The Guilford Keeping Society is a non-profit historical society dedicated to preserving the history of Guilford. Besides the 1774 Thomas Griswold House Museum and the 1803 Medad Stone Tavern, the Society maintains an early blacksmith shop, a large barn filled with farm implements, two corn cribs and a Victorian three seat privy or outhouse, situated on the grounds of the museum on Boston Street, in Guilford, Connecticut. Along with the buildings, we maintain an extensive collection of Guilford historic photographs, journals or daybooks and other memorabilia mostly housed in the "Guilford Room" of the Guilford Free Library and available for use by the public for research or browsing.

After the Spartan lifestyle of World War II, when the focus of the country had been on the war effort, and with fears of depression abated by an ever-improving economy in the United States, America's attentions turned to important tasks at home, including the recognition and preservation of the history and ancestral legacy it had fought to protect. So too, in January of 1947, members of the Guilford community formed a society, originally known as the "Old House Group," to foster appreciation of early New England family values and to raise awareness of the rich and varied legacy of early New England homes in the community. Its members came from all segments of Guilford society, from descendants of some of Guilford's founding families to the newest residents who were attracted to a community steeped in tradition and with a natural charm and beauty.

The society was renamed the Guilford Keeping Society in February 1947 referring to the term "Keeping Room," the gathering place for early American families, and resulting in the society's early slogan "Keepers of Guilford Heritage." The earliest stated objectives of the society remain the same today: the preservation and restoration of the homes and buildings of early origin and historic sites in Guilford, promotion of interest and participation in any activities organized to enhance the appearance and distinctive character of the town, education and research to increase knowledge and appreciation of Guilford's history and heritage and maintenance of a library and museum to house and preserve books, documents, pictures, furniture and furnishings and other articles associated with Guilford's history. The society's earliest activities included the marking of old houses, consulting on the renovation and remodeling of various buildings, influencing town policy with regard to planning, zoning and building preservation, exhibiting various antique collections, most owned by members of the society, and sponsoring "Open House" tours to acquaint people with the history of the town.

In 1958 the decision was made to look for and acquire a suitable house. After a comprehensive search, the Thomas Griswold House was selected. The house, a colonial type salt box dated circa 1774, was built on land given to blacksmith Thomas Griswold, Jr. (1674-1729) and his wife Sarah Bradley Griswold and was used by many generations of the Griswold family. The preservation and upkeep of the house continue to be one of the Society's primary activities and the raising of funds to accomplish that aim has spawned numerous fund-raising activities including publications, the annual tag sale, the renowned and respected Antiques Festival, held annually in July, and many others.

With the accomplishment of the acquisition of its headquarters, the Society turned its attention to the "keeping" of the records and documents of Guilford's heritage. To that end, a vault was acquired in 1972 to house valuable records including such items as the town's early grand lists, the record book of the first library in Guilford, records of the division of land, documents signed by Governor William Leete and George Washington, early deeds and genealogy and an extensive collection of photographs. The cataloging and preservation of these records became a primary focus of the society's activities. When the volumes of material and demands of increasingly sophisticated preservation techniques indicated the need for a more permanent home for the collection, the records were housed in the Guilford Library. Here the "Guilford History" room was created where members of the society still work today on the acquisition, cataloging and preservation of the town's historical memorabilia in cooperation with the library staff.

Increasingly, the society today focuses its energies on the educational and outreach purposes of its founding. The museum is the site of a growing number of programs for visitors, targeting all segments of the population. These include tours of the museum itself, school visits for children that include hands-on programs to introduce them to the day to day life of the times and a variety of programs for adults including hearth cooking classes and demonstrations ranging from blacksmithing to plowing. The society is responsible for the publication and distribution of many materials detailing the early life and times of Guilford.

More than fifty years after its founding, the Guilford Keeping Society remains one of the primary social and educational organizations in Guilford for all segments of the population, to acquaint them with the legacy of the community in which they live and work and to provide opportunities for social activity with others dedicated to similar goals and ideals.

