The Hebron Historical Society

The Hebron Historical Society is hosting its 2nd annual Gingerbread House contest. We invite and encourage your entry. Let’s have a whole village of gingerbread houses on display!

There will be categories for kids 10-17 and adults 18 and up. Houses may be made from either a kit or from “scratch”, and will be judged separately. They must be on a sturdy base, covered with plastic wrap. You must use an icing that will harden. For such a recipe, check out: http://www.wilton.com/royal-icing/WLRECIP-50.html. The houses can be decorated with candies, pretzels, cereal, nuts, whatever you wish. Use your imagination and be creative! Have fun! You might even want to copy one of Hebron’s historic homes!

Bring your house to Old Town Hall on Hebron Green on December 1, 2017, between 10:00 am -12 noon or 4:00 - 6:00 pm. Houses will be judged and then displayed during the Craft Show, December 2, 2017 and through the Community Holiday Event on December 9, 2017. Houses will be considered donations to HHS and sold in a silent auction on December 9th. The money raised will go towards program and maintenance expenses of the Hebron Historical Society.

Questions may be addressed to Mary-Ellen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

On December 9th, the Historical Society at Old Town Hall will be an active part of the Hebron Holiday Festival. Festivities will begin in Old Town Hall at 1:00, and will include craft projects for children, assisted by Historical Society members and friends.

In the tradition of Stew Stockwell’s annual seasonal model railroad event in Old Town Hall, you must stop in between 1:00-5:00 to see the model railroad display operated by the Connecticut Society of Ferroequinologists (Iron Horses). The Manchester-area club’s O-gauge layout will be running and there will be club members to answer any questions. Our older Hebron residents will recall Stew in his striped overalls and engineer’s cap controlling the trains as they toured his rural layout. To watch an old video of Stew and his model railroad, go to http://hebronhistoricalsociety.org, click on Hebron Historic & Program Videos, and scroll down to “Model Railroad Exhibit in OTH back in 1976”.

 
photo courtesy of CT Society of Ferroequinologists

Thank You, Carolyn, Shelley & More

Yes, all our thanks must go to Carolyn Aubin & Shelley Neubauer for their unbelievable organizational abilities, work ethics, and fundraising accomplishments. They accepted responsibility for the Hebron Historical Society’s 2017 Plant and Tag Sales, respectively.

No, they didn’t do it alone; they also have many friends and relatives happy to assist them. Among our good friends are:

~~Master Gardeners Elaine Massa, Mary Collins and Karen Sexton, who were available to answer gardening questions and offer plant choice suggestions.

~~Chris Andrulitis, friend to both Shelley and the Douglas Library, who was there every step of the way with sorting, pricing, packing tag sale remainders and helping to deliver them to Savers.

~~Rich Marzi, a special Hebron volunteer, who procured a tent for our use, arranged to borrow tables, and lined up both food and other vendors to add interest to the “Hello Summer Faire”.

~~All the people who donated plants and tag sale items. Without your donations, we couldn’t have these sales!!

~~HHS Members and Directors who can always be counted on to help!!

Together, the plant and tag sales raised over $2,500.00. That income will go into our general account to be used for Historical Society expenses. Our regular expenses are for electricity, heat, internet & insurance – just like yours at home! In addition, we offer interesting programs through the year relating to Hebron and its history.

Unlike many organizations, the HHS owns two buildings. Many people are surprised to learn that the Hebron Historical Society owns both “Old Town Hall” and the Burrows Hill School. Back in 1971, the Town of Hebron transferred to the HHS the deeds for both buildings. It is The Society’s responsibility to maintain these buildings.

You have probably read about our “Raise the Roof” capital campaign that was organized to raise the needed funding for both a new roof as well as exterior painting of Old Town Hall. You’ll be pleased to hear that we’re more than half way there!

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

St. Peter’s Church & Cemetery, Hebron

Historic Attraction added to St. Peter’s Pumpkin Fest

Prominent citizens from old Hebron, now buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, were portrayed by members and friends of the Hebron Historical Cemetery. Cemetery tours began in St. Peter’s Church where the well-known Jim Mirakian played the old organ, and a brief history of the church was shared.

Cemetery visitors were then guided to the graves of some old Hebron residents where they will be met by the portrayers. Research has been done on Hebron citizens who lived in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Period clothing was worn. Visitors left feeling that they had met the individuals themselves. A selection of historic residents included Governor John S. Peters, his uncle, the Rev. Samuel Peters, Dr. Cyrus H. Pendleton and his daughter, Susie. Other people featured were Marjorie Martin (WW I & II librarian), Jim Batson (lost in Vietnam), Carrie Kellogg and her grandmother, Arethusa Gillett Arnold. Also met were Town Clerk Della Porter Hills, Charles Bissell (lost his arm in Civil War), and Lewis Worthington Phelps (relative of Hebron’s first settler). These people all “made a difference” in Hebron.

Cemetery tours were held Saturday and Sunday, October 1st and 2nd from 2-4:00 both days. This event coincided with the St. Peter’s Pumpkin Fest which included many other wonderful free, family oriented events and activities.

Visit Vintage Hebron

The Hebron Historical Society invites all in the Hebron Community and elsewhere to see and learn about Historic Hebron. Visit a one-room school; see folks in colonial dress; listen to music being played on a 19th century reed organ; walk along the sites of old water-powered mills; see the interior of several centuries-old buildings; visit Hebron’s historic sites; purchase small consumables from the country store; and, oh, so much more.

