Test your knowledge of West Hartford history with this week’s ‘Wayback Wednesday,’ courtesy of the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society.

Courtesy of Noah Webster House West Hartford Historical Society

By Ronni Newton

Since Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday, we take a break from our regular “Thursday Throwback” and instead have “Wayback Wednesday” this week.

Last week’s photo of four women holding what appeared to be homemade dolls and other craft items stumped venerable history buff Rick Liftig. However, several others chimed in and correctly identified where the women were.

“Is this the Woman’s Exchange gift shop? They used to have many hand made baby gifts,” commented Lisa.

“Yes! The Woman’s Exchange on Farmington Avenue, near the (soon to be ALSO gone) Plimpton’s. I really miss that wonderful store with its hand made items and long history of giving homemakers an outlet for their talents and crafts,” added Connie Reder.

“Must be the (Women’s) Exchange- it was a great place to buy a newborn gift. It always felt like a throwback to the olden days of white-gloved tea arties!” wrote Dianne Rechel.

Robert Trafford went one step further – actually identifying one of the women in the photo. “Looks to me like the Women’s Exchange store, a not-for-profit fundraising organization located on upper Farmington Ave. in the Center. Front row right is ‘Mary K’ Moses who, with her husband Henry, were good friends with my parents, Sarah and Bernie Trafford,” he commented.

Beverly Truebig, Nancy Murray, Rob Rowlson, Lisa Petersen, and Jenny Landsiedel all commented through Facebook, all correctly identifying the Women’s Exchange.

According to the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society, the Women’s Exchange was located in West Hartford Center from 1949 until it closed in May 2004.

What do you think about this week’s photo? It’s going to be tough to identify, but we thought it was appropriate for the season anyway!

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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Courtesy Noah Webster House West Hartford Historical Society

The Women’s Exchange was located in West Hartford Center from 1949 until 2004. Courtesy Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society