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41-532: The Ensign-Bickford Company (EBCo) was started in 1836 in Simsbury, Connecticut as a manufacturer of William Bickford 's safety fuse for use in mining . Safety fuse was a great advance in mining technology over the practice of filling holes with black powder . The next step in mining technology was detonating cord . Ensign-Bickford and other companies developed different versions of detonating cord. In 1937, Ensign-Bickford trademarked " Primacord ", which became

82-525: A tar and turpentine business in Windsor. A few years later, a Massaco Indian named Manahanoose started a fire which destroyed tar belonging to Griffin. The Court ordered the payment of "five hundred fathom of wampum " as compensation. As he was unable to pay this amount, Manahanoose was instead ordered by the Court to either serve Griffin or be exchanged for Black slaves . To avoid this, he instead delivered

123-522: A deed to the land at Massacoe. The deed was agreed to by Manahanoose as well as other Indians, identified as "the proprietors of Massaco". In 1653, the General Court granted 50 acres (200,000 m ) of meadowland to Lieutenant Aaron Cook, 60 acres (240,000 m ) to John Bissell and 50 acres (200,000 m ) to Thomas Ford, all in Massacoe. Settlers did not build permanent settlements until

164-420: A farm and married. He became a prominent figure in civil affairs, as well as the church at Salmon Brook (now Granby). On Tuesday, December 20, 1859, the two-story Patent Safety Fuse factory located near the center of town exploded, killing seven women and one man. The blast also injured several other people, including the factory owner. The factory made cord fast-burning fuses used for blasting, which resulted in

205-401: A permanent inhabitant. In 1669, a survey found that there were thirteen permanent residents of Massacoe. One of those residents, John Case, was appointed to the position of constable. This is the first recorded civil office held by residents of the area. In 1670, John Case, along with Joshua Holcomb & Thomas Barber, presented a petition to the General Court, requesting that Massacoe become

246-425: A town of the colony of Connecticut. On May 12, 1670, the General Court granted the petition, and ordered that the plantation should be called "Simmsbury". The boundaries at that time were Farmington on the south and Windsor on the east, with the extent of Simsbury running 10 miles (16 km) north of Farmington and 10 miles (16 km) west of Windsor. The northern border, subject to dispute with Massachusetts ,

287-467: A war between a number of tribes and the New England settlers, began in the summer. The war extended through parts of four colonies, with Simsbury on the western edge of the conflict. At the time, it was seen as a frontier settlement . The conflict was largely over by August 1676, although it did not formally end until a treaty was signed in 1678. The colony of Connecticut formed a Council of War. In

328-473: A water repellent coating for boats , ships , sails , and roofs . In Scandinavia , it was produced as a cash crop. "Peasant Tar" might be named for the district of its production. Wood tar is still used as an additive in the flavoring of candy , alcohol , and other foods. Wood tar is microbicidal . Producing tar from wood was known in ancient Greece and has probably been used in Scandinavia since

369-414: A week's time to secure themselves and their corn there, and at the end of the week from this date, the souldiers, now in garrison at Simsbury, shall be released their attendance there. In March 1676, the town of Simsbury was first pillaged, then burned to the ground. This destruction has been described as the most extensive of any event of any Indian War in New England. The settlers remained in Windsor until

410-463: A wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation . Tar can be produced from coal , wood , petroleum , or peat . Mineral products resembling tar can be produced from fossil hydrocarbons , such as petroleum . Coal tar is produced from coal as a byproduct of coke production. "Tar" and " pitch " can be used interchangeably. Asphalt (naturally occurring pitch) may also be called either "mineral tar" or "mineral pitch". There

451-600: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Simsbury, Connecticut Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut , United States, incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region . The population was 24,517 in the 2020 census . At the beginning of the 17th century, the area that would become known as Simsbury as of 1670

