West Hartford's 'Thursday Throwback' - We-Ha

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’s image featured two teams of horses pulling a wagon, and some outbuildings. It was definitely not an obvious location.

Rick Liftig put his sleuthing talent to work, and he was the only one who even guessed: “Tough, tough, tough, Ronni. I can see Talcott Ridge in the background and what looks like a body of water behind the horses (those are big horses!). It’s wintertime too. I will guess that this picture was taken near Wood Pond (facing the west) a long, long time ago. it wouldn’t surprise me if this fellow was hauling ice blocks from the pond.”

The photo was taken in 1890, on the Webster Hill Farm, right in the neighborhood where the Noah Webster House (and my house!) is located. It’s not clear that the background includes a body of water – it could just be the low ground of what is now the Rockledge Golf Course – but it definitely appears to include Talcott Ridge. Good guess, Rick!

What do you think the building in this week’s photo was originally used for? There’s some lettering over the front door, but that’s not the answer! One hint is that it was the type of place many of us may have visited, or will be visiting, recently.

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.

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