The New Hartford Historical Society
‘New Hartford’s Railroads’
Presented by Anne C. Hall, Ph.D.
7:00 pm on November 3rd, 2016
At the New Hartford Town Hall
Thank you!
We once more had a record breaking wine tasting with almost three hundred people attending. The evening was a major success and very helpful in our continuing work to take New Hartford’s history well into the future.
Here is a list of all our vendors and sponsors who helped make it successful. We would also like to thank Tony’s Package Store for their wonderful wine, beer, and specialty liquor selections. Many of these are local businesses that rely on our support, stop in and say hi!
A & J Quality Roofing
Amerprise Financial
Barden Farm
Better Half Bistro
Blue Sky Foods
Farmers Insurance
Buttercup Confections
Canton Barn Auctions
Canton Creamery
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital
Chatterley’s
Collinsville Savings Society
Lisa’s Crown & Hammer Restaurant and Pub
Dance
The D’More Agency, David D’Amore, Jr. Real Estate
David J. Orszulak, CPA, CFA, Ameriprise
Dom’s Coffee
Doug Gerard The 1832 House
Foothills VNA
Garden of light Natural foods market
Susan & Steve Goralski
George’s Restaurant
Goff’s Equipment Service, LLC
Goulet Printery
High Farms Kennels
Infinity Music Hall & Bistro
James Casey Chef
Joan Auclair, Literate Graphic Design
Jules Poirier Co., LLC
La Trattoria
Lippincott Van Lines
Main Stream LLC
Marandino’s Supermarket
Mark Marchetti, Arborist & Gardener
Max a Mia Ristorante
Michel Angelo’s
Mikado Asian Bistro
Montano-Shea Funeral Home
NeJaime’s Package Store
New England Online Auctions
New Hartford Democratic Town Committee
New Hartford Diner
New Hartford Republican Town Committee
Northwest Community Bank
Noujaim’s Food and Catering
Passiflora
Pearse-Bertram, Kristen Jones
Peddlers’ Junction
Bakker Agency, Insurance & Financial Services
Pizza Pete’s
Portobello’s Ristorante
Quinoco Energy Services
Radwick’s Coffee & Sandwich
Raimie H. Weber Jeweler
Reilly Capital Management, LLC
Rivers Edge Bistro
Riverside Nursery & Garden Center
Rogers Law Firm, LLC
Russ’s Septic Service
Santoro Law Office, LLC
Saybrook Fish House
Select Physical Therapy
Ski Sundown
Tangarone & Prelli Insurance
TD Bank
Head Shoppe Salon
The Parrot Delaney
Tony’s Drive-In Package Store
Torrington Savings Bank
Valerie Manor
Village Hair Care
Winsted Feed & Supply
Winsted Hospital for Animals, PC
Zordan & Sons Wall and Ceiling
Filed under Events
New Board
After a number of years, we finally have a full board for the historical society once more. We would like to thank the long serving board members, in particular the Caseys, for all of their hard work and years of service. As always, we are open on Wednesdays between 7 and 9 p.m. We don’t bite and would love to talk to you!
Pat Casey: President
Chris Sihpol: Vice President
Natalie Sihpol: Treasurer
Anne Hall: Secretary
Tammy Casey
Heather Rankin
David Krimmel
Ginny Worrest
Bob Worrest
David Cravanzola
Filed under Uncategorized
Wine Tasting!
Save the date: Twelfth Annual New Hartford Historical Society Wine Tasting!!!
September 9th, 2016
6 pm to 9 pm at Ski Sundown, New Hartford, CT
$25 per person, tickets available at the door.
The New Hartford Historical Society’s main fundraiser is truly becoming an historic event. As always we will have a wide selection of local food, with some new vendors, along with (of course) dozens of wines and beers. The wine is international, and there just might be anything from Moonshine to Tequila (there was Chocolate last year!) While the food ranges from Pizza to Thai, and maybe figs, or chocolate, or European cheese for desert. It is a great evening: excellent food, excellent wine and beer, and excellent company at a beautiful location.
