History articles published in town newsletters since February 1992:
The Settling of Bolton Special Edition of the Bolton Community News Celebrating Bolton’s 275th Anniversary – October 1995 Edited by Don Costello Introduction This brief article will attempt to describe what the Bolton area was like prior to and during its establishment as a Connecticut town in the year 1720. It will touch upon the … Read more
Bolton Art Colony & Gershom Bartlett
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, June 2010; Revised Jan. 2015) The Muses, according to Greek mythology, are spirit sources of the knowledge, … Read more
How The Town of Bolton Got Its Name
by Hans DePold, Town Historian (November 2014) Introduction: Bolton was recently visited by officials of the town of Bolton, England. In preparation for their visit, I … Read more
Bolton Grange No. 47: The 100th Anniversary of Town Hall
by Hans DePold, town historian (Written in May 2014, for the 100th Anniversary of Bolton Town Hall, formerly Bolton Grange Hall) For many years, Bolton Town … Read more
Gay City or Factory Hollow
by Hans DePold, town historian February 2014 (first written in 2006) Gay City State Park is the location of an ancient mill town, Factory Hollow. The … Read more
Short Historical Updates
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, April 2010) Private Bolton Artifacts Back in Bolton Hands In 1995 I located all the sites of … Read more
Jared Cone House Ghost Stories
by Hans DePold, Bolton Town Historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, February 2010) Bolton militia Captain Thomas Pitkin was a brother to author David Pitkin’s direct ancestor, … Read more
Black Sal’s Cave
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, December 2009) On Box Mountain, to the west of Squaw Cave, is Black Sal’s Cave, the home … Read more
The Morgan Horses of Bolton’s Fernwood Farm
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, October 2009) When you visit Fernwood Farm on Hebron Road in Bolton you can still see Morgan … Read more
Bolton Flagging
by Hans DePold, Bolton town historian (Published in Bolton Horizons, August 2009) I recently came across this article in The Manufacturer and Builder Journal from May … Read more
Herrick Memorial Park
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2009) The land that is now Herrick Park has a lot of history and … Read more
Squaw Cave
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2009) The black hole to my left is more than man-sized and seems to … Read more
Uncas Helps Tontonimo
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2008) By working with the colonists, the Mohegan “sachem” ( (chieftain) Uncas became a … Read more
Uncas and Miantinomo
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2008) Uncas was indeed the embodiment of the wise sachem (chieftain) that James Fenimore … Read more
A Bloody Bolton Story – The Hard Luck Regiment (Part 2)
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Community News, April 2008) In the last issue I wrote about lucky Charles Lyman, but now it’s time … Read more
Charles Lyman, Bolton Civil War Hero
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2008) Charley’s story began with some original research that Bolton resident John Maston did … Read more
The Connecticut Hard Luck Regiment
Men of Bolton Serving in the War of Rebellion by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2007) The Civil War (the … Read more
The Changing Face of Bolton’s Heritage Farm House
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 2007) Just a spoonful of verified heritage saved Bolton Heritage Farm from development, but … Read more
Heritage Day 2007 Photos
September 29, 2007 (Click on any photo to see a larger image.) Veterans Monument Dedication (Portraits by Kyle Dooman) “Historic Headstones” Tour of Bolton Center Cemetery … Read more
The Brick Tavern
by Jacqueline Langdon (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2007) This information is excerpted from a school assignment researched and written by Ms. Langdon. We … Read more
Prelude to w3rnht Victory
Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2007) Bolton has been at the forefront of the effort to create the Washington Rochambeau … Read more
The Less Delicate Arts of Rural Bolton Life
by Hans DePold, Bolton Town Historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2007) Their whips were impressive instruments of encouragement, guidance, and motivation. Bullpunchers, with … Read more
The Dew Drop History Mystery
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2006) In reviewing early pictures from several sources I noticed that several Bolton historical … Read more
Grant Tullar, Music Publisher
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2006) Grant Colfax Tullar was born August 5, 1869, in Bolton, Connecticut. He was … Read more
Photos from Rochambeau Anniversary
225th Anniversary of Rochambeau’s March Through Bolton and Encampment at the Minister’s (Rose) Farm June 24, 2006 (Click on any photo to see a larger image.) … Read more
