Gay City State Park, Hebron – Russ Glasson
The east-central Connecticut town of Hebron lies at Tolland County’s southern tip. Incorporated in 1708, Hebron had a strong agricultural base and up through the late 1800s boasted manufacturers of charcoal (once a fuel source for other industries), bricks, textiles, paper, and other goods. Town history also reveals Connecticut’s connections to slavery, abolitionism, and post-emancipation agitation for freed people’s rights. For example, 19th-century Hebron suffragist Josephine Griffing advocated nationally for the education and support of newly freed African Americans. Ruins of Hebron’s industrial past can be found in Gay City State Park, which takes its name from the abandoned mill town that once stood within its boundaries.
Learn More
Websites
Hebron Historical Society. “Cesar & Lowis Peters: Articles & Exhibits,” 2017. Link.
Hebron Historical Society. “Hebron Cemetery Guide,” 2017. Link.
Places
Connecticut Freedom Trail. “Cesar and Lowis Peters Archaelogical Site,” 2017. Link.
Department of Economic & Community Development. “Gay City State Park,” 2017. Link.
“Hebron Historical Society,” 2017. Link.
Documents
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Hebron - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2017. Link.
“Hebron Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
“Map - Town of Hebron. (Petersen Collection).” Hebron, CT, ca. 1850s. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Books
Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties, Connecticut: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Early Settled Families. Chicago, IL: J.H. Beers & Co., 1903. Link.
Hebron Historical Society. Hebron. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004.
Sibun, John. Our Town’s Heritage, 1708-1958, Hebron, Connecticut. Hebron, CT: Douglas Library of Hebron, 1975.
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