The Kent Historical Society and Kent Memorial Library will present a program on Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. at the Kent Town Hall called “Vanished Jobs in Connecticut.” This program will discuss the history of work in Connecticut and how it has dramatically changed since the 19th century “as many traditional trades and crafts were rendered obsolete by mechanization.” The disappearance of jobs is the subject of the CT Explored Magazine Winter Issue (a limited supply of the CT Explored Magazine Winter Issue will be available at the program) and a year-long project led by Connecticut Humanities called Connecticut at Work. Like everywhere else in Connecticut, the northwestern corner of the state has been impacted and altered by changing technologies. This program will explore the history and many reasons why our society and workforce has changed. On hand that day will be facilitator Brian Trent. Trent’s first story was published when he was just 15. He has since become a respected sociopolitical essayist, a poet, playwright, journalist, producer and historical novelist. Ever enthralled by the ancient world, his research has taken him from Central America to Western Europe and the Far East. He is the author of eight novels, with his newest (unpublished) one coming on the heels of a research jaunt throughout Japan.
Along with the evolution of the Connecticut workforce, the talk will focus on the fading or non-existent Iron Industry in Litchfield County. After the program, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the area around the Eric Sloane Museum, which is the site of the Kent Iron Company, with local history expert and guide Marge Smith, Kent Historical Society.
The program is to be presented at The Kent Town Hall, 41 Kent Green Blvd., Kent, CT. Refreshments will be served.
The program is free & open to public. Please register by calling 860-927-4587 or emailing assistant@kenthistoricalsociety.org. In the event of inclement weather, the snow date is Saturday, February 22.
Connecticut at Work travels across the state through December 2014. The program features the Smithsonian Institution’s The Way We Worked exhibition, with stops in seven communities: New Haven, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury, Coventry, Stamford and Groton. Surrounding communities are adding local focus with community history exhibits, book and film discussions, author talks, performances and more. Connecticut at Work is an initiative of Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In Northwest Connecticut, Connecticut at Work is in a partnership with the Warner Theatre and the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council. The Connecticut tour of The Way We Worked is made possible by Connecticut Humanities and Historic New England. For a calendar of events and more information, visit cthumanities.org/ctatwork.
The Mission of the Kent Historical Society, a donor-supported nonprofit organization, is to collect, preserve, interpret and present the rich history of Kent as well as to provide educational and research material to enrich the public understanding of Kent’s artistic and cultural heritage.
The Kent Memorial Library’s mission is to enrich the lives of individuals and the community
by providing materials, programs, and services to encourage reading, learning and imagination. The Kent Memorial Library is located at 32 North Main Street, Kent, Connecticut.
Visit kentmemoriallibrary.org for more information.