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Stafford Historical Society - Stafford, CT

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Stafford Historical Society - Stafford, CT

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The Stafford Historical Society, founded in 1962, preserves and promotes the history of Stafford, Connecticut. See Events for upcoming museum openings.

The museum is at 5 Spring Street and the Patten One-Room Schoolhouse is in Heritage Park. The Stafford Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and preserving the rich history of the town of Stafford, Connecticut. Our main museum, at 5 Spring Street, has two floors of exhibits and photos showing some of the highlights of the town's history. We also maintain a research area with files of photos, articles, and books on the town and subjects relating to the area and the people who have lived here. The museum is open to the public, free-of-charge. See below for Summer 2025 hours. The historical society also maintains the Patten District One-Room Schoolhouse located in Heritage Park on Rte 190 in Stafford. Dating to around 1799, the schoolhouse is the oldest school still in existence in town. The restored school is open to school groups and to the public at special events throughout the year. The historical society meets September through November, and March through June on the second Tuesday of the month, usually at the Stafford Community Center. The September and June meetings are for members only, but the other meetings offer presentations about subjects relating to Stafford or Connecticut history. We welcome new members and are grateful for volunteers to act as docents, help with special occasions, and work on special projects. If you love Stafford history, please join us and help preserve the history of the town. Almost every first and third Monday of the month, we have a museum workshop where volunteers work on projects at the museum including filing, cleaning, and hanging signs. For the Summer of 2025 these workshops will be held 6:30 - 8:00 on the following Mondays:
Monday, April 21 6:30 - 8:00
Saturday, April 26 9:00 - 12:00 (Spring Clean-up Day)
Monday, May 5, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, May 19, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, June 2, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, June 16, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, July 7, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, July 21, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, August 4, 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, August 18, 6:30 - 8:00

Museum Open Houses will be held during the Summer of 2025 on the following dates and times, as long as we have enough volunteers to man the museum:
Sunday, April 13, 2:00 - 4:00
Sunday, May 18, 2:00 - 4:00
Sunday June 8, 2:00 - 4:00
Friday, June 13, 6:00 - 8:00, Arts on Main
Friday, July 11, 6:00 - 8:00, Arts on Main
Sunday, July 13, 2:00 - 4:00
Friday, August 8, 6:00 - 8:00, Arts on Main
Sunday, August 10, 2:00 - 4:00

11/01/2026

This photo is Pinney School 3rd and 4th grades about 1948.

Front Row:
1. Judy Hillebrecht
2. Elaine Robbins
3. Flavio Paris?
4. Ronnie West

Second Row:
5. Arlene Hurchula
6. Judy Hall
7. Phyllis Cooley
8. Claudia Gregory
9. Glennis Artruc

3rd Row:
10. Bill Matchett
11. Bill Auguste
12. Russell Dimmick
13. Bob Kuehl
14. John Palm

Back Row:
15. Ted Robbins
16. Elaine Dehullu
17. Bill Murphy
18. Barry Hildebrecht
19. ? DeSanso?

Thank you to Maureen Paquin and Robert Kuehl for this photo!

10/31/2026

This photo, taken in 1917 or 1918 in front of the Congregational Church in downtown Stafford Springs, is of WWI recruits who are ready to board a train that would take them to Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts to begin their military training. The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917 and the Armistice that ended the war as signed on November 11, 1918. Almost 5 million Americans were sent to Europe to fight, according to the National Archives. About 249 men, and women, from Stafford served in this war.

We don't have any IDs for this photo yet. There were other photos like this taken in front of the doors of the Congregational Church. Can you identify anyone? #2 looks like Al Capone to me but I feel confident that he isn't!

Do you have WWI ancestors that served in WWI? Do you have male ancestors who were born between 1872 and 1900? (Women weren't drafted but could enlist in the Signal Corps or medical personnel.) If so, it is probable that your ancestor was at least registered in one of the three draft registrations that were held during the war. Having a draft registration doesn't mean that they served but it is still a valuable resource for genealogy. It can be hard to identify if a person served but genealogy websites, newspapers, veterans organizations, and your local historical society (that is us!!) can be helpful in learning more about these men and women who did serve.

