Andy Fowler, Communications Specialist for the Yankee Institute, joins us for an episode to discuss Connecticut! Although he wasn’t born there, his family has roots in the state that go back to the turn of the 20th century. Garrett & Andy discuss the reputation of Connecticut, its role in the colonial period and the founding of the United States, and the importance of learning about your home state’s history. They also joke about the difficulty of pinning down a defining stereotype for people from Connecticut. If you enjoy pizza, the colonial period, or Gilmore Girls, you’ll enjoy hearing about the Nutmeg State.
Additional Resources:
Nutmeggers: nickname for people from Connecticut
Learn more about Andrew’s work at the Yankee Institute here: https://yankeeinstitute.org/author/andrewfowler/
Hidden in the Oak: https://yankeeinstitute.org/category/hidden-in-the-oak/
Andrew Fowler: @afowlxc on Twitter
Milford, CT: https://www.ci.milford.ct.us/
Waterbury, CT: https://www.waterburyct.org/
Hartford, CT: https://www.hartfordct.gov/Home
Mystic Pizza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_Pizza
Gilmore Girls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_Girls
Fairfield County: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield_County,_Connecticut
Griswold Inn in Essex: https://griswoldinn.com/ (George Washington visited there.)
Silas Deane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silas_Deane
Yale: https://www.yale.edu/
New Haven: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven,_Connecticut
Yukon Huskies: https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-basketball
Connecticut Compromise: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Connecticut-Compromise
New England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England
More information about the lack of county governments in Connecticut: https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/rpt/2015-R-0274.htm
Connecticut’s Nicknames: https://portal.ct.gov/csl/research/state-nicknames?language=en_US or https://connecticuthistory.org/the-storied-history-behind-connecticuts-nicknames/
Does Connecticut even have its own accent? https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-connecticut-accent-or-does-connecticut-even-have-one/ or https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/05/nyregion/accent-what-accent.html
New Haven style pizza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven%E2%80%93style_pizza
The Stepford Wives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stepford_Wives
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: oldest art museum in the US https://www.thewadsworth.org/
Nathan Hale: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Hale
Roger Sherman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Sherman
Prudence Crandall: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/prudence-crandall
Father Michael McGivney, Founder of the Knights of Columbus: https://www.fathermcgivney.org/
Greenwich, CT: https://www.greenwichct.gov/ (one of the wealthiest places in the United States)
Louis’ Lunch: https://louislunch.com/
Pepe’s Pizza: https://pepespizzeria.com/
Lobster Rolls were actually invented in Milford, CT: https://lobsteranywhere.com/new-england-style/history-lobster-roll/