Historical Society rich with artifacts from days gone by

WINSTED — The Winchester Historical Society Solomon Rockwell House, located on 225 Prospect St., is open to the public through October on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment with society trustee Milly Hudak.

The 13-room mansion contains a trove of Civil War weapons, uniforms and memorabilia with information about their owners from Winsted, including extensive research done by Hudak herself. 

“Everything in the house I try to keep dated before 1912 because that’s when Mary P. Hinsdale, who was the last living resident here, died,” Hudak said. 

During a tour, Hudak discussed how the society acquired the objects found in the Solomon Rockwell House, when a board of trustees would meet at the Palmer Post.

“They brought all their memorabilia over there and they would meet as group,” she said. “When they disbanded in about 1924, they were going to disband because the membership wasn’t there anymore. They asked, ‘What do we do with all this stuff that belonged to everybody?’ Well they called the Historical Society and asked if they wanted it, and fortunately they said yes.”

Hudak had pulled pictures out of albums she had to match photographs of former owners to objects. Among objects displayed is the horse saddle from Mr. Bachelor of Winsted’s horse, Dandy, which he rode during the Civil War. An array of musical instruments and sheet music which belonged to Charlie Pine, whose family donated the Soldiers’ Monument to Winsted, are also among the unique exhibits found upstairs.

Like her grandmother, Hudak’s granddaughter, Katie, is also very knowledgable about the history of many of the items found in the house and during this particular visit was happy to help show the child’s bedroom featuring vintage clothes and toys, and especially, the toy room downstairs.

“At one point, there were a mother, father, grandmother,grandfather and five children living here,” Katie Hudak said during the tour.

The toy room downstairs displays an an elaborate dollhouse from 1903 which belonged to Marion Allen, a librarian at Gilbert School until 1957.

Hudak said that Allen’s family had a cook, a housekeeper and horses, which are all found in her dollhouse.

“It’s a depiction of her life,” she said.

Downstairs, there is a whole room which houses cabinets full of products that were made in Winsted. 

Franklin Moore Bolt Company, Carter and Hanks, Gilbert Clock, Sunchief, Fitzgerald and Capitol Products are a few of the local companies Hudak has collected authentic items from.

Underwear, socks, sweaters, buttons, chairs, furs, coffin hardware, even a vintage voting machine are among the objects Hudak is proud to show to those who come on a tour with her.

“This was my dream, because if people come here, they realize what built the town, and it was all this manufacturing that built the town.”