Picture South Windsor - Then And Now

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Our weekly look at a photo from South Windsor's past brings us back to a wonderful picture book called Images of America: South Windsor, compiled in 2017 by Claire Lobdell for the Wood Memorial Library & Museum. The book, containing 128 pages of fascinating photos from the town's history, is available for purchase at the library's museum store here.

The intersection of Pleasant Valley and Ellington roads in this undated photo featured Burnham Station, a gas station and penny candy store from the early- to mid-20th century. The book quotes historian Sally Edlund's recollections:

"Burnham's also ran quite a famous lunchroom which was right north of the gas station and they were well known as the stop to take between Boston and New York, because Ruth Burnham made wonderful chicken pies and desserts, and they also had three cabins in the woods where you could stay overnight if you wanted to."

The lunchroom building no longer exists, but the service station address, 718 Ellington Rd., is currently home to T's Auto Service, in a building constructed in 1962, according to town property records. Here is a contemporary photo of the corner, taken recently by yours truly.

Do you have a photo of an old South Windsor business which no longer exists, to which you own the rights and which we could feature in this column? Email tim.jensen@patch.com.

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