West Hartford’s ‘Thursday Throwback’
Audio By Carbonatix
Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford HIstorical Society
Test your knowledge of West Hartford history with this ‘Thursday Throwback,’ courtesy of the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society.
Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford HIstorical Society
By Ronni Newton
“Throwback Thursday” (#tbt) has become a popular feature on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites. It’s so much fun to see the images of our friends back in their elementary school days, photos of babies who are now in college, unfortunate fashion choices from the ’80s, and much more.
We-Ha.com takes its own historical look back at the town with “Thursday Throwback.” We will feature images of people, places, and events in West Hartford, and we’d love to have your feedback.
Last week we substituted “Wayback Wednesday” for “Throwback Thursday” due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and we featured a seasonally-appropriate photo.
“Hmmm… what type of bird could this be? Better yet, where was the photo taken? I’m going to guess Westmoor Park back in the day; second guess is the Gerth farm,” commented Rick Liftig, along with a Happy Thanksgiving wish.
“Guessing it is Hunter Farm on Flagg Rd., now known as Westmoor Park,” wrote Robert Trafford.
This was a tough one, and we never really thought anyone would guess correctly. We just liked the turkeys.
The photo was taken at Brainard Farm, which was located on Avon Mountain. According to the book of images entitled “West Hartford” by Wilson H. Faude, Brainard Farm was the summer home of Morgan G. Brainard, president of Aetna Life and Casualty. In addition to the turkeys, vegetables were grown on the farm, and it also produced syrup and apple cider. According to Faude’s book, after years of neglect, the main house burned down on April 20, 1991. The land that was Brainard Farm is now the Old Stone Crossing neighborhood.
This week’s photo may bring back memories for some of you? If you don’t remember these businesses, do you know what others have occupied this spot? What’s there now?
Please add your comments below about the featured photo, and we will publish the answers along with next Thursday’s image.
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.
Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!
Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford HIstorical Society
Turkeys at Brainard Farm. Courtesy of Noah Webster House West Hartford Historical Society
These are two old icons of West Hartford Center. Lincoln Dairy for Ice Cream and Central Delicatessen run by George Schick in the Lavery Building. Tis is actually the new location for Central Deli since it was previously located next to the old Central Theatre.
Some folks may remember the homemade donuts, coleslaw and potato salad people stood in line for there. They might also remember that Mr Schick would take your turkey at Thanksgving – roast it – carve it and reassemble it for the perfect display. He taught me how to do that and I became the official turkey carver for our kids holiday celebrations at Webster Hill Elementary.
The still secret recipes for the coleslaw and potato salad are held by Dave Peterson (his nephew) from the 3rd generation Peterson Landscaping Service in West Hartford.
Central Deli was sold to Bob Barrett who ran it for a number of years. Fleet Feet is located there today.
As a boy in the 50s, where would your parents take you for a reward for a job well done? To Lincoln Dairy for a banana split, of course.