A Tale of Two Coats: Colonel John Durkee and Connecticut's Revolution

Historian Dayne Rugh portrays Col. John Durkee in costume, then presents his biography of this forgotten Connecticut Revolutionary hero.

He arrived in Farmington dressed for war.

Join us at the Stanley-Whitman House on Sunday, May 17, at 2:00 PM for A Tale of Two Coats, a living-history presentation featuring historian and author Dayne Rugh as Colonel John Durkee: soldier, Son of Liberty, and one of Connecticut's most forgotten Revolutionary heroes.

Rugh will open in character, presenting in the first person as Colonel Durkee in period regimental clothing for thirty minutes, bringing the Revolutionary era to life inside a c. 1720 National Historic Landmark. He will then step out of character for an illustrated presentation drawing on his biography, John Durkee: The Forgotten Story of Connecticut's Bold Man from Bean Hill, the first definitive account of a Norwich-born colonel who served under General Washington, fought in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, and helped shape the course of a nation.

Since his death in 1782, John Durkee became a virtual footnote in American history. Dayne Rugh spent years recovering that story, and it is fitting that he tells it here. The Stanley-Whitman House was already a half-century old when Durkee answered the call to fight, and Farmington sent its own sons into the same war. This is not a story from somewhere else brought to a neutral venue. It belongs in this room.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing at $20.00.

A Tale of Two Coats is part of our America 250 programming, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence with stories of the Connecticut men and women whose sacrifices shaped the nation and whose names deserve to be remembered.

Registration is free. A suggested donation of $10 per person helps sustain America 250 programming at the Stanley-Whitman House. No one will be turned away. Space is limited. Reserve your place today.

Highlights

• First-person living-history portrayal of Colonel John Durkee in period regimental costume
• Illustrated biography talk by author and historian Dayne Rugh
• Books available for purchase and signing at $20.00

Good to know
This program takes place in the Speare Classroom in the museum's Annex, which is fully accessible. The historic house will be open for self-guided visits before and after the program. Contact averzosa@stanleywhitman.org with accessibility questions.