Society honored for ‘Vanished Port’

MIDDLETOWN >> The Middlesex County Historical Society was recently granted The Connecticut League of History Organizations Award of Merit for its show, “A Vanished Port: Middletown & the Caribbean, 17501824.”

“The exhibit depicts the luxurious life of merchants and sea captains as evidenced by the society’s furniture and decorative arts collections, but also shows that Middletown’s prosperity rested on the suffering of enslaved workers in the sugar monoculture of the English Caribbean,” according to a press release.

The award is a prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of Connecticut history.

The collection on display at the Middlesex Historical Society’s General Mansfield House, 151 Main St., paints a portrait of Middletown, an important New England port during the sugar trade in the West Indies and shows that the city’s wealth rested on the slaves who worked the sugar plantations of the Caribbean.

Museum hours are Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year, CLHO will confer 13 awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, books and organizations. Presentations will be made at a ceremony during the 2017 CLHO annual conference in Meriden June 5.

The CLHO presents the award of Merit to institutions and individuals who demonstrate the highest of professional standards, and who enhance and further the understanding of Connecticut history, the release continues. The purpose is to recognize the care, thought and effort invested in these contributions and to inspire and encourage others by acknowledging exceptional contributions to state and local history.

For information, see mchsct.org or to register for the conference, visit clho.org.

FILE PHOTO Middletown was a pewter center in the early 19th century.

FILE PHOTO “Vanished Port” is on display at the Middlesex Historical Society’s General Mansfield House, 151 Main St., Middletown.