New Haven Museum Debuts Whitney Literary Society Book Club

NEW HAVEN, CT — "While July 4, 1776, is considered the birthdate of America, it is the events prior to and since that define much of our shared history," the New Haven Museum noted in a news release about the January 2026 debut of its Whitney Literary Society book club.

Described as an informal, bimonthly book discussion, members will "delve into that colorful history, and focus largely on New Haven, which was once the center of governance, education, trade, and culture in Connecticut."

Participation in the club, set to begin Jan. 29, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., is free, with museum admission. Registration is required. (Snow date, Thursday, February 5, 2026.)

“This book group is ideal for New Haven enthusiasts who are eager to explore the city's history and want to experience that history firsthand with original documents and manuscripts,” said Librarian Emma Norden, who researched and developed the project.

Each Whitney Literary Society event will include a discussion of a book and either an up-close viewing of materials in the New Haven Museum’s vast collection, a visit from an author, or a guided tour of a related exhibit. Visitors may register to read and discuss any or all of the books.

The year-long series will progress through the Puritan, colonial, and industrial eras into more contemporary New Haven history. The first discussion will include several chapters from “The Case of the Piglet's Paternity: Trials from the New Haven Colony, 1619-1963” by Jon C. Blue, which explores judicial trials in the early New Haven Colony. “These stories of real people are riveting,” Norden says, “Especially chapters 24 and 30, which involve indentured servitude, and divorce, which was highly unusual in the 1600s.” The event will include a rare viewing of the original town records of New Haven.

On March 26, 2026, the series continues with “Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London,” by Connecticut author Eric Lehman. Norden notes that interest in Arnold has increased in recent years, and Arnold’s life, career, and motivations will be popular topic on the state and national level. The discussion corresponding with Lehman’s book will include a showing of the Whitney Library’s impressive Benedict Arnold Manuscript Collection.

Also in the series will be “Captive of the Labyrinth,” by Mary Jo Ignoffo, the first full-length biography of Sarah Winchester of New Haven, who was the subject of the movie “Winchester,” starring Helen Mirren.

Other books in the series are: “Pizza in New Haven,” by Colin Caplan, “Griswold V. Connecticut: Contraception and the Right of Privacy,” by Susan Wawrose, and “Murder in Model City: The Black Panthers, Yale, And the Redemption of a Killer,” by Paul Bass and Douglas W. Rae.

The Whitney Literary Society is offered in partnership with the New Haven Free Public Library, allowing easy access to the books in the series. Registrants can opt to have The Whitney Library reserve a copy of each book at the main branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. For questions and additional details email library@newhavenmuseum.org.

About NH250

This event is part of NH250, an ongoing series of programming developed by New Haven Museum to complement “America 250.” Culminating with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present.

About the Whitney Library

The Whitney Library in the New Haven Museum is open to anyone interested in the past of the city of New Haven. With tens of thousands of documents, books, and archives, the Whitney Library is the most expansive collection of New Haven texts in the city.

About the New Haven Museum

The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. As a Blue Star Museum, the New Haven Museum offers the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, free admission all year. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.