"Sam & Elizabeth: Legend and Legacy of Colt's Empire" Epic romance, epic times, epic lives. Sam and Elizabeth Colt, more than any couple in the history of Connecticut’s capital city, changed the course of history – he by developing a model of industrial technology that changed the world of work. She, though countless acts of civic leadership and philanthropy. The Colt’s story mirrors and shaped the transformation of Hartford from a center of trade and government in a small agrarian economy to an international powerhouse in industry and finance. This program traces the rise of Colt’s Amory and the firearms and machine tool industries. After his premature death at the age of 47, Colt’s empire was inherited and controlled by Elizabeth. Over the next 40 years she was the controlling stockholder and the largest taxpayer in the richest small city in America. Her interests in art, architecture, religion, social services and civic harmony gave her a role in public life few women of her generation could imagine. She became a role model for Progressive era Connecticut women whose work and advocacy set the stage for the advent of women’s rights. Politics, art, money, power, triumph and tragedy – it’s all here and based on an exhibition and collection donated by the Colts to Wadsworth Atheneum. To book a feature length program contact William Hosley at wnhosley@snet.net

1. Sam & Elizabeth: Legend & Legacy of Colt’s Empire By William Hosley

3. Machinists and machine tools at Colt’s Armory, c 1859

5. Armsmear – the Colts’ mansion (1857) estate & architect-designed estate gardens

6. Colt Park – As it appeared about 1910. Donated to the City of Hartford by Elizabeth Hart Colt

7. Colt Monument, Cedar Hill Cemetery, 1864 by James Batterson & Randolph Rogers

8. Sam Colt / Elizabeth & Caldwell Colt, 1865

9. Elizabeth Colt’s Picture Gallery, advised by Hartford family friend Frederic Church

10. Church of the Good Shepherd by Edward T. Potter

12. Treasures from the Centennial Exposition, 1876

13. The Dauntless

14. The Lure of Italy: Treasures from Colt’s 1881 Grand Tour Reproduction of Chair from Doge Palace, Venice

15. Caldwell Colt Memorial House by ET Potter, 1894

16. Colt Memorial Wing, Wadsworth Atheneum Elizabeth Colt – 1 st woman in America to lead & build municipal art museum expansion, 1910

18. Colt’s Empire exhibition Wadsworth Atheneum 1997

19. Saving Coltsville, A Preservation initiative

20. Sam & Elizabeth: Legend & Legacy of Colt’s Empire by William Hosley Terra Firma Northeast To book a feature length presentation contact [email_address] Special thanks to Wadsworth Atheneum, the Museum of Connecticut History, Karen Blanchfield White, Dean Nelson, the National Park Service, Congressman John Larson & those who’ve supported our efforts to preserve Colt’s heritage and tell this story