Wood Memorial Library was built in 1926 as a library for the Town of South Windsor on historic Main Street. After the Town’s library vacated the building, the Friends of Wood Memorial Library & Museum (the Friends) was incorporated in 1971 to operate the building and offer programming. Our mission is to make “history, nature and the arts come alive” and our geographic focus is the history of South Windsor and the central Connecticut River valley. Today, the Friends continues to offer educational and cultural programming such as lectures, author events, concerts, workshops and a variety of print and digital publications. We also offer a children’s public lending library and permanent and rotating displays of art and museum objects. For decades, field trips on local history have been offered, which continue today primarily for third graders.
The Friends also promotes preservation and learning through its archive, special collections and research support about the history of South Windsor, its residents and the surrounding region, from the pre-contact era of northeast Woodland Native Americans to today. Collections include a historical archive (including researched and curated historic house and building files), a reference library, oral history collection and Native American artifacts and ecofacts. The majority of these collections are digitized and searchable online.
In 2021, to expand upon Native American field trip programming, the Friends opened a permanent outdoor museum of Indigenous life, called Nowashe Village, on a c. 1 acre wooded lot directly behind Wood Memorial Library. Nowashe Village features two wigwams, a classroom-sized Sachem’s House, a Three Sisters Garden, multiple gathering spaces and trails lined with native plants. It is unique to the Hartford area and we welcome the public through regular self-guided open hours, special event programming and private education programs for public and private schools, homeschool groups, senior centers and other community organizations.
In 2023, a historic house and barn near the Wood Memorial Library was donated to the Friends to further our vision of an educational campus of history and the humanities. The property, known as the Vibert House and Barn, is steeped in Main Street history. The modest farmhouse with Greek Revival elements was constructed in 1845, the year South Windsor was incorporated. It is believed that the 20×30 English style barn dates to 1845 as well. While the house is currently rented, our vision is to refurbish the barn and open it to the public to complement and expand Early American programming and exhibits.
The Friends are guided by a Board of Directors, a part-time paid staff and a dedicated corps of volunteers, all supported by generous donations from the community.
Mission Statement
Where history, nature and the arts come alive, and community thrives.
Values
Authenticity, Quality, Preservation, Inspiring, Welcoming
2022-2025 Strategic Goals
- Remain relevant by focusing on inspiring and welcoming programs, exhibits and collections that prioritize active participation and meaningful engagement.
- Update our overall financial model.
- Examine our needs for physical operations and storage.
- Invest in capacity building to meet our mission.
Achievements and Awards
2022 Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of History Organizations