The beautiful Barnes Museum, located at 85 North Main Street in the heart of Southington, Connecticut, serves as a reminder of Southington’s rich historic past. Step through its doors and you are transported to an era when ladies wore high-button shoes and elegant lace dresses and men donned top hats for social occasions.

Tourists come to the Barnes from all over the world to experience this first-class example of a completely furnished historic American home. The Barnes also houses an extensive archival collection of historic diaries and letters including Captain Andrew Upson’s Civil War letters. [Go to the Library's homepage at www.southingtonlibrary.org and click on Captain Upson's Civil War Letters to read the actual letters.]

Go to Connecticut MuseumQuest for a delightfully irreverent review of the Barnes.

Researchers interested in access to the archives may call the Museum at (860) 628-5426 to schedule and appointment.