'Went to a Garden Party . . .'

The Antiquarian & Landmarks Society will host an evening of music, art, and history at the Butler-McCook House & Garden on Thursday, July 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The Butler-McCook property, at 396 Main Street in Hartford, was home to four generations of a family integral to the evolution of Main Street between the American Revolution and the mid-20th Century. ALS, which maintains seven historic properties around Connecticut in addition to the Butler-McCook property, invites you to "sit back and relax after work in a beautiful garden with a glass of wine, shot of tequila, soft drink, and light appetizers." There's a $2 suggested donation per drink, but otherwise the event is free. That includes a first-floor tour of the house, acoustic music by Judy Handler and Mark Levesque, and the opening of an exhibition: "Botanical Explorations in Watercolor: The Artwork of Betsy Rogers-Knox."

For more information, visit the ALS website at ctlandmarks.org

Biking and Walking Tour Set for Sept. 8

Think you know Hartford? The Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance says you won't get to really know the city, including its history, until you participate in its 2007 Hartford Bicycle and Walking Tour on Saturday, September 8. The event will include a 10-mile bicycle tour, a 25-mile bicycle tour, and a two-hour walking tour. The walking tour will be conducted by the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society.

Get the details at hartfordbiketour.org.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Honored with Stamp

The United States Postal Service has introduced a stamp honoring Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Hartford resident who wrote the history-changing anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1811, Stowe lived at Hartford's Nook Farm (off Farmington Avenue) from 1873 until her death in 1896. The stamp, for 3-ounce mail, costs 75 cents. It can be purchased at post offices nationwide or at the Postal Service's website.

When in Hartford, be sure to visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and Library.

New Book: Victorian Hartford Revisited

The launch of a new book, Victorian Hartford Revisited, will be celebrated at Connecticut Creative: A General Store, at 25 Stonington Street in Hartford, on Thursday, June 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. Sample Connecticut-produced food and beverages and meet author Tomas Nenortas. Tickets cost $20, with all proceeds going to the Hartford Botanical Garden and the Hartford Preservation Alliance. RSVPs will be accepted until June 26. Payments may be mailed to the Hartford Preservation Alliance, at 56 Arbor Street, Suite 406, Hartford, CT 06106. For more information, contact the Alliance at(860) 570-0331 or info@hartfordpreservation.org.

Article Delves into History of Bushnell Park

The Hartord Courant today published a profile of Bushnell Park, with an emphasis on its history. The article, by Susan Campbell, notes that by the 1850s, the area around the state Capitol had become a neighborhood of tenement housing, particularly along the banks of the Park River, also known as the Hog River. "Nearby were leather tanneries, a soap works, a dump, and holding pens for pigs and other livestock," Campbell writes. "A train chugged through. Tenement outhouses emptied into the water." It was the Rev. Horace Bushnell who proposed building a park on the site, arguing that it would cure many urban ills by giving residents a place to reconnect with nature. Thanks to Bushnell and his colleagues, the country's first publicly funded park was built in Hartford. The city named it after Bushnell a few days before his death in 1876. For more information, visit the website of the Bushnell Park Foundation.

Museum of CT History Launches Website

The Museum of Connecticut History, part of the Connecticut State Library, has launched its own website, at www.museumofcthistory.org. Education Curator Patrick Smith invites comment. From here, the site looks pretty good, particularly the photos of various collections, which include Colt firearms and portraits of the governors. Of course, the Library still maintains its own highly useful site, at www.cslib.org. The Library and Museum are located at 231 Capitol Avenue, across the street from the state Capitol.

Farewell to the St. Joseph Cathedral School

Students of the former St. Joseph Cathedral School held their last class reunion at the Asylum Avenue building on Sunday, the Hartford Courant reports. The school, which in its heyday in the 1950s and `60s had more than 1,000 students through the 10th grade, closed in 2001 because of declining enrollment and increased costs. It will be converted into 28 two- and three-bedroom apartments for poor families, according to the newspaper.