Under the Charter Oak

Connecticut's Revolution, Season 1.5 Ep. 3: King George III Statue Fragment

In the 1770s, Americans had big feelings about King George III, so much so that a 4,000 pound lead sculpture of him that was installed in 1770 on Bowling Green, New York, was torn down by 1776. Dramatic as that sounds, what happens to 4,000 pounds of anything? And how did a caped shoulder of the statue end up at the Museum of Connecticut History? As usual, every item has a story.   Learn about King George III, his statue, and why we have a piece of the sculpture on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution. Credit:  "Royal Coupling"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future! The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Connecticut's Revolution, Season 1.5 Ep. 2: The 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons Flag

The 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons was made up of hundreds of brave soldiers, one of which was Private Joseph Robins, an Indigenous man who may have belonged to the Nipmuc, Pequot, Mohegan, or Narragansett nations. While we don't know why he enlisted in the military, we're able to follow a bit of his journey through his wife Elizabeth Robins. What we do know is that he was chosen by George Washington as one of 20 soldiers to receive Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown! Learn about the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons and Private Joseph Robins on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution. Credit:  "Royal Coupling"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Connecticut's Revolution, Season 1.5 Ep. 1: Colonel Elisha Bostwick's Pocket Watch

Colonel Elisha Bostwick's pocket watch is more than just a time keeper. It's an object that carries us across the ice-choked Delaware with George Washington to Trenton, New Jersey on a journey to battle German soldiers. Learn about Colonel Elisha Bostwick, his pocket watch, and the journey to battle on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution. Credit:  "Royal Coupling"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Under the Charter Oak, Season 1.5 Trailer

What stories could possibly come from a pocket watch, a flag, a sculpted shoulder, a brick, a portrait, and a napkin? Our colleagues from the Museum will be sharing information, not only about the items, but the people and stories behind them. You can expect mutiny, lies, Trumbulls, Putnams, and word has it, we might not have won the American Revolution without the tiny state of Connecticut. Buckle up as we preserve the past to inform the future in Small but Mighty: Connecticut’s Revolution, episode 1 of 6 launches May 27, 2026. The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Never More Than 15 Minutes Away!

In this lively episode of Under the Charter Oak, Ashley, Kym, and Matt welcome a special guest from outside the library world, Kristen Bellantuono from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks. Kristen oversees beloved statewide programs including No Child Left Inside, and the long‑running Sky’s the Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge, which will probably occupy the rest of Kym's year, that leaderboard is everything to her. Together the group discuss how DEEP works to make outdoor recreation safe, educational, and accessible for everyone. Which state parks will you visit this year? What we’re reading: Connecticut State Parks: A Centennial History [https://ctdeepstore.com/products/connecticut-state-parks-a-centennial-history] Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/780686/yesteryear-a-gma-book-club-pick-by-caro-claire-burke/] The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/555989/the-childrens-blizzard-by-melanie-benjamin/] Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/183598/cutting-for-stone-by-abraham-verghese/]  Still Live by Louise Penny [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250403865/stilllifedeluxeedition/] Resource we mentioned: Sky's the Limit [https://ctparks.com/skys-the-limit-hiking-challenge] No Child Left Inside  [https://ctparks.com/NCLI] Credit: “Wholesome” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/be/3.0/ [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/be/3.0/] The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!