Wood Memorial Library's
March Lecture Series
Wednesdays March 5, 12, 19 & 26 at 7:30 pm. Cost $10/session or $35/series
MasterCard and VISA will be accepted at the door.

Is “Global Economy” a recent phenomenon? The press would have us believing that; but this year's Lecture Series at Wood Memorial Library will delve into some of the findings to show that this is not the case.

The Spring Lecture Series at Wood has become a major cultural event in the Connecticut River Valley for many years. This year's Series, “The Global Economy, 18 th Century Style”, will run on Wednesday evenings March 5, 12, 19 and 26, at 7:30 each evening.

The interchange of products and ideas around the Atlantic basin rim of the 17 th and 18 th centuries, is proving to be more extensive than previously known, and Connecticut River Valley farmers and merchants, along with compatriots in New York , played staring roles in these ventures. Intrigue, espionage, scandal, shipwrecks, and pirates of the Caribbean are among the plots and characters, famous and infamous.

On Wednesday March 5, Joseph Avitable's topic will be “Connecticut Horse-Traders: A vital link in the 18 th C. Atlantic Economy”, In the 100 years prior to the American Revolution, Connecticut dominated the export trade in livestock.

Gladys Macdonough will discuss “Wethersfield Onions, 1738-1838: the Myth, the Maidens, and the Business” on Wednesday March 12. The symbol of the red onion has become synonymous with Wethersfield . The women of town played a significant role in the international trade of this commodity.

“Trading with the Enemy and the Roots of the American Revolution” is the subject of Joseph Truxes's talk on March 19. The Connecticut Colony played a large role in what became a huge illicit business in foreign trade during the pre-Revolutionary War years.

Joseph Avitable returns on March 26 to speak on “The Importance of Overseas Trade in Everyday Life of Colonial Connecticut”. Avitable has drawn extensive documentation for his two presentations from Wood Memorial Library's archives. Among these are the bills of lading and ledgers from Wood's collection of Ebenezer Grant artifacts.

The Lecture Series will also demonstrate the kinds of documents and objects preserved in Wood Memorial Library's archives. The Library has recently completed a renovation of its archive facilities, doubling the storage space available, with rolling steel shelves, drawers, and project stations. Also, as part of its 2006-2007 expansion, the Library installed a state of the art fire detection system and a “water bug” to sound the alarm should any water get into the archives.

The lectures are $10 each, or $35 for the entire series, payable either by check to Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main Street , South Windsor , CT 06074 , or at the door. MasterCard and VISA will be accepted at the door as well.

The Spring Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.

For more information, please call
the Wood Memorial Library at 289-1783