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
Courtesy of Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society.
“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 photo was a landscape, and several people made educated guesses about where the photo was taken and what is located there now.
“That looks like Wood Pond, which would make the foreground area now Westfarms Mall,” commented Mike Margolis.
Rick Liftig agreed, adding “I think you win the prize, Mike!” He asked about the building on the left of the pond, guessing it may be an ice house, and wondered about the date of the photo. We’re going to have to ask the experts at the West Hartford Historical Society to answer those questions! “Amazing how much farmland/field is in view (likely taken from Buena Vista/Selden Hill),” Rick also commented.
We had a few Facebook comments as well. Rob Rowlson said he had two guesses, but went with the MDC as his choice. Lisa Petersen wrote, “We think this picture was taken from Selden Hill (in Buena Vista) looking over what would be the Buena Vista Golf course, Tunxis Road and Woodridge Lake.”
According to the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, the photo was taken from Selden Hill, overlooking what is now the Buena Vista neighborhood and the golf course as well as Cornerstone. The body of water was identified as Wood Pond, but Woodridge Lake is also the correct answer since it’s actually the larger body of water that’s closer to Selden Hill.
How about this week’s photo? What do you think these people were doing? Do you have any idea when this photo was taken?
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.
Courtesy of Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society.
Selden Hill looking down at Wood Pond. Courtesy of Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society.
Roni – I’ll take first crack at this (FYI- I am usually up pretty early and this is more fun than getting on the treadmill). Obviously we have a bunch of school aged girls waiting for some transportation to arrive: school wagon, trolley, school bus – something of that nature.
What I really find interesting is the topography of the location and the background. It looks like there is a rail bed or road, as evidenced by the utility pole. This shot could easily have been taken at the corner of New Park and New Britain Ave. across from the Pug. (Pre-CT-Fastrack). And you asked for a date – 1900-1910 is my guess.