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Norwalk’s history is for sale this week. Ralph Bloom, the city’s only official historian, is selling a portion of his personal collection of Norwalk artifacts. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit college scholarships and the Norwalk Historical Society.
Bloom has spent 50 years collecting historically significant examples from Norwalk’s history but now it is time to part with some of it, he said. His treasures include 19th century pottery that was produced locally as well as silver and china from some of Norwalk’s founding families. He selected 300 pieces for the sale and he plans to donate a selection of locally-produced pottery to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.
He wonders if local residents realize the historical significance of some of the crafts produced in Norwalk during the 18th and 19th centuries. “There are three pieces of Norwalk pottery in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the American wing. The High Museum in Atlanta has one of the best pieces of redware that was made in Norwalk in the 1770’s,” said Bloom. “We come to forget, sometimes, what our true heritage is.”
The sale will run every day this week through June 20 at the Town House Museum in Mill Hill Historic Park. Hours will be 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come view the collection whether or not they plan to buy anything, though many of the artifacts cost less than $20. A conversation with Bloom about the history of each piece, however, may be priceless.
