Connecticut Landmarks (Palmer-Warner House, Connecticut Landmarks)

Connecticut Landmarks will develop an interpretive plan for the Palmer-Warner House, which presents an intact, rich collection of gay rural life as lived from 1945-1971. The House represents the first historic site in Connecticut with a primary focus on LGBTQ history. The project team will convene a panel of scholars and museum practitioners to firmly base the interpretive plan in current scholarship and best practice. Project activities will include the identification and refinement of key site themes based on current LGBTQ scholarship and the house's archival and object collections; conducting oral histories with key individuals; researching and writing the site's gay history and amending its National Register of Historic Places nomination to include that history; testing prospective audience groups and interpretive themes; and training staff in engaging visitors in conversations about challenging topics. Connecticut Landmarks will establish an advisory committee, and collaborate with the University of Connecticut's Rainbow Center and True Colors LGBTQ youth services organization.