The ‘History Drives Us’ event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21.
An 18th century mile marker inscribed with the letters “H IV M” has stood on the corner of Four Mile Road and Farmington Avenue for centuries. This marker indicates the four-mile point from that spot to the Old State House in Hartford. Four Mile Road was named not for its length, but for the marker at its head. Submitted photo
Submitted by Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society
The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society will offer a special bus tour of West Hartford’s “hidden” history on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 at 1 p.m. The tour was inspired by a year-long West Hartford history lecture series the museum has been offering as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
“Our West Hartford history lecture series has proved to be very popular,” said Public Programs Manager Sarah St. Germain, the organizer of the series. “Lectures have covered broad topics like the 10 most important documents, to specifics like the upcoming December lecture about the Goodwin Pottery Works.” Regardless of the topic, what is evident is that West Hartford residents are interested in their town’s history and culture.
In 2015, the museum also offered two 5-week courses on West Hartford history in conjunction with the University of Hartford’s Presidents’ College. Each week a new topic on West Hartford history was presented with the final week concluding in a bus tour of the town. Attendees enjoyed the bus tour so much that the museum decided to offer a similar tour to the general public.
“We’ve planned a 1 ½ hour tour of West Hartford that really follows the perimeter of the town,” Executive Director Jennifer Matos, who will be leading the tour, explains. “We’ll be pointing out sites of significance that have largely been forgotten over the years, as well as providing a photo packet to show buildings that used be but are no more.”
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased 75 acres along Farmington Avenue for his son. A 27-room mansion was built, but the Vanderbilts never lived there. The house was eventually purchased by a successful silk manufacturer named Ira Dimock. The Dimocks owned the property until the house was razed in 1919 to make way for the West Hill neighborhood. Submitted photo
Based on her experience leading the Presidents’ College bus tour, Matos says that guests of the History Drives Us bus tour are in for a real treat. “We all drive around town every day to go about our daily business and errands. But how often do we drive around with the purpose of actually looking at the sites we pass? Better yet, with a bus tour the driving is taken care of for us. All we have to do is sit back, look, and learn!”
The History Drives Us bus tour will depart from the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, 227 South Main St., West Hartford, CT 06107, on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 at 1 p.m. and will return at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person ($20 for museum members & Let’s GO Arts cardholders) and can be purchased on the museum’s website: https://www.noahwebsterhouse.org/bustour15/bustour15.htm. Space is limited.
The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is a cultural destination where citizens can learn to understand and appreciate the past. The museum preserves the birthplace of Noah Webster, the founding father, educator, author, and lexicographer who taught generations of Americans what it means to be American. This National Historic Landmark is also a repository for West Hartford’s history, the community that molded Noah Webster’s future, and is still thriving over 250 years later. The historic house and exhibit spaces are open daily 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. For information on the museum’s extensive school and public programs, please visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org or call (860) 521-5362.
