Grating the Nutmeg

Are you a member of the 9/11 generation? Do you wonder how 9/11 and its aftermath affected kids who witnessed the terrorist attack on the U.S. 16 years ago? In this episode CCSU history professor Matt Warshauer explores the 9/11 generation and wonders about the next generation who will have no emotional connection to it—right now half of high school students were born after 9/11. As Warshauer notes, this is history still in the making. We thank Matt Warshauer, Diane Smith, Bilal Sekou, Avery Eddy, Patrick O’Sullivan, Avon Public Library, and The Old State house with audio courtesy of CT-N, the Connecticut Network.

       Listen as we take a Connecticut River Museum sunset excursion about the Onrust, a replica of the first European boat to enter the Connecticut, with a teller of tall tales and some very talented young artists - in search of a few million swallows.        You can travel on the Onrust too. After you listen, we'll bet you'll want to!  View Images from our excursion on the Onrust

  Two stories from eastern Connecticut: a Ride on the Air Line State Park Trail, a rail trail with history, and the story of artist Fidelia Bridges and her newly discovered connection to Old Lyme. Featuring Carolyn Wakeman and Jenny Parsons of the Florence Griswold Museum and their summer 2017 exhibition, Flora/Fauna: The Naturalist Impulse in American Art, on view through September 17, 2017. Read related stories at CT Explored . org, search "Lyman Viaduct" Florence Griswold Museum's History Blog Thanks to Carolyn Wakeman, Jenny Parsons, and the Florence Griswold Museum.  

Listen to a recent book talk by author Elizabeth Poliner whose  novel As Close to Us as Breathing takes us  to the 1940’s when Connecticut’s beach colonies were segregated by ethnicity and religion. Poliner masterfully weaves the story of a multi-generational Jewish family and a fatal accident in 1948, all set in “Bagel Beach”  a real Jewish beach colony in Milford, Connecticut.  We also visit the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont - the state’s only synagogue built as a summer synagogue.  You’ll be inspired to read this evocative novel and take a drive along CT’s shoreline to catch a glimpse of its early beach colonies in this episode of Grating the Nutmeg.  Thanks to author Elizabeth Poliner, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, the Bagel Beach Historical Association and the Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont.  This episode was produced by Mary Donohue and Patrick O’Sullivan.  Read more at ctexplored.org where you’ll find authentic and fascinating tales from Connecticut history-one good story after another!  Order your subscription at ctexplored.org  

Listen to the compelling story of Caroline Ferriday--and how she inspired a New York Times bestselling historical novel. Ferriday's summer home, the Bellamy-Ferriday House in Bethlehem, Connecticut, recently hosted hundred of fans who came out to hear Martha Hall Kelly tell how she was inspired by a visit there to write her novel.   You'll be inspired to put a visit to Connecticut Landmarks's Bellamy Ferriday House on your bucket list of things to do this summer--in this episode of Grating the Nutmeg.   Thanks to Connecticut Landmarks, Martha Hall Kelly, and Stacey Fitzgerald. This episode was produced by Elizabeth Normen and Patrick O'Sullivan.   Read more about Caroline Ferriday: https://ctexplored.org/a-godmother-to-ravensbruck-survivors/

Photo Courtesy of Donald Rogers          Hear three extraordinary World War I reenactors talk about what they do, why they do it, and what it all means. You'll go for a ride in a WWI ambulance, too. And, you'll meet Gayle Hall, who brought photos of her grandfather and his World War I medals to share with the State Library's NEH funded World War I digitization project.     View some great images, too, many courtesy of historian/photographer Donald Rogers, from the recent World War I weekend at the historic Waldo House in Scotland, CT (where we recorded these interviews) on the Connecticut State Historian Facebook Page.  

Hops, Beer and Hartford’s Union Brewery Strike   Beer--that great cold drink! In 1902, Hartford’s brewers went on strike. Find out what happened, explore the resurgence of hops growing in Connecticut, and visit the Hog River Brewery, one of the state's newest craft breweries. We wish to thank Steve Thornton, Dr. James LaMondia, Dr. Katja Mauer, Ben Braddock, and the CT Agricultural Experiment Station. Music courtesy of Klokwize and Angela Luna, on iTunes now. This episode was produced by Mary Donohue and Patrick O’Sullivan. Read more at ctexplored.org where you’ll find authentic and fascinating tales from Connecticut history--one good story after another! Order our food issue, Summer 2017, at ctexplored.org.  

The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center—one of our nation’s most important historic sites—has a fresh take on the house tour and a freshly renovated interior. Find out why you should visit this summer—plus a stroll through their historic garden and the award-winning plants you’ll find there.   We wish to thank Katherine Kane, Judith Lohman, Beth Burgess, and the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. This episode was produced by Elizabeth Normen and Sarajane Cedrone.   Read more at ctexplored.org where you'll find several stories on Stowe including "The Most Famous American," "Where Mr. Twain and Mrs. Stowe Built Their Dream Houses," "Lincoln and the Key to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'," and "'Must Read Book' is 160 Years Old."

          Rules 10 through 20 of P. T.  Barnum's The Art of Money Getting or Golden Rules for Making Money are Barnum at his best: wise, funny, clear and wonderfully useful still today. Hear how America's first media mega-mogul and 2nd ever millionaire made his millions - the honest way.  Good advice and good history. Give a listen.   

     Ready to ride the road to riches?      In part 2 of THE ART OF MONEY GETTING, you'll hear America's 2nd millionaire and first entertainment mega-mogul, P T Barnum, describe the first 10 rules for succeeding in business, and life. Written more than 150 years ago, the advice is as good today as int was back then. And it's written in Barnum's wise, witty, and of course, truly entertaining, style.       Between each rule is an excerpt of Barnum-era music that was recorded on Edison cylinders, the first ever recorded music. Gathered from the digital cylinder audio archives at the University of California at Santa Barbara, they are a delightful comic foray into the world Barnum helped create.