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Origin
Mission
Society Meetings
Community Activities
Publications
Society Achievements
Collection of Historical Records and Artifacts
Preservation of the Society
Restoration, Preservation & Rehabilitation
Financial History
Dedication
The Wintonbury Historical Society is a vital organization in the town of Bloomfield, dedicated to
preserving its history from 1736, as a part of Wintonbury Parish, for the benefit of its current and future citizens and as an important part of Connecticut's history.
ORIGIN
In 1910, one Levi Latimer, a Bloomfield resident, left the sum of $720 to the
Prosser Library for the express purpose of forming a historical society. However, it was not until 1949 when Dr. Eugene Bestor and Jack Hoover of The Travelers
actually organized the Society, which has been in existence for the past 51 years. From a modest beginning of 32 members, it has grown to an organization of over 350 members.
MISSION
The mission of the Society according to the 1949 bylaws included "collection and
preservation of historical records; identification, preservation and marking of buildings of historical interest; recording of current history and dissemination of this information."
SOCIETY MEETINGS
One of the many ways the Society disseminates information is at meetings. The
Wintonbury Historical Society holds five meetings per year. Speakers at these meetings present topics of historic interest and the meetings are open to the public. Presentations have included:
- Ancient Guatemala by Dr. Eugene Bestor;
- The history of Bloomfield schools from 1796 to the present;
- Women's diaries of the westward journey;
- The witchcraft trials in Connecticut;
- The little river and colonial Hartford: the Park River, old roads, bridges, Washington College, later known as Trinity College;
- Restoration of old books;
- Folk music;
- Civil War history;
- Authorities on antique glass, furniture and artifacts;
- Genealogy of the Browns of Bloomfield, makers of Brown drums;
- Farming, barns, and dairy farming by local farmers;
- Historic homes and landmarks of Bloomfield; and
- Guest speakers from other Historical Societies.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
The Wintonbury Historical Society participates in many community activities.
- Several house and garden tours were sponsored in earlier WHS history and
today, members of the Garden Clubs plant the beautiful gardens at the Town Green and in front of the Old Farm School.
- For the 1965 Bloomfield Exposition, Architect Richard Bartlett designed the "Early Wintonbury Industry Exhibit." The Exhibit identified the various
types and locations of the Town's early industries on a large map of Bloomfield.
- A special program, sponsored in part by the Wadsworth Athenaeum,
highlighted the words and photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King's career, and the involvement of the Jewish community in the Civil Rights movement,
and Billie Anthony's presentation of the "Black Governors of Connecticut."
- The 1796 Old Farm School is open from mid-May to mid-October and attracts many visitors, including local teachers and
students who have used it for educational purposes. Upon request, the Society opens the Old Farm School off-season to accommodate local school visits. Society docents conduct tours and answer questions.
- A bicentennial birthday party was held in 1996 on the grounds of the Old Farm School with invitations mailed to all known students of the school, many of whom attended the party. One
former student, John Goldberg, gave a brief review of his early school experiences.
- Through a grant from the Connecticut Arts Council and member support, "Filley Fest" gave the Society the opportunity to introduce the
community to its most recent acquisition.
- The Society creates historical displays for Prosser Library.
- The Society historians are called upon by Civitan and other local
associations to give historical presentations. The WHS has an extensive collection of slides of homes and places of interest in Town to draw from for these presentations.
- The Society has always volunteered for Town events and sponsors a booth
at Bloomfield's most recent annual event, the Drum Festival.
PUBLICATIONS
Publications are an important part of the ongoing preservation of Bloomfield's history. Several of these are included on the New England Resources Catalogue.
From Wintonbury to
Bloomfield (1983, book). This comprehensive book is the
result of the combined efforts of a group of writers, some life-time residents of the town, others more recent, united by a mutual interest in the story covering the years 1650 to 1982.
Over Tunxis Trails (1935), Frederick C. Bidwell, highlights historic locations of
the town by street. Charlotte R. Goodrich and Florence B. Jewell revised and updated it in 1965. Mrs. Goodrich was the WHS Historian from 1966 - 198 1.
The 1796 Old Farms School (brochure) gives visitors and tourists a brief
overview of the history of this l8th century district schoolhouse.
The Good Old Days, (1992) contains reprints of oral histories and stories written
by members of WHS and other townspeople that were published in The Bloomfield Journal starting in 1985, during the commemoration of Bloomfield's 150 years of incorporation and 250 years as the parish of Wintonbury.
What's Cooking in Bloomfield, (1992, cookbook), is a compilation of old and
new recipes. Many are used for the WHS spring bake sale.
The Captain Oliver Filley House (1998, brochure) gives visitors and tourists a
brief introduction to the house’s history.
The Browns of Wintonbury, Makers of Brown Drums
(1999, booklet), Fred
Hesketh, is a genealogical work of the family that made drums in Bloomfield dating back to the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
Bicycling From Wintonbury to Bloomfield I (2000, brochure), Judith Sitkin,
provides a self-guided historic tour of the Town with the eco-tourist in mind.
Bicycling From Wintonbury to Bloomfield II (2000, brochure), Judith Sitkin,
provides a self-guided historic tour of the Town with the eco-tourist in mind.
