Mansfield Historical Society Museum Opening Reception

Since last October, the Mansfield Historical Society has been running a series called Lost Mansfield Facebook Series on social media that features historic buildings in Mansfield that have been lost. The new exhibit, Those Endangered and Those Saved, focuses on historic preservation. It features photographs of historic buildings in town that are in danger of being lost, such as the deteriorating buildings at the former Mansfield Training School and at Spring Manor Farm. Kathryn Myers, Professor of Painting at the University of Connecticut, has brought her artistic eye to the documentation of these decaying buildings. Her photographs are the centerpiece of the new exhibition. For many years she has been photographing old buildings in Connecticut and other locations for her photographic series Revival, Survival and Ruin.

The exhibit also features examples of once endangered buildings that have been saved, either through restoration or repurposing. Two good examples of successful restoration projects are the Ash house, an 18th century dwelling that originally sat next to Mansfield Supply, and the Claude McDaniels house on Wormwood Hill. Both were restored by Gregory Cichowski. There are also several examples of old public buildings that were successfully repurposed. The Audrey Beck Municipal Center, the Mansfield Public Library and Lenard Hall, the new home for the Community School of the Arts, are all repurposed school buildings.

The two town-owned buildings that the Mansfield Historical Society currently occupies also fall into the endangered category. A section of the exhibit examines the history of the Old Town Hall and the former Town Office Building and some of the condition issues that they face. The Historical Society is currently partnering with the Town in applying for a Historic Restoration Fund Grant from the State Historic Preservation Office.

Following the opening, the Mansfield Historical Society Museum will be open every Saturday and Sunday, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. through the end of September. Admission is $5.00/adult; free for children and MHS members. Masks and social distancing are required. The museum is located at 954 Storrs Road (Route 195), across from the First Baptist Church.