Friday Tour change….09/22/2011

The Friday Tour F1 and F3 have been combined into one Tour, now called F1. All the tours that were in Tour F1 and F3 are now included in the new tour F1..except for the Symbol Mattress Factory tour..that tour is now part of Tour F2..otherwise F2 is the same as before. If you have already registered for a Friday Tour and want to change to a different tour please contact the SIA Hdq office.

The Last Green Valley is an unexpected rural island in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas of the United States. It remains about 78% forest and open farmland – yet its towns and cities are among the oldest in the country.

Officially it is designated the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor. It was so designated by Congress in 1994 as an area of national significance. Yet within the forests and fields, streams and wetlands are the remains of once thriving factories and a active modern industrial base.

The area’s original factories relied on water for their power. Much of this technology is preserved at Old Sturbridge Village, site of Thursday’s pre-tour. There are sites of abandoned mills and waterworks in the area. Also in the area are two major casinos, the Mystic Seaport, The Nautilus Submarine Museum and the Mystic Aquarium. Fall foliage in Connecticut should be at its peak during the tour. Consequently we are not offering a formal Sunday Tour. Included in your registration package will be a list of sites in the area and directions to them. Sunday will be a do-it-yourself tour day.

The American Optical Company in Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1907. The building has been renovated and now serves as a conference center and hotel.

THE SCHEDULE OF TOUR AND EVENTS

We expect that tours will follow the published schedule, however, individual sites and some details may change. Please consult your confirmation letters and the SIA website for updates.

Friday Tour change….09/22/2011

The Friday Tour F1 and F3 have been combined into one Tour, now called F1. All the tours that were in Tour F1 and F3 are now included in the new tour F1..except for the Symbol Mattress Factory tour..that tour is now part of Tour F2..otherwise F2 is the same as before. If you have already registered for a Friday Tour and want to change to a different tour please contact the SIA Hdq office.

Final details will be provided at registration. Most events will take place within 25 miles of the tour hotel. Days can be warm but evenings tend to be cool – dress for cool fall weather and bring sturdy shoes.

The SIA rules for safe touring apply to this Fall Tour. Additional information on safety gear and photography will be posted on the website or in the confirmation letter.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The pre-tour: This year’s pre-tour will be a detailed view of the sawmill, grist mill and carding mill at Sturbridge Village. The tour will be led by Tom Kellerman who is directly involved with construction and maintenance of the mills. The mills will be operating and offer an unusual and intensive view of 19th century operations. The mill tour will begin at 1 :00 PM. After the mill tour, attendees will be free to see the village until closing time at 5:00 PM. Items of interest to SIA members might include a horsepowered cider mill, tinsmith shop, shoemaker shop, pottery, covered bridge and clock collection. There is also a printing shop, an arms collection and glassware exhibit that may interest attendees.

Opening Reception & Program

The reception will be held at the Publick House in Sturbridge, an inn that has been in business since 1771. The inn is located at 277 Main Street (Route 131) in Sturbridge about one mile southeast of Old Sturbridge Village. The event will start around 5:30 PM and will feature a cash bar and simple appetizers. After the reception, Bruce Clouette, a local historian, will present a talk on the development of the Quinebaug-Shetucket Valley.

We highly recommend dining at the Publick House after the reception. They feature “Yankee Cooking” – sort of a Durgin-Park menu without the snappy waitstaff! Other restaurants in the area will be listed in the registration package.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Tour F-1:
Obsolete 20th century charcoal kilns
Mole Hollow Candle Factory
Automatic Rolls (MacDonald’s Bakery)
Cat Hollow State Park – Lunch Break
Roseland Cottage – Gothic Revival Architecture
Linemaster Electrical Switches
Chamberlin Sawmill
Tour F- 2:

Symbol Mattress Factory
Colt Plastics – Injection molded specialties
Numa Tools – Large Rock Drills
Roseland Cottage – Gothic Revival Architecture
Late Lunch Break at Roseland Cottage
Chamberlin sawmill
Obsolete 20th century charcoal kilns
Saturday, October 15, 2011

All buses will see the same sites- not in the same order.

Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum
The American Thread Museum
The famous “Frog Bridge’ of Willimantic
Mansfield Hollow Dam – an inside tour
Gurleyville Gristmill
The Fall Tour Saturday Banquet

The Banquet will be held at the Southbridge Conference Center (Tour Hotel) at 7:30 PM. A cash bar will be available. After the banquet we will be entertained by Rick Spencer with a program of 19th century work songs, songs about canals, railroads, factory work, their Origins and history. Rick is an accomplished musician and historian who has sung at Mystic Seaport – his music and entertaining talk will be of interest to SIA members.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

There are many sites within about 60 miles of Southbridge that will interest Fall Tour attendees. We suggest that you check out their websites for full information.

For SIA “High Rollers” check out Foxwoods or the Mohegan Sun Casinos. These are major complexes with fine dining, games of chance, slot machines and entertainment. Foxwoods also has a fine museum and research center dedicated to Native Americans.

http://www.foxwoods.com
http://www.pequotmuseum.org
http://mohegansun.com
Other attractions south and west of Southbridge are:

Mystic Seaport-The Museum of America and the Sea <http://www.mysticseaport.org>
The Submarine Force and USS Nautilus Museum <http://www.ussnautilus.org> (free admission)
For the theatergoers – a real Broadway Show-Visit the 1876 Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam. The show that will be playing is “City of Angels” and there will be two performances on the 16th-a matinee at 2:00 PM and an evening show at 6:30. Tickets may be purchased at <http://www.goodspeed.org> If you plan to attend, purchase tickets ASAP.

West of Southbridge is Springfield, Massachusetts.

Springfield has the “Armory Museum” in what is currently the Springfield Technical Community College. <http://www.nps.gov/spar/index.htm>

There are several museums in the “Springfield Quadrangle”. they include Art, Science, Local History and a rare collection of oriental art. All may be visited for one fee. http://www.springfieldmuseums.org

If you are traveling East to the Boston area a site of particular interest to SIA members is the Waterworks Museum. Check http://waterworksmuseum.org