Lynda J Russell: 5 books

Originally known as the Great Plain, Plainville was the last town to separate from Farmington. In 1830, a post office was established in the new community and the name was changed. The town officially incorporated in 1869. The early economy consisted of farmers, millers, tin workers, tanners, chair makers,...

Founded in October 1846 by two local families, Lake Compounce began its transformation from a rustic summer resort into a bustling amusement park. Gad Norton and Isaac Pierce teamed together to build a park that utilized the lake�s natural appeal forswimming, boating, and picnicking. Through vintage...

On October 6, 1846, Gad Norton invited the public to witness a scientific experiment to be conducted at his family-owned lake. The experiment failed, but the crowds of people inspired him to open a recreation area. In 1851, the firm of Pierce and Norton began land improvements. Not only were new attractions...

Bristol, originally known as West Woods, formed later than other Colonial towns. Bristol�s mother town of Farmington was settled in 1640 and became a town in 1645, but pioneers did not lay out the remote and unpopulated section of Farmington until 1721. The Jerome, Matthews, and Lewis families created...

Bristol was incorporated in 1785 and quickly became recognized as a clock-manufacturing center and home of the E. Ingraham Company�s �dollar watch.� The town grew with the many immigrant workers who arrived to work for local knitting mills, spring companies, and brass manufacturers. By the 1890s,...