Hog River Journal in for a name change

When it started seven years ago, the Hog River Journal focused on the history of Hartford and surrounding towns. The name reflected the emphasis on Hartford, since Hog River was a 19th-century nickname for the city's Park River. But over time, the magazine's focus has widened to include all of Connecticut, making the name something of a head-scratcher for potential new readers and advertisers.

So how does "Connecticut Explored" sound? Publisher Elizabeth J. Normen revealed the "likely" new name of the magazine to Larry Bloom, who wrote about it recently in the Connecticut section of The New York Times.

Save Old North Cemetery

The Old North Cemetery, off Main Street in the city's north end, is the final resting place of many of the key names in Hartford's early history, including Daniel Wadsworth and Horace Bushnell. It's also been in neglect for many years. (This website has a New York Times article from 2000 that outlined the dire situation of Old North and other city cemeteries.) Now, though, the city and a firm that specializes in the preservation of historic landscapes are working on a master plan for preserving what's left of the place. On Tuesday, March 10, they will hold a public meeting on their work to date. It will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ropkins Branch Library of the SAND Elementary School at 1750 Main Street--right next to the cemetery. (Google map)

For more on the project, read this item on the Hartford Preservation Alliance website.

For more on Old North and its famous residents, go to the indispensable findagrave.com.

Righteous words from Colin McEnroe

Hartford Courant columnist and blogger Colin McEnroe recently posted a list of things he'd do if he owned a newspaper. It's bracing, provocative, and absolutely correct. But anyone interested in the history of Hartford will really love No. 3 on the list:

"Do more with your archives. This a problem, specifically, for the Courant, which doesn't have much archived material online. Having a gigantic database of high quality vetted information which is not searchable by users is like Disneyworld not letting anypeople on the rides. It's nuts. One of the reasons people use an online service is searchability. The Courant has a million reasons why this can't be addressed. I have a simple answer: fix it or die."

In the meantime, there is a site where you can get Hartford Courant articles published between 1764 and 1922. It's the wonderful iCONN.org, brought to you by the Connecticut State Library, your local library, and the state Department of Higher Education.