A four-week course on the history of West Hartford business will be presented by the West Hartford Historical Society and the University of Hartford Presidents’ College.

A four-week course at the Noah Webster House will focus on the history of West Hartford business. Image is of Farmington Avenue in 1966. Submitted photo

Submitted

Returning this fall is the popular West Hartford History course offered by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society and the Presidents’ College at the University of Hartford.

This fall’s course is “West Hartford Business: A Model for Suburban Development,” inspired by an exhibit created by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society. The exhibit, West Hartford Business: Images of Suburban Development, highlights a collection of photographs taken in 1966 by the Town of West Hartford to document business sign violations. Fifty years later, these images not only provide great insight into everyday life in West Hartford in 1966, but also provoke a conversation about why certain businesses have flourished, failed or adapted over time.

Using research and analysis conducted for the exhibit, the course will look at West Hartford’s business past to answer questions like: What were the first types of businesses in West Hartford? Why did it take so long for industrial business to come to West Hartford? How has West Hartford been able to retain its character despite successful business sectors? 

The museum’s Executive Director, Jennifer Matos, will teach the first and second classes. The first class will include a guided tour of the West Hartford Business: Images of Suburban Development exhibit and provide an overview of West Hartford’s business history. The second class will look at West Hartford business in terms of American architecture – the physical buildings they have occupied, both past and present.

The third session will be led by Town Historian Tracey Wilson and will cover West Hartford’s industrial history and how it contributed to the social and economic history of the town.

Attendees will embark upon a bus tour of West Hartford for the fourth and last session of the course, viewing business districts and sites covered throughout the course. 

Classes will meet from 2-3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 at the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, 227 South Main St., West Hartford, CT 06107.

The price of this four-week course is $90.00 ($75.00 for museum members and Presidents’ College Fellows). Registration is available online through the Presidents’ College. Visit http://library.hartford.edu/presidentscollege/ to register. Call (860) 768-4269 or email [email protected] for more information.

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 Webster’s future and is still thriving 250-plus years later. The historic house and exhibit spaces are open daily 1-4 p.m. For information on the museum’s extensive school and public programs, visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org or call 860-521-5362.