E. B. Goddard, a man who wore many hats
By Todd Vibert
Edward Byron Goddard, who owned this nine-foot-long, three-foot-wide wagon (pictured below), lived in Granby his whole life. Born on June 9, 1873, he grew up in West Granby and attended the Thomaston Academy. As a young man, he worked at Loomis Store. Understanding farmers’ needs, he started his own business selling farm equipment: plows, harrows, rakes, manure spreaders and hay mowers, as well as feed, seed and the tools and paint needed to maintain the farm.
Goddard traveled in the wagon throughout Western Connecticut and Massachusetts selling and delivering the small equipment, tools and feed. Like today’s business vehicles with a company name on the door, the wagon proclaimed: “Sold by E.B. Goddard, Granby, CT” and advertised an equipment manufacturer. Large machinery was shipped by rail to stations in Springfield, Hartford and New Haven, where he picked it up and delivered it to customers. He communicated with clients and vendors using the telegraph, mail and, after the first sets were installed in Granby in 1896, the telephone. By 1900, Connecticut had about 600,000 phones, rising to 2.2 million in 1905, and 5.8 million by 1910.
Goddard also became a realtor, obtaining a broker’s license and was well-known for his signature attire—business suit, pressed white shirt and tie. Besides farm equipment and real estate, he sold automobiles from catalogs, arranging for delivery to customers. As automobiles became popular, Goddard was one of the first in town to own one.
Known best as E.B., Goddard was actively involved in community affairs. He served in the 1911-12 session of the Connecticut General Assembly, was the Master of the St. Marks Masonic Lodge #91, and was a founding member and one-time president of the Newgate Coon Club. He married Ada Cooley in 1895, and they had one daughter, Dorothy Louise. E.B. Goddard passed away in June 1940 at age 67 and is buried in Granby Cemetery.
It is fitting that E.B. Goddard’s wagon is at the Sadoce and Roxy Wilcox House, as Ada Cooley Goddard was their great-great-granddaughter.
To learn more about E.B. Goddard or the wagon, call the Salmon Brook Historical Society at 860-653-9713 or visit salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com
Fundraiser photo shoot planned for Nov. 9
Thinking about options for a fun and unique family Christmas card this year? How about one that’s uniquely Granby? The Salmon Brook Historical Society is hosting a fundraiser photo shoot at the Sadoce Wilcox House, 143 Simsbury Road, West Granby, on Saturday, Nov. 9 (rain date, Nov. 10). Come take a picture on the E.B. Goddard wagon with a scenic West Granby backdrop and use the photos for your holiday card this season.
Don’t miss taking “A Stroll through Granby History!”
In 2020 and 2021, the Salmon Brook Historical Society sponsored a history stroll highlighting 33 houses and spots where important buildings once stood. This Oct. 1 through 29, the signs will again line Salmon Brook Street, the town green and the SBHS campus at the southern end of the street.
In addition to the expected stories there are stories about Black families, free and enslaved. Learn about indigenous peoples (the Massaco, Tunxis, Waranoakes, Agawams and the Poquonocks) who lived here long before white Europeans. Artifacts that have been dated to 425 A.D. (the start of the Middle Ages in Europe) have been found in Granby. These signs are not attached to specific houses but will be on the SBHS campus.
Our stories give us a strong sense of place, a feel for how Granby became what it is today. We’ve included both the good and the not-so-good stories. This October, make time to walk through our town’s history with family and friends.
Submitted by Peg Giles, SBHS.