Fairfield Museum and History Center

Education Programs
Most museum programs can be adapted for adult, homeschool and other groups. Tours can be combined or we can customize a program to suit your needs.

Museum Tours
Landscape of Change
Students will explore the new exhibit, Landscape of Change. The exhibit focuses on the broad themes and stories of Fairfield and this region’s history, from the Great Swamp Fight to the building of Interstate 95. View artifacts and firsthand quotes about the struggles and achievements of the people who lived here; condemned witch Goody Knapp, former slave Primus Burr, ship captain Isaac Jennings and more. Learn about the key events that touched their lives and how the past can inform our future.
Group Size: 1 class
Time: 1 – 1 ½ hour
Recommended for grades K - 12
Cost: $5 per student
The CT Framework - Social Studies Connections 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14 & 15

Fairfield Academy Experience
Discover how the growth of a new nation in the 1800s effected children’s education. Learn how education has changed over time in our schoolhouse exhibit featuring a real school bell, samplers and journals. Then take a journey to a 19th century classroom in the historic Fairfield Academy on the Town Green. Through role-playing and hands-on activities, see what it was like to be a student 200 years ago.
Group Size: 1 – 2 classes
Time: 1 – 1 ½ hour
Recommended for grades 5 - 8
Cost: $5 per student
CT Framework Connections 1, 2, 3, 4 & 11
Groups will only see a portion of the exhibit “Landscape of Change.” This is a partially off-site program with limited accessibility. Please call with any special needs and we can adjust the program for your group.

Walking Tours
What Makes a Community? The Old Town Green Walking Tour
Students will understand how a colonial society was built during a walking tour of the historic town Green. Beginning at the museum, students will see a model of the town green as it was in 1779. On our walking tour, we will learn about the growth and development of Fairfield; the first settlers, early buildings and what still stands. Students have the opportunity to compare life as it was to life today as they listen to the stories of colonial citizens.
Group Size: 1 – 4 classes
Time: 1 – 1 ½ hour
Recommended for grades 2 - 5
Cost: $5 per student
The CT Framework - Social Studies Connections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 & 11
This is an outdoor program with limited availability and accessibility. Please call with any special needs and we can adjust the program for your group.

Connecticut Folk Stories & Legends
This walking tour will focus on the folklore from Fairfield’s Town Green as well as other legends from Connecticut. Learn about the Old Burying Ground, vampire myths, the ghost of Penfield Lighthouse and more.
Group Size: 1 – 2 classes
Time: 1 – 1 ½ hour
Recommended for grades 4 and up
Cost: $5 per student
CT Framework Connections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 & 11
This is an outdoor program with limited availability and accessibility. Please call with any special needs and we can adjust the program for your group.

History Experiences: Hands-On Programs
Groups participating in a museum or walking tour have the option of adding an interactive, hands-on activity for an additional fee of $2 per student.

Colonial Workshop
Take a tour of the new exhibit Landscape of Change followed by a workshop exploring colonial crafts. Learn to sew a haversack, make a corn husk doll or create a journal and use a quill pen.

A Walk into the Past
Take a step back in time on a walking tour of old Fairfield. Students will explore the Old Burying Ground and learn about gravestone art and the families who lived here. View the four houses that stood the test of time, and the burning of Fairfield by the British in 1779. Students will also view the Sun Tavern (where George Washington slept) and Edward’s Pond, where people endured the “witch test” in the 17th century. Upstairs in the Old Academy, built in 1804, students will experience school life in a schoolroom complete with period desks, furniture and exhibits.
Group Size: 1 - 2 classes
Cost: $2 per student ( in addition to tour fee)
Time: 2 hours
Recommended for grades 3 and up

Off-Site Programs
The Ogden Family: Exploring Colonial Life
During the spring of 1750, newlyweds David and Jane Ogden moved into their new saltbox house on Bronson Road. By 1756, Fairfield was a well-established town and the 4th largest in Connecticut. The Ogdens worked hard, but enjoyed a few luxuries as well. Step back in time and learn about the Ogden family, colonial trades and the life of a farmer.
Group Size: 1 – 2 classes
Time: 1 – 1 ½ hour
Recommended for grades 3 - 5
Cost: $5 per student
CT Framework Connections 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15
This is an off-site program with limited availability and accessibility. Please call with any special needs and we can adjust the program for your group.

Exploring Colonial Life: Optional Pre or Post-Visit:
In the pre or post visit, an educator will visit your school with a powerpoint presentation about colonial life and the thriving community of Fairfield in the late 1700s. In a hands-on activity following the presentation, students will be encouraged to think critically while viewing and touching original and reproduction objects from the period.
Cost: $2 per student (in addition to tour fee)

Museum – School Partnerships
Partnership programs develop interdisciplinary, multi-session collaborations with area schools. Programs occur both at the museum and in the classroom, can span over several weeks and are custom-tailored to address the needs of the school partner as well as connect with local and state curriculum. Education staff meet with school administrators and educators to outline program goals and outcomes.

Scout Programs
The Fairfield Historical Society has been utilized as a resource for scout programs for years. Programs can be for boys or girls, please call for more information! Scout programs are a minimum of $30 for up to 8 participants and $5 each thereafter.

Museum Tour: Landscape of Change
Explore the new exhibit, Landscape of Change, and the development of a community, from the Pequot War to the building of Interstate 95. The exhibit focuses on the broad themes and stories of Fairfield and this region’s history. View artifacts and firsthand quotes about the struggles and achievements of the people who lived here; accused witch Goody Knapp, former slave Primus Burr, ship captain Isaac Jennings and more. Learn about the key events that touched their lives and how the past can inform our future.
Tiger Scouts: Achievement 1g & 5g
Wolf Scouts: Achievement 10c

Ogden House Tour
Step back in time and meet the Ogdens, residents of an 18th century farmhouse now maintained by the Fairfield Historical Society. Learn about daily life in colonial Fairfield, viewing the tools, furniture and objects that made life very different.
Tiger Scouts: Achievement 1g
Wolf Scouts: Achievement 10c
Bear Scouts: Achievement 21a

A Walk into the Past
Discover Fairfield’s rich history on a tour of the historic Town Green district. Come hear stories about the natives who lived here, the settlers and our exciting role in the American Revolution.
Bear Scouts: Achievement 3b / 3c / 3d, Achievement 4a / 4b / 4c, Achievement 8d / 8e / 8f
Bear Elective: 24. American Indian Life

Fairfield Academy Experience
Take a journey through the day of a student in 19th century classroom at the Fairfield Academy on the historic Town Green. Through role-playing and hands-on activities, see what it was like to be a student 200 years ago.
Webelos Scouts: Scholar Badge #9

Colonial Workshop
Take a tour of the new exhibit Landscape of Change followed by a workshop exploring colonial crafts. Learn to sew a haversack, create a journal and use a quill pen and / or create your own candles. Please choose two crafts.
Cost: up to 15 students; $125, up to 30 students; $175. Time: 2 hours.

Old Burying Ground Adventure
Explore Fairfield’s first burying ground, dating back to the 1600s, examining the changing styles of headstones and learning about Fairfield’s forefathers.

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