Celebrating Connecticut’s Trees

HARTFORD — Connecticut Historical Society, at 1 Elizabeth Street in Hartford, has a pair of exhibitions currently on view that celebrate arboreal vegetation. Both are on view until March 17.

“New Life for Connecticut Trees: Furniture by City Bench” presents a collection of furniture and household objects made from Connecticut trees once destined for landfills. City Bench, the creation of Ted Esselstyn and Zeb Esselstyn of Higganum, reclaims trees from small towns and big cities to create beautiful objects with meaning, and each piece is displayed with the tree’s family history, including its birthplace, significance, and life story.

“New Life for Connecticut Trees” is an exhibition about woodworking, the urban tree canopy, and a history of our trees.

“Lost Landscapes: Great Trees from Connecticut’s Past,” a companion exhibition to “New Life for Connecticut Trees” features photographs of some of Connecticut’s most noble trees, most of which are no longer standing, from the collection of CHS.

Connecticut Historical Society is open Tuesday through Friday from noon until 5 pm, and Saturday from 9 am until 5 pm. Visit CHS.org or call 860-236-5621 for additional information.