austin Papers (MS 1034). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/31078123

185. Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory: Pratt, Read & Co Gliders 04/15/2024

185. Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory: Pratt, Read & Co Gliders In this episode, we uncover a Connecticut World War II story that features airplanes without engines. Sound crazy? You’ll learn how these engineless gliders helped beat the Nazis. Executive Producer Mary Donohue will also talk to the author of a new book that details the role that over 45 Connecticut companies played in producing the ammunition, weapons and machines that the United States needed as part of the massive war effort during World War II. Her guests today are Connecticut author Sharon Cohen and Melissa Josefiak, Executive Director of the Essex Historical Society. Cohen has authored several books. Her new book Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory was published in 2023 and placed second in the 2024 New England Book Festival. Its available from High Point Publishing: . Sharon Cohen is available for book talks and signings. Contact her at The Essex Historical Society has new publications on the three Essex villages-Ivoryton, Centerbrook and Essex, where much of today’s story takes place. For information on the publications and programs of the Essex Historical Society, go to their website at and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go and lots of day trip ideas! image: Courtesy of Essex Historical Society ------------------------------------ You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website here: Executive producer Mary Donohue is an award-winning author, historic preservationist and architectural historian. She can be reached at This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/30837388

184. The Borinqueneers: Puerto Rico’s Men of the 65th Regiment 04/01/2024

184. The Borinqueneers: Puerto Rico’s Men of the 65th Regiment In this episode, we celebrate and commemorate National Borinqueneers Day coming up on April 13th. It recognizes the bravery, service, and sacrifice of the 65th Infantry Regiment, a United States Army unit that consisted mostly of soldiers from Puerto Rico and the only segregated Latino unit in the United States Army. But the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952 during the Korean War when 91 regiment members were arrested and tried for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen to such a distinguished and decorated unit of the Army? Executive Producer Mary Donohue’s guest for this episode is accomplished Connecticut author of young adult literature, Talia Aikens-Nunez. In her book, Men of the 65th, The Borinqueneers of the Korean War, she guides us through the history of the 65th from its beginning in 1899. This book is a great read for a young adult reader or anyone that has a member of their family that served in the regiment. There is a beautiful monument to the Borinqueneers in New Britain at the intersection of Beaver and Farmington Streets-well worth a visit. And we have an article that was published in Connecticut Exploredmagazine on the monument that is free to read on our website-link below. Read more about the Borinqueneers Memorial here: Talia Aikens-Nunez is available for book talks and signings. She can be reached on her website at Can you use your power of giving to make a $250 dollar donation? We would love to send you our brand-new Grating the Nutmeg t-shirt as a thank you! Donor and t-shirt recipient Jack Soos writes “I love how this podcast uncovers amazing stories and historical insights right in our backyard! Thank you so much and keep up the good work!” You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website here: Executive producer Mary Donohue is an award-winning author, historic preservationist and architectural historian. She may be reached at --------------------------------------------------- This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org. You won’t want to miss our Summer issue with new places to go! Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/30628043

183. Margaret Rudkin of Pepperidge Farm 03/16/2024

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Grating the Nutmeg 03/06/2024