House plaques are a service of the Guilford Keeping Society to uniformly identify antique buildings in Guilford by name and date of construction. Research to identify the first owner or builder and the date of construction of your house is provided by the historic and civic committee. The plaques are silhouette outlines of a New England Saltbox style house hand-painted. Buildings built prior to 1930 are eligible for a plaque. The cost is $150 and includes research and making the sign. If you need a replacement plaque, the cost is $75.

Please take the liberty to contact us at the following address:

The Guilford Keeping Society P.O. Box 363 Guilford, CT 06437

Phone: 203 453-3176 Email: info@guilfordkeepingsociety.com

Our Board of Directors:

Tom Black ,President Linda Duncan, Rec. Secretary Lee Sylvester, Corr. Secretary Judie Fine and Kay Honsberger, Membership Robert Donahue, III, Programs David Grigsby, Library Barbara Henningson, Development Robert Gordon, Past President

Winnie Seibert Vice-President Thomas Williams, Treasurer Fred Brockmann, Historic/Civic Pat Lovelace, Museum Director Stuart Wilkie, Publicity Cyrus Miller and Winnie Seibert, Buldings & Grounds Lee Granger, Richard Marvin, Lee Brockmann. Joan Ames Berkowitz, Rene Ayres, Members at Large

Loan Policy:

1. Artifacts, documents, and images may be lent to responsible institutions for special exhibits.
2. Artifacts from the Thomas Griswold House may be loaned with permission of the curator and the President of the Guilford Keeping Society. The Vice President may give permission in lieu of the President if the President is unavailable.
3. Documents and images may be loaned with the approval of the Library Committee.
4. No items are to leave any part of the collection without appropriate paperwork.
5. The curator may remove artifacts from the Thomas Griswold House Museum for conservation and for off site exhibits with approval of the President or Vice President.

Acquisition Policy:

1. Our mission is to collect objects, documents, and images of Guilford from its beginning in 1639 to the present day. Any artifact associated with Guilford history will be considered. We will consult with the Henry Whitfield State Museum and the Dorothy Whitfield Historical Society about artifacts from the founding years of Guilford as those objects may be more appropriate for those two museums, and with Dudley Farm Foundation about farm artifacts from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. All documents and images concerning Guilford are eligible for our collection.
2. The Guilford Keeping Society will not accept items for the collection that the Society does not have the ability to properly care for or conserve.
3. Only Guilford and East Guilford (Madison) buildings from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries will be accepted, and only if proper arrangements are made for ongoing maintenance and conservation.
4. Loans will be accepted for special exhibits; long term loans are to be discouraged. Loan paperwork will be reviewed and renewed annually.
5. There will be an annual budget for acquisitions - from the general fund for small purchases and from the acquisition fund for larger purchases. The Museum Committee, President and Treasurer may recommend purchases and make purchases of priority listed items that are under $500 and within the annual budget. Items over $500 require approval of the Board of Directors. Fair parking money will be deposited in the acquisition fund as will the money from the sale of any item that is deaccessioned.
6. In general, artifacts are not to be used. However, objects purchased or given specifically to be used in demonstrations and educational programs can be used for those purposes - an example is the loom

Deaccession Policy:

1. It is the goal of this museum to retain and conserve all of its artifacts. However, artifacts which have been previously accepted and which do not meet our collections policy or items which we cannot conserve, may be deaccessioned.
2. Objects may be deaccessioned at the recommendation of the curator and approval of the Board of Directors. Documents and images may be deaccessioned with the recommendation of the Library Committee and approval of the president of the Guilford Keeping Society.
3. Documents and photographs pertaining to other towns are to be offered to museums or libraries in other towns as donations. Items more closely related to collections in other Guilford museums may be given or loaned to those museums, particularly when it increases public access to those items.
4. All proceeds from any sales of artifacts, documents or images will be placed in the acquisition fund.
5. Items given to the Guilford Keeping Society expressly for the purpose of sale may be sold and the money from that sale placed in the acquisition fund