The Wild Women of Middletown: A Tour

From the Middlesex Historical Society

You’ve probably never heard of Harriet Baldwin.  She was just a toddler in Middletown in the 1830s, when an angry mob of almost 200 men broke into her family’s house.  They were there to scare her father Jesse Baldwin, who was holding a meeting of the anti-slavery organization he had founded.  The men broke windows and furniture, all the while screaming threats at Jesse and the other abolitionists.  Harriet’s mother, Lydia Baldwin, held the little girl tight while the mob ran wild through the house.  One of the men, grabbing a bucket of water, screamed, “Water can’t hurt Jesse Baldwin’s baby!” and dashed it over Harriet and her mother. 

There’s no doubt the little girl was badly frightened.  But Harriet grew up to have the last laugh at that pro-slavery mob, as she—

Well, we’re not going to spoil it.  If you want to find out about Harriet Baldwin and lots of other strong, surprising, inspiring Middletown women, then join the Middlesex County Historical Society on Sunday afternoon, March 20^th  for a walking tour of local women’s history. March is Women's History Month, and tour participants can celebrate that by hearing about some rather astonishing women who called Middletown home over the last 250 years.  

Led by the former director of the historical society, Dione Longley, the tour will wend its way through the city's downtown area, pausing at particular sites to hear the stories of Harriet Baldwin and a host of others.  Some stories will recall women who excelled in fields dominated by men; others will tell of those made contributions in traditionally female roles.  Participants will hear about female factory workers who went on strike to protest inhumane conditions—and who then suffered under the clubs of the police and militia called in to break up the strike.   They’ll hear what hundreds of Middletown women did to help the Union win the Civil War.  They'll learn about professional athletes that drew thousands of fans.  

 The Women’s History Walking Tour will step off from the General Mansfield House, 151 Main Street in Middletown,  at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 20^th.  After approximately an hour, it will return to the Mansfield House for refreshments and conversation.  Tickets are $8 for adults; $5 for historical society members.  Children 12 and under are free.

 The Women’s History Walking Tour is funded in part by the Middlesex County Community Foundation/Fund for Women and Girls, through a grant awarded in honor of Arianna Huffington.  The rain date is  Tuesday, March 22^nd, at 6:00 p.m.