WESTON, CT – After closing for restoration work in 2017, the Weston Historical Society is excited to announce that the Coley House will open for guided tours on Sunday, October 2, 2022 from 1pm – 4pm. Over the course of 5 years, the Coley House has undergone restoration work as well as a reinterpretation which includes new exhibits and a focus on life in the 1940s. No other historic house in Connecticut reflects the 1940s era which makes the Coley House unique! A special thank you to the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust which generously funded the restoration and reinterpretation of the Coley House.
Enjoy FREE guided tours on opening day! Space is limited so please register for tours at: www.westonhistoricalsociety.org. The Coley House is located at the Weston Historical Society at 104 Weston Road in Weston, CT. Entrance and parking on High Acre Road.
On your guided tour, learn how the Coley family would have lived, worked, and played during the 1940s. Using photographic evidence and historic research, rooms on the first floor have been interpreted in the 1941 – 1945 period when three generations of the Coley family occupied the home. In the parlor, learn about leisure time on the home front during World War II. Sit down at the dining room table for an interactive experience as you discuss topics important to the Coley family and Weston during this period. Explore a kitchen in transition as technology and World War II impacted food supplies, appliances and everyday household tasks. Learn about the lady of the home, Cleora Coley, who served multiple roles in the family.
Complete your visit with self-guided tours of three new exhibitions in the Coley House. In the back parlor, enjoy the interactive exhibition “Life in the 40’s”. Compare architecture, food, communication and education in the 1840s(when the house was built), 1940s(when the last three generations lived in the home) and then predict what life will look like in 2040! Upstairs, explore the exhibition, “Let’s Play!” Without video games, TV and computers, how did children have fun in Weston all those years ago? Find out in this new permanent exhibit located in Jimmy Coley’s former bedroom. Learn about the Weston Toy Company, view toys created in Weston, and explore toys and games children would have enjoyed in the 1840s and the 1940s. See the restored wallpaper that was installed for Jimmy when he was a child back in the early 1950s.
Across the hall is the exhibition, “Twelve Stories of Weston”, which uses objects from the Weston Historical Society’s collection as well as reproductions to highlight twelve important moments in Weston’s history. From Weston’s Indigenous inhabitants, to the rise and fall of Weston’s industrial age, to the impact of the Merritt Parkway and the Saugatuck Reservoir, learn how Weston has evolved.
After October 2nd, the Coley House as well as the Weston Historical Society’s exhibit hall which includes the exhibit, “The Curious Case of Eleven O’clock Road – How Weston Got Its Place Names” will be open on Thursdays and Sundays from 1pm – 4pm. Tours of the Coley House are guided and take place on the hour. The exhibit hall is self guided. Admission is $5.00 per person and free for current Weston Historical Society members.
The Weston Historical Society would like to thank its annual sponsors: Fairfield County Bank and KMS Team at Compass, as well as the Daniel E. Offutt, III Charitable Trust. The Weston Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located at 104 Weston Road in Weston, CT. For more information and to donate, please contact info@westonhistoricalsociety.org, 203-226-1804 or visit www.westonhistoricalsociety.org
