E.W. Historical Society
East Windsor, Connecticut
Heed the Call
A letter written by William Wolcott, East Windsor, March 22, 1775
Gentlemen, These are to inform you that the donations of the inhabitants of the town of East Windsor, in grain, are for the support of the poor of Boston, now suffering under the operation of the severe oppressive Port Bill. The quantity, and on whom, and upon what conditions the same is shipped, you will learn by a copy of the master’s receipt, which is sent you inclosed. We rejoice at the patience and fortitude of the Town and Province, under the extreme sufferings of such cruel and oppressive acts, and hope and most ardently pray, that Heaven will support you till in his righteous providence he shall see fit to appear for your deliverance and cloathe our enemies with shame, and in the meantime put it and keep it in the hearts of the inhabitants of this Town. And all the Towns of the continent, willingly and cheerfully to bear so small a part of the burthens unjustly brought upon you by these Acts, so threatening to us all, as to support the poor of your Town in so just a cause and so glorious a struggle for liberty. You will accept what this town has done, though far less than what some other Towns have, as a testimony of their sympathy with and concern for you, and an encouragement to expect further help, which the Committee of this Town will be ever ready industriously to promote.
By Order of the Committee, William Wolcott
The Port Bill referred to in the letter is the Boston Port Act which closed the harbor in retribution for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party event in 1773. East Windsor sent grain and other goods to support the people of Boston. This was done in solidarity with others across the 13 colonies and worked to solidify their unification. This moved us one step closer to declaring our independence and igniting a revolution.
Stay tuned for more! And if you’d like to read these excerpts and learn more about East Windsor’s involvement, check out East Windsor Through the Years by Michael C. DeVito. You can find it at the Warehouse Point Library, Broad Brook Library, or purchase it here at the museum any cold Saturday morning. -J.
Turbulent Times
In 1768, East Windsor separated from the whole of Windsor to become its own township. And according to Michael DeVito’s book, East Windsor Through the Years, there was much political excitement at the time. According to Mr. DeVito, a meeting of the inhabitants of East Windsor convened on the first Monday of August 1774 with Erastus Wolcott moderating. The unanimously adopted the following resolution:
Stay tuned as we post more information on East Windsor’s time leading up to the Revolutionary War and those involved! -J.
Happy Holidays
The holiday season is upon us and we’ve got the decorations up to celebrate! With the rock wall almost finished with the help of Chuck and his team from True North Stoneworks LLC, we have a nice central focus in front of the school house. Now we need more snow! We hope everyone is having a nice holiday season whatever you may celebrate. At the museum, we’re still keeping busy and staying warm. Duke (the dog) is supervising us as usual and ensuring our hard work. Thank you for a great 2025, everyone. Feel free to stop on by on a Saturday morning and say hi!
-J.
A Revolutionary Event
We had our final meeting of 2025 last Saturday and one big topic was discussed. This is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There will be events across the state of Connecticut and the East Windsor Historical Society wants to get involved! We’re looking for volunteers to join a committee to plan a big summer event. If you’re interested in helping in any way, please email us at EastWindsorHistory@gmail.com and let us know! Ideas were flying and the more, the merrier! Stop by on Saturday, December 6th at 10 AM to share those ideas!
We’ll also have some greenery clippings for wreath making. So bring your own materials and grab some greens to make something special for the holidays!
-J.
Walking on Sunshine
Over the past few weeks, work was done on the new walkways and rock wall in front of the Barber Hill Schoolhouse and in front of the antique tool and blacksmith shop. They’re almost done now and we couldn’t be happier. The new walkway will make it easier for folks to make their way into the buildings (and also looks a whole lot nicer!) The finishing touches are happening now, so if you drive by you’ll see the change. As the holidays approach, we’re thinking of what me might put out front as a winter display. Maybe a sleigh would be nice? What ideas do you have? Stay tuned and stop by to see all we’ve been up to!
Thank you to our friends at True North Stoneworks (Dublin, NH) and J&D Landscaping for their hard work.
-J
Ice Cream Social
The kids had fun with our typewriter at this years Ice Cream Social. They left fun messages like the one above, along with some names and a few 6 7’s (which for them was hilarious and for us was bewildering.) We want to thank everyone for stopping by and saying hi. The ice cream from Tulmeadow Farms was fantastic, as usual. We had live music and hayrides and volunteers stationed all over to answer questions. The courthouse floors were finished just in time for the event and L. Ellsworth Stoughton’s desk was on display inside. We heard great feedback on the hard work that was put in over the summer months.
We’re thankful to our volunteers for sharing their knowledge and spending their time making the day a great success!
It’s a great way to wind down the end of the year but no rest for us yet! While the cool air of fall is upon us, the sun is still shining and we’re still here every Saturday. As I type, we’ve got some high school kids checking out the new truck to see what needs fixing up and some visitors looking up the history of the Potwin(e) family. Every day our history grows longer and we’re glad we have a place to preserve it. -J
Brownstones
Check out the brownstones we received! As the state/town completed work on the Broad Brook dam (located in the center of Broad Brook) they had a number of brownstones that needed to be removed. They saved those stones for the Historical Society. Earlier this month, those stones made their way to our museum. We’re deciding what to do with them and the most likely outcome will be featuring them in a rock wall around some new stone walkways going in front of the Barber Hill Schoolhouse. Plans are always open to change though. The dam was a brownstone quarry in its early days. You can still find stones in town, particularly on the retaining wall of the Manor House on Main Street. Those same stones were also ones used in the church that once stood on Church Street. I guess it’s safe to say that we like to re-use and make good again what we have here in town. We’ll keep you updated as our plans grown and change. – J
E.W. Historical Society 