Collections : [Connecticut State Library, State Archives]

The Connecticut Optometric Society, formerly known as the Connecticut State Optical Society, was organized July 29, 1908. The records include minutes of meetings, correspondence, reports, membership lists, and general records of the society.

In 1927, State Representative Julia Emery of Stamford formed the Connecticut Order of Women Legislators, the first in the nation. Its objectives were to promote a network and decide on priority legislation. In 1938, Ms. Emery led a movement to establish a national order. Today the OWL promotes a legislative agenda for the General Assembly. This group contains guest books, a list of female legislators in Connecticut, 1921-1945, state and national by-laws, group photographs, and 6 scrapbooks, 1937-1984. Click here to see the scanned paper finding aid and container list (pdf).

The Connecticut Peace Society appears to have been established in 1910, "to foster the spirit of amity and concord among the nations, and to create a public sentiment which will lead to the abandonment of war as a means of settling international disputes."

The Connecticut Public Transportation Authority was created within the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 1975 to "advise and assist the commissioner in the performance of his functions and duties relating to the planning, development and maintenance of adequate rail and motor carrier facilities and service in the state." The Authority was charged to "at least annually…hold public hearings in each of the urbanized areas of the state for the purpose of evaluating the adequacy of such rail and motor carrier facilities." In 1983 the name was changed to the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission.

The General Assembly created the Commission in 1895 (Special Act 343) to be responsible for the construction of a new bridge over the Connecticut River to replace the wooden bridge that had burned in that year. The Commission maintained the bridge until the 1930s, when it turned its duties and title to the properties to the State and adjoining localities.

The Connecticut River Flood Control Compact was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 6, 1953. The compact created the Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Commission for the purpose of promoting inter-state comity between and among the signatory states; assuring adequate storage capacity for impounding waters of the Connecticut River and its tributaries for the protection of life and property from floods; and providing a joint or common agency through which the signatory states, while promoting protecting and preserving to each the local interest and sovereignty of the respective signatory states, may more effectively cooperate in accomplishing the object of flood control and water resources utilization in the basin of the Connecticut River and its tributaries.

The State Reform School opened in 1854 in Meriden Connecticut. The name was changed in 1893 to the Connecticut School for Boys. In January of 1970 the school came under the administrative control of the Department of Children and Youth Services. In 1972 the school merged with Long Lane School, the state reform school for girls, after experiencing internal troubles with staff and student discipline. Economic costs to the state were also an issue. All boys staying at the school were transferred to Long Lane School between 1972 and 1973. Items in this collection include student and staff records and photographs

The Connecticut Siting Council has jurisdiction over the siting of power facilities, transmission lines, hazardous waste facilities and various other forms of infrastructure including telecommunications sites.

The Connecticut Society of the Colonial Dames of America was established in 1893 "to create widespread interest in history, to inspire love of this Republic, to do justice and honor to heroic ancestors, and to commemorate the labors and achievements of the founders of our country." Includes "Old Houses of Connecticut", a series of studies conducted in the early 20th century on early Connecticut houses and other historically important buildings. Click here to see the scanned paper finding aid and container list (pdf). Click here to see the inventory of the Old Houses of Connecticut volumes. A card index in the History and Genealogy reading room is arranged alphabetically by city or town.

Connecticut Stadium Committee legislation, resolutions, site plan, testimony, transcripts, and reports.