45°
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, the museum invites the public to a free wine and cheese event, “Museum After Dark: Pequot War Lecture.” Guests can view the exhibition and find out new facts about the epic conflict and the ongoing archaeological study of the final battle of the Pequot War in Southport with researchers from the Mashantucket Museum and Research Center.
A collaboration with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, the exhibit presents the story of the Pequot War in 1637, which led to Fairfield becoming established as an English settlement 375 years ago.
“Roger Ludlow, then a member of the Windsor Settlement, came south to join the fight. He was so taken with the area and its beauty, he returned in 1639 and founded the town of Fairfield,” said Elizabeth Rose, museum library director.
An Algonquian-speaking people, the Pequot had lived in southeastern Connecticut for thousands of years prior to European contact. Before the arrival of the Europeans, roughly 13,000 Pequot lived in villages along Long Island Sound and the estuaries of the Thames, Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers, raising food through farming, hunting and gathering.
The exhibit includes the sword of Captain John Mason, on loan from the Stonington Historical Society; an original copy of John Underhill's Newes from America (1638), on loan from the Connecticut Historical Society; and other early 17th century examples of English arms and armor, including a helmet and matchlock gun, a period bale seal and a religious book, all on loan from the Plimoth Plantation.
Located at 370 Beach Road in Fairfield, the museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Members of the museum and children are free.
For more information, visit the Fairfield Museum and History Center’s website here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.