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492-616: Is a 20 to 25 minute drive from Simsbury Center; however, many residents also commute to other towns and cities within the west-central Connecticut region. After the complete destruction of the town in 1676 during King Philip's War, there were three late 17th to early 18th century nucleated resettlement communities: East Weatogue (also called East Simsbury), Simsbury Center , and Terry's Plain . There are four census-designated places in Simsbury: Simsbury Center , Tariffville , Weatogue , and West Simsbury . As of

533-735: Is a tendency to use "tar" for more liquid substances and "pitch" for more solid ( viscoelastic ) substances. Both "tar" and "pitch" are applied to viscous forms of asphalt, such as the asphalt found in naturally occurring tar pits (e.g., the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles). "Rangoon tar", also known as "Burmese oil" or "Burmese naphtha", is also a form of petroleum. Oil sands , found extensively in Alberta, Canada , and composed of asphalt, are colloquially referred to as "tar sands". Since prehistoric times wood tar has been used as

574-904: Is flanked by Talcott Mountain , which is part of the Metacomet Ridge , a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to near the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in Simsbury include Heublein Tower , Talcott Mountain State Park , Penwood State Park , and the Tariffville Gorge of the Farmington River. The 51-mile-long (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses

615-495: Is no record that any settlements immediately ensued. Five years later the General Court issued another order: The Court thinks fitt that Massacoe be purchased by the Country, and that ther be a Committee chosen to dispose of yt to such inhabitants of Wyndsor as by the shalbe judged meet to make improuement therof... but there is no record of land grants arising from this order. In 1643, John Griffin and Michael Humphrey started

656-535: Is used for the surface treatment of wooden shingle roofs, boats, buckets, and tubs and in the medicine, soap, and rubber industries. Pine tar has good penetration on the rough wood. An old wood tar oil recipe for the treatment of wood is one-third each genuine wood tar, balsam turpentine, and boiled or raw linseed oil or Chinese tung oil. In Finland , wood tar was once considered a panacea reputed to heal "even those cut in twain through their midriff". A Finnish proverb states that "if sauna , vodka and tar won't help,

697-482: The Iron Age . Production and trade in pine-derived tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America . Its main use was in preserving wooden sailing vessels against rot. For centuries, dating back at least to the 14th century, tar was among Sweden 's most important exports. Sweden exported 13,000 barrels of tar in 1615 and 227,000 barrels in the peak year of 1863. The largest user

738-712: The Massaco , lived near, but mostly west of, what became known as the Farmington River , in the area that would become known as Simsbury and Canton , the latter as of 1806. In 1633, Windsor was the second town in Connecticut settled by Europeans and the first English settlement (the first European settlement being Huys de Goede Hoop , established by the Dutch in the Hartford area as a frontier settlement for

779-719: The New Netherland Colony ten years earlier). For some time, the area of Massaco was considered "an appendix to the towne of Windsor." Settlers in Windsor forested and farmed in the area, but did not settle in Massaco permanently for a number of years. In 1642, the General Court of the colony of Connecticut ordered that: the Governor and Mr. Heynes shall have liberty to dispose of the ground uppon that parte of Tunxis River cauled Mossocowe, to such inhabitants of Wyndsor as they shall see cause. Despite this order, there

820-531: The census of 2000, there were 23,234 people, 8,527 households, and 6,591 families residing in the town. The population density was 685.7 inhabitants per square mile (264.8/km ). There were 8,739 housing units at an average density of 257.9 per square mile (99.6/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 95.3% White , 1.17% African American , 0.09% Native American , 2.12% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.26% from other races , and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.54% of

861-456: The English town of Symondsbury . Holcomb, one of the petitioners, originally came from Symondsbury. Another possibility is that the name was derived from Simon Wolcott's name. He was known familiarly as "Sim", and he was considered one of the prominent men of the town. In 1675, rumors of unrest among the indigenous peoples began to surface. The rumors proved accurate, and King Philip's War ,

