Connecticut's Old State House is a historic government building and museum that was built in Hartford, Connecticut in 1796. It was designed by New England architect Charles Bullfinch. Housing all three branches of the Connecticut state government, the Old State House was built to replace an earlier State House that had been built at the same site in 1720 and was damaged in a fire. Some of Connecticut's most important stories of freedom, democracy, and civic action, from the Amistad and Prudence Crandall trials, to the landmark Constitutional Convention of 1814, took place here. Since 1701, Hartford had served as co-capital of the state along with the southern Connecticut city of New Haven (which had its own State House). Following a vote in 1875, Hartford was declared the sole capital of Connecticut. A new Connecticut State Capitol building was completed in 1878, and the Old State Houses in Hartford and New Haven were closed. The New Haven building was eventually demolished, but Hartford's building was repurposed as the Hartford City Hall until 1915. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and reopened as a museum in 1996 following a major restoration. Over the years, the building has developed a haunted reputation and was even featured on an episode of the Sci Fi Channel TV series "Ghost Hunters". I have visited the Old State House a number of times since it first reopened as a museum in 1996. My most recent visit was this past summer when I took my older son with me. We started on the basement level of the building. There's an exhibit dedicated to the history of Connecticut, however most of the artifacts are specifically connected to Hartford. Highlights for us included an old-fashioned Hartford fire engine and some penny-farthings (old-fashioned bicycles). We then moved up to the upper floors which are dedicated to the history of Connecticut's government. Both the Senate and City Council chambers have been beautifully restored. My son really enjoyed learning about voting with some help from an old-fashioned voting machine; anyone my age will remember these. Our favorite room was on the third floor: the Joseph Steward Museum of Curiosities. Originally opened in 1797 by local painter Joseph Steward, this small attic museum is full of all sorts of "natural and artificial curiosities", including a two-headed calf, a two-headed piglet, and an 8 1/2-foot alligator. If you're interested in the history of Connecticut, government, or strange and unusual things, then head to Connecticut's Old State House. read more

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This historic structure was built in 1796 and located in Hartford, CT. It was the meeting place of all three branches of the state government from 1796 to 1878. Now, it is managed by the Office of Legislative Management of the Connecticut General Assembly. A new Capitol building was built near Bushnell Park because of the open space; this is why it is deemed the Old State House. Currently, it is a history museum. There is another museum on the third floor called the Museum of Natural and Other Curiousities. There are historic rooms and exhibits within the building. Tours can be purchased, check the website for details. I look forward to going back for a tour. They also have a number of events. There was a holiday shopping event on the Saturday (12/7/24) we went. The building is small compared to other states capitols I've seen, but it was magnificent nonetheless. There is a large lawn in front. There were some plaques in front of the building with some historic information. If you like history, I recommend a visit either by walking around the property or doing the paid tour. read more

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Fun old site with guided and self-guided tours. Open on Saturdays, but the parking garages nearby were closed. Luckily, we found street parking. Our tour guide Joy was friendly and knowledgeable. We happened to be the only people on the tour, so we were able to ask a ton of questions, which she was pretty good at answering. The tour starts outside with the history, and then inside, you get the traditional meeting rooms for reps and senate, but also a little museum of oddities and a modern exhibit on the history of Hartford. Thorough! So it's a cool building with a lot of history, and they have programs with kids today they go over, and I'm glad they are trying to get kids interested in government. I also like the little statues on top of all the flag poles. The Marquis de Lafayette visited on his US tour. You should visit on a tour of your own. read more

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Great museum. Friendly staff. Large galleries. Broad collections. Friendly staff. Convenient hours.

Connecticut's Old State House is a cool spot to visit and learn some CT history! This building served as the home to all three branches of the CT state government from 1796 to 1878. Here's the scoop: Hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 12-5PM, though Thursday they're open later, until 8PM. The last ticket is sold one hour before closing. Adult tickets are only $8 each and can be purchased at the front desk when you walk in. They have discounts for seniors, AAA members, etc. and children 5 and under, active military, veterans, etc. are free with ID. Parking is available on-street (metered, but free after 6PM and on weekends) or in the nearby State House Square Garage at 55 Market St. Before you leave have them validate your parking and it's only $5 (versus the $2 per half hour that the garage charges). Once inside, you can choose to take a guided tour or do self-guided. I chose self-guided, and they gave me an informational packet to read, which guided me through the various rooms including the Senate Chamber, House Chamber, court room, etc. I thought the coolest room was the Museum of Natural and Other Curiosities, which is located on the top floor. On display you can see a taxidermy two-headed calf, many other taxidermy animal heads, a two-headed piglet, reptile heads, etc. Very interesting stuff! Once you finish touring the main building, head to the basement for a more interactive/kids area where you can learn more about CT history. There's also a historical Hartford Fire Department truck on display, which was super cool to see! Overall an interesting and inexpensive place to visit if you like CT history! read more

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Located in downtown Hartford, the Old State House is still closed in late May due to the pandemic. Maybe that's changing soon. You can still walk the grounds and take photographs and that's what I did. This beautiful building was completed in 1796 and was the center of Connecticut's legislative activities for the next 82 years. After 1878, the building served as Hartford's city hall and remained an active government facility until 1915. In the early 20th century, after Hartford's construction of a new city hall, the Old State House became vacant and remained so for long periods-only used sporadically as a community center for the Red Cross and other local groups. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and that saved it from destruction. When it's open, the exhibits are of course about the history of Hartford and important events in Connecticut history. The building has a reputation of paranormal activity so maybe that's something that will interest you. There is metered street parking all around downtown Hartford and paid parking lots near the building. [Review 15168 overall, 670 of 2021, number 24 in Connecticut.] read more

