Explore

We invite you to explore the past and learn about how we have become who we are – and how you have become who you are.

• New London harbor on the Thames River has always been the primary driver of our regional economy
• The Connecticut Maritime Heritage Corridor – running from the Connecticut River, the western boundary of the county, to the Pawcatuck River that separates Connecticut from Rhode Island – holds an unprecedented concentration of national-level maritime heritage sites.
• The Shaw Mansion – home to the New London County Historical Society – was the Revolutionary War headquarters for Connecticut’s Navy and can share the story of the role of privateering – commerce-raiding on the British during that war – better than any other historic site in the United States.
• New London became the second largest whaling port in America by the middle of the 19^th century as we lubricated and lighted an industrial revolution. The legacy of the wealth generated by that exploitation of the ocean’s resources lives on in the architecture and social services in the city, and beyond.
• Family genealogies have always been an interest of members of the historical society and a rich record of many families can be found in our research room.
• Scholarly research in our collection has led to a number of published books, dissertations and theses, as well as exhibitions, articles, term papers and projects.