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Grating the Nutmeg March 1st marks the start of Women’s History Month. To celebrate, we’ve gathered a sampling of five episodes that share the incredible stories of Connecticut women throughout history. Click on the links below, and then press play on the next page for your next good story. We hope you enjoy these episodes and are inspired by the great women of Connecticut history! : In 1969, women were permitted entry to undergraduate study at Yale for the first time. However, they did not enjoy the same experience as their male peers. Isolated, singled out as oddities and sexual objects, and barred from many of the school’s privileges, the young women nonetheless changed Yale in ways it never anticipated. Tune in to this episode featuring historian and Yale alumna Anne Gardiner Perkins, author of Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant and New Haven leader Constance Royster, one of Yale’s first women undergrads. : In this episode, Antoinette Brim-Bell, Professor of English at Capital Community College, talks about Ann Plato, one of the first Black women to publish a book in the United States. Ann Plato is part of Capital Community College’s NEH-funded Hartford Heritage Project which highlights the history of the Talcott Street Church, the first Black congregation in Hartford and where Plato was a teacher. Ann Plato’s book, Essay: Including Biographies and Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Poetry, has been digitized by the New York Public Library and. : Author Eve Kahn’s book, Forever Seeing New Beauties: The Forgotten Impressionist Mary Rogers Williams, 1857 – 1907, offers a rare insider view of the challenges women artists faced in the late 19th century. Kahn drew from a collection of Williams’ letters home describing her desperation to escape her teaching job at Smith College to paint and travel abroad. Hear how Williams talked her way into artist James McNeill Whistler’s London home, and about drawing from a cadaver at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. : This episode features an interview with Executive Director Brett Elliott and Director of Community Relations Robin Andreoli about this gem of a museum for America's most Oscar-winning actor (and long-time Saybrook resident). The Katharine Hepburn Museum and "The Kate" are must-see Connecticut destinations! You’ve probably heard of the Titanic, but have you ever heard of the Lusitania? This British transatlantic luxury liner was hit by a German submarine torpedo and sank within an hour. One of the surviving passengers was Theodate Pope, the architect and owner of what is now the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. Why did she sail on a British ship when Britain was at war? How was Spiritualism linked to this story? How was an oar instrumental to Pope’s survival? Tune in to this episode to hear Pope’s first-hand accounts of the sinking and its after-effects. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/30253693

182. Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution 03/01/2024

182. Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution Are they pirates, profiteers or legitimately authorized extensions of George Washington’s almost non-existent American Navy? We’ll find out with guest historian Eric Jay Dolin, author of Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American RevolutIon. Dolin will underscore an element missing from most maritime histories of the American Revolution: a ragtag fleet of private vessels — from 20-foot whaleboats to 40-cannon men-of-war helped win the war, including some 200 from Connecticut. Armed with cannons, guns, muskets, and pikes, thousands of privateers tormented the British on the Atlantic and in bays and harbors on both sides of the ocean. Eric Jay Dolin is the author of sixteen books, including Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, a topic we look forward to exploring in an upcoming episode of Grating the Nutmeg. Rebels at Sea was awarded the Morison Book Award for Naval Literature, conferred by the Naval Order of the United States, and was a finalist for the New England Society Book Award. His forthcoming book, to be published in May, 2024, is Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. Dolin lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with his family. Thanks to my guest Eric Jay Dolin. To find out more about his work, go to . Today’s episode is the second in our 2024 series on Connecticut’s maritime history-I hope you’ve had the chance to listen to episode #180 on Colonial Connecticut and the West Indies. If you love these seafaring tales, you’ll find dozens of stories to read on our website at ctexplored.org under the Topics button here: Eric Jay Dolan’s presentation at the New Haven Museum is now available on their YouTube channel was part of New Haven250, an ongoing series of programming developed to complement America250. Culminating with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present. Follow their Facebook page to find out more about upcoming programs. Watch the taped presentation by author Eric Jay Dolan on the New Haven Museum’s YouTube channel here: ---------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox or your inbox-subscribe at ctexplored.org This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/30191063

181. Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950 02/15/2024

181. Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950 181. Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950 In the February 4, 2024 issue of the New York Times, journalist Adam Mahoney describes the Great Migration as a time when millions of Black people left the South to escape segregation, servitude and lynching and went North in search of jobs and stable housing. In this episode, host Mary Donohue will discuss Hartford and the Great Migration with Dr. Stacey Close. Connecticut Explored’s book African American Connecticut Exploredpublished by Wesleyan University Press has just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Dr. Close served as one of the principal authors for this groundbreaking volume of essays that illuminate the long arc of Black history in Connecticut. A native of Georgia, Dr. Close has worked in higher education for more than 25 years. A professor of African American history at Eastern Connecticut State University, Close received his Ph.D and M.A. from Ohio State University and his B.A. from Albany State College, a Historically Black College in Georgia. He is currently working on a book project entitled “Black Hartford Freedom Struggle, 1915-1970.” Thanks to my guest Dr. Stacey Close. Read his article published in Connecticut Explored here: Subscribe to get your copy of Connecticut Explored magazine delivered to your mailbox-subscribe at Was your family part of the Great Migration? Be sure to listen to GTN episode 127 to find out how to put your family’s history together for future generations with Black family historians Jill Marie Snyder and Hartford’s Orice Jenkins. Can you use your power of giving to make a $250 dollar donation? We would love to send you our brand-new Grating the Nutmeg t-shirt as a thank you! Donor and t-shirt recipient Jack Soos writes “I love how this podcast uncovers amazing stories and historical insights right in our backyard! Thank you so much and keep up the good work!” You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org. Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg donation link at the bottom. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Image: Shiloh Baptist Church women's group, 336 Albany Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/29972013

