Upcoming Events
West Hartford Celebrates the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Every year since 1997 the city of West Hartford, CT has commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King in a ceremony held at the West Hartford Town Hall auditorium at 50 South Main Street.
Lecture: Connecticut, Color and the Civil War
On February 6th, 2025 at 6:00pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.
Connecticut’s Forgotten Heroes: The Lathrop’s
On February 8th, 2025, John Mills will be presenting a lecture at Central Connecticut State University. The lecture will focus on the African American Lathrop family of Norwich.
The Creation of the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment
John Mills will be giving a talk at The Connecticut Old State House in Hartford, CT on February 8th, 2024at 6pm ET.
Lecture: Connecticut, Color and the Civil War
On February 15th, 2025 at 1pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture for the Connecticut Society of Genealogists.
The Jackson Family of Simsbury, CT
John Mills will be giving a talk at the Henry James Memorial School in Simsbury, CT on February 20th, 2024.
Connecticut & Color: Little known stories of the Black Experience in Connecticut
On June 20th, 2025 at 10am, John Mills will be giving a lecture for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Connecticut - Waterbury.
Lecture: Connecticut, Color and the Civil War
On October 3rd, 2024 at 5:30pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture for the Plainville, CT Antiracism Task Force.
Living History Day at the Museum
On September 28th, 2024 at 10am, John Mills will be speaking as part of Living History Day at the New England Civil War Museum in Rockville, CT.
Lecture at the Connecticut River Museum
On Saturday, September 21st, 2024 @ 1pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, CT.
Freedom Trail Ceremony for New-Gate Prison!
Next month we will be having an unveiling ceremony at New-Gate Prison in East Granby, CT! We will be unveiling a newly installed panel and plaque celebrating this site as the newest edition to the Connecticut Freedom Trail!
Fortune Mural Community Paint Day!
We will be painting a mural on the North End Rec Center in Waterbury, CT in honor of a formerly enslaved man named Fortune. The community is invited to help paint!
Lecture: Connecticut, Color and the Civil War
On July 22nd, 2024 at 12:30pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture for high school students in Bristol, CT. The students are part of a DEI program organized by the Queen Ann Nzinga Center.
Untold History: Inclusive Storytelling with John Mills
On June 17th, 2024 at 3pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture at the Brightview Senior Living in Shelton, CT.
Champion for Freedom: The Reverend Alexander Heritage Newton Story
On Saturday, June 15th, 2024, The New Haven Museum in collaboration with Connecticut’s Old State House will host Historical Preservation Activist and Historian from New Jersey, Dolly Marshall!
Lecture: Connecticut, Color and the Civil War
On June 5th, 2024 at 6pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture at the Bloomfield Community Center located at 330 Park Avenue in Bloomfield, CT.
2024 Connecticut League of Museums Annual Conference
On June 3rd, 2024 from 8am to 6pm, the Connecticut League of Museums will be hosting their annual Conference. The event will be held at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT.
Lecture: Individuals of Connecticut's Colored Regiments
Join the Working Women’s Network, Yale African American Affinity Group, and Yale Veterans Network for a discussion with John Mills, an independent scholar and president of the Alex Breanne Corporation (a Connecticut-based non-profit researching the lives of the enslaved), about individuals of Connecticut's colored regiments.
Lecture at the Stanley-Whitman House
On May 16th, 2024 at 4pm, John Mills will be giving a lecture at the Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington, CT. The lecture will focus on how stories are told within colonial heritage sites and what we can do to make them more inclusive.
Lecture at the Connecticut Democracy Center
On Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 @ 9:45am, John Mills will be giving a lecture at the Connecticut Democracy Center in Hartford, CT.
Declaring Freedom: ASCH's Spring Convocation
On March 16th, 2024, John Mills will be presenting a lecture for The Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH). This is an in-person event in-person event at Central Connecticut State University.
Lecture for the Middlesex County Historical Society
On February 29th, 2024 at 7pm, John Mills will be giving an online lecture on Connecticut's "colored" regiments during the Civil War. The event will be co-hosted by the Middlesex County Historical Society and the Greater Middletown Military Museum.
Isaac J. Hill Headstone Installation
Tentatively scheduled for February 24th, we are planning to install a new memorial headstone for Pvt. Isaac J. Hill, a former soldier with the 29th Connecticut Colored Regiment during the Civil War.
Lecture for the Trumbull Historical Society
On February 21st, 2024 at 7pm, John Mills will be giving an online lecture for the Trumbull Historical Society, discussing the men of the 29th Connecticut Colored Infantry Regiment.
Panel Discussion: Talking to Descendants
John Mills will be sitting on a panel discussion at The Connecticut Old State House in Hartford, CT on February 16th, 2024 at 3pm ET. The panel discussion will focus on the perspective of descendants.
Avenues to Freedom: Exploring Wallingford’s Black History Trail
To celebrate Black History Month, The Wallingford Public Library will be holding a program on Tuesday evening, February 6 at 7pm.
Remembering Connecticut’s Colored Regiments: Film Screenings & Discussion
On February 4th, 2024 at 1pm, the Avon Historical Society will be hosting an event celebrating Connecticut’s Colored Regiments during the Civil War. The event will occur at Connecticut’s Old State House in Hartford.
Lecture at the New Haven Museum
John Mills will be doing an in-person lecture at the New Haven Museum on November 9th, 2023 at 6pm ET.
Wasch Center Seminar at Wesleyan University
John Mills will be leading an in-person seminar at Wesleyan University’s Wasch Center.
Commemoration on the 10 year Anniversary of the Burial of “The Man Fortune”
On September 13th, 2023, The Mattatuck Museum in collaboration with Riverside Cemetery will be hosting a commemoration ceremony for the 10th Anniversary of the burial of “The Man Fortune”. The event will be from Noon to 1pm ET.
Virtual Discussion with John Mills for the Connecticut Freedom Trail
John Mills will be doing a virtual presentation hosted by the Connecticut Freedom Trail on August 22nd, 2023 at 12:00pm EDT.
Portland, CT Juneteenth Celebration
On June 24th, 2023, John Mills will be the keynote speaker at the 5th annual Juneteenth celebration at Riverfront Park in Portland, CT!
Wallingford Juneteenth Service
On June 17th, 2023, John Mills will be a speaker at the Wallingford Juneteenth Service hosted at St Paul’s Episcopal Church.
In-Person Lecture at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum
John Mills lectures at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum!
Old Lyme Witness Stones Installation Ceremony
On June 2nd, 2023, John Mills will be a speaker at the 3rd Witness Stone installation in Old Lyme, CT.
Wooster School Witness Stones Installation Ceremony
On June 2nd, 2023, John Mills will be a speaker at the 3rd Witness Stone installation in Old Lyme, CT.
Augmented Reality Performance at the Ashley House in Deerfield, MA!
John Mills will be one of 3 actors participating in an immersive, augmented reality performance in Western Massachusetts!