History Bites | Oystering in Connecticut

Oysters once grew freely along the Connecticut coastline, long a staple of Native American diets. By the 1800s, oystering became a major industry, particularly for Bridgeport, Norwalk, and New Haven. The oysters from the Long Island Sound were legendary, and oyster production peaked in Connecticut in the early 1900s. Join Neil Berro, a local historian working on a manuscript on the history of Connecticut oystering and its deep-rooted ties to New Haven, to learn more and discover the recent aquaculture efforts in renewing oyster populations in the region.

Free with Museum Admission. Snacks and refreshments provided. Please feel free to bring your own lunch.

About the Speaker

Neil R. Berro, is retired and briefly returned to a graduate setting classroom on US Maritime history which necessitated writing a 25-page paper. That paper grew to over 300 pages and five years later, hopes for publication. Dozens of people were supportive in providing time and expertise to craft both a historical story but one that actively continues to the present day. Neil utilizes his journalism degree and strong historical interest to attempt to bring a “you are there” feel to the narrative, its drama, personalities, and major events over an approximately 150-year period. Neil and his family have lived from the east coast to the west coast with stops in between in performance of not-for-profit responsibilities. He hopes that the contemporary reader will understand that all the issues first seen in the late nineteenth century remain active questions of policy and priority in the twenty-first century.

Generously sponsored by Oak Lawn Cemetery & Arboretum

Image: A sculpture in Fair Haven shows silhouettes of the New Haven Oyster Tonging Sharpie. The boat was a local invention, built first in the 1840s by James Goodsell. Photo: Neil Berro.