180. Colonial Connecticut: Sugar, Slavery and Connections to the West Indies 02/02/2024

180. Colonial Connecticut: Sugar, Slavery and Connections to the West Indies Although Connecticut sometimes seems like such a small, isolated place on the map, it was connected to the far-flung, complex, cosmopolitan British empire even in the 17th century. This year on Grating the Nutmeg, we’re going to explore Connecticut’s maritime history with episodes on Colonial Connecticut’s trade with the British colonies of the Caribbean, privateering during the American Revolution and the whaling ships sent around the globe in the nineteenth century. Connecticut’s maritime entrepreneurs made fortunes by sending ships to sea and employed sailors, shipbuilders, traders, drovers, provisioners, and more. In this episode, we talk about sugar. Sugar production in the tropical climate of the British islands of the West Indies made men tremendous fortunes. But to cultivate and process sugar cane into sugar required vast amounts of labor. As my guest Dr. Matt Warshaurer wrote in the Summer 2023 issue of Connecticut Explored “The fields and mills of the Caribbean were worked by African peoples stolen from their homes, placed in shackles and delivered to British colonies in North American and the Caribbean.” Connecticut’s ships delivered food and building materials to the islands and returned with sugar, rum and molasses. These were then traded for finished goods from England-furniture, china, glass, textiles. We’ll hear today about how the trade route known as the “Triangle Trade” moved people, products, and goods across the Atlantic Ocean, helping to make British plantation owners as well as some Colonial Connecticut families rich. My guests today are Dr. Matt Warshauer, professor of history at Central Connecticut State University. The author of five books and countless articles and reviews, Warshauer has written extensively on Andrew Jackson, slavery and the Civil War. Dr. Warshauer serves on the editorial board for Connecticut Exploredmagazine and in the Summer 2023 issue authored the feature story “Connecticut’s Sweet Tooth: The Sugar Trade and Slavery in the West Indies”. To read this story, please go to Dr. Katherine Hermes, the publisher of Connecticut Explored, has published extensive research on the Atlantic world and Colonial Connecticut. She is the director and historian for the award-winning public history project “Uncovering their History: African, African-American, and Native-American Burials in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground, 1640-1815”. She recently completed two new projects for the Ancient Burying Ground Association including one telling the stories of people with connections to the West Indies and one on women-Black, White and Indigenous-who rest in the Burying Ground. To read more about these projects, please go to: And to listen to earlier podcasts, please go to: We have brand new Facebook and Instagram pages under Grating the Nutmeg - please follow us and you’ll get behind the scenes photos, sneak peeks of new content, and info on how to purchase our new merchandise! ---------------------------------------------------- Fresh episodes of Grating the Nutmeg are brought to you every two weeks with support from our listeners. You can help us continue to produce the podcast by donating directly to Grating the Nutmeg on the Connecticut Explored website at ctexplored.org Click the donate button at the top and then look for the Grating the Nutmeg donation link at the bottom. Make a $250 dollar donation and we’ll send you our brand new Grating the Nutmeg teeshirt. This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at This is Mary Donohue. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/29774598

