Toads, Turtles, and Bare Feet; Windsor, the Biography of a Childhood.

(Google Images.)

If you like history, you’ll love this town, for what could be more historic than a New England town older than the U.S. itself!

Between the ages of nine and twelve, my family and I lived in a small suburb located on the northern outskirts of the city of Hartford, CT. While living in Windsor, a very historic and culturally rich town, my family and I rented a beautiful home for the thirteen months out of the three years we lived there. Though the four bedroom house in which we lived, was much too small to occupy a family of seven, my father rented our home, so that his children would have the opportunity to grow up on the “good side” of town.

I remember the day my family and I moved in. All I could think about was the neighborhood I left behind in Plano, Texas-- where I had spent my early childhood years. But as our car slowly began to travel down a narrow, windy mysterious private lane and a beautiful big blue house appeared on the left, my heart sank, and I forgot all about life in Texas!

With a small lake in the back, and rolling hills in the front, 203 Harness Lane, stole my heart at first sight!

A child’s fantasy-- I spent my days climbing trees, and roaming forest grounds bare-foot. Occasionally, my neighbor and best friend, Cara Naylor and I, would pick blackberries from the hill top and bring them back to her place to make what we swore was the most delightful blackberry jam ever!

During the winter months of the year, bundled up in our thick coats and oversized gloves, Cara and I would spend hour’s ice skating across the frozen lake which stretched across our backyards to the end of the street. With runny noises and pink cheeks, we’d end our day with a cup of hot chocolate at her place. After our exchange of secrets, story telling and tree carving in my favorite pine tree, we'd finally attempt some homework. Back then, days were never-ending-- I would stay out in my baggy, tattered jeans from sunrise to sunset, in the town of Windsor.

One thing that I particularly loved about Windsor was that it was a very family oriented town. The town would hold annual fairs and carnivals in which families from all sections of town would attend! I loved seeing my friends from the opposite end of town in my neighborhood for the Northwest Park Country Fair, and enjoyed traveling to there’s for the Shad Derby!

Welsh Park.

Courtesy of Brendan O'Rourke.

“I think every kid from Windsor explored the river banks at Welch Park and stumbled across this view at some point. Remembering it is nostalgic, to say the least,” said Brendan O’Rourke, a former Windsor resident.

Welsh Park, one of Windsor's many public parks, offers its residents outdoor basketball and tennis courts, baseball fields, a playground set and a nearby public swimming pool. The Poquonock Market, a family run business, was walking distance from the pool and was the only place in town where you could purchase ice cream for 50 cents and airheads for ten! Did I mention the Farmington River flowed directly behind

the park?

Windsor was settled in 1633, making it older than the United States itself.

Located just five miles north of Hartford, Windsor covers a 31.1 square mile area right on the beautiful Connecticut River.

Windsor is conveniently located at an equal distance between New York and Boston. The Town is only minutes away from Bradley International Airport and is also located on a main-line railway that runs between Boston and New York. The

Connecticut Turnpike, the Massachusetts Turnpike and the New York Thruway are also easily accessible.

Though rich with culture and ethnic diversity, Windsor is also a very racially segregated town. About ten years ago, many middle class black families began to move out of the city of Hartford, into the town of Windsor, (as the town and city share a close border.)

As black families began to move into the town of Windsor, many white families began to flee. Property values then dropped, making homes in north Windsor more accessible to low income families, further driving down property values and potential tax revenue.

This systemic process is known as white flight and has occurred in a number of cities and suburbs across the U.S.

Restrictive racial covenants, and discriminatory housing markets have prevented blacks from moving into Poquonock— Windsor’s predominately white, upper-middle class neighborhood.

Windsor’s population according to Wikipedia, was estimated at 28,778 in 2005.

The racial makeup of the town is as follows:
White 65.12%,
African American 27.09%,
Native American 0.16%,
Asian 3.14%,

Pacific Islander 0.03%,
other races 2.09%, and
2.38% from two or more races
Hispanic or Latino of any race are 4.98% of the population.

Windsor High School, Windsor’s only High School, has 1471 students. The schools’ demographics for 2004-2005 were:
Black 46.2%,
White 41.1%,

Hispanic 8.8%,
Asian 3.8%, and
Native American 0.1%

Interestingly—though Windsor has a white population of 65.12%, only 41.1% are enrolled in Windsor’s public school system. Most white families send their children to one of the many private schools in Windsor or the surrounding area. Thus, 60% of Windsor High School is non-white.

The quality of public education in Windsor has declined substantially over the years, as Windsor’s most affluent and politically influential individuals vote to have their tax money go towards maintaining the Poquonock section of Windsor, leaving out funding for most public schools in Windsor, including Windsor High School.

For a period of about 100 years (1830-1930), woolen mills and paper mills located on the Farmington River in the Poquonock section of Windsor provided over 500 people with jobs.

(Google Images.)

Historically, Windsor's economy rested on tobacco farming and brickmaking. There was at one point, more than 40 brickyards in the town of Windsor. The last one vanished in the 1960's. The first tobacco crop was planted in the mid 1600’s. Today, amazingly-- many of the acres still stand, producing what Davidoff, a Swiss maker of luxury goods company referred to as “A nice Connecticut wrapper.”