Picture Enfield - Then and Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today's installment of this weekly Enfield history series, courtesy of the wonderful photo book entitled Enfield: 1950-1980, features an aerial view taken in the 1960s of what is now one of the busiest traffic areas in town: the junction of Route 190 (Hazard Avenue) and Middle Road.

This photo, taken by award-winning photographer Edward Malley, shows Smyth Farm Dairy Bar, owned by Robert Smyth, in the center of the picture; a Mobil gas station, operated by Edward Lane, directly across the street; and Taylor Rental and Grondin's Texaco gas station, owned by Emile Grondin, at the Middle Road intersection.

In the 1970s, development began on the vacant land surrounding the dairy bar. A car dealership was built just to the west, known as Fenton Ford, then Enfield, and currently Family Ford. To the north, three rows of office and business condominiums were built, and to the east, Palomba Drive was constructed, running from Hazard Avenue to Elm Street. Grossman's Lumber was built on the east side of Palomba in the late 1970s, where the current Rite Aid Pharmacy now sits, and the current Big Y Plaza followed in the 1980s.

Smyth Farm Dairy Bar is now home to Key Bank and Liberty Tax Service; in the first row of buildings to the north of the bank is Smyth's Ice Cream Stand, operated by Charlie Manzone since 1977. The old Mobil station has been vacant for the last few years, while the former Texaco has been home to the Jug Shop liquor store for several decades. The building at 2 Middle Road is now home to Long Radio and Next Street Driving School.

Here is a more recent aerial view of the area, courtesy of Google Earth.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "What was the location of the original Enfield Fourth of July Town Celebration?" The answer: Brainerd Park, where the event began as an Enfield Jaycees picnic in 1985.

(Tim Jensen/Patch Media Corp.)

This week's trivia question:
Who was the original principal at Prudence Crandall Elementary School upon its opening in 1967? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.