Crossroads
A Brief History of Southwick Road Names
Note: When Southwick's Town Hall burned in 1868, it claimed most of its records; only a few survived.
Berkshire Avenue -
Berkshire Avenue was named for the Berkshire Ice Company, which once owned all the lakefront property on the west shore of Congamond Lake from Point Grove Road to Congamond Road and down into South Pond. The renaming of a portion of Berkshire Avenue to "Curve Street" was approved during the annual town meeting on March 22, 1955. However, the change was short-lived when the town changed the name back to Berkshire Avenue during a special town meeting held on October 11, 1955.
College Highway -
College Highway was officially dedicated on May 22, 1923.
Before it was College Highway, it was probably "Simsbury Road," as it was referenced on a deed of land dated 1824 that the Southwick Congregational Church sits on. It was also called Main Road. North of the village center, it was Westfield Road. South of the Congamond Road, it was Palmer District Road, later renamed Granby Road. North of Congamond Road, it was called Gilletts Road.
Congamond Lake was initially known as Congamuck (named after a local tribe) and later Southwick Ponds. See Sheep Pasture Road below.
Congamond Road was called Lake Road. It is where the infamous Lake House stood (about where the Franklin House is today).
Davis Road was originally Hunter Road. It connected Putney Road (today's Fred Jackson Road) to Sodom Mountain Road (today's Vining Hill Road).
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| The Bridge over Great Brook |
Feeding Hills Road (RT. 57) was Springfield Road.
Fred Jackson Road was Putney Road. Fred Jackson, a well-known resident of the town, died in 1933. (Fred Jackson Road was mentioned in 1934 when the town approved crews to clear brush and widen the curves. For a time, both road names were used interchangeably. Putney Road shows up until at least 1941, first mentioned in my sources in 1894.)
Klaus Anderson Road, named after prominent Southwick resident Claus Anderson, was Granville Road. Today's Granville Road was originally Hillside Road.
Laro Road was originally Powder Mill Road. (There was a large powder mill near the brook located where Laro Road and Shaker Road meet.)
Mort Vining was originally Vining Hill Road. (See Vining Hill Road below)
Mouse Hill Road was located off College Highway - behind the former Southwick Country Club. It ran to today's Hillside Road. Officials marked the road as dangerous, so it no longer served as a public road.
North Longyard Road was initially called Longyard Road. It connected to South Longyard Road before a section was renamed Foster Road (for the Fosters who lived there). This section of town, primarily South Longyard Road, was known simply as the Long Yard.
Sheep Pasture Road was Southwick Pond Road and later, Congamond Lake Road.
South Longyard Road was one of the first roads and one of the most popular, being that before it was named, it was often called the road to Southwick Ponds. Before the south end of Middle Pond and the northern end of South Pond exploded in popularity, thanks to the new railroad and the Congamond Station (depot), North Pond was originally the place to be. But, it wasn't easy to get to using horse and buggy transportation. The railroad eliminated that, bringing a greatly expanded tourist base and plenty of new businesses. Soon the ponds were dotted with dance halls, casinos, amusement rides, hotels and inns, and restaurants. Unfortunately for North Pond, which was still tricky to reach, most tourists opted for the convenience of train service (which also afforded them to stay longer at the lake). And so they started patronizing businesses on the southern end.
Tannery Road was Round Hill Road. It was also called Kellogg Plantation Road. The change to Tannery Road reflected the large tannery that was located there. (Kellogg's tannery)
Vining Hill Road was Sodom Mountain Road. Before the change, there was an existing Vining Hill Road - later renamed Mort Vining Road.