Windsor Council approves lease of Northwest Park tobacco barns for museum
At its meeting on March 6, the Windsor Town Council approved the leasing of tobacco barns at Northwest Park to the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society.
Largely, the lease is a formalization of a relationship between the town and the society, which has been running the Tobacco Museum and Tobacco Archives Building, housed in the two barns, since their inception in the early 1990s. The society has funded a curator and the upkeep of the exhibits. The town has supplied the maintenance and utilities of the buildings. the town has also been able to utilize the meeting space in the archive building.
By formalizing the agreement, the society will more-easily be able to pursue grants to help fund educational programs and some planned additions.
Jim Daniels, the president of the CVTHS, said the museum’s plan is to add kiosks to aid with self-guided tours, and a projection screen to aid with the museum’s educational programs. One such grant, in conjunction with Eastern Connecticut State University, will also allow for a documentary to film in the museum.
“This grant is going to change the museum,” Daniels said. “This is going to be a ribbon-cutting event, when it’s done.”
Daniels said tobacco farming is a big part of the state’s history, and was controversial at times, making the history more interesting.
“Everybody you talk to either knows someone, or has worked tobacco themselves, and have good or bad feelings about it,” Daniels said. “Some people absolutely hated it, some people loved it.”
The grant would allow for the curator to write more grants, and hire volunteer docents to conduct tours.
“The last couple of years, we’ve grown tobacco on that [property],” Daniels said. “We did a time-lapse video of broadleaf.”
The proposed lease was for 10 years, but council member Kenneth Smith proposed an amendment to make it 20 years.
The council voted unanimously for the amendment, as well as the original motion, as amended.
From the Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum Website, The Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society was formed in 1987 to help preserve historical evidence of the cigar tobacco agriculture, educate the present and future generations, operate a museum, and serve as the museum’s governing body. This society was the beneficiary of a trust fund set up by John E. Luddy who earned his money from selling shade cloth and other items needed by growers.
The Connecticut Valley Tobacco Historical Society in turn made a grant to the Town of Windsor to be used for a tobacco museum at Northwest Park. The resulting Luddy/Taylor Connecticut Valley Tobacco Museum consists of two structures. First, an existing tobacco curing barn was moved and remodeled to accommodate exhibits of early and modern equipment used to grow the crop. Second, a new, year-round facility was built to serve as an archive exhibit photographs, writings, and other documents about the crop. The museum is open seasonally, for three days a week, between March and December.
For more information, visit www.townofwindsorct.com or www.tobaccohistsoc.org.
