Association for the Study of Con

Association for the Study of Connecticut History
Spring Meeting, Saturday, April 5, 2008

Connecticut at Play:
The History of Leisure and Entertainment
In the Nutmeg State

Hosted by the West Haven Historical Society
Savin Rock Conference Center and Museum
6 Rock Street, West Haven, CT 06516

http://www.westhavenhistory.org

8:15 Registration (coffee and refreshments)

9:00 Welcoming remarks and introductions

Allen M. Ward, President, ASCH
Jon Purmont, SCSU and West Haven Historical Society

9:15 Carole A. Laydon McElrath, President, West Haven Historical Society

An Arcadian Overview of the West Haven Historical Society Programs and a Look at the
Historical Importance of the Savin Rock Amusement Park

            The Society’s mission in today's world is to be actively involved in the community through education, historical
            tours, special events emphasizing historic people and places, and participating in city-wide preservation and
            restoration projects. One of West Haven’s major historic places is the site of the famous Savin Rock Amusement
            Park. For one hundred years, the Park played a central role in the economic and social development of West Haven.

10:00 Catherine Mahoney, New England Carousel Museum

The Magnificent Carousels of Connecticut

Connecticut’s amusement parks and their carousels provided fun and entertainment to the growing population of
a rapidly industrializing economy in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Featured in this illustrated history of
some of Connecticut’s most famous amusement parks and carousels are Lake Compounce, Lighthouse Point,
Bushnell Park, and Savin Rock.

10:45 Break

11:00 McKinley Frey, Central Connecticut State University and New England Carousel Museum

Saving Face and Losing the Circus: The Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 and Its Disgraceful
Aftermath

On July 6, 1944, a fire roared through the Big Top of the Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus, killed 168 people, and
injured hundreds of others in what has been described as “the worst civil disaster in the history of Connecticut. In the
aftermath of such a horrific tragedy, the residents of Hartford demanded to know how it had occurred and who was
responsible. The ensuing investigation was more focused on protecting the reputations of Hartford ’s police and fire
officials than finding the truth. Ringling’s personnel were unfairly scapegoated and the people of Hartford were unable
to see the Circus locally for 30 years.

11:45 Susan Cifaldi, Independent Scholar and Company of Fifers and Drummers

Connecticut’s Ancient Fife and Drum Tradition

            The so-called “ancient drum corps” indigenous to Connecticut’s Valley Shore, specifically the several towns that line the
                Connecticut River as far north as Middletown and East Hampton, maintain a living tradition stretching back to the 1600’s.
               “Ancient” fifers and drummers are not re-enactors but are traditional musicians, whose music, dress, and drill retain vestiges
               of their earlier heritage. Their instruments have changed little from the wooden fifes and rope-tensioned drums of the past,
               and their repertory consists of historic, traditional, and patriotic tunes that until fairly recently were largely transmitted from
               player to player “by ear.” Once widespread across America, ancient fife and drum corps are now uniquely Connecticut’s and
               represent this state’s contribution to American ethnic music. This paper will explore the fascinating music of today’s ancient
               fife and drum community and its ties to a dramatic military past.

12:30 Short Break

12:40 Annual Business Meeting (agenda included)

1:10 Lunch. (We are hoping to get The Moodus Drum & Fife Corps to perform for us during lunch)

2:00 Visit the Savin Rock Museum and view their exhibits

Your ASCH nametag will provide you with free admission.

Directions and Parking

http://www.cityofwesthaven.com

ASCH Spring Meeting Registration Form

Registration fee includes morning coffee, morning sessions, and admission to the Savin Rock Museum.

There is a separate fee for lunch.

Lunch will include a sandwich buffet with dessert and beverage.

Please register by Wednesday, April 2, 2008 to guarantee lunch.

Registration fee:

Morning coffee and program @ $20 members of ASCH , WHHS, students; $25 non members.

Lunch @ $12.00 per person