The Historical Society brings our town's history into your lives through its newsletter, events, publications and the Gaylord House Museum. The Society is volunteer run and depends on membership dues, donations and volunteers!
The Hartland Historical Society was founded by Stanley Ransom, Sr. in 1954 with the assistance of Alice Parmelee and Jeffrey Ransom. Stanley A. Ransom was the Societies first President. In 1983-4, Paul Crunden encouraged the Hartland Historical Society to take on the renovation of the Gaylord House to showcase the Societies expanding collections. In 1989 the circa 1845 Gaylord House Museum opened after a locally supported renovation effort and celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2014.
Built in 1845 by noted Architect, Elias Gilman. In 1854 the house and land was deeded to Giles M. Lawton. Giles Brother, Joseph was the Grandparent of Samuel A. Lawton (b.1845), a Civil War private from Hartland. The Museum is open the first Sunday of the Month, May through October from 2-4 pm. The Museum is also open for publicized events and is located at 141 Center Street, West Hartland, Ct.
The Hartland Historical Society's mission is to discover, procure, and preserve whatever historical facts may be available relating to the civil, military, literary, cultural and ecclesiastical history of the town of Hartland: and to investigate and preserve such traditions and knowledge as now exists only in the memory of persons. The Society will be responsible for the sponsoring and exhibiting of the collection of historical articles, pictures, and other items relating to the town.