Picture Ellington - Then And Now

ELLINGTON, CT — It's time for another journey back in time, as we return to a fascinating picture book entitled Images of America: Ellington. The book, compiled by Lynn Kloter Fahy for the Ellington Historical Society, was first published in 2005, and contains 128 pages of amazing photos and stories of the small town formerly known as "the Great Marsh." It may be purchased from the Nellie McKnight Museum store here.

Chapter 5, entitled Village Life, begins on page 57, where we find a 1933 photo of 12-year-old Earl Aborn Rich, taken at the corner of Somers and Cider Mill roads. Rich, a 2002 inductee to the Ellington Wall of Honor, served as a town selectman and as chief of the Crystal Lake Fire District. With his wife Agnes, he owned and operated the Triangle Grocery Store for 25 years.

For many years, the house behind Rich contained a bank, including Tolland Bank, New Alliance Bank, Enfield Federal Savings and through 2017, United Bank. It will soon (actually, very soon) re-open as DiFiore's Ravioli Shop.

Here is a more contemporary look at the property, taken by yours truly.

Do you have a photo of an old Ellington business which no longer exists, to which you own the copyright and which we could feature in this column? Email tim.jensen@patch.com.

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