Stephen J. Paterwic will deliver a PowerPoint presentation on his latest book, The Shakers of Enfield, Connecticut 1780-1968. This is the first book devoted to telling the complete story of this relatively unknown Shaker village. Rich, primary source material will be cited and many rare images shown of the Shakers and the buildings. The talk[...]
Join Enfield Historical Society member, Jim Malley, for a presentation on the development of Thompsonville. The presentation will trace the settlement of the neighborhood and expansion of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company. The program will also look at surrounding businesses, government officials, school officials, athletes, and military veterans in Thompsonville and how they were influenced by Italians[...]
Last March, author and Shaker scholar Stephen J. Paterwic delivered a presentation based on his latest book, The Shakers of Enfield, Connecticut 1780-1968. which is the first book devoted to telling the complete story of our relatively unknown Enfield, Connecticut Shaker village. He returns by popular demand. Stephen describes this second presentation as follows: “My[...]
Peter F. Sorenson, author of Hazard Powder The Powder Hollow explosion of 1913 will lead a discussion of the Hazard Powder Company of Hazardville Connecticut from its beginning in 1834 to its ending in a fiery eruption in 1913. Learn about the: - incentives provided by the Revolutionary Government, which encouraged entrepreneurs to get involved in[...]
Jim Malley’s PowerPoint presentation will look at the five cemeteries serviced by the Enfield Cemetery Association, including the Enfield Street Cemetery, King Street (Pleasant Road) Cemetery, Thompsonville Cemetery, Hazardville Old Cemetery, and Hazardville New Cemetery. Photographs of significant Enfield residents’ gravestones will also be included. This presentation is open to the public. Anyone with an[...]
Details for this meeting and presentation will be posted here as soon as they are available. Please check back regularly. This presentation is open to the public. Anyone with an interest in Enfield history is welcome to attend. The Enfield Historical Society is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that has preserved and shared Enfield’s history for[...]
Return to the Enfield of the early 1900s and learn about Edwin Smith Vail and Elmcroft, the Sanitarium Dr. Vail established in 1890 for the treatment and care of patients with nervous and mental disease. As stated in an advertisement, the facility was "situated in the beautiful New England town of Enfield on the N.Y.,[...]
Built in 1782, the Martha Parsons House Museum is a beautiful old New England home filled with generations of Parsons family heirlooms. Much more than that, it was home to Martha Parsons (1869-1965), a 2010 Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. Her story is one of a highly successful businesswoman in an essentially male-only business[...]
While many people fondly remember Thompsonville's Strand Theatre (later the Enfield Cinema) on North Main Street, it was not the only movie theater in Thompsonville. Nor was it the first. Decades earlier in the silent movie era, the Scenic Theatre held that honor. Then there were the Orpheum, the Franklin, and the Majestic. All before[...]
For one special afternoon, Enfield joins with the Massachusetts towns of Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and Hampden as part of the History on the Go! Changing Boundaries Trail Historical Museum Tour. Click here for the tour brochure. When founded, Enfield was part of Massachusetts, and it remained so for 70 years. Come to the Old Town[...]
Presentation by author and Enfield Historical Society president Peter F. Sorenson. Return with us to the time when Thompsonville, Connecticut, was the Boxing Mecca of the Northeast. We will begin back in February 1929, at Wawel Hall, located on the second floor of the Polish National Home in Thompsonville, at the corner of Alden Avenue[...]
Presentation by Enfield Historical Society member Michael Miller. Enfield has always been home to creative and ingenious people. Innumerable inventions have been born of their genius. And many of our Enfield innovators (or their employers) received patents for their inventions or designs. From the incredibly complex machinery that made Thompsonville's carpet factories so productive and[...]