Filed under Uncategorized
Coming up
Twelfth Annual New Hartford Historical Society Wine Tasting!!!
It is truly becoming an historic event. As always we will have a wide selection of local food, with some new vendors, along with (of course) dozens of wines and beers. It is a great evening: excellent food, excellent wine and beer, and excellent company at a beautiful location.
Save the date: September 9th, 2016 from 6 to 9 pm at Ski Sundown, New Hartford. Tickets are $25 and are available at the door.
Filed under Uncategorized
Summer is coming
In the last few weeks there has been a notable increase in the activity in the town focused on the water. The trout season is open, with fishermen on the Dugway wall, in the Farmington, and fishing by boat in Lake McDonough (Compensating Reservoir) and in West Hill Lake. One really knows that summer is not far, despite the weather, when one sees the buses for the Farmington River Tubing staged down by the Satan’s Kingdom bridge. That business only dates from the 1970s. But, swimming and water sports have been popular for much longer. Until 1936, the Greenwoods Pond on the Farmington was an ideal place for yacht races and other such sports: formed by the power dam, it backed up a long sheet of water nearly to Pleasant Valley in Barkhamsted. Equally popular was West Hill Pond, which in the late 1800’s had the sense of romantic wilderness which made the Hudson River and the Adirondacks beloved summer places. Only, West Hill was much easier to get to.
Here is a summer scene from the late 1800’s:
Filed under culture
Maxfield Brothers’ Garage
Maxfield Brothers Garage
L to R: 1) Unknown. 2) Joseph Morin 3) Gene Roubillard 4) Henry Knight 5) Herb Maxfield 6) Monty Maxfield
Maxfield was one of the town’s earliest garages. They specialized in Ford, what else, and Studebaker. They also carried parts for bicycles. In addition to repairs, one could purchase gasoline, kerosene, various supplies, and (figuring prominently in the photographs) Coco-Cola. The garage was active in the teens and twenties, and possibly later. It was known as the brick garage and occupied the same space as the current Torrington Savings Bank in the center of New Hartford.
Filed under Industry
Dance Recital, New Hartford, c.1954
Dance Recital Pine Meadow School, circa 1954
L to R: Bev Hoffmann, Carol Chirico, Gladys Warner, unknown, Barbara Calder, Judy Wassick, unknown, (first name?) Carry
Photo: Courtesy of Barbara Calder Krohner
Filed under culture
Coming work
Our intrepid volunteers are hard at work on the next newsletter, and perhaps a presentation. It has to do with another anniversary and another flood… March 18th, 1936 and the failure of the Greenwoods Dam.
Here is a little teaser from a newspaper account of the event:
“Gray skies pressed close to the nearby hills and from them a drizzling rain fell steadily on the town and on the Farmington River which divides it. It fell too on the great bulk of the Greenwoods dam which bulwarked a great reservoir of water above the city.
Mr. Langevin rubbed his eyes. He could almost have sworn the dam moved. Then while he watched the dam did move.
Slowly – almost carefully- a great crack spread across the downstream surface of the dam. Slowly a huge section bulged outward. A trickle of water filtered through and then the whole section eased out. Millions of gallons of water fought through the opening. In a moment they shouldered away remnants of the dam crashed to the river and fell forward. Mr. Langevin saw them take the first bridge and shoulder its steel girders from their path.’
Wouldn’t happen this year
With today’s warm weather: well into the 70’s and dry, following a mild winter; it is with some amusement that I found this snippet from 1900: On January 3rd, the Greenwoods Ice Company began cutting ice. They finished the yearly harvest on March 22nd. Their total for the year was 27,000 Tons of ice. Ice could be harvested once the ice was between 7 and half to 8 inches in thickness. The Greenwoods company ‘owned’ the ice taken from Greenwoods pond, the 2 mile long stretch of water backed up on the West Branch of the Farmington above the center of town by the Greenwoods dam.
In addition to selling ice, they also used about 500 tons of it themselves. This was probably sold to company employees, since their operations (textiles) would not have required ice. The ice was shipped out of town by the railroad, headed for Hartford.
Filed under Uncategorized
New Hartford Historical Society 