Manchester Historical Society

Woodbridge Farmstead open house
2025-09-14 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Tpke E, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Visit for 10 minutes or 3 hours. The 1830s-era farmhouse and grounds welcome visitors, young, old, and in between! Take a guided tour of the house and a self-guided tour through our 18th-century barn. Check out the displays inside our Visitor Center Barn showing some of the history of Manchester Green. The Farmstead committee organizes events on many of the open house days — farm animal visits, antique farm tool expert, duck races. The Farmstead is located near the intersection of East Middle Turnpike and Woodbridge Street. Visitors can park at the municipal lot behind the Senior Center or along the street between the Senior Center and the farmstead itself. From the street, walk to the back yard using the grass driveway between the house and Woodbridge Pizza. The Woodbridge Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm was donated to the Manchester Historical Society by Raymond and Thelma Woodbridge in 1998. Open houses are usually held on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, through October (except May, when holidays fall on those dates and we’re open the first and third Sundays). Free, donations welcome.

Old Manchester Museum open house
2025-10-04 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-11-01 10:00 - 14:00, 2025-12-06 10:00 - 14:00 | CT
The former Cheney School, built in 1859, houses permanent and special exhibits, maps, school information, Pitkin glass, Cheney silk, etc. Hosts Bob Kanehl and Art Pongratz can help answer local-history questions, and there’s a museum shop to browse — books and maps about local history, as well as gifts for yourself or others. Free admission, donations welcome. Generally open the first Saturday of each month, except holiday weekends, May through December, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Drop by for a visit of 10 minutes or 4 hours! More about the museum here.

Woodbridge Farmstead open house. Costumes are welcome.
2025-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Tpke E, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Celebrating the harvest season and Halloween. Costumes are welcome. This is our last open house until spring. The 1830s-era farmhouse and grounds welcome visitors, young, old, and in between! Take a guided tour of the house and a self-guided tour through our 18th-century barn. Check out the displays inside our Visitor Center Barn showing some of the history of Manchester Green. The Farmstead committee organizes events on many of the open house days — farm animal visits, antique farm tool exhibits, duck races. The Farmstead is located near the intersection of East Middle Turnpike and Woodbridge Street. Visitors can park at the municipal lot behind the Senior Center or along the street between the Senior Center and the Farmstead itself. From the street, walk to the back yard using the grass driveway between the house and Woodbridge Pizza. The Woodbridge Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm was donated to the Manchester Historical Society by Raymond and Thelma Woodbridge in 1998. Open houses are usually held on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, through October (except May, when holidays fall on those dates and we’re open the first and third Sundays). Free, donations welcome.

Holiday open houses at the Homestead
2025-12-06 11:00 - 15:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Very special occasions at the 1785 Homestead, decorated for the holidays by the Manchester Garden Club. Kick off the holidays with a glass of mulled cider, and visit the exhibits, furniture, and artwork with the help of our volunteer guides. Parking available on the lawn (head-in please, for maximum room). Think about a self-guided walking tour on the Saturday, when you can add visits to the Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street (open 10:00 to 2:00) and the History Center at 175 Pine Street (open 12:00 to 4:00). Make it a hands-on history day. The Homestead’s Sunday opening also includes refreshments and holiday décor. Free. Donations welcome.

Holiday Open house, day 2
2025-12-07 11:00 - 15:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Very special open house at the 1785 Homestead, decorated for the holidays by the Manchester Garden Club. Kick off the holidays with a glass of mulled cider, and visit the exhibits, furniture, and artwork with the help of our volunteer guides. Parking available on the lawn (head-in please, for maximum room). Free. Donations welcome.

Open House Day -- History Close to Home
2026-06-13 11:00 - 15:00 | Manchester History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester, 06040, United States
Across Connecticut, the public is invited to visit history museums. The Manchester Historical Society will have all its museum properties open, so please come visit — stay for 10 minutes or several hours!
Cheney Homestead and Keeney Schoolhouse, 106 Hartford Road, with

Interactive Colonial era songs with Manchester Town Troubadour, Christian Loftus
Children’s history scavenger hunt with prizes
Colonial era children’s games and crafts
Complimentary Shady Glen ice cream.
Tours of the 1785 Homestead and 1751 replica Keeney Schoolhouse.

Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar Street, with The Mathias Spiess Tour Book: Dinosaurs, Podunks, Colonists, featuring artifacts from prehistoric times to the colonial era, with assistance from the Peabody Museum at Yale and our own Lutz Children’s Museum. There is a small museum store with local-history books, coffee mugs, etc.
Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Turnpike East, invites guests to:

Stroll the grounds of a farm that was already running during the Revolution and hear our George Washington story
Enjoy refreshments and professional songsters Judy Handler and Mark Levesque
Learn about farming in the restored 18th and 19th century barns
Play old-fashioned children’s games
Take a guided tour of the circa 1830 farmhouse.

History Center and Museum, 175 Pine Street, with fascinating exhibits in the former Machine Shop, constructed beginning in 1895 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the museum store for local history items: books, maps, jewelry, coffee mugs, tee-shirts.

Dino Shindig with Bones from Yale Peabody Museum
2026-07-14 10:00 - 14:00 | Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar St., Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
The Yale Peabody Museum will visit, bringing fossils found in the Buckland section of Manchester in the nineteenth century. Visitors can see the actual dinosaur fossils and talk to Yale paleontologists. There will be fun activities for young and old. Throughout 2026, we feature the special exhibit Mathias Spiess Tour Book of Manchester: Dinosaurs, Podunks, Colonists, at our regular open houses 10:00 to 2:00 on the first Saturday of the month, May through December, and on CT Open Museum Day, Saturday, June 13. The display features contributions from Mathias Spiess, a Manchester author, historian and poet along with the Yale Peabody Museum and the Lutz Children’s Museum, bringing together artifacts and displays.
