Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Our tag sale at the Historic Thomas Darling House has been postponed from
October 1 to
Saturday October 22, 2016
8 am to 2 PM
1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT

Feel free to stop by and see what we have for sale or from one of our vendors.

Looking to unload some stuff? It's not too late to rent a spot for $15. Our sale is outside and you get the length of your car to set up your sale. Email info@woodbridgehistory.org to reserve a spot.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Sylvia's Attic Tag Sale


Come find your treasure at the Darling House Tag Sale. Located on the grounds of the Historic Thomas Darling House, the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society will be selling spaces for $15. Please e-mail info@woodbridgehistory.org to reserve your spot.
 The Historical Society is accepting donations of sell able goods.
 There will also be baked goods for sale. Come and check us out!

Saturday October 1, 2016   8 AM to 2 PM

1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT

Monday, July 4, 2016

Historic Home Plaque Program

Historic homes are a reminder of the history of our town and the people who lived here. 
The Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society wishes to honor and call attention to the historic buildings in our town through the issuance of plaques bearing the name of the original owner or occupant(s), and the date of construction. The intention of the plaque program is to recognize the historic nature of the building, its historic character and/or the people who built them. If you are interested in purchasing and installing a plaque for your home, please  print the following form and mail it in.  We anticipate starting this program in the fall, based on the interest we receive. 


Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society
 Historic Building Plaque Program
1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT 06525
www.woodbridgehistory.org



Purpose of the Program:
The Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society wishes to honor and call attention to the historic buildings in our town through the issuance of plaques bearing the name of the original owner or occupant(s,) and the date of construction. The purchase of a plaque from the Historical Society does not restrict any future alterations to the house or building on which it is displayed.  The intention of the plaque program is simply to recognize the historic nature of the building, its historic character and/or the people who built them. The plaque in no way provides protection from future demolition to the build on which it is placed.
What does the plaque look like?
The Plaque is white and approximately 12” x 18” with the name of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society on it, the date of construction of the building and the name of the original owner or longtime owner of the building. The owner of the plaque is responsible for installation of the plaque.
Price of Plaque:                $250 Members                  $280 Nonmembers         (please circle)
A one year membership is included in the price of the plaque and includes our newsletter and advance notice of our events. Your membership helps AWHS further our mission of preserving and celebrating history in Woodbridge. Thank you!

Please Print


Plaque Address: ______________________________________________________

Your Name: ________________________ Address: ______________________________

Phone: ___________________________ Email: ________________________________

Date of construction of building: _________________________________________

Name on Plaque: _______________________________________________________


Please complete this form and mail it with a check made out to AWHS to:
 AWHS Plaque Program, 1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT 06525.
A member of the plaque committee will be in touch with you.
 For more information please contact Lisa Flaherty at 203.314.2979 or info@woodbridgehistory.org. Please allow 12 weeks for processing.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016


Tavern Night June 12  5 to 8 PM

The Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society is planning their spring Tavern Night for June 12, 5 to 8 PM at the Historic Thomas Darling House. Guests can enjoy the atmosphere, live music, food and drink as the members of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society turn the Darling House into an old fashion tavern. Prices are $45 for members and $60 for non members of the historical society. The event is by reservation only and can be made at info@woodbridgehistory.org


Monday, April 11, 2016

Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society Annual Meeting 2016


Membership Annual Meeting
What Goes Up Must Come Down! Upland Archaeology of West Rock Ridge in South-Central Connecticut

By Dr. Cosimo Sgarlata


 Please join us on Sunday May 15th from for our annual meeting at The First Church Parish House, 5 Meetinghouse Lane Woodbridge. 2 to 4 PM. Dr. Cosimo Sgarlata, an archaeology professor at Western Connecticut State University will be giving a presentation based on his research of the West Rock Ridge right here in Woodbridge, and how archaeological studies of the ridge can fill in important details about the ways of life of ancient people living in south central Connecticut. Refreshments will be served. 
Please join us to learn more about the history of our town.

Monday, April 4, 2016


Dear Friend of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society;


This year the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society is participating in the The Great Give 2016, an online giving event for non profits in the Greater New Haven region. For 36 hours starting May 3rd at 8 AM and going until 8 PM May 4th, your charitable donation will make us eligible for thousands of dollars in grant prizes when you give to us through TheGreatGive.org.

