KENT, CONN.—The Kent Historical Society has received a 2026 Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of Museums for its “Homespun Kent Revolutionary Households” exhibit and programming.
of the “Homespun Kent: Revolutionary Households,” which highlights the historical significance of home-spinning as a symbol of independence. Photo bt Kathryn Boughton
Throughout the summer, the society has explored the ways that the War for Independence was supported on the homefront, focusing on the efforts women made in the resistance by refusing to purchase British goods and resorting to home manufacture of textiles and clothing.
A booklet accompanying the exhibit details the labor that went into that effort, citing, for example, the experience of a Colonial girl of the period.
“In the period from dawn to sundown, she spun, mended several gowns and a riding hood, spun linen, worked on the cheese basket, pleated, ironed, did 51 pounds of flax, read a sermon, milked the cows, made a broom of guinea wheat straw, spun thread, set a red dye, taught two students, spun harness twine, scoured the pewter and did her share of washing, cooking, knitting, weeding the garden, plucking geese, dipping candles and making soap.”
The exhibit, on view weekends through the end of October, recreates a period store on one side, while other rooms show the implements a household would have used in textile and clothing production.
The Connecticut League of Museums’ annual Awards of Merit recognize excellence in museum work by individuals and organizations here in Connecticut. Since 1950, the League has supported museums, historical societies, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions like ours across the state.
Through a partnership with the Public History program at Central Connecticut State University, the league unifies and strengthens our state’s museums and cultural resources to expand their capacity and community impact.
