BRIDGTON — The Rufus Porter Museum is hosting its first virtual lecture series in the new year.

The museum will offer a three-part virtual lecture series in January, February and March. Each of the sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings, with the first one scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 12. The second one will be held Feb. 9.

The series will explore the life, times and legacy of Rufus Porter, with guest lecturers from across the state and New England.

Rufus Porter Museum

The January event is titled, “Tapping into the Past: Tavern Life in Early Connecticut.”

Presented by Taylor McClure, museum educator at the Connecticut Historical Society, this program highlights taverns in early Connecticut which were more than just a place to drink. Travelers and locals alike saw taverns as a place to be entertained, spread news and gossip, have a good meal, and get a night’s lodging.

It is well known that Rufus Porter set up shop in taverns all over New England as an itinerant painter. This program will explore the sights, sounds, and personalities that Porter likely encountered in his travels.

Porter was born in Massachusetts in 1792 and moved to Bridgton when he was nine years old. He died in 1884.

According to its website, the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity “promotes and preserves the life and legacy of Rufus Porter. Today, Porter is well recognized for his folk art, however, he was so much more than a painter. Porter was an inventor, a musician, and a founding publisher, editor, and writer for Scientific American, still in publication today.”

The cost to attend is $5 for members, $10 for non-members.

A Zoom link will be provided a few days before the lecture. Tickets can be purchased at: www.rufusportermuseum.org/event-details/2022-virtual-winter-lecture-series-tapping-into-the-past-tavern-life-in-early-connecticut.

Stay tuned for more information on the February and March lectures. For more information about Porter and the museum, go to: rufusportermuseum.org/