Preserving the History of Watertown, CT
since 1945
The Watertown History Museum, formerly the Watertown Historical Society, was organized in 1945 with the objective of collecting local history.
Settled in 1701, this area, originally known as Wooster-Westbury, was incorporated as the Town of Watertown in May of 1780. From those early families, our community has certainly grown.
The many documents and artifacts collected by the Society needed storage and display space. From 1968 to 2016, the Fire District generously donated the second floor of its building at 22 Deforest Street as a museum site. After, the collection unfortunately spent years in storage. In late 2019, we moved into our new home at 401 Main Street! In the years since, we have welcomed hundreds of visitors to view our galleries and experience our programming.
The mission of the Museum has always been to preserve Watertown history. The collection illustrates all aspects of Watertown/Oakville life such as manufacturing, military, farming, and arts & culture. Prized pieces and fan favorites include a Civil War American flag and boots worn by the “Old Leatherman.”