179. Connecticut’s Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Hated Man 01/15/2024

179. Connecticut’s Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Hated Man 179. Connecticut’s Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Hated Man This is our first new episode for 2024 and we’ve got some big news! Thanks to you-our listeners-we had 30,106 downloads in 2023! That’s our best year ever! We have brand new Facebook and Instagram pages under Grating the Nutmeg-please follow us and you’ll get behind the scenes photos, sneak peeks of new content, and info on how to purchase our new merchandise! In today’s episode, we discuss one of the most well-known sons of Connecticut and one that is one of the most perplexing! My guest is Jack Kelly, historian and author of the new book God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man. Kelly believes a reevaluation of Arnold’s career with his string of heroic achievements as well as his betrayal of the American patriot cause is needed. In Connecticut, Benedict pivots from being a greatly admired hero of the Battle of Ridgefield on the American side to being the commander of the British troops that burned New London and massacred American militia men at Fort Griswold. How could this happen? Jack Kelly is an award-winning historian and novelist. His books about Revolution and early America include Band of Giants and Valcour. Kirkus Reviews described his latest book, God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s most Hated Man as “a dazzling addition to the history of the American Revolution.” Jack has received the DAR History Medal. He is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow in Nonfiction Literature and has appeared on NPR, C-Span and the History Channel. He lives and works in New York’s Hudson Valley. To find out more, go to his website: and newsletter: To find out more about Benedict Arnold, check out these Connecticut Explored stories- --------------------------------------------------------- From New Haven’s world-renowned pizza, to Connecticut’s connection to the Bauhaus, and uncovering the suffrage work of African American women in Connecticut, listen to all ten of Grating the Nutmeg's most streamed episodes now! We’ve been podcasting for nine years - that’s nearly 200 episodes of sharing Connecticut’s big stories. To celebrate, tune in to our top-streamed episodes of all time and then explore the rest! All you need to do is visit , click "Listen Here," and look for our post of the top 10 most streamed episodes for your next good story (or 10!). Enjoy! Please use your Power of Giving to help us continue to offer the podcast at no charge to our listeners-students, teachers, and CT history fans around the country. Could you make a $5 or $10 dollar monthly donation? To make your monthly or one-time donation go to ctexplored.org and look for the Grating the Nutmeg link under the donation tab! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/29495773

Top 10 Most Streamed GTN Episodes of All Time 01/04/2024

Top 10 Most Streamed GTN Episodes of All Time Top 10 Most Streamed GTN Episodes of All Time Grating the Nutmeg enters its ninth year in 2024. Wow! We have covered many different topics over the course of our nearly 200 episodes–from Connecticut’s trees, to witches, to our more recent CTE Game Changers Series–and we are excited for what’s in store for 2024. Thank you to everyone who has made our podcast possible! We shared the top five episodes from 2023, now we want to celebrate the top ten most listened-to GTN episodes of all time. Enjoy our top downloaded episodes and then explore the rest! Just click on the links below, and then press play on the next page for your next good story. It’s hard to believe that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit its peak nearly four years ago. In this episode, we discuss the influenza pandemic of 1918, which like COVID-19, stopped life-as-we-knew it in its tracks. What are the similarities and differences between the two pandemics? Where did the 1918 influenza come from? How did its impact change Connecticut and its people? Perhaps one of the greatest debates of the Northeast – which state makes the best pizza? To many, New Haven, Connecticut holds the spot as the best pizza destination. How did this city gain its world-class pizza reputation, and why “apizza?” What is the trinity of pizza places in New Haven? Hale the hero or Hale the liar? This episode provides a new twist on a story we thought we knew in full using a previously unknown account of Hale’s arrest by Consider Tiffany. Is there any legitimacy in Tiffany’s or William Hull’s accounts? How do historians account for lapses and contradictions in the historical record? Why were the British so fired up to execute Connecticut's state hero? How did John Dempsey’s mother inspire him to take risks for those in need? How did his father inspire his belief that those with power have the responsibility to help those who do not? How did a streetlight change John’s life? Tune into this episode to learn more about one of the most popular, and effective, Connecticut governors, and how his traits and programs were informed by experiences he had as a boy in Cahir, Ireland. What do Lydia Sigourney, Benedict Arnold, and the Revolutionary War battle of Bunker Hill have in common? Listen to this reading of Sigourney’s book, Sketch of Connecticut Forty Years Since, to see the past through a double historical lens. Discover life in early-American Norwich as well as insights into the ways in which Norwich remembers Benedict Arnold and the Battle of Bunker Hill. This is a great episode to listen to as we prepare for the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. The legend of the Charter Oak has deep roots in our state. But why has Connecticut been so heavily invested in a legend about a tree, a piece of paper, a meany-head monarch, and a crafty, independent group of subjects? Listen to this episode where we provide historical details of the Charter Oak and discuss to what degree the history matches up to the legend. This episode celebrates the 100th anniversary of the most influential design school of the twentieth century, the Bauhaus, and Connecticut’s connection to it – Modern artists Anni and Josef Albers. What was the Bauhaus? What is the significance of its name and architectural history? How did Anni and Josef meet? Discover how the Albers escaped Germany and why they came to Connecticut, as well as what happened to the Bauhaus. Plus, learn more about the Albers’ Connecticut home and one of Josef’s painting series. You’ve probably seen the iconic, blue-domed Colt Armory off of I-91 on your drive to Hartford. You also may have heard of Colt Park or the Colt addition to the Wadsworth Athenuem. So, who was Sam Colt? Tune into this episode to learn more about Colt’s youth, family tragedies and mysteries, and his early businesses and failures. Find out whether there’s any truth to the inspiration behind his revolver design, and why “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” is a fitting saying for Colt. 2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment. For a long time, women of color were excluded from the history of women’s suffrage. In this episode, Brittney Yancy and Karen Li Miller discuss the project they developed to uncover the suffrage work of women of color in CT. Learn how it came together, their research methods, and the significance of the project and its name. Discover the important suffrage and activism work of women such as Mary Townsend Seymour, Sarah Lee Brown Fleming, and Mary A. Johnson that bring a complexity to the history of suffrage. One of the sites on New London’s Black Heritage Trail is the Amistad pier, which marks the 1761 arrival of The Speedwell, carrying 74 enslaved persons. Although the ship’s records don’t show where the Africans aboard ended up, the probate record of Normand Morison shows 21 enslaved West Africans were placed on his farm in Bolton. In this episode, Kathy Hermes, Lonnie Braxton, and Tom Schuch discuss why this was a momentous event and what other stories it helps to tell. They also discuss the Black Heritage Trail and its significance, and the impact of the slave trade on Connecticut and its trading networks. Plus, learn why Morison and Benedict Arnold are important to this story and the story of New London. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/29342493

