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.
OMHC Awarded CT Humanities Grant
We are pleased to announce that Connecticut Humanities, the statewide, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded us a $5700 CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant (CTCFOSG). The funds will help us enhance our infrastructure and create a more user-friendly updated website that streamlines access into the collection's online database and promotes our recent rebranding efforts.
The Old Mystic History Center was one of 624 organizations in Connecticut that was awarded CT Cultural Fund support totaling $16M from CT Humanities. The CTCFOSGs are part of $30.7M of support allocated to arts, humanities, and cultural nonprofits through CTH over the next two years by the CT General Assembly and approved by Governor Ned Lamont. The CTCFOSG will assist organizations as they recover from the pandemic and maintain and grow their ability to serve their community and the public.
This grant was administered by CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.
CT Humanities (CTH) is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. CTH connects people to the humanities through grants, partnerships, and collaborative programs. CTH projects, administration, and program development are supported by state and federal matching funds, community foundations, and gifts from private sources. The Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) is the state agency charged with fostering the health of Connecticut’s creative economy. Part of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, the COA is funded by the State of Connecticut as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.
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.
