Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/history/)
As Granby prepares to honor America’s 250th anniversary, we remember one of our own: Captain Samuel Hayes, a Revolutionary War veteran whose service and legacy remain woven into the fabric of our town’s history.
Colonel Henry Knox left Boston 250 years ago this month with orders from General Washington to retrieve artillery for the Continental Army from the captured British fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, New York.
With the holidays fast approaching and having friends over for holiday parties, there may be thoughts about what gifts to get friends or loved ones. Most towns like folks to shop locally, which is a sound investment in those communities.
Fifty years ago an iconic landmark, the Loomis Bros. Store in the center of Granby was torn down and with it a piece of the town’s sense of place and history disappeared.
Last month, I described how, as a result if the flood of 1955, Granby became an island when the bridges and roads on Routes 9, 189, 20, and 10 were washed out or badly damaged, so that no one could get in or out of Granby. Our town green was literally an island as it is surrounded by Routes 10, 20 and 189 (formerly known as Route 9). Here is a brief history of roads through picturesque Granby.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS), and one of the least known, but most enduring, symbols of that legacy is thriving quietly on the SBHS Main Campus at 208 Salmon Brook Street. Known informally as Granby Oak II, this majestic tree was grown from an acorn gathered in 1980 or 1981 by longtime SBHS board member Dave Laun.
As the Salmon Brook Historical Society prepares to celebrate 80 years of preserving Granby’s history in 2025, it proudly reflects on the progress it has made—and the strong foundation it continues to build for the future.
Seventy years ago, the state of Connecticut and the town of Granby experienced the worst flood in its history.
Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation. At the Salmon Brook Historical Society, a notable book in our library from our 200th anniversary in 1976 continues to offer insight into the early history of our republic. Trumpets of Glory, written by Henry Hawken, focuses on July 4th speeches and orations delivered between 1786 and 1861.
Textile volunteers at the Salmon Brook Historical Society happened across a blue wool military coat last year. The coat appeared to be from the Civil War era. A detailed search of our records found no information about this coat, but a handwritten signature was discovered inside its left sleeve. In flourishing cursive, it states “C. A. Coffin, Co. A.”