Todd Vibert’s article, The Weed-Enders house move 50 years ago, placed third in the history category of the Connecticut Press Club’s annual competition. In that article he outlined the many obstacles and behind-the-scenes efforts that made the move to the Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS) campus possible and ultimately “ensured the successful preservation of this historic building for future generations.”
Vibert, who moved to Granby in 1969 with his family, is a member of the board of directors at the society, and has had a longstanding interest in history, especially since both his parents were involved with SBHS since the 1970s. Vibert has been writing articles for the Drummer for the last five years. “My Dad was a history teacher. History has always been interesting to me. I find it fun to browse through the files at the society and try to figure out what I will write next,” he said. “Lately, I try to write articles that touch upon Granby history in some way.”
Established in 1970, Enders State Forest began with a gift to the state of Connecticut of 1,500 acres from the four children of John Ostrom Enders and Harriet Whitmore Enders. On that property was a saltbox house built in 1790 by Morris Weed that the state was not interested in maintaining. That led to moving the Weed-Enders house to its current location on the grounds of the SBHS in 1974. Members of the SBHS played pivotal roles in the restoration and relocation of the house.
Vibert organizes SBHS tours on Sunday afternoons including the Weed-Enders house. “I hope people take a tour of our campus,” said Vibert. “It was 50 years ago last year that the Enders house was moved. That was quite a feat.”
The award-winning article can be read by visiting this link, or by visiting our archive of the December 2024 issue and navigating to page 25.