Enfield

1776-1976 - ENFIELD BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION sub-committee: RESEARCH OF FRESHWATER POND REDEVELOPMENT AREA (1974 to 1977),  Elizabeth W. Oliver and Bruce L. Oliver, co-chairmen

page 269 - the challenge of change...three centuries of Enfield, Connecticut History

"Economic conditions and the ravages of time had affected the downtown Thompsonville area.  During the 1970s most of the area buildings were scheduled for demolition and redevelopment.  It was in this area that Enfield's early commercial development was concentrated.  In an effort to record the segment of Enfield's history, the Olivers undertook the project of extensively photographing all of the redevelopment area prior to the demolition of the buildings.  This effort will insure the availability of material for future scholars."

From 1974 to 1977, Bruce Oliver researched the archives in the Connecticut State Library to find references for all major buildings in the entire town of Enfield, Connecticut.  He photographed pages of the Thompsonville press that referenced historical buildings over the last couple hundred years. Using those photographs, he took pictures of the very same buildings (and sites), from the same angles, to record the buildings as they stood during the 70's, some before demolition.  Over the last thirty years he has continued
taking pictures of those historical sites and some of those pictures are on the website.  It is his intention to complete this work over the next several years and catalog his findings on this website.