There’s a new, easy-to-use mobile website for anyone who wants to start walking and see some interesting sites that even lifelong residents of Windsor may not be aware of. The new website allows you to create your own path as you walk, bike, or ride around town. Just point your smartphone, tablet or computer to www.TourWindsorCT.org and add it to your home screen.

The Windsor Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee recently assembled a partnership between the Windsor Chamber, First Town Downtown and the Windsor Historical Society to create a walking tour mobile site with historic sites and points of interest. The site currently shows points in Windsor center, but will soon be expanded to include the other parts of town and other places like restaurants, shops, and others interesting local businesses and attractions.

Click Here —>>>     www.TourWindsorCT.org     <<<— Click Here

Windsor Historical Society staff and historian Bev Garvan amassed an enormous amount of information on Windsor’s architecture and outdoor art over the years. During the summer of 2014, Society Curator Christina Vida and intern Tristan Kijak mined the many years of research on town sites, uncovered new facts, and took photographs for the mobile website. The initial site launch includes 68 sites between St. Gabriel’s Church on the south and Palisado Green on the North. One third of those sites have ‘Learn More’ links.

Fun facts like the following are available on the site:

• The play and movie Arsenic and Old Lace is based on life of Windsor’s Amy Archer-Gilligan.
• Windsor Center’s volunteer fire company began in 1830 with twenty men, each subscribing $5.
• The oldest surviving stone in any Connecticut cemetery is located in Windsor’s Palisado Cemetery and commemorates Reverend Ephraim Huit, who died in 1644.
• The Route 159 bridge over the Farmington River commemorates Windsor’s famous polka maestro Ray Henry, whose real name was Henry Mocarski.

“Using the mobile site makes it easy to walk around the center, see some unexpected sites, learn about our unique architecture, see some creative outdoor artwork and get some exercise at the same time,” says Ashley Williams, First Town Downtown’s Main Street Coordinator.

“We are thrilled to partner with Windsor Chamber and First Town Downtown to develop this mobile website. It’s such a great way to share Windsor’s fascinating history with the public on their terms,” said Christine Ermenc, (former Executive Director of the Windsor Historical Society).

The partners chose a local website developer, Paula Pierce of Hosting Connecticut LLC, to develop the website using Invisible Gold software. The price tag to develop the mobile site was less than half the quote received by Vida from another firm. “Choosing a local developer allowed us to find someone who knows the area and has a charitable bent towards local non-profit organizations,” said Jane Garibay, (former Executive Director of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce).

All three partnering organizations are convinced that having Broad Street Green’s rich historic landscape accessible on mobile devices will encourage pedestrian activity, curiosity, civic pride, and preservation instincts in Connecticut’s first town.

About the Partners

Windsor Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization here to help businesses work together to support the local economy and enhance the quality of life in Windsor.

The mission of First Town Downtown is to position and promote Windsor Center as a premier New England Town center that protects and utilizes its proud heritage as the basis for developing vibrant recreational, economic, and cultural activity. For more information, visit www.FirstTownDowntown.org

Windsor Historical Society inspires public awareness and appreciation of the diverse peoples, places, and events that contribute to Windsor’s evolving history. We welcome you Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to our museum complex. This includes exhibits, two historic homes, a hands-on learning center, a research library filled with historic manuscripts and photographs, and a museum shop. For more information, visit www.WindsorHistoricalSociety.org.