10/30/2026

This photo was taken at the American Legion Post #26 sometime between WWI and WWII - 1920s or 1930s. The American Legion building that we know today used to be part of the Stafford Golf Club and was purchased in 1942 by the American Legion. I am not sure where the Legion was located when this photo was taken. At least two, if not all, of the men are veterans of WWI. Does anyone look familiar? Does anyone know where this was taken?

1. ?Ray Irons?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Harold W. Bruce, Sr.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20. Ephraim Mirza
21.
22.
23.

10/28/2026

I think this is the only Stafford school picture where I have seen all the students sitting in chairs. Somehow it makes them all seem even littler. I assume this is a kindergarten class at the Borough School about 1928. If you had relatives living in the Borough who were born in 1923, they could be in this photo. So far we only know #3 - Donald S. Bruce.

10/27/2026

Group of Stafford boys playing football about 1937 (Jack Bruce was born in 1927 and I am making the assumption that these boys are about 10 years old - it is an estimate). Do any of these boys look familiar?

1.
2. John “Jack” Bruce
3. Peter Piccoli
4.
5.
6. Americo “Becko” Piccoli
7. Walter “Tuno” Muratori
8. Charles Furness
9. ?Evo Piccoli?
10. Thomas Furness

10/27/2026

The Crystal Lake Yacht Club was formed in Rau's Pavilion at Crystal Lake by Johnny Andrews, John "Pop" Grennan, Clem Rau and George Grennan. The first race occurred in August of 1937. The early records of the club were lost when Rau's Pavilion burned in 1939 but the club continued through the decades. Is it still active?

10/20/2026

We had another scanning session a couple of weeks ago and were given two wonderful collections of photos. This photo dates to about 1936 and is of the Bruce family that lived on Westford Avenue. Harold Bruce, Sr. was a veteran of WWI and was the manager at the Stafford Press on Furnace Avenue.

1. Harold Bruce, Jr
2. Edwin Bruce
3. Harold Bruce, Sr.
4. Donald Bruce
5. Florence (Schofield) Bruce
6. John Bruce
7. Marian Bruce

10/20/2026

Our neighbor, Ellington Historical Society, is having another interesting event with Perceived Paranormal at the Stafford Cidery. We love all the events that they are able to do!

10/16/2026

Hyde Park's history is closely tied to the growth of Stafford's schools. In 1883, the town built its first high school on High Street to accommodate a rising student population. As enrollment surged, the building quickly became overcrowded, forcing it to mix grammar and high school grades. To ease the strain, the town added an extension in 1913 and opened the dedicated Borough Grammar School nearby in 1922, finally moving the younger grades out of the high school.

By 1930, building deterioration and persistent overcrowding prompted plans for a new high school. Though the State Board of Education and the town committee recommended building at the fairgrounds (now the Stafford Motor Speedway), poorly attended town meetings ultimately selected Hyde Park instead. This decision has sparked debate since the 1930s over whether it violated Isaac Perkins Hyde’s original vision of a dedicated public park.

Funding for the new high school required tearing down the original 1883 building. Designed by Hartford architect Maurice H. Golden, construction began in 1938, and students moved into the new facility in January 1939.

Fast forward to 1955 and the same over-crowding issues start a debate on whether or not the town should build a new school. Over the next 12 years the residents would vote no but by 1967 the new high school project was finally approved and in 1968 high school students moved into the third high school off Orcuttville Road. In 1985, the school in Hyde Park was renamed the Earl M. Witt Intermediate School.

In 2007, when the new elementary school was built on Levinthal Run, the old Witt School was decommissioned. It has been empty since that time. Currently, there are two parties interested in the building and the town is looking for input from residents. Follow along on the town website:

https://www.staffordct.gov/news_detail_T4_R592.php

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Address

5 Spring Street
Stafford Springs, CT
06076

Telephone

+18606847978

Website

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