EXHIBITS

SCHOOLS

LESSONS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

This exhibit will highlight the development of the public school system in Bristol from the hiring of the first school master, Samuel Cobbitt, in 1685 to the struggle to keep our students learning through the pandemic. The exhibit will feature photographs of Bristol schools and students as well as 19th century school artifacts, including schoolbooks, writing slates, merit slips, and school bells.

MOM & POP BUSINESSES 

OF BRISTOL'S PAST

Our current exhibit is a collection of historic photographs, business cards, posters, signs, and other objects from businesses of Bristol's past, focusing on the Mom and Pop's that made Bristol very unique. 

While we are closed due to COVID-19, please enjoy the slide shows of photographs and ephemera associated with those lost businesses.

BURNSIDE EXHIBIT

Under Construction

THE FACES 

OF THE BRISTOL RUBBER INDUSTRY

The rubber boom had quite an impact on Bristol and its urban environment. While many people are familiar with the National India Rubber Co.'s building on Wood Street, Bristol was home to seven factories that made products using rubber. During the 100 years that rubber products were made in Bristol, thousands of Bristolians worked in the factories. Job safety and security were among the many issues they faced on a regular basis.  The exhibit highlights the history of these factories and documents their locations in and around the town.

DIFFERENT TOOLS, 

DIFFERENT VIEWS

We all use tools to observe, learn, work, and communicate. Tools serve as extensions of ourselves, designed to help us learn what we can do as well as overcome the natural limitations of our bodies.  Selected by our staff, the 60 objects in our exhibit highlight common tools used by Bristolians of varying genders, ages, and socioeconomic classes.  

NEVER DONE: 

WOMEN'S WORK

The lives of women during the 17th and 18th centuries were vastly different than today’s American woman. The accepted role was to get married, have children, and (most importantly) obey their husbands.  Although the majority of women chose to stay home, where society believed a woman should be, some ventured out into the working world to work for others in order to support themselves and their families.  But whether a woman sought paid employment, or stayed at home to work in the domestic realm, she was always working.