))
Connecticut is a small state with big stories. GTN episodes include top-flight historians, compelling first-person stories and new voices in Connecticut history. Executive Producers Mary Donohue, Walt Woodward, and Natalie Belanger look at the people and places that have made a difference in CT history. New episodes every two weeks. A joint production of Connecticut Explored magazine and the CT State Historian Emeritus.
…
continue reading
A podcast exploring the interconnectivity of advertising and atticism
…
continue reading
1
190. Phyllis Zlotnick, Disability Rights Activist
46:26
46:26
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
46:26
July 1990 marked the passing of a landmark piece of federal legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA. To recognize this event and to celebrate Disability Pride Month, we are uncovering the legacy of disability rights leader, Phyllis Zlotnick (1942-2011). Zlotnick was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at birth. Beginning in…
…
continue reading
1
189. Sherlock Holmes and William Gillette's Castle
42:14
42:14
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:14
We love a Sherlock Holmes "who done it" whether it's Basil Rathbone from the 1940s, Benedict Cumberbacth from the 2000s, or Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock's sister Enola Holmes from the 2020s. But it was a Hartford-born actor who gave Sherlock Holmes his signature look - his curved pipe, deerstalker cap and magnifying glass. William Gillette was bo…
…
continue reading
1
188. Revealing Queer Lives: Connecticut’s LGBTQ History
50:39
50:39
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:39
June is PRIDE month and we’re celebrating by bringing you an episode about efforts to bring LGBTQ+ history to light. As one guest, historian William Mann writes, “Throughout its history, Connecticut’s LGBTQ population has moved from leading hidden, solitary lives to claiming visible, powerful, valuable, and contributing places in society.” In this …
…
continue reading
1
187. Derby's Charlton Comics: "No Other Place Like It"
33:12
33:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:12
Did you know that comic books were invented in Connecticut? Well, sort of. There are lots of precedents for printing texts with images. But the origin of mass market comic book printing is 1930s Waterbury, where Eastern Color printing began by re-publishing comic strips from newspapers in magazine form. Eventually they partnered with Dell publishin…
…
continue reading
1
186. New Haven’s Pioneering Grove Street Cemetery
41:01
41:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:01
It’s Spring in Connecticut and this episode is part of our celebration of May as Historic Preservation Month. Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven is the first planned cemetery in the country. The design of Grove Street Cemetery in the 1790s pioneered several of the features that became standard like family plots and an established walkway grid. It i…
…
continue reading
1
185. Connecticut Industries Unite for WWII Victory: Pratt, Read & Co Gliders
39:40
39:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:40
In this episode, we uncover a Connecticut World War II story that features airplanes without engines. Sound crazy? You’ll learn how these engineless gliders helped beat the Nazis. Executive Producer Mary Donohue will also talk to the author of a new book that details the role that over 45 Connecticut companies played in producing the ammunition, we…
…
continue reading
1
184. The Borinqueneers: Puerto Rico’s Men of the 65th Regiment
30:32
30:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
30:32
In this episode, we celebrate and commemorate National Borinqueneers Day coming up on April 13th. It recognizes the bravery, service, and sacrifice of the 65th Infantry Regiment, a United States Army unit that consisted mostly of soldiers from Puerto Rico and the only segregated Latino unit in the United States Army. But the honor and fidelity of t…
…
continue reading
One of the most recognizable food brands in the world got started in a kitchen in Fairfield, Connecticut. In this episode, Natalie Belanger chats with historian Cathryn J. Prince about Margaret Rudkin, the woman who founded Pepperidge Farm. Read Prince's full-length article about Rudkin on the Connecticut Explored website here: https://www.ctexplor…
…
continue reading
1
182. Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution
50:00
50:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:00
Are they pirates, profiteers or legitimately authorized extensions of George Washington’s almost non-existent American Navy? We’ll find out with guest historian Eric Jay Dolin, author of Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American RevolutIon. Dolin will underscore an element missing from most maritime histories of the American Revolution: a ragtag …
…
continue reading
1
181. Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950
28:56
28:56
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
28:56
181. Hartford and the Great Migration, 1914-1950 In the February 4, 2024 issue of the New York Times, journalist Adam Mahoney describes the Great Migration as a time when millions of Black people left the South to escape segregation, servitude and lynching and went North in search of jobs and stable housing. In this episode, host Mary Donohue will …
…
continue reading
1
180. Colonial Connecticut: Sugar, Slavery and Connections to the West Indies
40:59
40:59
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:59
Although Connecticut sometimes seems like such a small, isolated place on the map, it was connected to the far-flung, complex, cosmopolitan British empire even in the 17th century. This year on Grating the Nutmeg, we’re going to explore Connecticut’s maritime history with episodes on Colonial Connecticut’s trade with the British colonies of the Car…
…
continue reading
1
179. Connecticut’s Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Hated Man
36:30
36:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:30
179. Connecticut’s Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Hated Man This is our first new episode for 2024 and we’ve got some big news! Thanks to you-our listeners-we had 30,106 downloads in 2023! That’s our best year ever! We have brand new Facebook and Instagram pages under Grating the Nutmeg-please follow us and you’ll get behind the scenes photos, sne…
…
continue reading
1
178. Mark Twain, Spiritualism and Ghost Stories
39:19
39:19
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:19
Did you ever think the universe was trying to tell you something? I just finished reading Anderson Cooper’s book on the Vanderbilt family. In it, he describes family patriarch Commodore Vanderbilt’s interest in Spiritualism and clairvoyance. Cooper writes “Evidence suggests that the Commodore had begun attending seances as early as 1864, but given …
