West Hartford’s ‘Thursday Throwback’
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Operators at Burnham's Grocery Store. Courtesy of 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.
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.
What would happen to West Hartford’s history without people like Rick Liftig to keep it alive? Rick was the only one to comment on last week’s photo, stating: “Obviously we have a bunch of school aged girls waiting for some transportation to arrive: school wagon, trolley, school bus – something of that nature.”
Rick obviously gave this photo some serious thought, adding, “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.”
Rick, you are correct about the girls in the photo – students waiting at a trolley stop. The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society dated the photo “circa 1920,” so you may not be far off on that guess either. It would definitely be interesting to find out exactly where the trolley stop was located, too!
This week’s photo is also of a group of females, but they aren’t outdoors. Where do you think they might be? What does it look like they are doing?
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.
Students waiting at a trolley stop, circa 1920. Courtesy of Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society.
Ronni! Now we are getting the five star puzzles! I need some help here gang. Here’s what I see: a pristene, but modest office with shelves of neat file boxes; A medium size safe to the back left is open, so likely not dealing with large sums of $$$; 1920/30’s style phones, hair and dress. There is a list of items, possibly with prices, on the wall between the two windows and a small adding machine on the shelf. So I’ll start the discussion by guessing that this group of ladies are taking orders for something over the telephone. And they all have flowers on their desks (must be a nice boss)!