A Museum, Library, & Exhibit Gallery
The Old Mystic History Center (formerly the Indian and Colonial Research Center) is a non-profit organization founded in 1965 to preserve the historical research of Eva Lutz Butler.
She was a woman who was passionate about history at a time when a woman's place was NOT leading archaeological digs, conducting anthropological interviews, or writing academic articles.
Are you passionate about history too? Our special research collections will help you find your roots and learn about your history.
In addition, we have accurate information for academic researchers, educators, archaeologists, students, and others to help you add to your story. We are a museum, library, and exhibit gallery located in the historic 1856 Mystic Bank building on Route 27 in Old Mystic, Connecticut.
Old Mystic History Center Receives CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant from CT Humanities
MYSTIC, CT (January 6, 2023) — The Old Mystic History Center has been awarded a $5,300 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant (CTCFOSG) from Connecticut Humanities, the statewide nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
"We are very grateful for this award,” said Old Mystic History Center treasurer, Bob Mohr. “We are a small nonprofit organization trying to move forward after the pandemic.”This grant has helped the Old Mystic History Center safely open to the public for in-person onsite research once again. These funds will help us pay increased operating expenses, develop a new exhibit, and build a new shelf unit. We will update our new user-friendly website that will streamline access to the collections’ online database. These improvements will aid academic researchers and the public by allowing remote access to the collections. Some of the funds may need to be used repair/replace the condenser housing for our AC system.
Support has been provided to The Old Mystic History Center from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature.
Continuing the Legacy
For more than thirty years, members of the Indian & Colonial Research Center's Board of Directors have discussed updating the identity of the Center.
In January 2020, after a two-year deliberative process, the Board made the decision to rebrand the “Indian & Colonial Research Center” with the “Old Mystic History Center” to reflect the growth in our collections. Over the past 50 years, our archival collection has expanded to include many fine manuscripts, publications, photographs, and physical objects connected to the rich and varied history of our area.
While Indigenous and colonial materials are still a large part of our collection’s strengths, our responsibility as the governing board is to care for and promote all the items under our stewardship. We need our research center to maintain relevance, visibility, and viability in the changing world of the 21st Century. The change in our name attempts to address these issues in a realistic community-centered way.
