On June 24, Dennis Picard, director of Storrowton Village, presented a fascinating description of life in Tolland in 1815 and shared artifacts with an audience of over 30 people. He was introduced by Library Director Barbara Pettijohn, who hosted the event sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
Picard began with the War of 1812, with over 6,000 men forming the Connecticut militia, and additional men serving in the 25th US Infantry. It was surprising when he mentioned that a Constitutional Convention was held in Hartford, with New England threatening to secede from the Union.
Industry in Tolland included a foundry where cast iron was molded into hollowware, such as the teapot Picard displayed. There were two “fulling mills” where woven cloth was felted with wooden hammers powered by running water, and teasels from a cultivated plant were used to raise the nap on cloth which was then sheared.
Tolland had three distilleries where cider was concentrated to keep it from spoiling, by removing water to raise the alcohol content, thus producing brandy. He explained that cider “junk bottles” can be identified by the extra groove at the top, where the cork was tied down to keep it from popping out.
Connecticut was a forerunner in education, in a style popular in New England. Tolland was divided into two-mile square districts, with each of the thirteen districts supported by the families living there. The school year was 260 days, vacations coinciding with times when there was less water to run the mills.
Parental control of education was strong, with students attending when parents allowed them and studying the subjects their parents chose for them. The “school-keepers,” who lived with the families in the district, “taught to the text” purchased by each parent, sometimes having to teach several different books within a subject area.
After his presentation Picard answered questions from the audience, adding more interesting information about early life in Tolland.
The Bible was not taught in schools because Tolland had three different religious societies. In fact, in 1820 the Irish sued and won the right to have separate schools in order to include religious education.
“School-keepers” were licensed by local “examining committees” consisting of three people, including a minister and a doctor, if there was one. Tolland was fortunate to have four doctors!
Native Americans did live in Tolland, but as individual families and not as tribes. They were considered “independent entities” and were not part of the school process. It was interesting that intermarriage with colored peoples (including Native Americans) was legal in Connecticut, but not in neighboring Massachusetts.
Another artifact displayed was a “bandbox” used as luggage for stagecoach travel. A trip from Hartford to New Haven took 9 hours, with difficult road conditions and no suspension systems on the first coaches. People came by stagecoach to the Tolland area to hunt turkeys and deer. Picard stated that guns from New England were made with maple wood stocks, especially curly maple, like the “fowling piece” he showed the audience.
This was the third event in a series on Tolland ‘s history, sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation in conjunction with the town’s 300th anniversary celebration. Three additional programs are planned:
July 15- Mark Depathy- Civil War era of 1865
Aug. 19- Marshall A. Atwater- period from 1915 through the 1940’s influx of immigrants from Europe
Sept. 9- Panel discussion about life and education from 1965-2015 by Tolland teachers who grew up in town
The events will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room A of Tolland Town Hall. To register for the free talks, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620.