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Program Description
Southbury 350th Anniversary
The Town of Southbury is holding events and activities all year long to celebrate 350 years of community, culture and history (1673-2023), aimed at highlighting the past and progress of the one and only Southbury.
The 350th Anniversary Steering Committee consists of John Dwyer and Kevin Bielmeier (co-chairs), Brian Jones (vice-chair), Justin Bette, Lynn Dwyer, Melinda Elliott, Michael Ganem, Kara Kenney, Mary Korsu, and Gosia Liedlich.
In 1673, 15 families from Stratford travelled up the Pootatuck (Housatonic) River on rafts and canoes, settling on land in this area known as the Pomperaug Plantation, which was purchased from the Pootatuck Native Americans. Those religious dissidents spent their first night in Woodbury and the second night under a white oak tree on Crook Horn Road, by the former Berry Farm, now known as Settlers Park, in what is now known as Southbury.
Event Details
Join us for returning local author Melinda Elliott to discuss her new book No Swastikas in Southbury as part of the 350th History Series at Southbury Public Library. Learn more about the history of this event in Southbury history.
The residents of Southbury, Connecticut were surprised to learn that a Pro-Nazi organization was building a Hitler-style youth camp in their midst. The German-American Bund had secretly purchased 178 acres of land just south of the town’s main road. Southbury residents needed to act quickly if they did not want Nazi philosophies to clash with their stanch New England values. In spite of their differences in background or politics, the townspeople had to make a decision. The book reveals an overview of the German-American Bund’s threat to America in 1937 and chronicles the day-by-day struggles of a small town working through their own issues in order to stand up against the Nazis.
Melinda K. Elliott grew up with a keen interested in history. She is always researching some historical topic and loves delving into the stories of long-forgotten people. Melinda enjoys sharing her latest finds through writing blog posts, articles, brochures, and books. She has had speaking engagements throughout of the state and on various zoom webinars streamed around the world. Melinda is the president of the Southbury Historical Society, and director of The Bullet Hill School – A Living Museum program. Her published books include Connecticut Schoolhouses Through Time, Southbury Through Time: Remnants of Our Past, and No Swastikas in Southbury. Melinda and her husband, Ray, enjoy road trips and are always on the lookout for one-room schoolhouses, covered bridges, old mills, and historic villages. They have three children, all living nearby, and eight grandchildren to spoil.
Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is part of the 350th. For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 130.
Disclaimer(s)
Accessibility
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