The importance of trolleys in Connecticut will be discussed at the April 11 program of the South Windsor Historical Society. Tom Laurenson, head of the speakers bureau at the Shore Line Trolley Museum, East Haven, will talk about the trolley era at Wood Memorial Library and Museum, 783 Main St., South Windsor, at 7 p.m.
A native of Scotland, Laurenson moved to the US in 2001. After living on the West Coast, he settled in Branford, where he became a conductor at the Shore Line Trolley Museum. in East Haven.
Trolleys were an important part of life in Connecticut from the late 1800s through the mid-20th century. Before family ownership of an automobile was common, they provided an affordable, convenient way to travel around town and between towns.
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The Hartford Street Railway Company had a main line to East Hartford, later extended to the East Windsor Hill section of South Windsor. In 1902, the company merged with the Springfield Street Railway, which had a route from Springfield to Warehouse Point, then crossing the Connecticut River to Hartford. The company thrived for several years.
In South Windsor, trolleys provided convenient and inexpensive transportation to nearby cities. The stops along Main Street were known as stations, with their numbers frequently used as geographic locations. By 1916, The Connecticut Co., which succeeded the Hartford area business, had taken over most of its trolley competitors and gradually switched to buses.
The program is open to the public; admission is $5 per person ($3 for society or library members). Refreshments will be served. For more information, call 860-289-1783, or visit www.southwindsorhistory.org or www.woodmemoriallibrary.org.
