West Hartford's 'Monday Memory' - We-Ha

Test your knowledge of West Hartford history with this ‘Monday Memory,’ courtesy of the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society.

By Ronni Newton

It’s time to take a look back into West Hartford’s past to either stir up some memories, reflect on how much things have changed, or both. And if you have no idea, we love the photo captions, too!

Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

Since Throwback Thursday was pre-empted by Thanksgiving and I was traveling to visit family on “Fallback (or Flashback) Friday,” we’re bringing you a rare edition of “Monday Memory” this week. Another West Hartford image from the past will reappear at its regularly-scheduled time this Thursday.

Last week’s (or technically the image from Thursday, Nov. 19, shown at right and in larger size below), was a reminder that tree-cutting in West Hartford is not a new phenomenon.

Here’s what everyone thought was happening in this photo, beginning with Liz Gillette:

“Okay, I’ll go first. It’s North Main at Farmington looking south. Judd Drug Store, Burnham’s store and the recently deceased Masonic Temple. The sign on the sidewalk says “Danger Above”. This all points me towards simply cutting down the tree. But… There is a stack of some kind of pipe on the sidewalk and there appears to be someone up one of the telephone poles. I would go for sometime in the 30’s or late 20’s by the trucks. It would have to be before the Board of Education building was built, because there is a house on what would be the corner of N. Main and Memorial. What is the ‘tower’ at the end of the block where Kaoud’s or Play It Again is? A church? Are they improving the street as part of a larger plan? Notice how many and how young the trees on the green are. More digging ahead …”

From Dianne Rechel: “Um, I think we had this quiz picture once before. Of course, I forget what they were doing- electrifying South Main? We see again the famous apartment building (yours truly as famous former resident #7 So. Main) from a couple of weeks ago is again on the corner. It was built in 1933, I believe, and since the corner looks so established, I will guess that the photo is from 1937-38?”

And from Pat Newton, who is my mother-in-law but gets absolutely no inside information about this feature: “That’s a picture taken before St. James’ was torn down. I went there once with my husband and his family before we were married (1958). I can’t see the store, but Alling Rubber (sporting goods), was not far from the Farmington Ave corner. Burnham’s grocery store was next door, south of St. James’ across from the old Town Hall (where Crate and Barrel is now?) Miss somebody or other’s dancing school was in the basement of one of those visible buildings on So. Main.”

Dianne, I’m impressed that you remember this photo being used before. It wasn’t on We-Ha.com, however, but I did post it as part of a history column I did at a previous news site. When the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society sent it to me a few weeks ago, I also knew I had seen it before and had to do some serious googling to find the article from Nov. 2011 – when West Hartford was in the midst of some serious tree-trimming and clean-up after that year’s apocalyptic October snowstorm. At that time, the image elicited quite a few snarky comments about CL&P.

The image is of West Hartford Center, looking south down South Main Street from the intersection of Farmington Avenue. We don’t actually know anything about the telephone poles or pipes that appear in the photo, believed to have been taken in the 1930s. This is quite simply the work of tree surgeons pruning the trees around Goodman Green.

Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

This week’s image (at right and in larger size below) brings a bit of the holidays to your Monday.

What is this building and where is it located?

When do you think the photo was taken?

Please share your memories below.

Thank you to the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society for providing us with the images. For more information about the organization, visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org.

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