05/23/2026
It's membership drive time! ...but you can sign up from the comfort of your own home, unlike George.
Wether you're joining us for the first time or renewing, we welcome your participation. Core membership benefits include: free admission to Seven Hearths Museum, members-only events, discounts on programs including lectures and workshops, newsletter subscription by mail, “View from Studio Hill” E-news, listing in the KHS Annual Report, and a museum shop discount of 10%. For more information, please see: www.kenthistory.org/support.
Did you know that George Washington wore a suit of Connecticut homespun for his first inauguration? By wearing American-made textiles rather than luxury British fabrics, Washington established a powerful symbol of political independence and support for domestic industry. The understated, yet well-made brown suit of fine cloth manufactured by Wadsworth’s Hartford Woolen Manufactory. The cloth was so exquisite that the next day, several patriotically-inclined newspapers criticized Washington for wearing a suit of imported, foreign-made fabric, believing it impossible to obtain such high quality wool from an American factory. Washington was happy to provide the receipts that proved his suit was made of Hartford-produced wool. (www.todayincthistory.org).
