What Is Happening In This Picture?

If you think you know the answer or have a special memory related to the photo, respond in the "Leave a comment" box below this article. We'll run the answer next Monday, along with a new historical photo. The image has been provided by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society.  For more information on the museum's collection and programs, visit www.noahwebsterhouse.org.

This feature has been on hiatus for the past two weeks because of the need to provide extensive coverage of the October 29th freak snowstorm and the resulting unprecedented power outage. This week's image is ironically reminiscent of recent scenes around town.

When the column last ran, on October 24, the question was "What Things Have Changed?" Pictured was a stretch of Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center.

Rick Liftig commented, "It's 1965 and the Center is treeless and brickless. There's no outdoor dining! Playing at the Central is 'A Patch of Blue' starring Sydney Poitier and Shelley Winters. (From IMDB"A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man, who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life.)"

Debi said, "We are looking west up Farmington Ave from the corner of Main Street. Huntington's was a wonderful bookstore in West Hartford and downtown Hartford, too."

Chuck Ward referred readers who are interested in more "unofficial" West Hartford history to the Facebook group: "You know you grew up in West Hartford if..." https://www.facebook.com/groups/29344554026/

Finally, Elizabeth mentioned, "It's the little walkway next to where Chipotle is now. I grew up about 30 seconds from where this photo was taken (but a LONG time after it was taken!)"

This is the kind of question for which there is really no right or wrong answer. Many things have changed since the photo was taken, but the scene is still similar enough to be recognizable. The official answer provided by the Noah Webster House & West Hartford Historical Society is: This picture taken in 1966 shows several shops that are no longer there. While the stores have changed and movies no longer play at the Central Theater, the Center is still a popular place.