- Philip Thibodeau
- Nov 10
When it was formed in 1965, the Southington Historical Society's mission was not just to preserve stories about the town’s past, but to find a place where a growing collection of unique historical objects from its early days could be displayed. For a time the Society was located downtown in the now-defunct Just Buttons Museum. In 1974 it finally found a permanent home in the classical-style building at 239 Main Street which had previously served as the town library before its book collection was moved to a new building across the street.
On Saturday, well over one-hundred people came to the Historical Society’s open-house to celebrate its anniversary. Visitors old and new toured its four main rooms packed with a diverse range of objects, each evocative of some aspect of Southington’s past – bolts, buttons, plates, glass milk jugs, a wide assortment of hand tools, presses, bells, spindles, uniforms, assorted WWI and WWII memorabilia like this Navy pilot jacket:
mementos from championship-winning high school teams:
a large display of native American spearpoints, tools, and pottery, all discovered by local residents:
and a colorful collection of old matchbooks from local businesses:
The diversity of items in the collection is no accident. Town historian Phil Wooding notes that in 1902, Southington ranked No. 5 in the state for the sheer number of different types of products it manufactured, coming in right behind large cities like Hartford and New Haven. The range of objects on display is thus in part a legacy of an industrial past dominated by small and medium-sized manufacturers.
One of the more curious relics housed by the museum is the Florian photo booth. Chemist Julian Florian, a resident of Plantsville, invented a process that allowed photographs to be developed on paper rather than fragile glass plates. He popularized his discovery by incorporating it into a mechanical booth where people could have their pictures taken on demand. The device became a hit at Lake Compounce and quickly spread to other amusement parks across the country. The Society’s collection includes one of the original ‘Florian booths’, and on Saturday visitors were allowed to use it for free.
Among those on hand Saturday was State Representative Chris Poulos, who presented the Society with official state documents recognizing the anniversary:
Also present was Christina Volpe, the curator of Southington’s other historical museum, the Barnes Homestead.
The Outsider asked Volpe to name five things everyone in Southington should know about the town’s history. Her answers were as follows:
Southington’s chief claim to fame is that it was the home of the world’s first bolt-manufacturing facility. Although bolts are an old technology, they had previously been manufactured on an ad hoc basis. Blacksmith Micah Rugg and his partner Martin Barnes set up a business in Marion that made uniform bolts and nuts in large numbers. The entire front wall of their shop, which flourished during the 1840’s before shutting down, is now on display inside the museum.
Second, modern Route 10, which was once known as the Old Cheshire Turnpike or The Old Highway, has long been a major Connecticut throughway. During the American Revolution the French general Rochambeau followed it through town while leading soldiers sent by France to aid the Continental Army and George Washington. Later Southington became a major stop for on the stagecoach line, then for trolleys, and even today for travelers on Interstate 84.
The third historical site Volpe listed was Lake Compounce - the oldest continuously operating amusement park in America, and a place with its own complicated history. “Bristol likes to take all the credit for it, but we’re on the property too, so forget them,” she joked.
Fourth is the Town Green. While it is now a well kempt space with stone war monuments that is used to host public events, it once served as the town dump and bore the name ‘Pigweed Park’. At the beginning of the 20th century, the green was surrounded by a row of stately elm trees, but in the 1930's all of these fell victim to Dutch Elm Disease.
Finally, Volpe pointed to her own institution, the Barnes Homestead, a fully-intact house museum that contains most of the artifacts that belonged to one family over the course of two centuries, 1770 to 1970. While there are other house museums in the area such as the Mark Twain House, the Barnes stands out for having all original furnishings, rather than later recreations.
The history of Southington can be encountered anywhere, if one is familiar with the stories and knows what to look for. Like the Barnes, the Historical Society is a good place to start for anyone who wants to learn more.
The Historical Society is open 5-7 every Wednesday. New members and volunteers are welcome; for details, see their website. The Society passed along its thanks to Roger’s Orchards – another essential part of Southington’s history – for their donation of cider and cookies for the open house.
