Picture Enfield - Then And Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today we take another dip into the newly-acquired book I Took a Little Trip to My Hometown, self-published by retired freelance photographer John Zirolli and containing hundreds of photos of Enfield taken between 1973 and 1985.

This shot was taken just prior to the "urban renewal" project of the mid- to late 1970s, during which scores of buildings were torn down in the Thompsonville section. Zirolli took this picture at sunset, looking west toward Suffield from the corner of Church and Whitworth streets.

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Very few businesses were still open at this point in time; a building of the abandoned Bigelow Sanford carpet mill is in the distance, next to the Economy Laundromat at the corner of Whitworth and Pleasant streets. The buildings on the left were all demolished, and currently is site to a municipal parking lot. The commercial properties on the right were also taken down, with houses being constructed in their place.

Here is a more contemporary look at the site, courtesy of Google Maps.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "Prior to Joe Olko, only two other golfers have been inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame. Name them." The easily-looked up answer: Bob Linn in 2004, and Brent Dietz in 2017.

This week's trivia question:
Who was my third grade teacher? Try looking that one up, and post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page.