Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/history/)
As winter begins to thaw, the earth slowly reveals itself again after months beneath the snow. Driving through Granby in early spring, it’s impossible not to notice the barns. They rise behind stone walls and quiet fields, their red siding weathered by decades of New England seasons.
(Part 1 of 2) There is a room in the Preservation Barn of the Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS) that might be well considered the “heart of Granby history.”
The Salmon Brook Historical Society has two framed hair wreaths in the parlor of the historic Weed-Ender House. These two hair wreaths were made in the mid- to late-nineteenth century and were crafted in memory of members of the Emmons-Case families as well as the Messenger family. During the Victorian Era, hair art was a common way for families to preserve the memory of a loved one.
In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, the Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS) invites residents to participate in a meaningful, highly visible tribute to the town’s rich architectural heritage.
The Farmington Valley CT Heritage Network is offering a lecture and bus tour this month with a focus on the Revolutionary War, in honor of America250.
Members of the Salmon Brook Historical Society (SBHS) are invited to attend the 2026 Annual Membership Dinner Meeting on Tuesday, April 21, at the Granby Congregational Church North Campus, Cook Hall, 219 North Granby Road.
Last month I wrote about Granby’s more recent doctors, William Dwyer to Alfred Weed. They were modern doctors who had learned the principles of germ theory. They understood that microscopic organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi cause disease. However, that knowledge was relatively new. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, doctors saw medicine differently.
Granby Manufacturing Co. on Hartford Ave. was organized in 1873. It later housed a store, post office and ice cream parlor, and was called the Cowles Block. Beman Hardware was in this building until 1972. When the new store was built behind the store, the old building was razed.
The Salmon Brook Historical Society is seeking a volunteer curator to help preserve and share Granby’s rich history. Established in 1945, the society is an all-volunteer, membership-based, nonprofit organization located at 208 Salmon Brook Street.
In the last two months I had to find a new doctor. The physician I had been seeing moved his practice from Avon to New Britain. I made the drive once, but realized it was too far to travel for routine care.