The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society’s ‘History Drives Us’ tour will provide a unique view of significant landmarks in West Hartford and point out the locations of some that no longer exist.

By Ronni Newton

The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society will offer a “Hidden History” bus tour of West Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. This tour will focus on West Hartford history north of Farmington Avenue and will be led by Jennifer DiCola Matos, executive director of the museum.

The museum offered a similar tour in 2016, covering areas south of Farmington Avenue, and in 2015, covering the entire town. “When we first offered the Hidden History bus tour, we tried to go through the whole town,” Matos said. The result was a two-and-a-half-hour tour that felt rushed. “We can get into more detail and go at a more leisurely pace by splitting the town into two sections: north and south of Farmington Avenue”

The tour will point out sites of significance that have largely been forgotten over the years, as well as places that are no more.

Did you know that West Hartford once had its own Vanderbilt mansion (torn down in 1919)? Ever wonder where Still Road got its name? Would you be surprised to learn that Thomas Jefferson is buried in West Hartford? (This Jefferson was a horse.)

Matos will point out long-forgotten historical sites in town, like a Revolutionary War encampment site, the route taken by the Unionville-Hartford trolley, the area settled by the first West Hartford resident (Stephen Hosmer in 1679), the first post office, former farms, and more!

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 Sunday, Nov. 5, 2016 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person ($20 for museum members) and can be purchased at noahwebster.yapsody.com. Space is extremely limited. Attendees will receive a photo packet that shows past landscapes and buildings.

The Goodman Tavern doubled as the town’s first post office starting in 1820. Submitted image

The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is a not-for-profit museum and 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 the history of West Hartford, 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 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.