Library &
Resources
Whether you are looking for information on historic figures of New Canaan, property, rural cemeteries, a business or organization, Center School, town events, or architecture and antiques, the Museum’s Library is the place to go. With more than 3500 books, a digitized newspaper collection, and hundreds of subject files and vintage photographs, there is no shortage of resources to explore.
The Library is open Tuesday-Saturday 10-4 or by appointment and is located in the Society’s headquarters, the Town House, 13 Oenoke Ridge Road, New Canaan.
The New Canaan Historical Society maintains a large, well-focused research library of more than 3,500 volumes, specializing in local history, regional history, and genealogy. The Library includes an extensive collection of manuscripts, deeds, old newspapers, photographs, Colonial era documents, indexes of local businesses, town tax and real estate records, and more. The genealogy collection includes family records not just from New Canaan but from Stamford and Norwalk, as well as from Pound Ridge, N.Y., all of which historically had family and political connections to New Canaan.
The Library holds biographical cards on New Canaan residents dating from the early 1700s, property files on houses by address, Drummond Visitation Houses, Landmark Homes, as well as records from a number of New Canaan organizations. It also has an extensive collection of books, articles, video footage, audiotapes and other materials relating to mid-century modern houses in New Canaan, including a comprehensive index of all houses that have since been demolished. Thanks to a generous gift from Newsbank, the Museum has access to the local New Canaan newspapers – the Messenger and the Advertiser – as well as Early American Newspapers, a collection of more than 30,000 papers from around the country.
Library usage is free for members. If you require assistance, the cost is $20/hour for members, and $40/hour for non-members. For specific inquires, please email info@nchistory.org.
Museum Services
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Plaque Program
Do you live in an historic home? If you would like an historical report on your home, complete with information about past owners and an assessment of noteworthy architectural details, please contact us. The fee is $550 plus the cost of a plaque.