Library Foundation Lecture will Examine Tolland History, circa 1865

By Kate Farrish

Mark Depathy, a Tolland resident who is a local expert on the Civil War, will discuss town residents who participated in the war, on July 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room A of Tolland Town Hall.

Depathy’s free talk is the fourth in a series sponsored by the Tolland Public Library Foundation that is examining every 50 years of the town’s history as Tolland marks its 300th anniversary in 2015.

The talk will center on the role of Tolland residents in the Civil War and will include a discussion of the Union company that was raised from Rockville.

Depathy is a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Alden Skinner Camp #45, where he has held offices at the camp and state level. He frequently delivers talks on the life of a Civil War soldier, Tolland in the Civil War and the life of Capt. Benjamin Loomis, a Tolland resident.

In conjunction with the Tolland Historical Society, Depathy has also given Civil War cemetery tours in three Tolland cemeteries that date to the 1865 era.

Upcoming talks in the Foundation’s series include a lecture on 1915 on Aug. 19 featuring local historian and author Marshall A. Atwater and a Sept. 9 panel discussion about 1965 through 2015 by Tolland teachers who grew up in town during that period.

Registration is required for all three talks. To register, call the Tolland Public Library at 860-871-3620.

About the Tolland Public Library Foundation

The Foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance library services beyond what the town budget provides. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Tolland Public Library Foundation, 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084.