Simsbury Free Library Announces June Events

In June, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) will continue its Drop-In Genealogy and Drop-In Book Club programs. In addition, it will host its Connecticut Open House, a town-wide ice cream social, and a talk with state historian Walt Woodward.

Connecticut Open House

Saturday, June 9, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Stop by the Simsbury Free Library and learn more about your genealogy, the Farmington Canal, transportation history and more! Genealogist Diane LeMay will be on hand to offer free genealogy help from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Whether you are new to genealogy or are having trouble finding your ancestors, this is a great place to look for answers!

If you have an interest in World War I, don’t miss the SFL’s collection of 44 letters sent home to Simsbury by George L. Hall between August 11, 1917 and October 21, 1918. The letters are a great look at the life of a 20-21 year old soldier during World War I. Many of the letters have been read and signed by censors, and some have words cut from them by the censors.

Interested in the Farmington Canal that was abandoned in 1847? Last spring, the SFL published nine maps of the Farmington Canal in partnership with canal expert Carl E. Walter. The map series includes one for each of the towns through which the canal once ran: New Haven, Hamden, Cheshire, Southington, Plainville, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, and Granby. Each map notes the various features that still remain or were once there (i.e., culverts, bridges, locks, etc.) and offers a narrative about the need for the canal, the construction and financing of the canal, the challenges of running the canal and the reasons for its demise. In addition to 10 town-specific photos of the canal and its features, many of them taken in the 1930s, the maps include a canal topic unique to each map.

Interested in transportation history? The SFL houses the William Phelps Eno Memorial Center. Due to Mr. Eno’s efforts, things such as speed limits, right-of-way rules at intersections and rotaries, pavement markings, one way streets and turn signals have been codified to law. The Memorial Center contains Mr. Eno’s original furniture and artworks in a replica of his office and serves as an archive for his historic papers. Free refreshments.

Drop In Book Club

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 11:15 a.m.

Water From My Heart by Charles Martin

From Amazon.com: Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible--and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?

New members in search of great book discussions and even better company are always welcome at the SFL’s Drop In Book Club. Readers are welcome any time they are interested in the SFL’s monthly book. Past book discussions have included The Boys in the Boat, The Gentleman of Moscow and The Noise of Time. Free. For more information, call 860-408-1336 or email simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com.

Town-Wide Ice Cream Social & Scavenger Hunt Kick-Off

Tuesday, June 12, 2018 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Join the SFL for an ice cream social to kick off the Simsbury Art Trail scavenger hunt. Join in the fun and get a chance to win some prizes. Open to the public. Free.

The Cost of Battles Not Fought: Wars and Rumors of War in Early New England with State Historian Walt Woodward

Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

This thought-provoking and image-rich presentation looks at the role rumors played in the early wars between English settlers and the native people whose land they occupied. Focusing on the first and most shocking of these conflicts – the Pequot War of 1636-1637 – it argues that rumors, rather than actual conflict, account for the greatest expenditures of time, resources, and psychic energy in this, and probably most other, human conflicts.

Whether you know the story of Pequot War well or barely at all, this talk shows just how important the first of New England's Indian Wars was, even as it leaves you thinking about the toll of violence, real or imagined then and now. Today, as in the past, the cost of battles not fought can leave deeper and more lasting scars than the battles themselves.

This program is presented by Connecticut State Historian, Professor Walter Woodward, who is a scholar of Early American and Atlantic World history with an emphasis on Connecticut and New England. His research interests cover a variety of subjects, including witchcraft, alchemy and the history of science, the use of music in Early America, and environmental history.

Drop-In Genealogy

Saturday, June 23, 2018 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

If you are researching your family tree, but don’t know where else to look to find your missing ancestors, bring in your tree and our genealogy librarian, Diane LeMay, can help with deciphering handwriting, online research, Massachusetts and French-Canadian research and much more.

Free to members; $5 for non-members. To make a reservation or for more information, call 860-408-1336 or email simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com.

About the Simsbury Free Library

The Simsbury Free Library (the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library) opened on the second floor of the Hopmeadow District School in 1874. In 1890, the Library’s collection was moved to its present location at 749 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury. Today the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) seeks to promote interest in genealogy and history by providing access to research material and expertise, artifacts, and educational and cultural programs. It seeks to help patrons connect with the past and to learn from and be inspired by those who have gone before them. The SFL provides a relaxed setting in which people can pursue family research history at their own pace. For everyone from seasoned genealogy veterans to beginners, the SFL has the staff and resources necessary to help visitors develop the skills required to create family trees, search local histories, look up census records, explore vital records, etc.

The Simsbury Free Library – the Gracious Yellow Lady – is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. as well as by appointment. To RSVP or for more information, visit www.simsburyfreelibrary.org or call (860) 408-1336.