We

the

rsfield

:A

Literary Landmark

The Town of W

ethersfield has been nam

ed a Literary Landmark

for its use as the setting for The W

itch of Blackbird P

ond.

The Friends of Libraries USA

(FOLU

SA) sponsors the Literary

Landmark project w

hich enables local libraries to call attention to the literary significance of sites in their com

munities.

The bronze plaque designatingW

ethersfield as a Literary Landmark

and a more detailed m

ap created byPhil Lohm

an are on display at theW

ethersfield Library.

This 1958 N

ewberyA

ward

-w

inning historical novel,tells the ad

ventures ofyoung K

it Tyler who,

after leaving her privilegedlife in B

arbados, arrives in

Wethersfield

to live w

ith her only rem

aining relatives. B

ut it doesn’t feel like hom

e.

Kit struggles to ad

just tothe strict culture of 1687

Puritan Wethersfield

. The

Puritan comm

unity does

not take kindly to her

colorful clothing, her outspoken w

ays, her id

eas or her friendship

with the gentle Q

uakerw

idow

who lives near

Blackbird

Pond in

the mead

ows by the

Connecticut R

iver.

When K

it rescues Hannah

Tupper from the charge of

witchcraft, the com

munity

then tries Kit as a w

itch.

Weaving through this

brave teenager’s strugglew

ith her own loneliness

and the tow

n’s bigotry isher bud

ding rom

ance w

ith Nat, a young sailor

from the D

olphin, the ship that brought

her to Wethersfield

.

Aguid

e to some of the events d

escribed in

The Witch of B

lackbird Pond

by Elizabeth G

eorge Speare

Ap

proxim

ate 2,000 mile rou

te of the D

olph

in from

Barb

ados to S

aybrook

.

From S

aybrook

, the D

olph

in sailed

43 miles u

priver to W

ethersfield

.

515 Silas Deane H

ighway

Wethersfield

, CT

06109

Director: L

aurel Good

gionem

ail: goodgion@

wethersfield

library.orgB

orrower Services: 860-257-2811

Child

ren's Services: 860-257-2801 A

dult Services: 860-257-2811

fax: 860-257-2822

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Wethersfield 1687

Wethersfieldtoday

Dramatic changes happened when floodsin the 1700’s altered theriver’s course creatingWethersfield Cove andreshaping the meadows.

In the last century, construction ofInterstate 91 and theRoute 3/Putnam Bridgeto Glastonbury snippedoff early street connections to the river.

Using these maps a visitor canfind some sites described in thebook and match them toapproximate locations in modern day Wethersfield.

The Dolphinarrives fromSaybrook. Kitdisembarks atmist-shroudedWethersfieldlanding..

Captain Eatondelivers Kit withher seven trunksto MathewWood’s house onHigh Street.

The Meeting House attown center across fromthe pillary, whipping postand stocks .

Widow HannahTupper’s oneroom shack byBlackbird Pond inthe meadows.

Governor Andros,the king’s repre-sentative, crossedthe river here onhis way to Hartfordto take backConnecticut’sCharter.

The Constable’sshed where Kitspent a miserablenight before hertrial for witchcraft.