Local Historian's Book Rides The Old Rockville-To-Stafford Trolleys

VERNON, CT — A local historian takes us on a new ride on an old-time transportation system.

The journey is in the form of a new book, "A Glimpse of the Stafford Springs Railway Company from Rockville to Stafford Springs, Connecticut" written by area historian Richard Symonds with collaboration by Gregg Gunn, another local historian.

The book is available at the Vernon Historical Society for $10.

The book dives into the history of the trolley line that was constructed in 1907 and ran until 1928. Through the use of topographical maps and vintage postcards, Symonds outlines the stops along the trolley line. With Gunn's assistance, Symonds consulted a variety of sources to paint a picture of the route, that was a primary mode of transportation when the textile mills ruled the business landscape.

"I've been playing with this for years and years and I said it's about time," Symonds told Patch on Tuesday. "As much that is known about that trolley line, there are more myths.

"There are so many unusual things associated with that line."

One thing is for sure — there were 16 stops along the route, he said. But the route, over the years, has changed with the "facts" passed along. He clarifies that, particularly with the section that snaked from Liberty Street to the fairgrounds off Route 30 to Kingsbury Avenue to Route 74 and over to Shenipsit Lake.

"We do have plenty of information on the Rockville section of the line," Symonds said.

Plenty of pictures illustrate the route in a 30-minute read, he said.

Symonds is considered to be an expert on the local mill scene in the Victorian Era. He has written several accounts on the north central Connecticut mills.

Though he hinted the trolley book might be "the last or next to last book for me," he has completed a manuscript for the Pomfret mill sites and the Pomfret Historical Society has now found a source of funding so he is exploring printing options.