Under the Charter Oak

In this upbeat episode, Kym is flying solo as she chats with Brian Cofrancesco and Linda Preston from the Connecticut Democracy Center—and Connecticut’s 2026 Kid Governor, Tessa Hallinan—about how the Kid Governor program turns thousands of fifth graders into real voters and advocates. Together they explore how this statewide election gives kids a genuine civic voice and sparks young leaders to take action on the issues they care about most.

What we're reading:

The Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation Pable Cartaya

Glorious Lessons by Richard Brookheiser

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein

We mentioned:

Governor’s Summer Learning Challenge 

CT Democracy Center

CT-N

CT Old State House

We the People

Project Citizen

Kid Governor

2026 Kid Governor Tessa

Kid Governor Blog

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Just when you think the story is about one person, we flip the script. From Major General Jabez Huntington, a successful merchant from Norwich, CT, to his son Jedidiah Huntington, to Jedidiah's wife Faith Trumbull Huntington. This story is a whirlwind of family names, military service, and heartache. Through the lives of the Huntingtons and the Trumbulls, the true effects and personal impacts of the American Revolutionary War on Connecticut's own emerge.

Listen to our last episode, this week on Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Content warning: At the 25-minute mark, this episode mentions the suicide and mental health of a historic figure during the American Revolution. The reference comes amidst a discussion of the war’s impact on people of the period. This segment lasts approximately 10 minutes. 

Please listen with care. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available — call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7 in the U.S. You can also chat online at 988lifeline.org. To learn more about suicide risk factors and warning signs, visit afsp.org/signs

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

A napkin might not seem like an item of historical significance at first glance. When you find out it was present at a dinner party hosted by Major General Israel Putnam that was purportedly attended by General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette in 1777 the napkin might be more interesting. When you find out THAT story actually might not be true, this napkin and its history become evermore intriguing.

What can you truly learn from a napkin? Find out on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

This is not your average brick. It's an 18th century brick that is believed to be one of the remnants from the field ovens built in Lebanon, CT during the American Revolution. These field ovens fed a multinational legion of cavalry and infantry led by the Duc de Lauzun when they wintered in Lebanon during 1780-1781.

Learn about the brick, the Duc de Lauzun, and Lauzun's Legion on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

In the 1770s, Americans had big feelings about King George III, so much so that a 4,000 pound lead sculpture of him that was installed in 1770 on Bowling Green, New York, was torn down by 1776. Dramatic as that sounds, what happens to 4,000 pounds of anything? And how did a caped shoulder of the statue end up at the Museum of Connecticut History? As usual, every item has a story.
 
Learn about King George III, his statue, and why we have a piece of the sculpture on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
 Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

The 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons was made up of hundreds of brave soldiers, one of which was Private Joseph Robins, an Indigenous man who may have belonged to the Nipmuc, Pequot, Mohegan, or Narragansett nations. While we don't know why he enlisted in the military, we're able to follow a bit of his journey through his wife Elizabeth Robins. What we do know is that he was chosen by George Washington as one of 20 soldiers to receive Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown!

Learn about the 2nd Regiment of Light Dragoons and Private Joseph Robins on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Colonel Elisha Bostwick's pocket watch is more than just a time keeper. It's an object that carries us across the ice-choked Delaware with George Washington to Trenton, New Jersey on a journey to battle German soldiers.

Learn about Colonel Elisha Bostwick, his pocket watch, and the journey to battle on this week's episode of Small but Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution.

Credit: 

"Royal Coupling" 

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

What stories could possibly come from a pocket watch, a flag, a sculpted shoulder, a brick, a portrait, and a napkin? Our colleagues from the Museum will be sharing information, not only about the items, but the people and stories behind them. You can expect mutiny, lies, Trumbulls, Putnams, and word has it, we might not have won the American Revolution without the tiny state of Connecticut. Buckle up as we preserve the past to inform the future in Small but Mighty: Connecticut’s Revolution, episode 1 of 6 launches May 27, 2026.

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

In this lively episode of Under the Charter Oak, Ashley, Kym, and Matt welcome a special guest from outside the library world, Kristen Bellantuono from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) State Parks. Kristen oversees beloved statewide programs including No Child Left Inside, and the long‑running Sky’s the Limit Hiking and Walking Challenge, which will probably occupy the rest of Kym's year, that leaderboard is everything to her. Together the group discuss how DEEP works to make outdoor recreation safe, educational, and accessible for everyone. Which state parks will you visit this year?

What we’re reading:

Connecticut State Parks: A Centennial History

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese 

Still Live by Louise Penny

Resource we mentioned:

Sky's the Limit

No Child Left Inside 

Credit:

“Wholesome”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/be/3.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!

Do you have a famous dog on your van? We do. Today Ashley, Matt, and Kym learn all about Sargent Stubby, the most decorated war dog of WWI and the only dog promoted to Sargent. Where was Stubby from you ask? Where else, Connecticut. Christine Pittsley, Museum Curator at the Museum of Connecticut History joins us on the pod to tell us about Sgt. Stubby, his owner, and the impact Stubby had not only in CT, but across the country and even in a few others! He was small, but he was also mighty!

Photos of Sgt. Stubby, the movie premiere, and the visit to France.

Credit:

“Wholesome”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/be/3.0/

The Connecticut State Library. Preserving the Past to Inform the Future!