Abington Social Library

10/30/2024

I will be giving a program about my research on local Civil War Soldiers in the CT 29th Colored Regiment on November 7th. See poster below for details.

10/25/2024

I HAD A COUPLE OF CANCELLATIONS SO THERE ARE A FEW SPACES LEFT. REGISTER TODAY!

October 26, 2024, 10:00 A.M.. (Rain date: Sunday, October 27th @ 1:00 P.M.) Pirates and Privateers in Pomfret – The Hidden Stories of Nightingale Woods From Joseph Nightingale to the Higginbothams and Randalls. Guided historical tour of Nightingale Woods with historian, Donna Dufresne including the folklore of Blackbeard’s Treasure, and the colorful life of Joseph Nightingale, who was born on Nightingale Farm and became a wealthy merchant in Providence involved in West Indies trade and privateering during the Revolutionary War. Two – four-mile hike options on Wyndham Land Trust trails in moderate terrain with historical features including the Higginbotham foundations, millsite & cemetery. Dogs on leash O.K. Limit 20 – 25 people. Dogs on leash O.K.

Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected], or call 860 465 7228.

10/16/2024

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER! The historic tour and preservation workshop at Old Abington Burial Ground is nearly full.

October 19, 2024, 10:00 A.M. (Rain date Sunday October 20th 1:00 P.M.) Old Abington Burial Ground tour and workshop. Join CT Gravestone Expert, Ruth Shapleigh Brown, and historian Donna Dufresne in a preservation workshop at Pomfret’s Revolutionary War Cemetery. Sixty-one Revolutionary soldiers are buried in the cemetery. Learn about some of their stories while participating in restoration and re-setting demonstrations. Limit 20 – 25 people. No dogs please. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected] or call 860-465-7228.

COMING UP NEXT: PIRATES AND PRIVATEERS IN POMFRET. Stay tuned.

10/07/2024

October 19, 2024, 10:00 A.M. (Rain date Sunday October 20th 1:00 P.M.) Old Abington Burial Ground tour and workshop. Join CT Gravestone Expert, Ruth Shapleigh Brown, and historian Donna Dufresne in a preservation workshop at Pomfret’s Revolutionary War Cemetery. Sixty-one Revolutionary soldiers are buried in the cemetery. Learn about some of their stories while participating in restoration and re-setting demonstrations. Limit 20 – 25 people. No dogs please. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected] or call 860-465-7228.

09/14/2024

09/13/2024

October 5 , 2024, 10:30 A.M. Walking Tour of Historic Pomfret Street. Join Pomfret Town Historian Walter Hinchman in a historical walk from the Vanilla Bean to Bradley Rd. See National Register buildings, the historic Congregational Church, Ben Grosvenor Inn site, Bradley history, Pomfret School history, Rectory School history, Clark family history, Pomfret Library history, Whistler House, Overlock Story, and Christ Episcopal Church. Park at the Catholic Church. The walk to Bradley Rd. is 1 mile, all sidewalks. A car will be available to shuttle those who can’t walk back. Dogs on leash O.K. Limit 20-25 people. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected], or call 860-465-7228.

09/13/2024

Pomfret Historical Society has some great WALKTOBER events coming up. Please pre-register as space is limited to 25 on outdoor walks, tours, and workshops.

POMFRET HISTORICAL SOCIETY WALKTOBER EVENTS 2024

October 5 , 2024, 10:30 A.M. Walking Tour of Historic Pomfret Street. Join Pomfret Town Historian Walter Hinchman in a historical walk from the Vanilla Bean to Bradley Rd. See National Register buildings, the historic Congregational Church, Ben Grosvenor Inn site, Bradley history, Pomfret School history, Rectory School history, Clark family history, Pomfret Library history, Whistler House, Overlock Story, and Christ Episcopal Church. Park at the Catholic Church. The walk to Bradley Rd. is 1 mile, all sidewalks. A car will be available to shuttle those who can’t walk back. Dogs on leash O.K. Limit 20-25 people. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected], or call 860-465-7228.

October 19, 2024, 10:00 A.M. (Rain date Sunday October 20th 1:00 P.M.) Old Abington Burial Ground tour and workshop. Join CT Gravestone Expert, Ruth Shapleigh Brown, and historian Donna Dufresne in a preservation workshop at Pomfret’s Revolutionary War Cemetery. Sixty-one Revolutionary soldiers are buried in the cemetery. Learn about some of their stories while participating in restoration and re-setting demonstrations. Limit 20 – 25 people. No dogs please. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected] or call 860-465-7228.