Please visit www.TheGreatGive.org anytime during the 36 hour giving drive, search for our nonprofit and click "Donate Now." AWHS will be competing for various matching prizes, including most money raised, greatest number of individual donors and greatest number of new donors. Your donation will go a long way in helping us. 

Please tell your friends and mark your calendars for May 3 - 4, and thank you for your support!

Sincerely, 

Alexia Belperron
AWHS President

Monday, February 22, 2016

Darling House Open House

Sunday March 20,  2016 2 to 4 PM
1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT

Please Join us for Hearth Cooking and Tours of the Darling House
Free and Open to the public. 

Hosted by the board members of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society
for more info please e-mail info@woodbridgehistory.org

Tuesday, November 17, 2015


We hope that you can join us this year for our annual holiday open house on
 Sunday, December 6th from 2-4 PM.
We will have music, and mulled cider, and many holiday treats. We are looking for volunteers to help us decorate the house. If you are interested in volunteering, please come to the Darling house any time from 9am-1pm on Saturday, December 6th.
We are also seeking donations of baked goods and wreath’s to sell and raffle at the open house. 
If you would like to make a donation you can drop it off on Saturday while we are decorating or on Sunday before the event.
Thank you for your generous support!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Open House at the Darling House
Sunday October 18 from 2 to 4 PM

Stop by and get a tour of this beautiful old home. 
We'll have something cooking in our open hearth
and a portion of our quilt collection will be on display.

1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT
This event is free and open to the public. 

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Tag Sale Rescheduled

Because of the wet and windy forecast we have for this weekend we are going to reschedule the Darling House Sylvia's Attic Tag Sale to next weekend, October 10, 2015 from 8 to 2 PM
There are a few spaces available if you want to come sell your stuff. You can reserve a space at info@woodbridgehistory.org
Come by and check us out and our great bake sale that will include some delicious lunch items too! 1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Sylvia's Attic Tag Sale


Come find your treasure through the trash at the Darling House Tag Sale. Located on the grounds of the Historic Thomas Darling House, the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society will be selling spaces for $15. Please e-mail info@woodbridgehistory.org to reserve your spot.
 The Historical Society is accepting donations of sell able goods.
 There will also be baked goods for sale. 

Saturday October 3, 2015   8 AM to 2 PM

1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Open House - Cold Hearth Cooking

Please join us on Sunday July 19th from 2 to 4 PM at the Darling House for
 "Cold Hearth Cooking."
 We will be making home made ice cream and butter. 
This event is free and open to the public.

1907 Litchfield Turnpike
Woodbridge CT

Monday, May 11, 2015


Tavern Night Spring 2015

We are happy to announce Tavern Night once again at the Darling House. Join us on Sunday June 7th 5 to 8 PM for drinks, food, music and more! Our event seems to sell out early, so make a reservation as soon as you can at info@woodbridgehistory.org.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Historical Society Annual Meeting - The Life and Work of Donald Grant Mitchell Sunday May 3rd 2-4 PM

The life and work of Westville resident, Donald Grant Mitchell (1822-1908), the original designer of the New Haven Parks System, will be the topic for the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society's Annual Meeting on May 3rd, 2015. At a time when many cities were asking the Olmsted firm to design their parks, Donald Grant Mitchell was asked to design the parks of New Haven. Beginning with East Rock Park, Mitchell designed parks for many areas of New Haven. His impact as an author, lecturer and designer allowed him to create the aesthetics of the day, from house design, farm layout, landscape design, and cityscape.  Our guest speaker Leslie Martino, a local landscape designer and historian who has conducted extensive research into the origins of the New Haven Park System, will present her research into the life and impact of Mr. Mitchell as well as his Woodbridge connections.  The Woodbridge Historical Society's Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday May 3rd, 2015 at the First Church Parish House, 5 Meeting House Lane in Woodbridge from 2 to 4 PM. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. 

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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Hearth Cooking at the Darling House - Sunday April 19th 2 to 4 PM

Hearth Cooking at the Darling House Sunday April 19th 2 to 4 PM


Those of you who came to our open houses last year or attended a tavern night may have noticed that we are trying to incorporate more hearth cooking at the museum these days. Last year, we had our chimneys lined with a new product that makes the chimneys safe to use but also preserves the dimensions of the flue. The size of the flue is directly correlated to the size of the fireplace, and modern flue liners are often way too small for the larger fireplaces that we have in our historic houses (that’s why old fireplaces with small liners are often smoky). Now with our newly lined chimneys we can safely have fires that allow us to demonstrate more hearth cooking techniques.