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Built in 1796, the Old State House in the capital of Hartford, Connecticut, is worth the visit if you are in town for whatever reason you should find yourself here. The exterior is made of brownstone on the lower floor and of red brick on the upper floors. The interior main floor with 20 foot height ceilings are in the old Federal style of the time. Three main rooms are on the top floor: Assembly Hall, Legislative meeting room, and Joseph Stewart's Museum of Curiosities. On the second floor is a grand courtroom where the famous Amistad trial was held in 1839. The main level has a Museum of the People of Connecticut, with many photos and artifacts representing events/changes throughout Connecticut' s history. For entry: Adults are $6.00 Seniors, AAA, Students are $3.00, Active Military/Retired Veterans and children are Free. Do take a guided tour. The tour guides very well informed and equipped with much knowledge to answer any questions. **Open Monday to Fridays: 10AM to 4PM. Closed Saturday & Sunday** read more

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I stopped by here earlier today with my wife. I had been past the Old CT State House many times before but was never able to take a tour due to the limited 10-5 hours. So I made sure whenever I had a free day in Hartford to do the tour. Whenever we arrived at the old state house we were immediately greeted by a very nice lady. After talking to her for a bit we found out that the noon tour would start in a few minutes. She also informed us that we could get a AAA discount off of the $6/person ticket and paid $6 for both of us. Since it was a random Tuesday the tour consisted of the tour leader, myself and my wife. It started with a video which gave a quick 5 minute overview about the house. We then proceeded through three floors of history. Interestingly enough most of the looks are attributed to a 1920s renovation and so a lot of what you see isn't very original. Still, we learned a lot about the house itself as well as the history of CT. Last but certainly not least you are treated to the Musuem of oddities which contains items like a two headed calf, narwhal horn, etc. The bottom line for me is that I might stop by here in the future. While I wouldn't consider it to be an essential thing to do while in the Hartford area it is certainly cheap and gives you some history on the old state house as well as the CT government. read more

Connecticut's Old State House - Lego version of the house inside the house! - Museums Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Such a beautiful museum and really great tour! Make sure to check out the museum of oddities, it won't disappoint!

This has just reopened. In fact they are having an event today at noon. Someone needs to report this open and have the closed tag taken off. I don't know how to do it read more

Connecticut's Old State House - Museums Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I've been to the State House before and by far, this was the best tour I've had in a while. I take a group of kids to different places in Connecticut, something I call Classroom in the Community. Our tour guide Andrew did a great job from start to finish. He answered all of the kids questions to the best of his ability. One of the kids favorite rooms at the state house was the museum of curiosities, kind of like a Ripley's Believe it or not. The Senate and Victorian rooms are very historic and demonstrate what different periods in history were like. The State House shows time periods of Connecticut History and every time I go there I feel like I'm learning something. On another note, I keep saying to people, one day you'll see pay phone's in a museum. We'll sure enough, they have a picture and description of a pay phone in the basement room for kids. I love the quote on it: "Before there were cell phones, there were pay phones." Make sure you get a guided tour. The stories behind some of the items and the history of the building itself is pretty important and you would miss a lot with just a self guided tour. read more

It's open! It's closed. It's open! It's closed. It's open! It's closed It's open! it's closed. It's new! It's old. It's new! It's old. It's new! It's old. It's the New Old State House! It's the Old State House with New attractions! I honestly believe this New Old State House was cursed because of the Indians they murdered and displaced during its rise in the 18th century. If you can somehow find a time to get into the Old State House (when Jupiter aligns with Mars) you will find it to be a historic event that is worth keeping open--all the time. Whether it's open or closed or re-opened again, I do not believe you can go on a Saturday or Sunday--classic museum times that they feel they should remain closed. The Old New State House has an interesting oddities attraction (not kidding) straight out of a Coney Island venue. Why is it there? I have no idea, but it's worth the trip just to see it. read more

The greeter was so kind that I made up for the parking hassles we experienced. This place is full of history and culture. It is easily one of my favorite places in the state. read more

CLOSED!!!! Yes, we planned or entire morning in time to get there to see it, cutting short our other visits, only to find permanently closed!!! read more

I had a few hours to kill so I stopped in at the Old State House for a visit and then headed down the street to the Ancient Burying Ground. First, parking is relatively easy, there are plenty of options within a block. Second, the area around the Old State House is a great place to eat and shop. On my visit there was a Farmer's Market underway with live music. It is easy to tell this is a center of activity for Hartford. The staff at the Old State House were all very nice, my entrance fee was waived being retired military, but normally it's $6 for adults. There are three floors, the main level is used for weddings and events, the basement is setup for kids, with the third floor being restored. It took me 45 mins, mainly because I skipped most of the basement. This is the center of gravity for Connecticut's history, and had several Trumball paintings on display as well. There is also an original George Washington portrait hanging in its original location. This is well worth some time to visit. read more

Absolutely beautiful venue. I attended a campaign kickoff here, it was great. A recent web search offered these beautiful photos -- http://eventjubilee.com/blog/2008/09/ceremony-reception-venue-spotlight-the-old-state-house/ . The OSH is no longer under the jurisdiction of the City and is now a state-run building. read more