On September 22nd, we celebrated the launch of Preservation in Action written by Anne Crofoot Kuckro, with photographs by architectural photographer Peter Brown. The accompanying exhibit is on display at the Webb Deane Stevens Museum (Old Wethersfield, CT) through Spring 2025. Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy a day in Old Wethersfield, exploring the homes and grounds of the Museum, and taking in Brown’s vibrant photographs in a large scale format. There are several delicious restaurant options just steps away from the Museum, to complete your day trip. “The number of visitors to Old Wethersfield has grown from a few hundred to thousands who also shop, dine, and stop by everything the town has to offer,” said Gioia Zack, Economic Development Director for the Town of Wethersfield. “There are over 30 small businesses located along the half mile stretch of Main Street in the heart of Old Wethersfield.”
Old Wethersfield is Connecticut’s largest and oldest district, in the state’s oldest town. Preservation in Action is the first publication to recount the captivating history of this area through compelling visual imagery, based on the original research of Ms. Kuckro. “The photographs and stories bring to life the unique traditions, architecture, and community spirit of Wethersfield,” said Suzanna Tamminen, Director and Editor-in-Chief at Wesleyan University Press. The book elucidates the community’s long effort to preserve the architectural legacy of its historic village, through individual and institutional commitments, civic planning and design review. Spanning over three centuries, the book highlights ten stories of “restoration, rehabilitation, renovation, adaptation, and reuse”.
With the co-publication of Preservation in Action by Wesleyan University Press and the Webb Deane Stevens Museum, Old Wethersfield will undoubtedly continue to gather more attention as its fascinating history becomes more widely recognized. The book is a perfect gift for American history enthusiasts and fans of architecture, interior design, and historic homes.
Author Anne Crofoot Kuckro (1945–2010) was a historian and preservationist whose books include Hartford Architecture, Volume One: Downtown (1978) Captain James Francis, Master Builder: Brick Architecture in Wethersfield before 1840 (1974); and Wethersfield: A Tour of Houses and History (1984).
Peter R. Brown is an award-winning architectural and fine art photographer, based in Connecticut, whose career has included capturing iconic images across the country’s Northeast Region.
Photographs of event taken by Stephanie Elliott Prieto.