225th Anniversary of Rochambeau’s March Through Bolton
by Hans DePold, Bolton Town Historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2006) June marks the 225th anniversary of the march of Rochambeau and the … Read more
The Belles of Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2006) The name of Sumner is well known not only in Bolton, but also … Read more
The Oliver White Tavern
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2006) Dr. Charles F. Sumner settled in Bolton in 1842 and said that until … Read more
Rediscovering the Minister’s House
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2005) The homes of Bolton’s founders present concrete symbols of an idyllic yet very … Read more
Heritage Day 2005
Colonial Breakfast Revolutionary War Cavalry Maneuvers “Italians in Bolton” Presentation Photos by Eileen Stanley
Jonathan Edwards in Bolton and in Love
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 2005) Jonathan Edwards was Bolton’s first pastor, hired by the Bolton Ecclesiastical Society on … Read more
Open Space — the Great Cathedrals of Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2005) When we think of great cathedrals we think of places that open new … Read more
Dr. Samuel Cooley of Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2005) In “Ralph Earl, The Face of the Young Republic,” by Elizabeth M. Kornhauser, … Read more
Bolton’s World War II Vigilance
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2005) On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and 2,403 Americans lost their … Read more
The Hans Christian Andersen Montessori School
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2004) Maria Montessori, born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, became Italy’s first female doctor … Read more
Scenes From Heritage Day 2004
October 2, 2004 Photos by Eileen Stanley (Click on any photo to see a larger image.)
The First New England Camp Meeting & Lorenzo Dow
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 2004) The very first New England camp meeting, which planted the seeds of the … Read more
Bolton’s Mysterious Roving Islands
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 2004) On Monday, Feb. 28, 1955, on page 4 of The Bridgeport Telegram, there … Read more
1822 – The Second Awakening and a Bolton Tragedy
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2004) Caregivers, doctors, nurses, and pastors are most exposed to illness today just as … Read more
Bolton’s Historic Moments During the American Revolution
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2004; Revised September 2013) The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R©) National Historic Trail (NHT) is … Read more
Jonathan Edwards, Bolton’s First Pastor
Jonathan Edwards by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2003) This year, 280 years after he became Bolton’s first pastor, Jonathan … Read more
Another Milestone for the Washington-Rochambeau Route (W3R)
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 2003) Our goal since 2000 has been the creation of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route … Read more
Ghosts of Bolton Past and Present
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February & June, 2003) A few years ago I was telling a Hartford Courant writer … Read more
Bailey Road a Candidate for National Register of Historic Places
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2002) I recently submitted a seven-page report to the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) … Read more
Early Bolton Heroes
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2002) Jonathan Birge married Pricilla Hammond on March 24, 1763 and lived on Hebron … Read more
Ruth’s Story – Summer Days on Bolton Lake
edited by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2002) The following is a page in the life of Ruth Johnson Converse, … Read more
The Wisdom of the Rose Farm Preservation
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2002) Bolton’s effort to stem the tide of urban sprawl is perhaps the result … Read more
The Many Faces of Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau
(Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2001)
Bolton High School Is Making History
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2001) Last year, in a meeting at our Bolton Senior Center, Congressman John Larson … Read more
Mystery of the Missing Portrait (George Colton)
Men of Great Learning in Bolton -or- The Mystery of the Missing Portrait by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2001) … Read more
Bolton’s Federal Historic District
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2001) There is a legend about 19th century European colonists who went to Africa … Read more
The Quarryville Boom Town
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2001) Quarryville was once a bustling boomtown echoing with the hoarse shouts of men … Read more
A Brief History of Bentley Memorial Library
