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

It’s Throwback Thursday (#tbt), and time to take a look back into West Hartford’s past to either stir up some memories, reflect on how much things have changed, or both. And if you have no idea, we love the photo captions, too!

We’ve had a “Monday Memory” substituting for “Throwback Thursday” for several weeks due to the holiday season, but we skipped this past Monday to get back to a regular schedule this week.

Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

The last image we posted (at right and in larger size below) – back on Monday, Dec. 28, 2015 – had me stumped at first because of the angle of the photograph and the surroundings which look fairly different. Here’s what our readers said:

“That’s the Quaker Diner on Park Road near the corner of Quaker Lane. It’s still there but looks a little different now,” commented Lisa Petersen.

Lainey Mello provided some details about the gas station in the photo and some great firsthand memories: “I think it is Tom Robinson’s gas station on Park Road. Tom was a wonderful and generous man. In those days we had a family tab, as we also did at Pfau’s and Herb’s. Somehow, Tom would get the windshield sparkling clean with a rather oily rag as he pumped our gas. He would always hand me a piece of candy in the back seat. At Christmas Tom would bring a big cake from Krohner’s Bakery in the Center to my Grandmother and we would all feast on the delicious white cake with raspberry filling.”

Lucien Grillo added some more memories: “Lainey what a fantastic story. I grew up in West Hartford but I only remember that building being the Quaker Diner. And ooh how I miss Krohner’s Bakery. Customers today would never expect the type of customer service we were used to as kids. Thanks for sharing for such a wonderful memory!”

Many of our readers also commented on Facebook with some interesting details. (Note: I have not researched the issue of a lawsuit being filed, but still think it’s an interesting comment to include!)

“Definitely the Quaker Diner on Park Road. The Texaco next store is no longer there. There was a bit of a dust up between the owners of the diner and the owners of the service station over parking – law suits may have been filed and at one point I think a suit was even filed because the sign painted on the side of diner was non-conforming. It got ugly was before the whole Blue Back WestFarms controversy!” wrote Kate Dalton Spear.

“Probably Quaker Diner. The Black & White photo is probably to throw us off. Based off gas prices, I’m guessing either around ’79 energy crisis or late 80s/early 90s,” commented Shiran Weber. We received the image in black and white, so it’s not meant to be a trick!

Donald Roy thought the spot was “Ernies Dinner” in the 1970s, but the only reference I can find to an Ernie’s Diner in West Hartford is a glass ashtray for sale online that says “Ernie’s Diner, West Hartford, CT 233-9171.” I’m pretty sure the Quaker Diner has always had the same name, but does anyone know anything about Ernie’s?

As for the date of the photo, we’re not sure. The Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historial Society didn’t have the date. Peter Morrey said “Early 90s since that gas station was there,” and John Lyons thought sometime around 1982 based on the gas prices. I’ll let you know if I get an exact date.

Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

Here’s a really interesting photo (at right and in larger size below) for you to ponder this week.

Who knows where this was?

Is it still standing?

What was this structure used for?

Please share your memories below.

Thank you to the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society for providing us with the images. They are always looking for new images to add to the collection. Visit their website at www.noahwebsterhouse.org for more information about membership and programs.

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Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society

The Quaker Diner is located at 319 Park Rd., West Hartford. Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society