October 26, 2024, 1:00 P.M. (Rain date: Sunday, October 27th @ 1:00 P.M.) Pirates and Privateers in Pomfret – The Hidden Stories of Nightingale Woods From Joseph Nightingale to the Higginbothams and Randalls. Guided historical tour of Nightingale Woods with historian, Donna Dufresne including the folklore of Blackbeard’s Treasure, and the colorful life of Joseph Nightingale, who was born on Nightingale Farm and became a wealthy merchant in Providence involved in West Indies trade and privateering during the Revolutionary War. Two – four-mile hike options on Wyndham Land Trust trails in moderate terrain with historical features including the Higginbotham foundations, millsite & cemetery. Dogs on leash O.K. Limit 20 – 25 people. Dogs on leash O.K. Pre-register with Pomfret Historical Society, Donna Dufresne at [email protected], or call 860 465 7228.

November 2, 2024 10:00 A.M. (rain date November 3rd, 1:00 P.M.): Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Malbones: Tour of Old Trinity Church and the Burial Ground built by Godfrey Malbone in 1771. Donna Dufresne will share her research on Godfrey Malbone and the enslaved people who lived and worked his land from 1741 to 1779. A gravestone cleaning demonstration will follow for those interested in preserving colonial burial grounds and removing lichen. No dogs. Pre-Register with Donna Dufresne at [email protected], or call 860-465-7228.

08/09/2024

WINDSONG FARM SHOP WILL BE OPEN FOR END-OF-SEASON SALES AND GIFT BASKETS THIS WEEKEND. NO BLUEBERRIES LEFT BUT WE STILL HAVE WONDERFUL GIFTS IN THE SHOP. STOP BY TO STOCK UP ON GIFTS AND OUR UNIQUE GIFT BASKETS, OR BUILD YOUR OWN GIFT BASKETS.

HOURS: SATURDAY AUGUST 10TH & SUNDAY AUGUST 11TH
10:00 - 5:00

WINDSONG FARM GIFT BOXES
A SWEET ROMANCE $38.00
TANGO WITH THE MOON CD
CRANBERRY ORANGE TEA
ROSE TEACUP & SAUCER
ROSE ROLL-ON OIL
BAMBOO TEA STRAINER
BOX + filling & cellophane wrap


HOT-CHA-CHA PEPPER FLIGHT TASTE$ 22.00
SERRANO HOT PEPPER 8 OZ
SERRANO HOT PEPPER SAUCE
BERBERE SEASONING
CRUSHED RED PEPPER
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

FOUR-O-CLOCK TEA $28.00
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JAM
NECTARINE CINNAMON JAM
SHORTBREAD
APRICOT TEA BAGS
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

TASTING FLIGHT OF PEPPER $24.00
GHOST PEPPER JELLY
BANANA PEPPER JELLY
HABENERO PEPPER JELLY
CAYENNE POWDER
FIESTA CHILI POWDER
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

FOUR-O-CLOCK TEA $28
APRICOT TEA
SHORTBREAD
NECTARINE JAM
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JAM
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

SWEET ROMANCE $38
TANGO WITH THE MOON CD
TEACUP & saucer rose pattern
CRANBERRY ORANGE TEA
TEA STRAINER
ROSE OIL
BOX, filling & cellophane wrap

BLUEBERRY THRILLS $16
BLUEBERRY TEA
LAVENDER SACHET
Blueberry Quart Box, filling & cellophane wrap

TEA WITH BEATRIX $40
PEACH JAM
STRAWBERRY JAM
SHORTBREAD
GINGER PEACH TEA BAGS
APRICOT TEA BAGS
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

BLUEBERRY PANCAKE TEATIME $42
BLUEBERRY JAM
LEMON EXTRACT
HALF PINT SYRUP
BLUEBERRY TEA BAGS
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

GOOD MORNING TEA $42
ULTRA DARK HONEY
STRAWBERRY JAM
BLUEBERRY TEA BAGS
GINGER PEACH TEA BAGS
BASKET, filling & cellophane wrap

AROMONANDA RELAXATION BOX $60.00
SANDLEWOOD INCENSE
INCENSE BURNER
GOATMILK LOTION
PEPPERMINT OIL
GOATMILK SOAP
GRAPEFRUIT OIL VACUUM KIT
BOX, filling & cellophane wrap

06/25/2024

Beautiful photo from one of our neighbors from yesterday!

