Connecticut Radio Information System

The Eric Sloane Museum, located at 31 Kent Cornwall Road in Kent, Conn., is near the scenic grounds and picturesque walking trails of the Housatonic River. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the site of a State Archaeological Preserve.

Eric Sloane (1905-1985) was a renowned Connecticut artist best known for his idyllic landscapes, author of 38 books, and collector of early American hand tools. The museum features his paintings, illustrations, and an extensive collection of early American hand tools. A highlight of the museum is the Noah Blake Cabin, a recreation of an early 19th-century dwelling from Sloane’s most famous book, Diary of an Early American Boy.

Sloane himself arranged and labeled the museum collection, telling a fascinating story about bygone times and the great American heritage of craftsmanship. The building itself was donated to the State of Connecticut in 1969 by Stanley Works, the Connecticut-based tool manufacturing company.

CRIS Solution

The Eric Sloane Museum features multiple buildings and exhibits on the 17.3-acre site. CRIS provided 20 audio tours – 10 in English and 10 in Spanish – highlighting the museum’s many exhibits. Those exhibits include:

• Eric Sloane’s Studio
  Sloane’s career as an artist comes vividly alive in this re-created space with his paint-spattered easel and rows of jars jammed with paintbrushes. See examples of his artwork in an adjoining gallery.
• Main Gallery
  Established as a joint effort with Stanley Works and the State of Connecticut, the main gallery features an extensive collection of early American artifacts, walls adorned with a variety of early American items such as axes, hammers, sleds, and baskets, all crafted from materials like wood and metal. Hand-painted signs accompany the items, explaining their uses and functions.
• Noah Blake Cabin
  The Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum are rebuilding the pioneer cabin originally constructed for the museum to illustrate the one described by Noah Blake in Diary of an Early American Boy, an 1805 diary published by Sloane.
• Kent Iron Furnace
  The 1826 granite blast furnace with Gothic arches was used to produce pig iron for almost 70 years and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An exhibit in the museum and a walking trail with interpretive signs tell the history of the local iron industry.
• Eric Sloane’s Art Gallery
  His artwork often celebrated weather. Throughout his career, Sloane produced over 10,000 paintings and illustrations, authored 38 books, and penned numerous academic articles. This gallery showcases original works spanning from the 1920s to his passing in 1985, featuring oil paintings, pen and ink sketches, and pastel renderings.