Blacksmith Demonstration

Essex Historical Society 22 Prospect Street, Essex, CT, United States

As part of our 70th Anniversary celebration, Essex Historical Society announces a blacksmith demonstration on Saturday, July 26 from 1 - 4pm at Pratt House—to showcase the trade that sustained the Pratt family. Pratt House is Essex’s only historic house museum and home to nine generations of the Pratt family, many of whom were blacksmiths.  Local blacksmith Baird Welch-Collins will demonstrate historic blacksmithing techniques to illustrate the workmanship that skilled tradespeople such as the Pratts contributed to a Connecticut seaport town. Visitors may also enjoy the FREE tours of Pratt House, where knowledgeable guides provide information on the home’s history and you can explore rotating exhibits featuring objects from the EHS’s collections and archives. While on the grounds, please enjoy Pratt’s barn, kitchen garden and pollinator garden. This family-friendly program is FREE to the public and welcomes donations. Registration NOT required.

Free

Essex Village Walking Tour

Essex Historical Society 22 Prospect Street, Essex, CT, United States

Take a trip down Main Street in Essex Village to capture the rich maritime history of 18th century “Potapaug,” its working waterfront and ship-building prominence in the early 19th century as well as its development as a beautiful visitor destination of today. Our tours meet at the "Foot of Main Street" in front of the CT River Museum and start at 5:00pm.  Walking tours are open to the public but we do appreciate an RSVP that you plan to attend by emailing our Director at mjosefiak@essexhistory.org.  We ask for a $5 donation per person but tours are free to active 2025 members. Our walks last about an hour and are on mostly flat ground covering a little less than a mile.  We try to adapt our tours a bit based on our audience of the day, but if  you would like a fully customized tour, please contact our staff 860-767-0681 to arrange, giving us at least 3 weeks to arrange our guide scheduling. Summer 2025 walks will be on Sundays: June 29, July 27, August 31 and September 28.

$5

Digging for Good Youth Program

Essex Historical Society 22 Prospect Street, Essex, CT, United States

Essex Historical Society and Essex Library Association invite children and young adults ages 8-18, with their guardians, to join the Digging for Good team from Haddam, CT to metal detect and ‘dig’ on Pratt House’s historic grounds. Digging for Good will bring a number of metal detecting tools and lead the search to find objects buried in Pratt’s two-acre property, which was once part of a 12 acre farm dating from 1701. Anything found will be donated to Essex Historical Society, and may later be placed on exhibit.  Digging for Good may take photos and videos of interesting finds for their You Tube channel. This program is a partnership between EHS, Digging for Good, and Essex Library Association. You must REGISTER for this event through Essex Library so that we may contact participants in the case of inclement weather. Please dress for the outdoors and wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, as needed. Pratt House is located at 19 West Avenue in Essex, CT. All necessary equipment will be provided. Questions? Contact Outreach Coordinator, Kate Savage

Free

Essex Village Walking Tour

Essex Historical Society 22 Prospect Street, Essex, CT, United States

Take a trip down Main Street in Essex Village to capture the rich maritime history of 18th century “Potapaug,” its working waterfront and ship-building prominence in the early 19th century as well as its development as a beautiful visitor destination of today. Our tours meet at the "Foot of Main Street" in front of the CT River Museum and start at 5:00pm.  Walking tours are open to the public but we do appreciate an RSVP that you plan to attend by emailing our Director at mjosefiak@essexhistory.org.  We ask for a $5 donation per person but tours are free to active 2025 members. Our walks last about an hour and are on mostly flat ground covering a little less than a mile.  We try to adapt our tours a bit based on our audience of the day, but if  you would like a fully customized tour, please contact our staff 860-767-0681 to arrange, giving us at least 3 weeks to arrange our guide scheduling. Summer 2025 walks will be on Sundays: June 29, July 27, August 31 and September 28.

$5

Essex Village Walking Tour

Essex Historical Society 22 Prospect Street, Essex, CT, United States

Take a trip down Main Street in Essex Village to capture the rich maritime history of 18th century “Potapaug,” its working waterfront and ship-building prominence in the early 19th century as well as its development as a beautiful visitor destination of today. Our tours meet at the "Foot of Main Street" in front of the CT River Museum and start at 5:00pm.  Walking tours are open to the public but we do appreciate an RSVP that you plan to attend by emailing our Director at mjosefiak@essexhistory.org.  We ask for a $5 donation per person but tours are free to active 2025 members. Our walks last about an hour and are on mostly flat ground covering a little less than a mile.  We try to adapt our tours a bit based on our audience of the day, but if  you would like a fully customized tour, please contact our staff 860-767-0681 to arrange, giving us at least 3 weeks to arrange our guide scheduling. Summer 2025 walks will be on Sundays: June 29, July 27, August 31 and September 28.

$5