Local Legacy: Chase Collegiate Archives 1865-2020

An exhibition drawn from 155 years of materials from the Chase Archive chronicling the school's history and impact on the Greater Waterbury area.

More about this exhibition

Local Legacy: Chase Collegiate Archives 1865-2020 celebrates the history of Chase Collegiate through its archive, which is now housed at the Mattatuck Museum. Throughout its history the school was a landmark for educating local youths – inspiring leadership, lifelong learning, and a sense of community.

Started in 1865 as The Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies and reformed in 1875 as Saint Margaret’s School for Girls, the school was founded to provide a well-rounded education to young women in Waterbury. Saint Margaret’s and McTernan’s school for boys and young men merged in 1972 to become the coed, nonreligious Saint Margaret’s-McTernan School. In 2005 the school was yet again reformed as Chase Collegiate, which closed in 2020. The campus continues its legacy as a new home for the STEAM school ACES at Chase.

The exhibition celebrates this lasting legacy through photographs, objects, and ephemera from The Chase Archive.