HOLIDAY EPISODES 12/14/2023

HOLIDAY EPISODES What better way to spend the holidays than curled up next to the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate and your favorite Grating the Nutmeg episode! To celebrate, we’re spreading history cheer for all to hear. Just click on the episode links below, press play on the next page, and enjoy our holiday episodes of Grating the Nutmeg past. What do the Shroud of Turin and a world renowned nuclear physicist, a beer-drinking donkey, a walking catfish, Farmall tractors, the Blizzard of 1888, spooky houses, polaroid cameras, snorkels, and the songs from the Wizard of Oz have to do with the little towns of Lebanon and Columbia? Listen and hear as we celebrate one of the best things about the holiday season: storytelling! Enjoy music performed by the New England Ensemble while listening to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s story which beautifully illustrates the moment in Connecticut history when the popularity of Christmas intertwined with political upheaval. Then, place yourself in the shoes of celebrities such as Grace King and Bret Harte as you tour the restored Mahogany Suite at the Mark Twain House. Picture yourself spending wintery nights in the library and waking up to Canace Wheeler’s shimmering wallpaper while you learn about Olivia Clemens’ Christmas generosity. Oyster soup or plum pudding, anyone? Charles Lyle shares how three eras between the 18th and 20th centuries decorated their homes, set their tables, and incorporated food during the holidays. Tune in to learn how to receive guests for your own historical holiday celebrations. Plus, hear about the creation of Santa Claus and why the Isaac Stevens House’s Christmas tree is decorated with fruits and topped with a pineapple. Why was Raymond’s grandparent’s Victorian Christmas party such a famous festival and key childhood memory? How does a moralistic, classist tale that questions religion and involves family issues provide insight into human emotion and feelings of peace on Earth? How does Santa Claus prepare for his Christmas visits? Find out in this episode, plus venture down Walt Woodward’s memory lane to his days as a country music songwriter in Nashville. Step back in time and find yourself in the wintery woods of the Adirondacks with rustic woodsman John Norton and his dogs, Rover and Sport, as they plan a Christmas dinner for all, even vagabonds. In trapper terms, vagabonds were people who stole other men’s traps and poached their furs. Listen to Norton’s plan unfold in this story by Rev. William Henry Harrison, the father of the American Outdoor movement. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/29078413