Set aside Saturday, September 19th, from 10 am to 4 pm as the day you can actually see the interior of many of Hebron’s old buildings, and listen to guides dressed in historic attire provide details about the buildings. Feel free to take photos capturing the historic feeling of each location.

Although available at all sites, the Hebron Historical Society suggests you start your Historic Hebron Day tour at Old Town Hall where you can pick up a map and description of all historic sites. While there you can also see the schedule for the organ recital at the 1849 Hope Valley Church and the Barbershop Quartet at Old Town Hall.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see two old schoolhouses, three historic churches, the World War II Civilian Aircraft Observation Post, the 1899 Douglas Library, historic cemeteries, and a special guided tour along Hope Valley’s historic mill sites. Hebron is the location, September 19th is the date, and hours between 10 am and 4 pm are when you’ll want to be there. The Hebron Historical Society and Country Carpenters both promise a great day for visitors of all ages.

October 17 — Hebron’s own antique expert, Paul Pomprowicz, will be the speaker. Paul will bring some items from his extensive collection of Hebron Antiques, Collectibles and Ephemera.

Interesting stories are sure to be heard about many of the items. The postcard pictured is but one of hundreds in Paul’s collection. Paul is a lifelong resident of Hebron, who has always held a passion for “all things Hebron”. Paul and his wife, Carla (Hebron’s Town Clerk), live in the old Graves house in Hebron Center.

Join us on October 17th, 7:30 pm, at Old Town Hall, for this sure to be enjoyable meeting. All of our meetings are open to the public.

Governor M. Jodi Rell announced today that the town of Hebron will receive a $200,000 grant for restorations to the Peters House. The funding is expected to gain approval when the state Bond Commission meets September 25.

“One of the distinct characteristics of Connecticut that makes the state a wonderful place to live is the historic homes that dot our landscape,” Governor Rell said.  “This funding will not only help to preserve the historic Peters House in Hebron, it will also provide the town with an opportunity to make it a focal point for community activities.”

This funding will allow Hebron to restore the Samuel Peters House located on East Street.  Acquired by the town in 2004, the Peters House was built in the late 1700’s and was a single-family farmhouse until 1967.

The objective of the project is to preserve and convert the existing structure and utilize it for municipal or community purposes, such as housing the town’s parks and recreation department.  The project will entail bringing the house up to current building codes, addressing Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and performing some interior modifications.

State Representative Pamela Sawyer played a pivotal role in securing funding for this project.

These funds are being made available through the Connecticut Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP). STEAP provides financial assistance for projects that encourage economic development and preserve the character of the state’s less-populated towns.

The state-funded STEAP program provides funds to eligible towns for economic development, community conservation and quality of life projects. To be eligible, a town must have a population of less than 30,000 residents, not be designated as a distressed municipality or a public investment community and not have an urban center. The state Office of Policy and Management administers this program and individual projects are managed by several state agencies including DECD.

Rehearsals for Quest for Home, originally written by Burton E. Moore for Hebron's 250th Birthday Celebrations, have begun!  Thanks to the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, this monumental play will premiere on Friday, November 7 and end on Saturday, November 8.  The play, which will be presented at RHAM Auditorium and features 96 actors, will start promptly at 7:30 p.m. on those dates.  We are pleased to announce that AHM Youth Services will provide concession services during intermission, and that collection baskets for HIHS Food Bank will also be available.  Please bring just one can of food to the performance to support HIHS!

Meet our Cast and Production Crew!

Thanks to the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, the Hebron Historical Society has received a Culture Tourism Partnership Grant to partially fund the historical play, Quest for Home.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m.  Well known author and genealogist Vicki Welch will be speaking at the meeting.  Ms. Welch was recently named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2008 Connecticut Society of Genealogists Literary Award for her book And They Were Related, Too.  Her specialty is Native American and African American genealogy. 

In a recently discovered letter, the Hebron Historical Society was notified that the Amistad Committee was interested in including the Peters House among the sites noted on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. The letter, unfortunately, came during a time when Donna McCalla was away from Connecticut and was effectively "lost" in a pile of mail. It was discovered in December 2007.

The Society attended a Hebron Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on December 11, 2007, and a Board of Selectmen on December 20, 2007, to inform these public officials of this wonderful opportunity to include Hebron's history in the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Only 42 of Connecticut's 169 towns have been honored with this designation, and only 100 sites have attained this prestigious recognition.

The Connecticut Freedom Trail Strategic Plan, commissioned by the History Division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism and adapted on December 5, 2007, notes on page 11 the significance of the future of the Peters House:

"The current controversy surrounding the pending sale of the historic Peters House in Hebron underscored for the committee one of the most urgent issues facing the Freedom Trail. As mentioned above, the majority of Freedom Trail sites are currently in private ownership, and many have little or no protection from distraction or drastic modification by their owners."

Stay tuned for future updates on this important designation for the Peters House and the history of the abduction, rescue and eventual emancipation of the slaves, Cesar and Lowis Peters and their eight children.

On Friday, February 18, Hebron Town Crew moved a dinosaur footprint from the cellar of Old Town Hall to the third floor of the Douglas Library. A children's program on dinosaurs is being developed, and the public is welcome to come view the footprint.

The needlework on this tapestry, dated 1904, is exquisite. Mr. Pomprowicz displayed this needlework at the Hebron Historical Society Quilt Show in March, 2005. See the gallery below and make sure you focus in on the details!

Photo Gallery