Mystic River Historical Society

74 High Street

P. O. Box 245

Mystic, CT 06355

Welcome to the Mystic River Historical Society.

MRHS is located in Mystic, Connecticut, centered around the famous Mystic Bridge which has connected the towns of Groton and Stonington for nearly 200 years. We are some 300 strong and have been dedicated to preserving and promoting the historical traditions of the greater Mystic area since 1973. We’re a totally volunteer organization offering a wide variety of opportunities for those who are willing and able to contribute time and energy.

Hours and Directions

The Mystic River Historical Society is excited to be partnering with the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Mystic drawbridge. There is a lot going on and we invite our members and the public to join in all the activities for this special milestone.  See below for activities with major MRHS involvement.  For information on the many other celebration activities, click here. You can also download the GO MYSTIC app. The bridge centennial celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15 with daylong activities, a special program in the afternoon featuring local community leaders, and fireworks on the Mystic River around 7:30 p.m. to cap off the evening. We invite everyone to come downtown and party!

VISIT THE GROTON LIBRARY EXHIBIT

Historical society members Elizabeth Boucher and Marilyn Comrie have put together an exhibit outlining the history of the Mystic drawbridge that is on display at the Groton Public Library through Oct. 31. The exhibit is free and may be viewed during regular library hours. It features many wonderful photos of the bascule bridge and the five earlier bridges, all from the historical society archives.

PURCHASE A SOUVENIR BOOKLET

Historical Society members Elizabeth Boucher and Marilyn Comrie have also assembled a 56-page souvenir booklet titled “Centennial Celebration of the Mystic Bascule Bridge” to commemorate the bridge’s 100th birthday. It contains 13 stories about the history of the bridge and nearly 75 photos from the society’s archives. It is for sale for $12 at the bridge centennial’s visitors center in the former Mystical Toys building next to the drawbridge. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the historical society.

DROP IN AT THE VISITORS CENTER

The headquarters for the bridge centennial celebration is in the visitors center in the former Mystical Toys building by the bridge. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. In addition to a variety of items for sale to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the bridge, there is a large collage covering one wall of the center featuring 12 photos of the bridge from the historical society’s collection. After you view the collage, take time to write your thoughts about the bridge in a special logbook.

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Historical Society members Elizabeth Boucher and Marilyn Comrie are working on a 104-page coffee table book commemorating the bridge centennial. It will feature 25 stories about the bridge, including a timeline showing how the bridges in Mystic have evolved to meet the needs of the village. There will be a section of the book highlighting in photos all the activities this year to mark the bridge’s 100th birthday. The book will be available in December, just in time for holiday gift giving. There will be a form available soon to pre-order the book. Fifty percent of the proceeds will benefit the historical society.

Click here
to read the current issue of our monthly newsletter, Portersville Press

Click here
to review past issues
of Portersville Press

Click here  to view virtual tour of Portersville Academy

Portersville Academy

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MRHS ARCHIVES

Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mystichistory

Visit us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mystic_history

Join Us Today!

When you join MRHS, you become part of an active organization that welcomes your involvement.

Benefits include:

– Free monthly programs with speakers of interest (from October to May)
– Access to MRHS archives, including thousands of documents, photographs, books and maps
– Bi-monthly newsletter with news of MRHS activities and articles of interest

Your membership supports the on-going preservation of our collection and our property. It also makes available to the public lectures on topics of historic interest. To join, visit our membership page.

Please note that MRHS has no affiliation with the Town of Groton’s Historic District Commission, and does not regulate any building projects.

Tours

 

Donate to MRHS below.

 

Visit Our

Virtual Exhibits

Images from our extensive collection of vintage photographs

Local scenes by local photographers