Bolton Connecticut
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 feelings in the human soul, filling it with eagerness, joy, hope, inspiration, and yearning. Many people, not necessarily religious, find a source of deep spiritual refreshment in visits to … Read more
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, we learn that artist Ralph Earl traveled to Bolton. Reverend George Colton’s journal puts his death in 1801. He had lived in the home of a prominent local physician, … Read more
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 lives. On September 11, 2001, 2,940 citizens of several nations lost their lives when the World Trade Center towers fell. Both acts of infamy came from the air and … Read more
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 in 1896. She believed that one does not teach children, but rather creates a nurturing climate in which children can teach themselves through creative activity and exploration. She visited … Read more
October 2, 2004 Photos by Eileen Stanley (Click on any photo to see a larger image.)
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 Methodist movement, was held right here in Bolton. The Bolton Land Trust has acquired some of the land where it took place. The First Great Awakening begun by Jonathan … Read more
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 appeared an article titled “Crane, Bulldozer Tear Apart Roving Island in Bolton Lakes.” The action was taken under the supervision of the State Board of Fisheries and Game. The … Read more
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 they were in the past. In the early 1800s, the cause of typhus was unknown and after someone died his or her clothes and bedding were often burned. In … Read more
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 now a reality. Special thanks go to Bolton State Representative Pamela Sawyer, whose legislation to document the history of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Road in Connecticut passed in 1998. Special … Read more
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 Edwards is still recognized as a major literary and intellectual figure. Yale University, his alma mater, is producing a massive scholarly edition of his works in honor of the … Read more