New London, CT--The annual New London Maritime Society fundraiser, a Wine Tasting & Silent Auction, will be held September 3, 2021, at New London's newly renovated Lighthouse Inn, a beloved local landmark. This will be the first event to take place at the Inn since the business closed in 2008. Inn owner Alwyn Christy and former New London economic development director Ned Hammond will be honored at the event for their work to preserve this site. The wine tasting will be hosted by Ed Cramer of Gordon’s Yellow Front Wines and Liquors. The event takes place Friday, September 3, from 5:30-8 PM. Tickets are $75, $100 for ticket + NLMS membership, and may be purchased online at https://lighthouseinn.bpt.me.
The property was developed in 1902 as Meadow Court -- a seaside country home for steel industry magnate Charles S. Guthrie. The grounds originally were landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, a Hartford native whose firm designed New York's Central Park. Located three miles from downtown New London in the city's South End, the Mission-style home was converted to an inn with 27 guest rooms in 1927. By the 1940s, it was a destination for Hollywood elite including Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The Inn closed in 2008 and the city of New London took control of the 4-acre property for unpaid property taxes in 2013.
At that point, New London economic development director New Hammond decided to invest some extra time into finding the right buyer -- someone who would maintain the landmark and not simply tear it down for development. One of his ideas was to ask NLMS executive director Susan Tamulevich to set up a Lighthouse Inn facebook page on which aspects of the Inn's colorful history could be presented. On the page she posted archival photographs of the Guthrie family and from the Olmsted firm's archive ca. 1902. Posts of Inn artifacts from the collection of Jim Diaz-Saavedra, newspaper articles, and photos of special events held in the banquet room during the Inn's heyday prompted dozens of reminiscences and supportive comments from the community.
At a city auction in 2016, Alwyn Christy and a partner purchased the inn with the intent to restore the property and reestablish the restaurant and inn. True to his word, Mr. Christy has been there almost daily ever since, overseeing the renovation, and endeavoring to preserve as much of the original fabric as possible. After seven years of work, Mr. Christy plans on reopening the Inn later this fall.
New London Maritime Society is delighted to honor Alwyn Christy and Ned Hammond on such a difficult yet successful undertaking. This event is a tribute, too, to the local community, who never gave up on the Inn! We are excited to help reintroduce this remarkable local landmark, which means so much to the New London community.
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In 1983 the New London Maritime Society was formed by citizens who stopped an impending federal sale to keep NL's US Custom House intact and accessible. Today, we run a local maritime history museum, provide a free education program in NL Public Schools, and preserve the custom house and three area lighthouses.
The Custom House Maritime Museum / New London Maritime Society is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. NLMS was closed for 63 weeks in 2020-21, due to the pandemic. None-the-less, while closed we presented:
- new online exhibitions,
- virtual zoom programs,
- small, COVID-safe tours to Harbor Lighthouse,
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the 11th year - Third-Grade Local History & Landmarks Program,
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and the 10th Annual luncheon for National Maritime Day.
At this point, the museum is back open five days a week with new programs:
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free admission for all New London students and their families,
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monthly meetings of Jibboom Club #1 - free-of-charge for area seniors,
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monthly community Open Mic Nights, admission by donation only,
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supporting the City of New London's Eat in the Street initiative with monthly Custom House Soirees,
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and sharing our historic venue with other nonprofits, such as the Connecticut Early Music Society for two concerts.
- Recently, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a National Park Service program awarded NLMS a project grant to enhance and reimagine the New London County harbor's role in the fugitive enslaved people of color's plight to freedom.
We believe in diversity and social justice, as well as strive to be a place where the entire community can learn from our shared history in order to build a more just and compassionate future.
The Mission of the New London Maritime Society (NLMS) is to protect and preserve New London's U.S. Custom House, three area lighthouses, and Long Island Sound, and to promote, interpret, and celebrate the rich maritime life & history of the port of New London and the surrounding region through museum exhibitions, educational programs, and preservation initiatives.
