The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-08
STUDYING HISTORY
ON TROLLY CARS.

II .lt / =
(speclal Correspondence OF The Times
6 Dispatch.)
HARTFORD, CONN. < November =
Studying American history on the spot
Is becoming popular passion. one thai
is becoming intensified since tho electric
railways have provided quick, enjoy
able and economlcal transportation to
thousands of interesting, but hitherto
Isolated, localities. Hardly section OIL
the country anywhere which IS traverscd
BY trolley lines Is lacking In some MS
toric associations of great consequence,
a good example Of the manner IN when lllc
patriotic interest follows the establish
ment Of trolley connections may be found.
In such a district as that OF. the beautl-
ful Connecticut valley. In the States
OF Mussa chusetts and Connecticut. o re-
gio,, which, though first explored In l6li
and settled twenty years later mas IAN
fallowl as a field Of historic research
except In so far as a few tnhaol ants IN
each little village have striven TO keep
alive some memories Of our drama NC
past. It is in this respect ike SO many man!
neighborhoods in the riddle states. so''In
or West full OF "reminiscences which me
general puDllC III tue SicaI 49, -
not begun to appreciate. "a
The three Oldest towns In Connecticut
constituting the earliest American demon
racy, since their Federal Constitution,
the first OF Its kind on the continent was
adopted in 1859, are Hartford, $Wethers-5
field and Windsor. Although the small
est OF these, Windsor, has probably hnd
the most dramatic history. though5lt has
been little heard Of since llS9, When
George Washington. then President OF
the United States, visited the home OF
Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth and dei
lighted the children by singing the ~ IA
nous song of the DARBY KAN me
Ellsworth mansion still stands. a substtan-
tial. white pain tod, wooden country house.
| shade ed by venerable elms and sur
sounded to-day by fields Of luSu-
rant tobacco. This house has been
bought by tho Daughters OF tho
| American Revolution, and is maintained
Dy them asetheir club house and museum
or antiquities having been brought WITHIN ll1
| the reach Of. a great number Of interested
people by3means of a recertly cons ructeu
| diyision5of the Hartford and Sprlngliciu
street. railwaS This new division, wnicn
is only about ten miles long, serves ' as me
last connecting llnk to bind the Wh t'ol
Connecticut valley tos ether Win us sSs-
! tenn Of electric cars.
Hartford, Conn. and Springfield, Mass,
are the two transportation centers ot
| the Connecticut valley. Between them
on both banks OF the Connecticut RiVer.
| a distance Of thirty miles. lies some OF the
most interesting territory Of New Eng
land. Into Hartford come the trolley
| travellers from all points Of the COM
pass, Bristol being within easy reach ana
New Haven a prospective connection. me
ancient town OF Windsor is. Ike Hart
| ford on tho west bank of tho Connectl-5
cut, and is reached by O half-hour troi-l
| Icy ride through beautiful ana PIC
luresque country. This Windsor means
what is locally known as Windsor Street,
/ tha central village OF a township, fine.
old shaded houses being lined up o..
both sides Of an elongated green. Wind
] SCR Street is near the junction OF the
Pennington River with the Connecticut,
and it was on the opposite or northern
bank Of tho Harrington that the eariest
settlement was made. The old wooden
covered bridge and the new iron bridge
nf the street railway cross the Farm
lngton River side by side, and tue rAliS-
aue, although It presents some OF inc
marks Of age, does not look llKe q place
| which had to be fortified against lhulat!s'
Through THE tobacco fields, perhaps
two miles further OFT, the new trollfy
| limo, which has Just been Dull lroln
Windsor Green, passes many nahusonas
! old places with elms Of Herculean pro-
| nnrtions. The Ellsworth mansion is near
! est 10 Hayden Station. where Sergeant
! .n n, Haydcp's tavern was for a long llAle
q nopular resort-one at which travellers
| hetween New York and Boston were WONT
10 linger more willingly than wisely,
Then the trolley runs close TO the nank
| Of the Connecticut to Windsor LOCKS,
lnno or the first settled mill towns ~
| New England which Is cohneotea WIN
the ancient settlement OF Wa'ehouse
point across the river BIS an iron ps'ose,
reputcd for many years 70 %, Tue 'aI 3,
bridge is 1875 feet long nd cost s-oo'ooV ~
build. The engineer, James Laurie.
scotohman, drew the plans IN lSts. put
az account OF the Civil War l..e bridge
~. moi completed until 1866, The iron
br,d ee5 was nut together In England ~
order to make sure that no mistake nav
Man made In Ns construction, Then v
was taken apart and erected IN ~ p1ace
over the Connecticut win the he'p =,
about one hundred workmen iHlposssu
from Great BRITANNIA narkea cou..asN
| 10 the present time, when American W." o,,ar
men erect br'd4es OF American stee' oNe'
.ta r,,,ara ~ d'stcnt rort'rnr's
used for some odd poars OF small :, ron y,
naya and along Its ranks are many quf,.'L.' ~.
whic built t9 ut,,'zs a ans
power Most q 4, t lnns Between the
s sanal "a and the river. and unique style
Of Of ID drawbridga is used one end !, Of n
bridge being held by pivot and the q 2fh q
floated BY tat-5ottomefS pu strea aSa he he
b tsa pu opons on Ike door From !nas,,
T.,css Ike new road runs 10 su1leld
Street. where there Is X,las iss alm fhst
a. Windsor. leaving Sut,leld, which is
90 az nluh ground, the trsyeler gets an
extended view both east and yes :, v, a 4,
the way through AgaWan to West spr N i
shaded roads and an occasional striking
Vista, AT West Springfield Is another ans
client dwelling called he Bay Hons ",