Katharyne Hill Jones was educated at the Campbell School for Girls in the early-20th century. She went on to perform decades of activism work centered around civil rights: advocating for access to adequate housing, opposing poll taxes, and working to create and sustain effective integrated communities.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved volunteer Jim Trocchi. Jim volunteered at the Historical Society for over 30 years and helped with almost everything we do over the course of [...]
If you grew up in the Wilson neighborhood of Windsor, chances are you attended Roger Wolcott School. But which one? There have been five school buildings that have occupied the same general location at the corner of Windsor and East Wolcott Avenues.
How many brickyards were there in Windsor? The official answer is 40. But some evidence supports the existence of more.
On March 1, 1928, a man in his 70s died in his home. Edward Hill had lived in Windsor for almost 60 years and was a successful farmer, property owner, Grace Episcopal Church member, constable, and volunteer Windsor Fire Company member. None of this is particularly remarkable—until you learn that Edward Hill was a Black man who was born enslaved.
In late-2024, the Society acquired a handsome tall case clock through a generous bequest. The clock is the product of two Windsor craftsmen, clockmaker and silversmith Moses Wing and cabinetmaker George Belden.
The sparks that ignited the American Revolution were already smoldering 250 years ago, in the winter of 1775. Word of the fighting traveled fast to Windsor, thanks in large part to Isaac Bissell, who is now credited as the alarm rider who first brought word of the skirmish to Hartford.
Windsor Historical Society’s archival and museum collections are now publicly available online! You can now search or browse through images and descriptions of many of our photos, archival documents, and museum objects from home.
As the Revolutionary War reached its end, Nancy Toney and her father Anthony went to New York City, one of the last British strongholds left in the colonies. There they were supposed to be safe until the British could send them to Nova Scotia in the fall of 1783. Unfortunately, they were not. Nancy was kidnapped, and she never reunited with her father.
Nancy Toney's portrait hangs in Chaffee House, where we talk about her connection to the site, her time in town, and her status as one of the last people enslaved in Connecticut. Recently, new information on Nancy and her family has surfaced. This new knowledge fills in missing years and places much of what we’ve known about Nancy into a new context. This is a story about Nancy, her father Toney, and a bid for freedom.