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

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford football team, 1903. Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

Is it cold enough, and snowy enough, and icy enough for you out there?

We tried to take a break from winter imagery for Throwback Thursday last week, and didn’t get a single comment! Maybe we should have used a photo of palm trees.

The image shown at the right (and in larger size at the bottom of this article) was still appropriate for the season, and chosen by our friends at the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society in honor of the Patriot’s victory in the Super Bowl.

Yes, that’s a football team from West Hartford in 1903. Minimal padding and not a helmet in sight, but from the distance in the grainy photo, the football does appear to be properly inflated.

Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

For this week’s image (shown at right and also in larger scale at the bottom of the article) we will return to a wintery scene and hope that someone has an idea of what this image is all about.

What were these people doing, and why? Where in town might this have been taken? What year.

Please add your memories, thoughts, and comments 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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Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford HIstorical Society

West Hartford Football team, 1903. Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society