Welcome to the Website of the Hebron Historical Society!

                      Old Town Hall

Hebron, Connecticut

We are a non-profit organization incorporated in May 1965 "to develop an interest in, preserve, and promote Hebron history by every feasible means to as wide an audience as possible.”

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a regular user of the site, we hope you will enjoy learning more about Hebron’s long and colorful history, our restoration projects, and about the events and programs we will be sponsoring in the months ahead. For more information and photos about the recent activities of the Hebron Historical Society, find and like us at https://www.facebook.com/HebronHistoricalSociety/

If you have items recollecting Hebron’s past, for which you hold an appreciation but no longer have the storage space, the Hebron Historical Society might well be interested in receiving them.  We appreciate pictures of past events, school year memorabilia, historic clothing, old tools, whatever came from Hebron in years gone by.  Just contact us on the menu tab above and we’ll talk!

By clicking on “Hebron History”, you’ll find dozens of stories about key events and distinguished citizens from Hebron’s past, as well as articles about Society-sponsored programs and projects from recent years.

Thank you for your interest in Hebron history.  We look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming meetings or programs.  You are welcome to attend any of our Board Meetings held on the first Thursday of each month at Old Town Hall starting at 7:00. If you are interested in becoming a member, click on the “Memberships” tab above to get a printable application.

Several Hebron Historic and Program Videos can be found by selecting that category.  More videos will soon be added.

Sylvester Gilbert

Sylvester Gilbert - Benjamin Pomeroy Law School Notes (https://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/b267438).

The Hon. Sylvester Gilbert is one of Hebron's most influential citizens. He was born in Hebron on October 20, 1755, graduated from Dartmouth in 1775, was admitted to the bar in November 1777 and practiced Law in Hebron. His family lived next door to the Hebron Congregational Church in a home built by his father, Samuel Gilbert. Sylvester Gilbert was the first Probate Court judge in Tolland County serving for 21 years and served 31 terms in the State House of Representatives, beginning in 1780 when he was 24 and earning the nick name of 'Father of the House' before departing. He served a year in Congress and held many local offices, including Hebron Town Clerk for 23 years.

Sylvester and his wife Patience had 13 children, 5 of whom were deaf. Remarkably, all of them became productive members of society.

Gilbert was one of 4 attorneys teaching Law School classes in Connecticut. Before beginning to teach, he reportedly began a thorough review of the law, stressing Connecticut law and the Statutes of 1808. The course covered 22 subjects with multiple lessons in most of them. After spending 2 years planning the course of study, he began teaching in 1810. Initially he had one or two students which quickly became 6-10. HIs reputation apparently spread quickly. Gilbert recorded 56 students completed his classes. One of these was George O. Cook, from Weathersfield, Vermont, who came to Hebron to study law. Unfortunately Cook passed away before completing the course and is buried in the Old Cemetery on Wall St.

Another student was Benjamin Pomeroy (1787-1855), grandson of Rev. Benjamin Pomeroy, minister of the Hebron Congregational Church. Pomeroy carefully transcribed the lectures. After completing Gilbert's instruction, Pomeroy was admitted to the Bar and moved to North Stonington where he was active in many Town positions.

Benjamin's notes may have been transcribed but are still written in pencil on lined paper with errors and extraneous marks evident. They are bound and legible. The notes passed to his son, Cyrus W. Pomeroy, and eventually to Cyrus's grandson Mr. Harrison Trowbridge of York, Pennsylvania who presented the document to Yale University.

Research by members of the Hebron Historical Society located the document at Yale and made arrangements to travel there to view them, with the help of Kevin Sullivan at the Douglas Library in Hebron.

The notes have been digitized and are available through the Lillian Goldman Law Library at Yale University. Just click on the following URL to see the manuscript notes of Sylvester Gilbert's law lectures:

Mary-Ellen Gonci
May 2023

The “Lost Mill Sites in Hebron, Connecticut” have been found!

Watercolor by Tyler/Drinkuth 2022

The “Lost Mill Sites in Hebron, Connecticut” have been found! A long-awaited revision of the first book of Hebron’s historic water-powered mills is now available for purchase in the Town Clerk’s Office, or at Old Town Hall during Hebron Historical Society events. The book would make the perfect gift for anyone interested in Hebron history.

The watercolor above shows the Grayville part of Hebron, also known as The Gull, the way the mills may have looked in 1860. That area shows the harnessing of water from both Raymond Brook and the Jeremy River, and the importance of water reserves for use in early manufacturing.

What had been a total of 29 old mill sites now totals 32. In addition to locating more sites, the author, Richard Symonds and his Hebron Mill Site Study Team (Geoff Kirkham, David Morrison, Larry Zimmerman and Mary Ann Foote), have learned more about several of the previously included mill sites. Greater access to sites, as well as additional historic research, has provided new details about the mills. The mill site study team is always looking for more sites. If you know of a mill that we haven’t seen, please let us know.

The “Lost Mill Site” project is sponsored by the Hebron Historical Society. For $20 you can learn more about Hebron’s early manufacturing history as well as helping The Society with its responsibility for maintaining Hebron’s Old Town Hall and the Burrows Hill Schoolhouse..