Stone Footprints: The Wandering Plaque of 1911

Join us at the Museum for a FREE presentation where Jennifer Klau, Executive Director of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, will share an exciting new research project that illuminates the experiences of the Jewish immigrants that once made the North End of Hartford their home. Ccome early to visit our new exhibition, Drawn Here: Stories from Hartford’s North End.

What is the Wandering Plaque of 1911?

An enormous marble plaque from 1911, serendipitously rediscovered in the basement of a Hartford school building, sparked a fascinating research dive into long-demolished buildings, extinct and extant community institutions, continuity and change. The story of this slab of marble illustrates the comings and goings of Hartford’s Jewish community from its roots in the North End to its eventual and complete migration to the suburbs.

The plaque’s journey from one building to another, where it was abandoned for about 75 years as the community moved away, is an example of rich heritage that can easily disappear and a hopeful story about recovering the past.

A companion program to the Making History, Making Change Lecture Series organized by Smithsonian Affiliations.

About the Speaker:

Jennifer Klau is the Executive Director of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. Before embracing her inner history nerd, Jennifer worked in the healthcare sciences realm as Director of Research for a healthcare startup, Adjunct Professor at Central Connecticut State University and as a Master Instructor for the SpinningTM program, training instructors and creating and presenting continuing education courses.

Klau has served as the President of Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford, CT twice, heads several committees and continues to serve on its board. Jennifer is a competitive rower with Riverfront Recapture in Hartford and spends as much of the winter as she can skiing. She earned her B.S. in Communications from Boston University College of Communication and her M.A. in Education and Ph.D. in Kinesiology at UCONN. Jennifer is married to Superior Court Judge Daniel Klau, with whom she raised three children.