178. Mark Twain, Spiritualism and Ghost Stories 12/01/2023

178. Mark Twain, Spiritualism and Ghost Stories Did you ever think the universe was trying to tell you something? I just finished reading Anderson Cooper’s book on the Vanderbilt family. In it, he describes family patriarch Commodore Vanderbilt’s interest in Spiritualism and clairvoyance. Cooper writes “Evidence suggests that the Commodore had begun attending seances as early as 1864, but given the mainstreaming of Spiritualist practices in the 1860s and ‘70s, this was not as unusual as it may sound. The period immediately after the Civil War had seen a dramatic rise in the Spiritualism movement and other alternative modes of healing and perception, driven largely by the staggering loss of life experienced during the Civil War.” We explored heiress Theodate Pope Riddle’s obsession with Spiritualism in Grating the Nutmeg episode #109 but what did Hartford’s most famous resident of the Gilded Age, Mark Twain, think about it? And what about the ghosts seen in the Twain House? Whether you believe in the afterlife, don’t believe in it at all, or just want to come to your own conclusions, this is an episode for you! Guests today are Mallory Howard, Assistant Curator at The Mark Twain House & Museum and Dr. Jason Scappaticci, historian and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Connecticut State Community College Capital in Hartford. And if you need more ghostly insight after listening to this episode, the Mark Twain House is sponsoring a book talk on Dec. 14, 2023 at 7:30pm with television’s Ghost Hunters Adam Berry and Steve Gonsalves in conversation discussing their debut books. Tickets are available on the museum’s website at marktwainhouse.org If you want more Spiritualism and ghost stories, check out Grating the Nutmeg Episode 109. Communicating with the Spirits: Theodate Pope Riddle. Listen here: You can purchase author Steve Courtney’s book “We Shall Have Them With Us Always” The Ghosts of the Mark Twain House at the Mark Twain House Museum gift shop. Dr. Jason Scappaticci can be reached at image: Samuel Clemens experimenting in Nicola Tesla’s lab in 1894. Courtesy of The Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford, Connecticut. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg is the podcast of Connecticut history and 2023 winner of an Award of Merit for excellence from the Connecticut League of History Organizations. Brought to you by Connecticut Explored, Connecticut’s premiere history magazine. Subscribe now at It’s almost the end of 2023. Please use your Power of Giving to help us continue to offer the podcast at no charge to our listeners-students, teachers, and CT history fans around the country. Podcast episodes were downloaded over 29,000 times this year! Could you make a $5 or $10 dollar monthly donation? To make your monthly or one-time donation go Thank you so much for your support! This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/28887273

177. Murder on Prospect Street 11/15/2023

177. Murder on Prospect Street In this episode of Grating the Nutmeg, Natalie Belanger sits down with acclaimed crime writer to get to the bottom of a notorious early 20th century Connecticut murder story. In the 1910s, Amy Archer Gilligan operated an innovative business in Windsor: a convalescent home for the ill and elderly. Her benevolent facade, however, hid a deadly purpose: a business plan that depended on constant inmate turnover, aided by arsenic poisoning. You'll hear all about how the case was broken by a neighbor who happened to write for the Hartford Courant, in a story involving midnight graveyard autopsies, poisoned lemonade, a shady doctor, and the birth of the Connecticut State Police. And oh yeah, the story got turned into a blockbuster Broadway comedy and a 1944 movie starring Cary Grant. If you want more historical true crime content, check out the latest exhibition at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Called "" the exhibit covers 300 years of reading, writing, and publishing in our state. A "true crime" section in the exhibit features stories that document Connecticut's centuries-old fascination with criminal mayhem. Go to for details. Thanks to our guest! is the author of 45 books; exec-producer, writer and host of the #1 true-crime podcast franchise ; a frequent television consultant and contributor, and more. Contact Natalie Belanger at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Hartford, Connecticut. ----------------------------------------------------------- Grating the Nutmeg brings you top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories, and new voices in Connecticut history. Your donation will ensure that Executive Producers Mary Donohue and Natalie Belanger can bring you a fresh episode at no cost every two weeks! GTN works with museums around the state to spotlight places that you’ll want to visit, books published by Connecticut authors, new exhibit openings, and more. Use your Power of Giving to help us continue to offer the podcast at no charge to our listeners-students, teachers, and citizens around the country. In 2023 podcast episodes were downloaded over 28,000 times! Make your monthly or one-time donation at Subscribe to Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history, at This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. /episode/index/show/gratingthenutmeg/id/28656843

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