(excerpted from “Bolton’s Heritage,” edited by Bruce G. Ronson) Open House at the new Bentley Memorial Library – November 9, 1975 1881 Bolton Library Association created … Read more
Bolton and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (w3r)
A plan for a 625-mile long National Historic Trail by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 2000) December 16, 1999, marked … Read more
Some of Bolton’s Old Houses
(Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2000)
Bolton’s Best-Kept Secret, the Top 100
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 2000) On the Bolton Community News web site history page we can read about … Read more
A Historic Decision
The Rose Farm by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 2000) We now know that Bolton was a thriving town at … Read more
“Promiscuous Singing” in Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 2000) I recently came across an account of a major controversy that was raging … Read more
So Cold, the Rich Had to Beg
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 1999) We sometimes hear how the weather is the hottest it has been in … Read more
Dr. Colton of Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 1999) The Reverend Dr. George Colton was born in West Hartford, the son of … Read more
The Stampede of July 4, 1950
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August 1999) There are times when a farmer can’t rightly spit lest he set off … Read more
Camp Johnson
A Place That Time Forgot? by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 1999) The recent state documentation of the Revolutionary Road … Read more
Historic Visits to Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 1999) This past month, the Bolton library provided me with a five-volume collection of … Read more
Bolton’s Roads & Railroads
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 1999) In colonial times, Bolton residents maintained the town roads in front of their … Read more
Election Day Traditions
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 1998) Connecticut has a unique history of government. In 1636 Thomas Hooker led the … Read more
Washington Ate Here
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 1998) This past month I uncovered a baffling bit of Bolton’s history-baffling because its … Read more
The Bolton-Titanic Connection
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April 1998.) Abraham Lincoln said that we cannot escape history-sometimes I wonder if I’m being … Read more
A Short History of Some Bolton Roads
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 1997) The first route in Bolton was the Mohegan Indian trail along the Hop … Read more
Ancient Days in Bolton Notch
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in Bolton Community News, August 1997) Bolton Notch mountain forms the watershed divide for three rivers, and at its top, … Read more
The Revolutionary Road
Historic Legislation, 1997 by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 1997) State Representative Pam Sawyer will soon introduce a bill to … Read more
“Bundling” in Bolton
by Hans DePold, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 1996) It’s time to set the record straight! It’s time to admit that it … Read more
Memories of Bolton Lodge
as told by Rick Krause (Published in the Bolton Community News, October 1996) A mile north of Bolton Notch and just a few yards from the … Read more
100th Anniversary of American Automobile Manufacturing
(Published in the Bolton Community News, June 1996) This year marks the 100th anniversary of American automobile manufacturing. It is truly amazing to contemplate how far … Read more
Wiring Bolton
by Larry Larned, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, August-December 1995) Chapter 1 Have you ever wondered what life was like in Bolton before … Read more
Bolton’s Old Houses
by Larry Larned, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, December 1994-February 1995) Chapter 1 During November an article appeared in the Hartford Courant real … Read more
Our Town Hall
by Larry Larned, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, April-October 1994) Chapter 1 Bolton town hall is a place where we cast our vote, … Read more
Maude E. White, Postmistress
Maude E. White, Postmistress by Larry Larned, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, February 1994) A bit of Bolton history was recalled recently when … Read more
Bolton’s Telephone History
by Larry Larned, town historian (Published in the Bolton Community News, June 1992-October 1993) Chapter 1. Prior to 1902, Bolton’s only method of contacting the outside … Read more
Ralph Earl, Early American Portrait Painter
(Published in the Bolton Community News, April 1992) In an unmarked grave, presumably in Bolton Center Cemetery on Hebron Road, lies one of early America’s foremost … Read more
For the Train Buffs
(Published in the Bolton Community News, February 1992) The state-owned hiking trail that runs through Bolton from Valley Falls Park to Willimantic is an old railroad … Read more