Moving the Cooley School to the Salmon Brook Historical Society Campus

For decades, the Cooley Schoolhouse sat quietly on the Clark family property, a relic of a bygone era when one-room schoolhouses were the heart of local education. Weathered by time in history, the building had a second chance. That chance came on August 26, 1980, when a determined community effort brought the schoolhouse to its new home at the Salmon Brook Historical Society, ensuring its legacy would live on.

Granby and the First Amendment — Part 4

In part three, we saw that Connecticut’s harsh response to the religious Awakening drove New Lights south for continued revival in those colonies. Back in Granby, a decade of contention by two independent God-fearing sides ended in peace under the guidance of a new pastor, Joseph Strong.

The Weed-Enders House move, 50 years ago

Fifty years ago, an extraordinary achievement took place in Granby when the Salmon Brook Historical Society successfully moved the Weed-Enders House seven miles from its original location in West Granby to the society’s grounds. Built in 1790, the Weed-Enders House is one of the oldest homes in the area, and its relocation remains a remarkable feat in local history.

Granby and the First Amendment — Part 3

In Part three of this five-part religious history series, we’ll see the responses to the Great Awakening by the Connecticut colony and by certain New Lights leaving and going South.

Granby and the First Amendment — Part 2

Last month, we experienced what 1700s Granby life was like living and chafing under a town government responsible for one’s religious well-being. In part two, we’ll add more local religious context as tensions become division in the Salmon Brook Ecclesiastical Society.

Granby and the First Amendment — Part 1

You might ask, “How does Granby relate to the first amendment of the United States Constitution?” The first amendment prohibits government from establishing any religion or abridging speech, the press, or peaceable assembly. This is Part one of a five-part series covering 50 years of religious and other historical tensions to answer that question.