Hartford

Playing Against Type: Finding The Keys To History In The Basement

by Jamil Ragland | Apr 11, 2024 10:57 am

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Posted to: Museum

The American Revolution Experience Traveling Exhibit/Hartford History Exhibit
CT Old State House
Hartford
April 9, 2024

I’m not a big fan of the American Revolution.

I find it difficult to take the exercise in freedom fighting that the Revolutionary War represents when enslavement was happening at the same time and persisted for nearly a hundred years after Thomas Jefferson penned his famous words about all men being created equal. The whole thing reeks of self-serving hypocrisy.

Still, I try every so often to give it another chance, which is what drew me to the Old State House in the center of downtown Hartford to see the American Revolution Experience Traveling Exhibit. I tried to go in with an open mind. Whatever I feel about that time period, I could stand to learn more about it. 

To its credit, the exhibit did grapple with the contradiction of fighting for freedom while holding other human beings in bondage. Most interesting was the story of Harry Washington, who was enslaved by none other than George Washington himself. He ran away and joined a Loyalist regiment to fight against the Patriots in exchange for his freedom. His ultimate reward was to be sent to Nova Scotia after the British defeat, where life was so hard that he left for Sierra Leone — where he fought the British.

I looked through the rest of the exhibit, but still couldn’t get myself interested in the Revolution. I recalled that the young lady at the front desk had told me there was also an exhibit in the lower part of the State House that was sponsored by the Connecticut Historical Society. 

Now this was the stuff that I found interesting.

The exhibit was a general history of Hartford and some of its most influential inventions and industries since the 19th century. I was drawn towards a display of an old-fashioned bicycle, apparently known as a ​“high wheeler” when it was invented in 1878. The first bicycles manufactured in the country came from Hartford; soon the Pope Manufacturing Company was turning out a bicycle every minute.

Next to the bike was an exhibit featuring one of my secret desires: I’ve always wanted an old-timey typewriter, on which you had to slide the carriage back into place to keep writing. It’s way less convenient than a computer (not to mention how would I even file my stories), but the click-clack of the keys and the various mechanical sounds have always appealed to me. With both the Royal Typewriter Company and the Underwood Typewriter Company located in the city, Hartford was one of the global leaders for typewriter manufacturing. Royal Typewriter’s Hartford facility closed in 1972.

As much as I love the grand sweep of history with its battles, depressions and movements, what I enjoy most is the trivia-like minutiae of various places. For example, did you know that the modern pay phone was invented here in Greater Hartford? As the story goes, William Gray was an employee at Pratt and Whitney. His wife became ill. When he went to a nearby factory to use their phone, he was turned away. Eventually he found a phone, but was determined to invent a phone that was accessible for all. He improved on pay phones which had attendants to collect payment by making them coin operated. His Gray Telephone Pay Station Company became one of the largest employers in the city.

After visiting two different historical periods in one day, I’d had my fill of interesting new things to know. I appreciate the Old State House because it remains one of the best repositories for Connecticut history around, no matter your preference. 

NEXT
The CT Old State House is open Monday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m., with special hours on some Thursdays until 8.

Jamil heads back to the theater to check out a new play.

Tags: Hartford , CT Old State House , history , American Revolution