Picture Enfield - Then and Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today's installment of this Enfield history series is actually not courtesy of the Facebook group Picture Enfield, but rather by a reader submission.

Richard Schaefer, owner of Awards & More at 492 Enfield Street, emailed a photo of the location taken in 1936, when it was owned by Thomas Shea as the Thompsonville Rug Co. Later uses of the building included a bath and kitchen showroom, then a real estate and appraisal business before Schaefer purchased the property in early 2005.

Here is a more recent photo of the site:

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's Enfield trivia question was, "Incorporated in Massachusetts in 1683 as the Freshwater Plantation, Enfield acquired its present name around the turn of the 18th century. Freshwater Brook and Freshwater Pond are significant bodies of water in town. What Native American word meaning "fresh water" is the name of a prominent institution in town, as well as the name of a street in Thompsonville?" The answer: Asnuntuck.

This week's trivia question:
Enfield held one of the largest Bicentennial celebrations in Connecticut in observance of the country's 200th birthday in 1976. Who was the mayor of Enfield at that time? Hint: he passed away in 2016 at age 87. Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.

Do you have an old photo of Enfield you would like featured in this column? Email it, with a description, to tim.jensen@patch.com.

Photos courtesy of Richard Schaefer

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