…
continue reading
In this episode of Grating the Nutmeg, Natalie Belanger sits down with acclaimed crime writer M. William Phelps to get to the bottom of a notorious early 20th century Connecticut murder story. In the 1910s, Amy Archer Gilligan operated an innovative business in Windsor: a convalescent home for the ill and elderly. Her benevolent facade, however, hi…
…
continue reading
1
176. Witchcraft Uncovered: New Discoveries and Exonerations
33:21
33:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:21
Witchcraft accusations began in Connecticut in May, 1647, with the trial and execution of Alice Young of Windsor, 45 years before the better-known witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Connecticut had witchcraft accusation outbreaks in the early 1660s in Hartford and again in Fairfield in 1692, with criminal trials ending in 1697. In colonial Conne…
…
continue reading
1
175. Sleeping with the Ancestors in Connecticut
42:49
42:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:49
Podcast host and historic preservationist Mary Donohue started following a project on Facebook four or five years ago. It was based on a very simple idea-sleeping overnight in historic buildings-but it was also genius. The project was the Slave Dwelling Project. Joseph McGill,Jr., a Black historic preservationist and Civil War reenactor based in So…
…
continue reading
1
174. Asher Benjamin, Connecticut’s Early Builder and Architect 1773-1845
33:35
33:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:35
From the rural backwater of Hartland, Connecticut in 1773, Asher Benjamin would rise to become one of the most important figures of early American architecture. In addition to training as a skilled finish carpenter, he published the first architectural guidebooks-how-to books by an American-born author. These went through many editions and left a l…
…
continue reading
1
Social Studies Show: Episode 28- Fred Sands IV
57:29
57:29
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
57:29
Welcome to another exciting episode of the Social Studies show! Today, we are thrilled to introduce our special guest, Fred Sands IV, an exceptionally talented Art Director and Graphic Designer hailing from the vibrant city of New York. Fred Sands, IV has an impressive background, having served as the Design & Production Coordinator at PAPER Magazi…
…
continue reading
1
173. Baseball Runs in the Springer Family
39:12
39:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:12
This fall the Connecticut Museum is hosting the Smithsonian traveling exhibition ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas. It explores the historic role that baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the world, and how Latinos in particular have influenced and change…
…
continue reading
1
172. Connecticut Lighthouses: Lifesaving Beacons Along the Shore
33:11
33:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:11
In any gift shop in New England, you’ll probably find lighthouses pictured on tea towels and tee shirts and in snow globes. Lighthouses are fondly thought of as community landmarks and icons. Connecticut has fourteen active lighthouses, two of which are maintained as private aids to navigation; six are standing but inactive. Some are located on dry…
…
continue reading
1
171. Connecticut’s Very Pink House-Roseland Cottage
35:08
35:08
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:08
It’s the summer of Barbie. Barbiecore, an homage to the stylish doll, is everywhere in fashion and home furnishings. It’s time to think pink! So this episode is on Connecticut’s own Victorian Barbie Dream House - Roseland Cottage in Woodstock. How many shades of pink has Roseland Cottage been? We’ll find out! Executive Producer Mary Donohue talks t…
…
continue reading
1
Social Studies Show: Episode 27- Reggie Casagrande
41:21
41:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:21
In this episode, we're thrilled to introduce you to Reggie Casagrande, an integrated marketing powerhouse whose expertise in brand development, strategy, and digital communications is nothing short of awe-inspiring. With over a decade of experience under her belt, Reggie has carved a unique path in the industry, leaving an indelible mark on culture…
…
continue reading
1
170. Connecticut Senator George McLean Protects America’s Wild Birds
27:00
27:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
27:00
Connecticut Senator George P. McLean’s crowning achievement was overseeing passage of one of the country’s first and most important wildlife conservation laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The MBTA, which is still in effect today, has saved billions of birds from senseless killing and likely prevented the extinction of entire bird species…
…
continue reading
1
Social Studies Show: Episode 26- Amy V. Cooper pt. 02
40:54
40:54
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:54
The second part of Amy V. Cooper's Social Studies Show dives into the details of the photography business. She gives a window to the perspective of creatives looking to get their work out to brands as well as working through the ethics of finding the right clients and partners. Amy brings over 25 years of experience in the photography industry to t…
…
continue reading
1
169. Connecticut’s 17th Regiment Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg
37:21
37:21
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:21
This episode was recorded on July 5th, 2023 just two days after the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg-the turning point of the American Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. It’s been said that there are over 5,000 books written about the three-da…
…
continue reading
1
Social Studies Show: Episode 25- Amy V. Cooper pt. 01
39:24
39:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:24
On this episode of the Social Studies Show we have AMY V. Cooper. Amy is a photography consultant, creative business mentor, marketing strategist, thought partner, and mindset coach with over 25 years of experience in the photography industry. She has worked as a photographer agent, advertising agency art buyer, and entertainment & magazine photo e…
…
continue reading
1
168. Connecticut’s Cape Verdean Community
44:31
44:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:31
In this episode of Grating the Nutmeg, Natalie Belanger of the Connecticut Museum of History and Culture chats with some members of Connecticut’s Cape Verdean community to learn about the culture’s deep roots in the state. Roberta Vincent has been a passionate advocate for the Cape Verdean community in her home town of Norwich, Connecticut for deca…
…
continue reading