06/02/2024

The Abington Social Library will join Institutes around the world Celebrating Bloom's Day
Sunday June 16th from 2:00 to 4:00

Ulysses has had varied reviews:
🎺🎺"A TRIUMPH OF WESTERN LITERATURE"🎺🎺

💩💩"THIS MIGHT BE THE MOST VOMITOUSLY BORING BOOK I'VE EVER READ IN MY LIFE"💩💩
(do not attempt to read this book, it could cause irreparable harm)

Our event will include
selected readings,
turn of the century music,
Irish trivia,
food and drink of the era

Vintage clothing welcome
Please Join us
$20 donation suggested

05/12/2024

Those of you who enjoyed reading about my research on Arris Huggins and the Ward Family who migrated from North Carolina to Pomfret in the 1880’s won’t want to miss this program! Sharon Watson will share her extensive research into the Watson family, descended from Arris Ward through her younger sister, Queenie Huggins.
Queenie married Stokes Watson of Virginia in Putnam in 1895. Stokes worked as a chauffeur and porter in Pomfret and Putnam and later moved the family to Willimantic where he prospered as a business owner. Their story is a local microcosm of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South as early as the 1870’s who made their way to rural communities such as Pomfret. They worked as farm laborers, porters, servants, and chauffeurs in the gilded age of hotels and estates of the late 19th century.

Join African American genealogist, Sharon L Watson Stokland in a program about the Watsons and other Black Families who fled poverty, violence, and racism in the South and settled in Northeast Connecticut in the 1880's.
A story from survival to freedom and prosperity at the beginning of
The Great Migration
SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2024
Pomfret Community Center
207 Mashamoquet Rd. (route 44) Pomfret Ctr. CT 06259

1:30 Meet & Greet, Refreshments, PHS Updates
2:00—3:00 Program/Q & A

Contact Donna Dufresne for more information
[email protected]

04/27/2024

REMINDER! TOMORROW, APRIL 27TH, POMFRET HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL KICK OFF THE AMERICA 250 CELEBRATION OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WITH A PROGRAM ABOUT POMFRET'S REVOLUTIONARY HERO, ISRAEL PUTNAM. 1:30 P.M. @ POMFRET COMMUNITY CENTER, 207 MASHAMOQUET ROD (RT 44), POMFRET. DONATIONS WELCOME. SEE POSTER BELOW.

04/23/2024

Pomfret Historical Society to Host Program about Israel Putnam

On Saturday, April 27th, at 1:30 P.M. the Pomfret Historical Society will host a presentation by Michael Westerfield, author of "Israel Putnam, America's First Folk Hero." Westerfield will discuss the life and adventures of the man who went from being a Pomfret farmer to serving as a Major General in the Continental Army, second in seniority only to George Washington.

During his lifetime, and for many years afterward, Israel Putnam was one of the best-known Americans in the world, famous for his exploits in the French and Indian War, the Havana Campaign, Pontiac's Rebellion, and the American Revolution. At Bunker Hill, he is reputed to have been the officer who ordered, "Don't shoot 'til you see the whites of their eyes." In recent years, Putnam's memory has faded. Locally, he is known primarily for his early exploit of killing a wolf that had ravaged the flocks of local farmers.

Westerfield's new book was written to help restore America's First Folk Hero to his proper place in our history as we approach our country's 250 anniversary.

The program is open to the public at Pomfret Community Center, 207 Mashamoquet Rd., (route 44). Refreshments will be served. Donations are welcome. For more information contact 860-465-7228. https://pomfret-historical-society.org/

04/14/2024

Cinema Noir Movie Night at the Abington Social Library. Sunday, April 28th 2024 from 4pm to 6pm The evening will include viewing of the 1941 movie, The Maltese Falcon. There will be Bogart trivia, Hors-d'oeuvres, soft drinks will be provided. BYOB. Black, white, gray or 40's attire encouraged. For questions please message through the Abington Social Library page. Suggested donation to this evening is $20.00.

04/13/2024

We LOVED this quirky, multi-media artful movie! MUSICA

From the colorful mind of Rudy Mancuso comes Música, starring Camila Mendes, Francesca Reale and J.B. Smoove – streaming on Prime Video April 4th.For YouTube...

04/05/2024

Don't miss the next Pomfret Historical Society Program: ISRAEL PUTNAM, AMERICA'S FIRST FOLK HERO, presented by Michael Westerfield, author of the new book about Putnam and his many adventures. April 27th 1:30 p.m. @ Pomfret Community Center. See the poster for more details.

04/03/2024

I just found this beautiful sampler memorial to Captain Oliver Ingalls and his son, Jared on Family Search. I wish I had found it before publishing my article about Neptune Ingalls in Neighbor's Newspaper this month.