CT's Transportation Past To Be Discussed At Avon Event

Avon Free Library

AVON, CT — Connecticut's transportation past is the subject of an interesting in-person program at the Avon Free Public Library this week.

Called "Connecticut in Motion: How Transportation Has Shaped Our State,"the event is Thursday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the library, 281 Country Club Road.

Guests can join transportation expert Richard DeLuca for a presentation about the importance of transportation as a force of history.

During the lecture, he will highlight the various stages of transportation development in Connecticut, from stagecoaches on the original Post Road, to steamboats, railroads, electric trolleys and the automobile in the 20th century.

The lecture will end with a short discussion of the impact of climate change on transportation and Connecticut’s future.

DeLuca earned a bachelor of civil engineering degree from Manhattan College in New York in 1968, and a master of science degree in transportation planning from the University of Connecticut in 1972.

He has 10 years of experience in the field of engineering as a transportation planner with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (1968-74) and with the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (1974-78).

Since 2006, he has been at work on a two-volume history of Connecticut transportation from the colonial period to the present.

The first volume, "Post Roads & Iron Horses," was published by Wesleyan University Press in December 2011 and covers the history of Connecticut from colonial times through the age of steam.

A second volume, entitled “Paved Roads & Public Money,” focusing on transportation in the 20th century was published in 2020, and received the Connecticut Book Award from the Humanities Council.

Following the presentation, he will be selling copies of “Post Roads & Iron Horses” and “Paved Roads & Public Money” $35 each.

Registration is required for this in-person event.

For more information, contact the Avon Free Public Library Adult Services Reference Desk at avonref@avonctlibrary.info and/or 860-673-9712, ext. 7203.

To register for the program, click on this link.