Picture Enfield - Then And Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today we debut the initial offering from a photo collection we are thrilled to have acquired. Stanley Dynia was an expert on local history who took great pleasure in sharing his memories and his wonderful photographs of important and memorable events in Thompsonville and Enfield. We thank his family for allowing us to showcase his impressive photo collection.

For three-quarters of a century beginning in 1904, Javorski Dry Goods was a staple of the Thompsonville section of Enfield. An ad in a 1924 edition of the Thompsonville press mentions A.F. Javorski Dry Goods, but most longtime Enfield residents will remember the store at 41 Pleasant Street being owned and operated by Stanley and Helen Javorski.

The couple took over the store in 1945 and ran it for 33 years. Helen Javorski also served one term as a state representative, elected in 1956. An article in a great photo book entitled I Took a Little Trip to My Hometown by longtime local photographer John Zirolli states:

Mr. javorski was an able businessman who knew how to get his customers the real products they needed. He specialized in cooking utensils and fabric, shades and curtains and the hardware for both.

In Jan. 1979, the Javorskis sold their property to the town of Enfield, which promptly demolished it as part of the "urban renewal" project intended to revitalize the area (no comment). The two photos below, taken by Mr. Zirolli, show Stanley Javorski inside the store in 1978, just prior to shutting down, and the demolition of the building.

The former site of Javorski's was converted into a municipal parking lot, depicted below in this contemporary shot taken by yours truly.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "What do Beach, Deland, Lafayette, Orlando, Revere and Tampa avenues all have in common?" The answer: they were all located just south of Hazard Avenue, at or near the present-day site of Brookside Plaza, before they were ripped up and the buildings acquired by the town of Enfield in the early 1970s to facilitate construction of the Enfield Memorial Industrial Park. Among the family names whose properties went to the town were Moody, Albano, Frew, Petronella, Santaniello, D'Amato, Skiffington, Pellegrino and Romano. The aerial photo below from April 1970, obtained from the UConn library, shows the area prior to development. The cloverleaf on- and off-ramps of Interstate 91 are at the top left, with the Enfield Suburban Mall at the top center. Jim Malley was the first person to correctly answer the question.

This week's trivia question:
During the long tenure of legendary Enfield High School field hockey coach Cookie Bromage from 1967 to 2018, she did miss one season while on sabbatical at Springfield College. Who coached the team that year? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.

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