SOCIETY ACHIEVEMENTS
One of the earliest efforts on the part of the newly formed Society was the identifying and marking appropriately the oldest houses and sites
of historical importance in Bloomfield. The signs were donated by the Society.
In 1950 the Wintonbury Historical Society leased the Southwest District School, built in 1858, and in subsequent years, roofed, painted, and shored up this one-room schoolhouse with Society funds, so the
building could be used for meetings, office space, and storage of the Society's antiques, records, and artifacts.
A project of much greater proportion was undertaken in the late 1970's and involved the moving, preservation and careful restoration of the Old Farm School. Built in 1796, it is the oldest municipal
building in Bloomfield.
The Society's most ambitious and challenging project to date is the current rehabilitation of the stone 1834 Greek revival Captain Oliver Filley House on Mountain Avenue. The house was owned
subsequently by the Pinney Family and was more recently by the missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette.
COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL RECORDS AND ARTIFACTS
The Wintonbury Historical Society has collected many historic acquisitions during
its 5 1 year history. The Old Farm School contains some of the original 18th century furniture, records, and artifacts; and the Filley House will contain 19th
century furniture, records, and artifacts including a few pieces of Filley tinware, along with the Society's books, research documents, and other displays.
PRESERVATION OF THE SOCIETY
The stocks and securities donated by founders, other members, and friends of the
Society are kept as the backbone of the Capital Improvement Fund. Many histories, including oral histories and videos of the speakers' presentations will
provide an excellent Society foundation for future generations. WHS is currently in the process of developing a website (www.bloomfieldcthistory.org).
RESTORATION, PRESERVATION & REHABILITATION
During the Wintonbury Historical Society's first fifty years, it has entered into three lease agreements with the Town of Bloomfield in
order to restore, preserve, and rehabilitate three significant historic municipal sites. Under these agreements, the Society assumes the cost of operating the buildings; is the force and primary sponsor of
restoring, preserving and rehabilitating them; and researches historic records and documents for placement of buildings on both the Connecticut State and National Registers of Historic Places.
- The Southwest District School,
built in 1858 on Simsbury Road, is the only remaining 19"' century one-room schoolhouse in Bloomfield. The need
of repairs to this school was one of the incentives for organizing the Society. The roof repair in 1950 was done with borrowed money, which wasn't fully
repaid for several years. The repair carefully preserved the details of the original construction by the men from the town poor farm. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
- The Old Farm School, a two-room schoolhouse built in 1796 at the corner of School Street and Park Avenue, was moved from the east to the west
side of School Street in the 1970's due to road expansion. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
- The Captain Oliver Filley House, built in 1834 on Mountain Avenue, is a stone Greek revival farmhouse. The Society has spent considerable time and
energy on the research of the building, farm site, and religious novitiate. The house was listed on the Connecticut Register of Historic Places in 1994 and
the house, outbuildings and site were listed on the National Register in 2008.
- The Gillette House, built in 1834, was relocated on Bloomfield Avenue. It
is the home of the well known Connecticut abolitionist, Francis Gillette and the Society was instrumental in having it placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This home is owned by CIGNA:
FINANCIAL HISTORY
Fundraising is an integral part of the Wintonbury Historical Society's story. The Society's highly visible fundraisers are associated with the
needs for restoration, preservation, rehabilitation, and operation of the major sites under lease agreements with the Town of Bloomfield. The following are diverse fundraising activities held over the past twenty
-five years.
- Eleven successful spring plant and bake sales.
- A theater party at the Hartford Insurance Group auditorium to see "Lion In Winter," a Producing Guild production.
- Three successful antique/flea market sales on the grounds of the Old Farm School.
- An auction held on the grounds of the Old Farm School.
- Three major antique shows.
- A fashion show at Duncaster, an early major fundraiser for the Filley Project.
- House and garden tours, with an impressive one sponsored by the Dun-Land-Woods Garden Club for the benefit of the Filley Project.
- A Mardi Gras celebration launching the fundraising drive and celebrating the 99 year lease agreement between the Town and the Society for the Filley House.
- A highly effective community appeal to raise $100,000 in Matching Grant Funds plus a $200,000 Urban Action Grant from the State for the Filley House Rehabilitation Project.
- The presentation of the play "O'Freedom," in co-sponsorship with the
Connecticut Arts Council. This amazing monologue was the biography of a fugitive underground railroad slave, John Jones, a true humanitarian and hero of the Civil War.
- A neighborhood appeal for the restoration of the Southwest District School with a matching $18,000 Connecticut Historical Commission Grant.
DEDICATION
This first half-century history of the Wintonbury Historical Society is dedicated to
the Society's eight Charter Members. Their support and continuous membership for the past 50 years made it possible for the Society to grow and firmly establish
its mission to record, disseminate, and preserve all that is representative of Bloomfield's illustrious history.
Charter Members:
Cynthia Barnard
Dorothy Barnard Cyr
Harriet Barnard Burnham
Martha Barnard Snyder (in memorium,.died November 2000)
Elma Bidwell
Phyllis Bidwell Oliver
Margaret Fuss Bierkan
Charles Bierkan, Past President
Prepared December 2000
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