Stratford Historical Society Proudly Celebrates its 100th Anniversary
Centennial Gala May 17th and Other Events Planned to Commemorate
By Barbara Heimlich
Editor
Source: Stratford Historical Society
In 2025, the Stratford Historical Society proudly celebrates its 100th anniversary. Established in 1925, the Society has dedicated itself to the preservation and promotion of Stratford’s rich historical heritage. Over the past century, the organization has evolved in response to the changing times, adapting its methods and expanding its scope to ensure the town’s history is preserved for future generations.
This is our history…
The Founding
The desire to provide a permanent and lasting memorial of the Old Stratford, whose prominence in history and tradition seemed rapidly passing into obscurity, moved the late Miss Celia Curtis in January of 1925, to bequeath her homestead, the historic Captain David Judson House on Academy Hill, to a historical society which would prove itself capable of permanently maintaining the venerable two-hundred-year-old house as a repository of whatever might be gathered and treasured of Stratford’s past.
Sisters Celia (1837 – 1925) and Cornelia (1840 – 1924) Curtis were the daughters of Levi Curtis (1806 – 1874) and Jersha Lewis (1802 – 1835), and were descendants of William Judson, who was among the first seventeen European families to settle in Stratford in 1639. Celia and Cornelia lived on the Curtis family farm on Huntington Road, west of Paradise Green until 1891, at which time they purchased the Judson homestead on Academy Hill. With the exception of a few brief years, this Georgian mansion built by militia Captain David Judson in 1723 had been solely in the Judson family. Celia and Cornelia had truly come home.
Celia and Cornelia Curtis
Tragically, in 1924, Cornelia was burned to death in the house as she was kindling a fire. Celia, older and somewhat infirm, was unable to help her. According to a close family friend, it was not until after Cornelia’s death, that Celia realized that provision had to be made for what would happen to the house after her own death. With the encouragement of her friends Adelaide Gunther and Elizabeth Sammis, Celia decided to leave the home to serve as a historical house to “preserve and maintain records and artifacts of the history of Stratford.”
On February 4, 1925, the State of Connecticut granted The Stratford Historical Society, Incorporated, a charter based on Articles of Association filed January 17, 1925 by: Mrs. Adelaide Curtis Gunther, Miss Frances B. Russell, Mrs. Margaret Beardsley DeLacour, Reverend George W. Judson, Mr. John C. Wilcoxson and Mr. Charles H. Welles. The stated purposes of the society were: “to preserve, cherish, and care for all historical material, whether written matter or material objects relating to the history of the town of Stratford, Connecticut; to maintain a building for the preservation and exhibition of such material; to collect and expend money for such purposes and to hold funds and property in trust for such purposes.” A meeting held by the Society on July 10, 1925 enrolled 55 persons as members. By September 25 the number had increased to 189.
Miss Curtis executed a Deed of Trust giving the Society five years in which to raise a fund, the income of which would be sufficient to provide for “the ample and continuous maintenance of the Judson House”, naming as trustees Donald S. Sammis, Harold F. DeLacour and John T. Curtis.
It is difficult to condense from the minutes and records the story of the raising of the endowment fund and the steps taken to perfect a working organization. Suffice it to say that by the expiration of the 5-year period the proposed minimum $10,000 fund had been exceeded by some $3,000 and the property was formally transferred to the Society. The Judson House was formally opened by the Historical Society on May 28, 1926.
Adjacent to the Judson House is the modern Catharine Bunnell Mitchell Museum with permanent exhibits of Stratford history and changing gallery exhibits that feature items from the collections of the Stratford Historical Society.
Growth and Progress
In 1957, Mrs. Catharine Bunnell Mitchell made a bequest by will of $25,000 to be used to construct a Stratford historical museum. Mr. Stanley Johnson designed the new museum in 1958 and supervised its construction. It was set up with a display of artifacts and formally dedicated November 8, 1959.
Mrs. Catharine Bunnell Mitchell
As the years went on, new understandings of the purpose and function of the small museum made the executive board realize the need for redesigning the basic layout of the interior of the museum. With these long-range goals in mind, the board obtained the services of Mr. George Bowditch, a museum professional, to draw up plans for remodeling both floors of the museum, including lighting.
With the physical aspects of the project accomplished, the many hours of cataloging, storage, restoration, preservation, exhibit planning, and research continued. A grant from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) in 1971 of two days of professional consultant time, with Mr. Bowditch again called to assist, gave the workers much encouragement and resulted in establishing the overall goal of portraying “What Is Unique in the Early History of Stratford.” The exhibits that resulted were the culmination of a long period of dedicated effort in all areas of museum work.
An extensive Genealogy library is located in the Office area of the Museum and is available to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. year round. Genealogical requests may be made by telephone, e-mail, U.S. mail and in person.
1975 – 2020 To be written.
2020-2025 To be written.
Help write our history by attending our Centennial Gala! Purchase tickets at https://www.stratfordhistoricalsociety.org/centennial-gala.
