Looking to do a little armchair traveling this winter? You might want to tune in to C-SPAN.
As part of its “Cities Tour” series, the public affairs cable network, known for its televised coverage of Congress, travels to midsize cities throughout the country to explore each area’s history and literary communities. And although you won’t get a typical tourist view of a place’s bars and restaurants, you will get an insider’s look at its historic and cultural background.
In case you hadn’t heard, Hartford is one of the first cities featured in the 2016 lineup.
The network’s specially outfitted vans arrived in the city in November. Producers spent a week filming segments highlighting some of the city’s most famous literary and historic locales and interviewing historians, authors and civic leaders, says Mark Farkas, the series’ executive producer.
“We descend on a city for a week, team up with our local cable affiliate, which in Hartford is Comcast, do some research, develop contacts and find the stories,” says Farkas.
And if you think you know all there is to know about an area because you live there, Farkas says you should check again.
“Sometimes even when you live in a place, you take it for granted. You may pass by landmarks every day and never really know their history,” Farkas says.
Take Nook Farm, for example.
C-SPAN producers taped a tour of the Mark Twain House & Museum, then visited the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, where they filmed the house and interviewed Katherine Kane, the center’s director.
“With its rich historical and literary roots, Hartford was a natural for this series,” says Kane. “Stowe was Hartford’s first lady of literature. Along with her best-known novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin,’ Stowe wrote 30 books here.”
Other stops included Connecticut’s Old State House, the Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and the Museum of Connecticut History, which is part of the Connecticut State Library.
In a video on the Soldiers and Sailors Arch, tour guide Sally Taylor outlined the role that Hartford played in the Civil War and the symbolism behind the iconic memorial, which was designed to welcome the city’s soldiers and sailors home from the war.
For one of the literary segments, author Anne Farrow discussed her book, “The Logbooks: Connecticut’s Slave Ships and Human Memory,” which explores the logbooks of Connecticut’s slave ships and their role in helping tell the story of New England’s slave trade.
The Hartford stop connected with civic leaders as well.
The video tour also visited the state Capitol, where Gov. Dannel P. Malloy talked about the history and design of the Capitol building, and shared stories of some of the memorials lining its halls.
C-SPAN’s focus on small and midsize cities is an important one, according to Farkas.
“We stay away from the big cities, so we can focus on the areas that aren’t as well known nationally,” says Farkas. “Hartford offered us exactly what we look for — a vibrant history and rich literary community. It’s got great stories and that’s what we try to share.”
February’s lineup also includes Santa Barbara, Calif.; Greenville, S.C.; and Montgomery, Ala.
“Cities Tour” programming is shown on Book TV (C-SPAN2) and American History TV (C-SPAN3). The series can also be viewed at c-span.org.