Prudence Crandall Museum

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Prudence Crandall Museum

Museum is the site of the 1831-1834 Canterbury Female Boarding School; a National Historic Landmark & International Site of Conscience. "Crandall v.

The Prudence Crandall Museum is the site of the Canterbury Female Boarding School and a National Historic Landmark located in Canterbury, CT. In 1832, Crandall, the white principal of the Canterbury Female Boarding School, was approached by a young Black woman named Sarah Harris asking to attend the school. Encouraged by conversations with both Harris and Maria Davis, a Black woman who shared copi

es of the Abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator" with her, Crandall agreed to admit Harris. When residents protested the school’s integration and parents threatened to withdraw their students, Crandall closed her school and reopened in 1833 for non-white students. Students traveled from several states. Connecticut responded by passing the “Black Law,” which prevented out-of-state Black and Brown people from attending school in Connecticut towns without local town approval. Crandall was arrested, spent one night in jail, and faced three court trials before the case was dismissed. In September 1834, a nighttime mob attack closed the school. These events made national and international news in the 1830s and galvanized the burgeoning Abolitionist movement. Many of the students, such as Julia Williams, Mary Miles, and Mary Harris, went on to become educators, reformers, and leaders in their communities. Connecticut" impacted two U.S. Supreme Court decisions and laid the framework for the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Prudence Crandall Museum is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Owned by the State of Connecticut, the Museum is operated by the State Historic Preservation Office.

08/30/2026

Need a reason to visit the Prudence Crandall Museum? How about three really GREAT reasons? We're open for tours today at 11:30 am and 3 pm. We hope you can join us!

Whether you're a history buff or just looking for a fun day out, the Prudence Crandall Museum has got you covered. Prepare to be inspired, educated, and maybe even a little bit awestruck by the incredible story of those who dared to defy a town, a state, and the nation. Here are three reasons to vis...

08/29/2026

"I had no idea the story here was this big!" --visitor, 7/26/26

The museum is open by guided tour Friday--Monday through the end of October. Tour times: Friday & Monday: 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, & 3 pm. Saturday & Sunday: 11:30 am & 3 pm. We hope to see you soon!

08/24/2026

Did you know that Connecticut has a Women's Heritage Trail, and that the Prudence Crandall Museum is a part of it? Come learn about how these brave women played a role in shaping the nation--our tours are conversational! Open today for tours at 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 3 pm!

The Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail connects you with places across the state where remarkable women lived, worked, created, organized, and changed history.

Explore the sites and stories of Connecticut women who made lasting contributions as scientists, doctors, educators, artists, innovators, athletes, activists, and leaders. Whether you are planning a family outing, a classroom visit, or a day trip, the trail offers meaningful ways to experience women’s history in the places where it happened.

Visit the Connecticut Women’s Heritage Trail website below and click the pictures for information.

cwhf.org/connecticut-womens-heritage-trail

08/22/2026

This is the kind of misattribution of Sarah Harris Fayerweather as Maria W. Stewart that the museum is working to correct.

Boston, 1832. A Black woman climbed onto a public platform and did something no American woman, of any race, had ever done before: she addressed a mixed audience of men and women, Black and white, in public.

Her name was Maria W. Stewart. Widowed at 26 and denied any inheritance from her husband's estate, she had every reason to disappear into grief. Instead, she picked up a pen, then a podium. In 1831, she published a pamphlet demanding the abolition of slavery and Black self determination. A year later, she stood before the New England Anti Slavery Society and asked the question that still echoes: "Why sit ye here and die?"

She told Black Americans to stop waiting for permission to be free. She told women their minds were as capable as any man's. She did this in an era when a woman's voice in public was scandal enough, let alone a Black woman calling out slavery and injustice by name.

The backlash was fi*rce. Her speaking career lasted barely three years. But the door she forced open never closed again. Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells walked through it after her.

Maria Stewart didn't fight with weapons. She fought with words no one else dared to say out loud first.

Image credit: Wikipedia

08/21/2026

The 11:30 am tour on Saturday, 8/22 is SOLD OUT. There are still tickets available for the 3 pm tour.

photo courtesy of The Last Green Valley.

08/20/2026

SHPO archaeologist Cathy Labadia leads a small team in an exploratory dig on the northside of the museum in prepration for a dry well installation. Findings included cut nails, glass shards, some pipe stems, and a button!

08/17/2026

"This is a great tour. I would recommend this to anyone. So interesting!" --visitor, 8/8/25 Spend a rainy day with us and learn how the Canterbury Female Boarding School played a role in shaping the nation! Tours today at: 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, & 3 pm. We hope you can join us!

08/14/2026

Shared with Prudence Crandall by Maria Davis, the writings of Maria Stewart in "The Liberator" had a significant impact on Crandall's decision to educate Maria Davis, Sarah Harris, and other Black and Brown young women. Stewart wrote, "Let every female heart become united...we might be able to lay the corner-stone for the building of a High School, that the higher branches of knowledge might be enjoyed by us."

--from "Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality," October, 1831

Maria Stewart was one of the first women in America to speak publicly and professionally about political issues. As a young widow, Maria supported herself through writing for William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, and speaking engagements, among other incomes. She passionately advocated for justice, the importance of education, and Black women’s equality. A “Production” of the remarks she delivered to the “First African Baptist Church & Society” in Boston in 1835 is currently on display in the American Reflections exhibit, on loan from the American Antiquarian Society. Learn more about American Reflections at https://www.osv.org/american-reflections/

08/03/2026

Flat Roger visited the "Prudence Crandall and Student" statue at the State Capitol in Hartford! There's more to learn about Crandall's Canterbury Female Boarding School here at the Prudence Crandall Museum!

Two Connecticut changemakers, one unforgettable meeting. Flat Roger stopped by the Capitol to visit Prudence Crandall, another state hero who stood up for what she believed was right. Who will you meet on your ? Learn more about Roger Sherman and how to take him on a civic journey at https://ow.ly/WYTE50Zsab8 Learn more about Prudence Crandall, Connecticut's official state heroine, at https://ow.ly/EC5650Zsab7

Address

1 South Canterbury Road (Junctions Of Routes 14 & 169)
Canterbury, CT
06331

Telephone

(860) 546-7800

Website

https://portal.ct.gov/ECD-PrudenceCrandallMuseum

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