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Step Back in Time with Essex Historical Walks

The Essex Historical Society (EHS) is inviting area residents to take a walk in time and rediscover the rich history of Essex during the 2018 Walking Weekend tours, presented by the historical society from Friday, July 27 to Sunday, July 29.

“History hits the street” on this weekend said EHS Director Melissa Josefiak, with the society celebrating its “mission of engaging and inspiring the community in all three of Essex’s villages.”

After the initial walking tour of Essex Village in 2015, EHS developed an expanded walk to West Avenue and Prospect Street. Following that year, the society worked with Essex Historian Christopher Pagliuco to incorporate an Ivoryton tour and finally, last year Brenda Milkofsky, another Essex historian, helped to develop a Centerbrook tour.

“We’re very pleased in 2018 to offer tours of all three villages over a long weekend period going from Friday night to Sunday night,” said Josefiak. “Visitors or townspeople are welcome to go on all of the tours, or go on some of the tours, or just pick the ones they’ve missed.”

EHS has two historic structures, the Pratt House located at 19 West Avenue in Essex and Hills Academy located at 22 Prospect Street. Walking Weekend gives EHS the opportunity to come out of these locations and interact more with the public.

“We always, always encourage questions and learning from our visitors and our walkers as well because we use the history that has already been published but we’re always learning new material and taking it as up to the minute as we can,” said Josefiak.

The 2018 Walking Weekend line-up offers different guides, all volunteer members of the EHS, who lead up to 20 people with them on tours that each run for around an hour.

“[The tours] offer history of the architecture and the village and some of the colorful characters that lived in the area and puts it all in context with the other villages as well because Essex has a complex history and each one of its villages has its own particular personality and they complement one another,” said Josefiak.

The Walking Weekend Tours are free to EHS members; everyone else pays $5 and proceeds support the society’s education and cultural programs. For more information or to volunteer as a guide for future walks, visit essexhistory.org or call 860-767-0681.

Essex Historical Society Walking Weekend 2018

• Friday, July 27 at 7 p.m.: Essex Elementary School,

108 Main Street, Centerbrook

• Saturday, July 28 at 10 a.m.: Ivoryton Library,

106 Main Street, Ivoryton

• Saturday, July 28 at 1 p.m.: Pratt House Museum,

19 West Avenue, Essex

• Sunday, July 29 at 7 p.m.: Main Street, Essex