The Farmington Valley CT Heritage Network (farmingtonvalleyctheritage.org), formerly Historic Sites of Connecticut’s Farmington Valley, will hold its first bus tour in three years. This long-awaited event on Saturday, April 30, explores “Lively Lore and Legends: Fact or Fiction?”, focusing on the towns of Barkhamsted, Granby and Simsbury. The comfortable bus ride visits multiple historic sites, with expert commentary at each site and along the way.
Between tour stops, enjoy a furnished box lunch (choices available) at Simsbury’s Ellsworth Center. Admission is $45 per person and includes the bus tour, lunch, and a pre-tour lecture on The Saga of New-Gate Prison on Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Tour seats are limited—reservations are required for the bus. However, walk-ins are welcome for the pre-tour lecture. Email Nancy.anstey@comcast.net or call 860-680-5298 by April 19 to reserve your spot, hear payment options, and submit your lunch choice.
The pre-tour lecture (The Saga of New-Gate Prison) will be presented by Morgan Bengel, site manager for Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine, on Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. at the Ellsworth Center, Simsbury Historical Society (800 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury. Bengel will discuss the first chartered copper mine and first state prison, including the legendary escape stories of the 1700s. The lecture is open to the public; admission is $5 per person for those not joining the April 30 bus tour.
After learning about Old New-Gate, participants will be primed to hear other historic tales of the Farmington Valley and see where (and if) they happened. Tour goers will board the bus on Saturday, April 30 at 9:15 a.m. at the Iron Horse Boulevard Commuter Parking Lot behind Drake Hill Mall in Simsbury. The bus will depart promptly at 9:30 a.m.
At the first stop, Paul Hart of the Barkhamsted Historical Society will offer a compelling look at the Barkhamsted Lighthouse. Also at Barkhamsted, against the backdrop of the beautiful Saville Dam, historian and former teacher Mike Day will discuss the story of the building of Saville Dam and the impact of the Barkhamsted Reservoir on the residents of the flooded area.
From Barkhamsted, the bus will head to the Salmon Brook Historical Society in Granby. SBHS archivist and curator Martha Korostynski, board member Bill Ross, and South Congregational Church senior minister and master storyteller, Denny Moon will relay stories about a Granby Haunting, crime in Granby including the Loomis Store break-ins and a chicken thief compared to Jean Valjean from Les Miserables, a first-hand account of the 1955 flood, a secret service bicycle in the SBHS collection, and the tale of two-gun toting constables.
Lastly, tour goers will arrive at Simsbury Historical Society, where the first order will be to enjoy a relaxing and companionable lunch in the Ellsworth Center, or on the grounds, if the weather permits. After lunch, SHS board member Joe Buda will show participants the Native American wigwam on the property, built entirely from natural products from the forest as used by inhabitants of the early Northeast cultures.
After a captivating and colorful day, tour goers will be returned to their cars.