Trustees lead presentation on Eno family, transportation pioneer and Simsbury Free Library history

Jim Flynn, chairman of the board of trustees of the Simsbury Free Library, told an audience at a public program that the library traces its roots to a charitable trust established in 1874 by Amos R. Eno and that the landmark building on donated land was completed in 1890. "The library's been around, for quite some time. Founded in 1874 by a gentleman named Amos R Eno," Flynn said during the talk.

The library trustees emphasized that the Simsbury Free Library operates as a charitable trust and a research-focused institution rather than a town-run circulating public library. Flynn said the town began providing financial support in the 1970s and that the library now maintains a collegial relationship with the municipal public library while preserving its own collections and archives.

"We try to live by it," Flynn said of the library's mission, listing genealogical research, historical and cultural programming and fostering community belonging as priorities. He named Allison Watson Mattson as the library's genealogy expert and noted that the library provides access to resources such as the library edition of Ancestry and many Connecticut-specific family records.

Trustees and presenter TJ Donahue led attendees through artifacts and portraits housed in the building, calling out works such as a portrait by Eastman Johnson and the William Phelps Eno exhibit. Donahue described Eno, born in Simsbury, as an influential figure in early traffic regulation: "What he's most known for is the traffic circle or the roundabout," he said, noting Eno's influence on one-way streets, stop signs and other rules of the road.

Speakers pointed to a range of local collections and exhibitions, including a hand-built model of the Farmington Canal created by Carl Walton and archives from longtime local businesses such as Ensign Bickford. Flynn and Donahue also discussed the broader local legacy of families such as the Pinchots and McLean, including Gifford Pinchot's role in founding Yale's forestry program and in early conservation efforts.

The program highlighted a successful student project from 2009, when high school students produced a short documentary about visits by Martin Luther King to Simsbury; trustees said the student work later received state recognition and national coverage. Flynn closed by inviting attendees to future sessions and to explore the library's exhibits and collections further.

The library trustees plan to continue the five-night series, with future sessions focused on genealogy, Ensign Bickford, the Martin Luther King material and other local topics.