Program at 7:30 p.m. - Judith duPont of Stonington, author of "The Stonington Tragedy:  Murder at Darling Hill", will discuss the story behind her book.  She tells the true story of a grisly murder that occurred in 1874 at a prosperous farm overlooking Quiambaug Cove, supported by extensive research in town records and newspapers of the period.  Henry and Maria Langworthy left their farm on a stormy Sunday evening in April to attend a temperance meeting in Mystic.  They returned home to find their adored young son slain at the kitchen table.  Ms. duPont's tale covers the murder, the trial, its aftermath and the later lives of the surviving members of the family; as well as the story between the lines, of the wide fissures that opened between classes and occupations in Stonington before and after the murder.

Ms. du Pont's book on the subject has been published by Stonington Historical Society, as the inaugural volume in a series of monographs on local history called The Ramsbotham Editions, in honor of a longtime president of that society, Capt. Robert J. Ramsbotham.

After a full and early breakfast, we go to Gloucester for a morning whale watching expedition.  We will have lunch on the waterfront and then visit the Judith Sargent House and Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, both within a very short walk or bus ride of the docks.  We will head for Mystic shortly after 4 p.m. and should be home in time for dinner.

Our first departure will be at the Red Caboose, Olde Mistick Village, at 7:30 a.m., and the second at Stoneridge at 7:45 a.m.  The bus does have a bathroom.

Included in the cost of $375 sharing or $460 single are transportation, hotel and full buffet breakfast, dinner, all admissions, the whale watch trip, snacks, and cancellation insurance.  A nonrefundable deposit of $150 per person is due at the time of signup to secure your space.  We require a minimum of 25 participants to go and we will refund your deposit should we not meet this number.  Final payment is due by April 10, 2008.  Checks should be made out to MRHS and mailed to P. O. Box 245, Mystic, CT 06355.  You are welcome to call Joyce Everett at 536-6339 and let her know that you want to be on the list and that a check is on its way.

Summer 2008

Sunday, June 22
through
Sunday, September 7

Tuesdays 9-12 a.m.
Wednesdays 1-4 p.m.
Thursdays 1-4 p.m.
Sundays 1-4 p.m.

Three special events are scheduled:
- Sunday, June 22:  Opening Day and Strawberry Festival
- July 27:  Grandparents' Day
- September 7:  '38 Hurricane Remembrances

MRHS has created 7 self-guided Family Activity Centers.  Each Center includes inspirational wall art, directions, and all materials needed.  Some activities include items to be taken home; some centers focus on activities on-site.
- Knot Tying and Signal Flags:  Practice your own knot-tying skills and learn how signal flags were used to communicate at sea; color a signal flag sheet to take home.
- Boat Building:  Using a wooden hull and a variety of wooden parts, design and build your own boat to take home.
- Bridges:  Using the "Erector Set" donated by Mystical Toys, try your hand at constructing your version of one of the several Mystic River Bridges.
- Grandma's Attic:  Mystic memorabilia and treasures fill this "attic".  Browse and poke to your heart's content among the 19th century toys and games, and try on the old-fashioned dress-up clothes for your own vintage fashion show.
- Journals:  49'ers heading to the California Gold Fields; ship captains; shopkeepers; farmers; school children; teachers and housewives...nearly everyone who could write, kept a journal.  Make your own journal to take home, and plan to write in it daily, or to record a special trip.
- Sandbox:  Last year this center featured Ft. Rachel.  This year the theme is the 1938 Hurricane.  Use the sandbox to depict the destruction left by this storm; or sandcastles; or whatever your imagination suggests!
- Quilts and Cross Stitch:  In the 19th century, both boys and girls learned to sew, so they could mend their own clothes.  Quilting and embroidering were practical and decorative and also provided a chance to socialize.  Instead of using needle and thread, you will use paper and markers to make a quilt square or a cross-stitched sampler.