Programs & Events - Winter-Spring 2026
Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. - “The American Revolution and the Abolitionist Movement: Chester’s Legacy of Liberty and Equality” at Masonicare at Chester Village - An illustrated lecture by Don Perreault
The American Revolution not only marked the birth of the United States but also ignited a lasting commitment to liberty, equality, and freedom. For Chester, this struggle went beyond independence—it laid the foundation for the belief that these ideals should be universal. Thirty-two Chester residents served in the Revolution to defend the vision of American independence.
This legacy lived on through their descendants, who became passionate abolitionists in the years leading up to the Civil War. Chester residents spoke out against slavery, and the town quietly hosted an Underground Railroad network.
This talk will explore how two generations from Chester—those who fought for independence and those who later fought for equality—shaped the town’s legacy of freedom. Free and open to the public. No registration needed.
Sunday, March 29 2-4 p.m., Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek Malcolm Feinstein Art Exhibit Reception Malcolm Feinstein (1922-2014) was raised in the building at 1 West Main Street, Chester, where his parents owned a Chester-renowned clothing store named, simply, Feinsteins. A graphic designer, Malcolm was a prolific painter. His family is honoring him with an exhibit of his works in the town he called home and will be present at the reception.
Sunday, April 12, 4 p.m., Chester Meeting House - An illustrated lecture by Marta Daniels
“The Amazing Mr. Hungerford: Chester’s Entrepreneur, Abolitionist, Philanthropist, Change Agent”
Edward C. Hungerford (1827-1910), born in Hadlyme, CT, became a prospector, engineer and businessman in Michigan’s upper peninsula in the 1850s, building and operating iron foundries to fuel America’s industrial revolution. Opposing slavery and active in the new Republican party, he risked severe punishment under the Fugitive Slave Act for harboring runaway slaves. Returning east in 1868, he became a leader of the Middlesex County Republican party, and was later elected Chester’s First Selectman. As a land investor he helped develop Chester’s Main Street, co-founded its first bank, and secured land for Chester’s public library and high school. “Deacon Hungerford” was also a leader in Chester’s Congregational Church. As a philanthropist in the 1890s, he escaped a lynch mob in Orlando, Florida, when confronted about donating land and money for the first Black school in central Florida, where Hungerford had a winter home. The 1897 “Hungerford School” successfully educated thousands of Black children through the mid-20th century. This is part of the Chester 250 year-long calendar.
Free and open to the public.
Saturday, May 9 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. CHS Hosts Chester Tour of Historic Homes MORE INFO COMING!
Sunday, June 14 12 - 5 p.m. Chester Folk Fest at Meeting House & Town Green Info here