A walk through time in Barkhamsted

BARKHAMSTED — Under a cloudless sky on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 9, Paul Hart, vice president of the Barkhamsted Historical Society, led a hike entitled “A Walk Through Time” through a portion of People’s State Forest. 
 
Stopping at 10 locations along a one-mile loop, Hart took the 20 or so hikers back through time to different points in history in the forest.
 
He also discussed the changes that have taken place in the area as the centuries have passed.
 
Hart, who has been involved with the Historical Society for more than 25 years, displayed a thorough knowledge of the historical journey he led. 
 
This was matched by the enthusiasm with which he delivered each fact-filled description of the various sites. 
 
At each one, he was greeted by eager questions from the hikers that indicated a high level of interest in the history of the spots being discussed. 
 
At multiple times during the hike, Hart added, “That was always fascinating to me,” at the end of a fact or description.
 
The hike began with introductions at the main parking lot of the Historical Society at 100 E River Road.
 
The hike proceeded to the edge of East River Road where, through his words, Hart transported the group back to 1780, when only a dirt path existed, known as the Wolcott Road. 
 
He discussed how different the scene would have been at that time, which was an undeveloped forest that at times had droves of cattle that were herded along it. The group then moved along to the Squire’s Tavern, which was built at the end of the 18th century. The changes and growth that the tavern and surrounding farm went through over the years were thoroughly explained, as well as how what is now the tavern was encircled by a working farm until the 1920s, when it became part of the new People’s State Forest.
 
Hart led the group through the woods, up and down hills and around back close to where the day began. Along the way, he stopped and elaborated on a wide range of locations and topics from the Nature Museum, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s, to a charcoal-producing mound from 1870, to standing in a spot which 25,000 years ago, would have been underneath up to 7,000 feet of ice. 
 
Also, the hikers learned about the presence of a tree nursery in the 1950s that Hart described as “a statewide source of seedlings that helped to reforest Connecticut,” which was almost completely deforested by the end of the 19th century. He also explained how a water-powered saw mill had been present on the river in 1840, and how 2,000 years ago, Native Americans raised deer as livestock throughout the forest.
 
Click here for another photo.

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