The Tankerhoosen

Naming Rockville's New Preserve

In a previous post I did some early publicity for the Manchester Land Conservation Trust’s (MLCT) new property in Rockville off Pleasant Street.

Since then there have been announcements and articles in all the local news outlets. I’ve also had the opportunity to walk the property with the steward and other members of the MLCT, as well as do additional research on the property and its relationship to Rockville’s water system.  See webpage.

Google 3D image of MCLT's Rockville preserve.They own almost 16 wooded acres at the center.

   
The land trust is requesting public input for naming the preserve. You have the opportunity to select a name that is meaningful to Rockville; a name that connects the property to the city. It might reflect an historical person, the location of the property, a name used a century ago, or a description of the property.

But you have only through this Wednesday, February 15, to submit your vote. Here are a few of the names that have votes and a bit of background on them:

The Origin of Walker Reservoir East

Walker Reservoir East is a beautiful spot to visit year round. Good fishing in the spring and summer, gorgeous foliage in the fall, ice skating and curling in the winter and a favorite place for lunch anytime.

The pond is fed by several streams, primarily Gage's Brook that begins in Tolland and follows the highway through the Tolland County Agricultural Center property. It is also spring fed by Walker Reservoir West. The dam that created the reservoir is the designated beginning of the Tankerhoosen River.

In exploring the Tankerhoosen Valley and its history I've long been curious about why Walker East even exists. There were a number of small saw, grist and spool mills along the upper Tankerhoosen but none that would require that much water. We know that the reservoir was built by Frederick Walker, who owned much of what is today the Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area in the middle 1800's; but why did he build it?

In Eighteenth Century Church Was Serious Business

Doing family research this week brought home how unique Connecticut was in its relationship with religion, and the influence it had on the congregation's daily life.

I grew up in a small rural town in northern New Jersey and was reading the history of the town and how it evolved. My ancestors moved to the area before 1800 and acquired large parcels of land which they farmed, and later divided between sons and grandsons. People of many nationalities, although primarily Northern European, came for the rich farmland, water power and minerals. The Dutch Reformed came from the north, the English Presbyterian and Methodists from the east and the German Lutherans from the southeast - a variety of cultures, religions and trades. Indeed the first church building in my town was a "Free Church" and shared by several congregations.

Contrast that to Connecticut settled in the 1600's by English Puritan congregations moving together from the Boston area or from England, each to create their own town around their church. Thomas Hooker is the best known example of a religious leader who brought his congregation first from England to Cambridge and then to the wilderness to settle Hartford. Most of the early towns in mid state and along the shoreline were similarly settled. The church was first, the government grew around that core and the state came together out of necessity from concern about the Indians and later the French.

Tunnel Road In 1965

We moved to Vernon in 1963 buying a house in a new development off Tunnel Road. At the time, BC (before children) my wife and I both worked at Pratt in East Hartford.

A co-worker of my wife's was a pilot sharing a small plane out of Brainard Field in Hartford. We went on a flight with him in January 1965 that included a pass over our home. I recently ran across one of the photos I'd forgotten. The pictures show just how much has changed in 50 years as we moved from an agricultural to a bedroom community.

In the first photo (click on it for larger size) we are heading east and approaching today's Exit 66. At bottom left is Sacred Heart Church before the pyramid building. Then the exit to Tunnel Road. Notice all the fields stretching on both sides of the Tankerhoosen River all the way to Bread and Milk. It's January so there is a light snow cover. Beyond the Tunnel and railroad (yes, the tracks were still there) is a Driggs farm field, now a housing development.