The Simsbury 1820 House is very elegant. Reminds me of the Inn at Biltmore in Asheville, NC but on a smaller scale. Breakfast was delicious but more Continental style with cereal, bagels, pastries, some fruit, and coffee!!! It was from 7 to 10 am. They do provided coffee on the first floor throughout the day and wine at the front desk. These are small bottles of wine about 2 glasses. They were not bad.
You descend the stairs and turn the corner and go down a hallway (there are signs) and down more stairs into the lower area of the Simsbury House. There are tables with white table cloths and soft chairs. Food is arranged on a bar area and table area. Easy to pick and choose what you like. The walls are brick and their is a fireplace. Very intimidate area.
It was pouring rain. I could see the rain bouncing off the railing outside my window as I worked on my computer. It was not letting up. One of the hostess said it didn’t look good for the whole day! Hmmm….?
So, I stayed in my room organizing my papers and getting my stuff ready to repack for my flight out the next day. It took most of the morning. Still it was raining. So I had several breakfasts and lots of coffee.
The Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library was just north of the hotel on the corner. So I grabbed an umbrella that was complimentary in the lobby area and headed out. I had tried to call them but I was not getting an answers. I was happy to see that a car was parked in the parking lot. The door opened and I was inside the familiar rooms.
There website has since improved from the last time I was there. It has lots of great links and information so go explore and have fund. They are also known as the Simsbury Free Library as opposed to the public library which is south of them in Simsbury. I was impressed with the links which included the Simsbury Public Library http://www.simsburylibrary.info/ancestors.htm You might be interested in the Simsbury Vital Records and Genealogy database.
Allison the director was sitting in her seat and I approached and chatted. I reintroduced myself and she said she remembered me. I was glad to see Allison. Things had been a little uncertain and she was brand new the last time I had visited.
I wandered around studying the titles of books, and remembering the layout which had not changed. They have their book stacks and it is a nice collection. This is small library but they had a good mix of books, periodicals and even pamphlets of interest for the area. They have titles for of course Simsbury, Granby and other towns in the area. They have Connecticut titles, Massachusetts titles and other books even Ohio. There is microfilm of the New York newspaper and Hartford papers. They also have connection to the Internet and Allison can get you on to access various things that you have to be a library member in Connecticut to do so. It was difficult not to dally on some of the book titles.
 |
| Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library |
The interior is beautiful as you enter first a sort of museum area. The library is in the back area. Lovely building. The other important fact is that it is right next door to the Simsbury Cemetery. Go to there website that I gave above and take a look at the photos of the interior.
They have a booklet about the Simsbury Cemetery Vol. I but it lists the interments and more. So I studied that compilation very thoroughly. I was looking for the Viets family.
They have a very nice brochure that you can pick up “Simsbury Free Library.” I found my copy at the CHS.
I found several interesting items:
First Church Records of Simsbury 1682-1930?, A Sense of Place, Thomas D. Ayres, Simsbury Historical Society, 2009. I did not find any Haskell’s, Gibbons, Sewards or Goss listed.
Connecticut Cemeteries Vols. 1-4 and 5-9, New York, 1914. Mostly the eastern part of Connecticut. Some man in New York had done this burial listing of cemeteries.
Back in my room, I did more organizing of my papers and decided that I needed to ship some books and brochures home. Just no way I could stuff all this into my luggage without it weighing tons. So I found a UPS store in south Simsbury and went off in search of it. I always try to figure out the closest shipping source like Office Depot or something like that or UPS or a mailing center.
I found the UPS at 542 Hopmeadow St. and it was open. The nice man inside was chatty and we discussed the weather and cats! He took my money and when I said that was a good price because it usually is not cheap, he jokingly said he had tried to charge me more but just couldn’t. Books weigh a lot! I could expect my treasures on Monday May 2, 2011. Wow, May is almost here?
Next stop was the Simsbury Cemetery. You can enter it from the Main St. in Simsbury for there is a paved road to the far left. The big gate is in the middle and you might be able to drive through but it is soft grassy and it was very wet. It is a big cemetery.
 |
| Simsbury Cemetery, Simsbury, CT. |
There are some awesome tombstones in this cemetery on the hill toward the back. I drove around studying them. There are at least 4-5 Crypts up at the back top of the hill.
 |
| Usually you see one or two but 4-5 or more? |
 |
| These two are amazing. Like the spire! |
I was looking for John Viets and Catherine Viets. I had my page of information and walked Section B. The book I looked at had maps of the cemetery. No luck. I had the row number, no luck. It was raining and cold so I gave up for now.
Time for lunch/dinner. I thought of Meto Bis sounded delicious. However, I decided on Plan B Burger Bar on Railroad Street. Now you are probably thinking it means an alternative plan for a restaurant but no it means Burgers, Beef and Beer!
 |
| Plan B Burger Bar, Simsbury, CT |
This place was hoping. You enter and there is the bar ahead of you. Downstairs is another restaurant but I was seated at a tall table and chair – I mean I climbed up. There are booths and tables but I was on my own and it was very busy. The bar is to the left and there were these big handle bars of different beers. I liked my seat because I could see what was going on and do some serious people watching.
The young man ahead of me at a similar table had a Tony the Tiger on his sweat shirt. I noticed Tony was separating. Now this is a major treasure this Tony emblem. When he left I stopped him an inquired if he knew he had a problem and he did. He told me he had been too busy to fix it. A friend had made it for him years ago. He assured me he would take care of it. Touched my shoulder and thanked me for my concern. He was probably late 20’s early 30’s.
Now I was studying the decor and was puzzling over the lights which were hanging from a track. I asked one of the waiters about them and he said they were ice hooks. I had observed that they had twisted wires around them and these bare light bulbs were hanging from them in two pair or four pair. Very clever! They were wonderful no glare.
My hamburger was delicious and served on a rectangular white plate like a gourmet dinner? Sort of like Red Robin but actually better. My waitress was friendly and pleasant. They were playing old Beattle’s music. So I felt right at home. As I ate my dinner the place filled up even more. Two men at the bar were playing with their fancy phones. I am beginning to get jealous of these types of phones that you just take your finger and push the items along. Being a visual person it is very enticing.
A recent arrival came over to the bar and was intent on choosing the perfect beer to go with his dinner. This was a fun place! The food was very good.
My goal this time was to go to the Simsbury Historical Society but a tree fell on them. There website has a picture of the tree on the center. Ouch!
Plan B was right next door so I just drove a little ways into the historical societies parking lot. I had been here before but they had just moved into their visitor center and had not opened the archives yet. So once again I was not going to be able to access this archive. I am not really sure they have anything for me. Still I am curious.
 |
| Simsbury Historical Society Center. The tree is gone now! |
It had stopped raining but it was cold and wet. When you enter the Simsbury House you come into the foyer and there is a real area like a old hotel were the receptionist sits behind working on their computer. Makes you feel like an old hotel. There is an entrance from the Main St. and a long drive through a grassy area up a incline to the parking lot. This is the photo that you see on their website. The Simsbury 1820 House is part of a group of hotels in the area. There are other rooms on the main floor that you can explore a little. All lovely.
You enter through the area of the two columns up the steps through the porch into the foyer. I had asked that the maid not clean my room because I had made a mess and put all my papers on the bed. So I also told the main desk so she would not get into trouble. She had not cleaned my room so I was pleased.
I was enjoying my room and I just relaxed for the night.
Massachusetts Meanderings in search of Goss Family History 