Thursday, April 08, 2010

Talks on Sigourney and the Gilded Age at HPL's Hartford History Center

Hartford Public Library's Hartford History Center will host two talks the weekend of April 24-25.

At the first, set for 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, historian Gary E. Wait will discuss Hartford poet Lydia Huntley Sigourney. (Yes, the one for whom Sigourney Street is named.) Dubbed the "Sweet Singer of Hartford," Sigourney was nothing if not prolific: She published her first book in 1815 and kept the volumes coming at better than one per year for the next 50 years. Many of those books were printed in Hartford, and visitors are invited to view the library's Sigourney Collection of books and manuscript material.

On Sunday, April 25, from 2 to 4 p.m., Trinity College professor and historian Dr. Eugene Leach will discuss "Hartford in the Gilded Age." This was a time when Hartford was one of the leading cities in America, with Mark Twain among its citizens. The program also includes music from the Boys of Wexford, an ensemble consisting of Don Sineti (the Chantey Man of Mystic Seaport), Bill Wallach, and Mike McGarry. They'll sing songs of life along the Connecticut River.

The Hartford Public Library is located at 500 Main Street. For more information on either event, call 860-695-6297.

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