Do you have an interesting Greenwich story to tell—about yourself or a town person, place, event, or organization? Now is your opportunity to be interviewed and recorded by the Oral History Project at Greenwich Library.
Join the Oral History Project on Saturday, October 26, from 10:00am to 2:30pm by appointment.
Project interviewers will record stories in 30-minute sessions. Participants will receive a digital file of the interview to keep and share. Registration is required, visit the Library’s calendar to schedule your interview.
“We are excited to invite the community to share their unique Greenwich stories with us. Whether it’s a personal experience, a memorable event, or an account of a notable person or place, your story is a valuable piece of our town’s rich history,” said Mary Ellen LeBien, OHP co-chair. “This event is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to our collective memory as we celebrate 50 years of preserving Greenwich’s history. We look forward to hearing your story!”
The Oral History Project (OHP) is celebrating 50 years in a year-long celebration that began with a proclamation by First Selectman Fred Camillo, who declared January 22, 2024, Greenwich Library Oral History Project Day in the Town of Greenwich.
Founded in 1974, when then Library director Nolan Lushington gave it space at the Main Library and the Friends of Greenwich Library undertook its sponsorship and funding, OHP sent trained interviewers to record interviews with people who helped make, or lived through and observed, the history of Greenwich. One of its earliest interviews was with Mary Dodge Ficker, who described growing up in Old Greenwich in the 1890s.
Staffed by volunteers, the Project has recorded more than 1,250 interviews, published 142 books, monthly blogs, and pamphlets based on its collection, and trained volunteers and Town residents in the techniques of conducting and preserving oral history interviews.
To discover more interesting Oral History Project interviews, please visit the Library’s catalog at www.greenwichlibrary.org and search for Oral History Project.
GFP stories based on Oral History Project interviews:
Longing for the Clam Box on Hot Summer Nights in Greenwich
Anniversary of Grim Event: Collapse of Mianus River Bridge, June 28, 1983
The Greenwich Library system consists of the Main Library and its Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branches. The mission of Greenwich Library is to provide exceptional resources, programs and services that promote the joy of lifelong learning and discovery, and to offer a welcoming place for people to gather and share experiences.
With 2,200 programs and events per year, the Library seeks to serve as the cultural and intellectual crossroads of the community. Greenwich Library’s circulation is among the highest of public libraries in Connecticut and has been named a five-star library by Library Journal for 11 of the past 12 years for the high number of patron visits, circulation, use of public computers, program attendance.
Greenwich Library is located at 101 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich. Cos Cob Library is located at 5 Sinawoy Road in Cos Cob. Byram Shubert Library is located at 21 Mead Avenue in Greenwich. More information is available online at www.greenwichlibrary.org or by calling 203-622-7900.