The series of programs on West Hartford history at the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society will continue this summer.

Submitted by Sarah M. St. Germain, Public Programs Manager

Women and higher education will be the topic of one of the lectures this summer at the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. Courtesy photo is of Selden-Wellsey girls. courtesy

This summer, learn about West Hartford’s fascinating history with the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. The West Hartford History Series continues in June, July, and August with three new local topics: women and higher education, West Hartford’s architecture, and the flood of 1955.

The programs will take place on Tuesday, June 23; Tuesday, July 28; and Wednesday, August 19 at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, June 23 at 7 p.m., Dr. Jennifer Cote will discuss Women and Higher Education: A West Hartford History. Cote received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and a PhD from Boston College. She is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Saint Joseph and director of the university’s first-year seminar program.

Trolley cars and new-fangled automobiles brought house buyers by the hundreds to West Hartford during the early part of the last century. On July 28 at 7 p.m., explore West Hartford’s neighborhoods and iconic house types with award-winning architectural historian Mary M. Donohue in Bungalows, Four-squares and Triple-deckers: West Hartford’s 20^th-Century Residential Architecture.

NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan will discuss the Flood of 1955 as part of the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society’s summer series on local history. Courtesy photo of flooding in Beachland Park.

On Wednesday, August 19 at 7 p.m., Ryan Hanrahan, a meteorologist at NBC30, will show the Flood Story Special, produced by WKNB Channel 30 in 1956. The film features stories from around the state after the devastating flood that affected Connecticut in August of 1955. After the film screening, Hanrahan will discuss the meteorological circumstances behind the flood. Attendees are encouraged to share their stories of the flood.

All of the lectures are free to museum members and $5 for the general public.

The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is located in the restored birthplace and childhood home of Noah Webster. Webster was a national figure known not only for the first American dictionary and the Blue-Backed Speller, but also for being a federalist, an abolitionist and a cofounder of Amherst College. The historic house and exhibit spaces are open daily 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. seven days per week for the summer. For information on the museum’s extensive school and public programs, please visit us at www.noahwebsterhouse.org or call (860) 521-5362.