The Darling house was built with somewhat of an “old fashioned” design to its cooking hearth. The hearth was designed to have lug poles which were initially green pieces of wood that were hung from ledges just above the fireplace from which trammels could be hung to hold the cookware. Trammels are iron devices that hang from the log pole and have a hook at the bottom from which to hang a pot. Trammels are designed to be raised or lowered above the fire depending on whether you wanted to cook using a “high, medium, or low” setting.

The Darling house has two period trammels: a hole trammel and a saw tooth trammel. By 1772 when the house was built however, lug poles were often being replaced by cranes, which are horizontal metal arms that swing on hinges attached to the sidewall of a fireplace. Cranes were safer than lug poles, which could eventually burn and fall into the fire along with whatever meal was cooking at the time. Cranes were also easier to use as they could swing out away from the fire. We do have safe lug poles now, so not to worry, our pots won’t end up in the fire. Perhaps the Darling’s didn't think having a crane was worth the extra cost, since most cooking at the hearth in fact actually occurred in the coals and not directly over the fire.Generating red-hot coals for cooking is an art (as opposed to generating ash which most of us do in our fireplaces). Hard dry woods are of course essential, but the stacking of the wood in the fireplace as well as creating a slow burn are equally important.

We are still perfecting this art at the Darling House hearth. Cooking over coals is usually done in posnets, various forms of cooking vessels all with short legs to sit in the coals. Pans with long legs are often called “spider” pans, a whimsical name that originated in New England in the 17th century. Most of us however, are probably most familiar with Dutch ovens (also called bake ovens). Contrary to how they are often used today for soups and stews, the Darlings might have more often used them for baking.


At our next open house, Sunday April 19th from 2-4 PM, stop by and visit us as we attempt some baking in a bake oven, some frying in a spider pan, and some soup making over the fire. As we explore more hearth cooking at the Darling House, we will continue to share our new findings with you, and in future news letters we will also share some fireplace recipes.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Annual Holiday Open House

The members of the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society invite you to experience the timeless beauty of the Thomas Darling House simply decorated for the holiday season on Sunday December 7th 2014, from 2 to 4 PM. Mulled cider, fresh cookies and live music will all be on hand for a delightful afternoon. Please stop by and join us at 1907 Litchfield Turnpike, Woodbridge CT.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Tavern Night October 2014

This years event is known simply as Tavern Night. The members of the Board of Directors of the Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society, all pitch in and turn the 1772 Thomas Darling House (owned by the Town, maintained by the Society) into an 18th century tavern for the evening. We have been doing this for over 10 years. The event came to be, in large part because certain keys factors came together all at once. We had a caretaker living in an attached apartment, who happened to be the head chef at the Maritime Center in Norwalk. That was also the year that New England Brewing Company came to Woodbridge. As soon as chef Darren Zaldo, and brewmaster Rob Leonard were on board with the idea, We knew we could pull it off. Folks from the Orange Historical Society participate as well, and Jim and Willow Sirch from Hamden join us with their array of flutes, fiddles, and Irish drum. 
 We remove most of the early furniture from the downstairs rooms and bring in reproduction chairs and tables, which allows us to host about 55 people in the Fall. In Spring we can spill outside and serve around 70. One room is full of period appetizers and desserts, and our 18th century kitchen is laden with main course items, and guest get up and get what they would like throughout the evening. Mr. and Mrs. Darling (portrayed by Don and Dana Menzies) are on hand all evening to make sure their guests are comfortable and happy. So for 3 hours folks can immerse themselves in an 18th century atmosphere! Please check back for future dates of this wonderful event!




Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Tavern Night 2014

Thomas and Abigail Darling would like to invite you to the Amity and Woodbridge Historical Society's Tavern Night coming up on Sunday October 5, 2014 from 5 to 8 PM at the Historic Thomas Darling House, 1907 Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge.  Come and see how the members of the AWHS Board of Directors turn the Darling House into an elegant tavern complete with live music, delicious food, fresh brewed beer and homemade deserts. We will also feature open hearth cooking and have fresh greens and vegetables from the Darling Farm, harvested right from the grounds of the Darling House!

To reserve a spot for a discounted member price of $32 per person, $35 for non members, please e-mail tavernnight@woodbridgehistory.org. It's going to be a magical night filled with good food and good people.  Hope to see you there!