With the growing prevalence of COVID-19, or Coronavirus, in Connecticut, the Norwich Historical Society is monitoring both federal and state guidance on how to minimize exposure to and spread of the virus.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Norwich Historical Society is postponing our Annual Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation Reception. This difficult decision was not made lightly, however, the safety of our friends and members is our utmost priority.

We will inform our members when a new date for the Annual Meeting has been chosen. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Please join us for the Norwich Historical Society’s Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Reception. The Norwich Historical Society’s mission is to help preserve, protect and promote the rich history of Norwich, CT. The Norwich Historical Society hosts an Annual Meeting, which includes a brief business meeting and report, followed by a program open to the public. The Annual Meeting is free and open to the public. The agenda for the evening is below:

From 6:30pm – 6:45pm There will be a short business portion of Annual Meeting and brief overview of the past year

From 6:45pm – 7:15pm local author Tricia Staley will give her short lecture on the Taftville strike of 1875

From 7:15pm- 8:00pm we will have a brief award ceremony and volunteer appreciation reception

The event will be held in the Otis Library’s Community Room.

About the Lecture:
In 1865, it was farmland. Five years later, a large textile factory dominated the village, now called Taftville. The mill hands were mainly Irish men and women, although a few were veteran hands of the great English and Scottish mills. In 1875, many of those hands went out on strike, and Taftville changed yet again when the Irish strikers were fired and replaced with French Canadians. Local author, Tricia Staley, will share what she learned about the history of the strike and how the French-Canadians came to Taftville as she researched an article for Connecticut Explored magazine. Complementary copies of Connecticut Explored will be available to the public.

About the Speaker:

Tricia Staley is a retired history teacher and school administrator. Prior to becoming an educator, she was a newspaper reporter, editor and advertising/public relations consultant.

She majored in history at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and holds a master’s degree and sixth-year certificate from Sacred Heart University. She also has completed certificate programs in genealogy and maritime history at other institutions.

Tricia has long been active in Norwich community affairs and currently sits on the Norwich Board of Education. She most recently served on the “Friends” boards of Otis Library and Slater Museum.
Norwich in the Gilded Age: The Rose City’s Millionaire’s Triangle was published by The History Press in January 2014. An illustrated lecture and popular walking tours are based on her research for that book.

Her second book, Norwich in the Civil War came out in September 2015. It chronicles the Norwich residents who served in virtually every major engagement of the war, as well as activity on the home front led by Norwich resident William Alfred Buckingham who served as governor of Connecticut from 1858-1866.

Tricia’s current projects include a family history and magazine articles.