In this video I talk about the growth and development of G. Fox & Company department store from its early days in 1847 as a small fancy goods store, to a large department store occupying several contiguous buildings. I focus on the various buildings the store occupied. I end by describing the fire that destroyed the store in 1917. In another video I will describe the rebirth of the store and its continued expansion into the 1960s.
New Video: A Lost Vanderbilt Mansion in West Hartford
A mansion erected by a member of the Vanderbilt family once stood along Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, Connecticut. In this video I explain how the mansion came to be built, mention a notable artistic couple that was married in it, and tell how the mansion was replaced by an exclusive housing development.
New Video: Old Wethersfield Walking Tour (with Captions)
My latest video is a walking tour of Old Wethersfield with historical information given in the captions.
New Video: Brown Thomson’s Department Store
This video is about Brown, Thomson & Company, a department store that existed in Hartford Connecticut from 1866 to 1969. I talk about the store’s history with a focus on the buildings the business occupied. I also talk about another store, the Bee Hive, which existed from 1847 until 1894, when it was absorbed by Brown Thomson’s.
New Video on Hartford Department Stores: Wise, Smith & Co. and E. J. Korvette
This video is about Wise, Smith & Company, a department store in Hartford, Connecticut that existed from 1897 to 1954. I talk about the buildings that came before Wise-Smith and the various structures the company erected over the years. I also talk about the Hartford branch of E. J. Korvette, which occupied the Wise-Smith building from 1957 to 1971.
New Video: A Walk Around the Old State House, Hartford, CT
My latest video is another “walk”, this time around the Old State House. Please read the subtitles for interesting facts and historical information. If you enjoy this type of video please let me know and I can do more (and longer) ones!
New Video: A Walk Through Hartford’s Elizabeth Park
A different sort of video for me. No spoken words and no buildings.