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902-773: The Space Ordnance Division was formed, making contributions to early NASA programs such as Mercury , Gemini , and Apollo . In 1987, the Space Ordnance Division became Ensign-Bickford Aerospace Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of EBCo, later becoming The Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company. In addition to its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Simsbury, Connecticut, EBAD has facilities in Graham, Kentucky , & Moorpark, California . 41°52′07″N 72°48′22″W  /  41.8687°N 72.806°W  / 41.8687; -72.806 This United States manufacturing company–related article

943-405: The days leading up to the war, they ordered settlers to keep night watches and to work in the fields in armed groups of at least six. By the time of the colony's General Court meeting of October 14, 1675, the situation was considered serious enough that the court ordered the residents of Simsbury to move to safety in Windsor. The order read: This Court orders, that the people of Simsbury shall have

984-459: The disease is fatal." Wood tar is used in traditional Finnish medicine because of its microbicidal properties. Wood tar is also available diluted as tar water , which has numerous uses: Mixing tar with linseed oil varnish produces tar paint. Tar paint has a translucent brownish hue and can be used to saturate and tone wood and protect it from weather. Tar paint can also be toned with various pigments, producing translucent colors and preserving

1025-641: The explosion. Two days later, on Thursday, December 22, 1859, the New York Times ran a story about the explosion. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 34.3 square miles (88.8 km ), of which 33.9 square miles (87.9 km ) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km ), or 1.09%, is water. Simsbury lies in the northern end of the Farmington Valley . The east side of Simsbury

1066-417: The following decade. Aaron Cook built one of the early homes in the area established c. 1660 as Terry's Plain , and John Griffin also built a home, possibly in 1664—the date associated with a deed to land in Massacoe. The settlement of Massacoe continued in the late 1660s. The General Court awarded a land grant of two hundred acres to John Griffin in 1663. A deed description from 1664 indicates he had become

1107-497: The functional generic name for detonating cord in North America. In May 2003, Ensign-Bickford sold the trademarks and processes to Dyno Nobel Inc of Australia (formerly of Norway ). In 1956, EBCo began providing research and development work for Frankford Arsenal and Sandia National Laboratories to develop linear shaped charge, a product critical to the early strategic missile and launch vehicle programs. In 1965,

1148-426: The hulls of ships and boats. For millennia, wood tar was used to waterproof sails and boats, but today, sails made from inherently waterproof synthetic substances have reduced the demand for tar. Wood tar is still used to seal traditional wooden boats and the roofs of historic, shingle-roofed churches, as well as painting exterior walls of log buildings. Tar is also a general disinfectant. Pine tar oil, or wood tar oil,

1189-467: The median household income was $ 119,588 and the per capita income for the town was $ 60,453. About 1.0% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over. According to Simsbury's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon , obtained from

1230-524: The population. The five largest percentages of reported ethnicity, expressed as percentage out of total residents, were Irish (23.0%), English (17.4%), German (15.6%), Italian (13.7%), and Polish (7.6%). There were 8,527 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.4% of all households had someone living alone, and 7.8% had someone living alone who

1271-416: The products are methanol (wood alcohol) and charcoal . Tar kilns ( Swedish : tjärmila , Danish : tjæremile , Norwegian : tjæremile , Finnish : tervahauta ) are dry distillation ovens, historically used in Scandinavia for producing tar from wood. They were built close to the forest, from limestone or from more primitive holes in the ground. The bottom is sloped into an outlet hole to allow

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1312-433: The rest of the day. Pitch was familiar in 9th-century Iraq , derived from petroleum that became accessible from natural fields in the region. It was sometimes used in the construction of baths or in shipbuilding. Coal tar was formerly one of the products of gasworks . Tar made from coal or petroleum is considered toxic and carcinogenic because of its high benzene content, though coal tar in low concentrations

1353-646: The ridge. At the western foot of the mountain, the Pinchot Sycamore , the largest tree in Connecticut, grows near the Farmington River. Simsbury also has some patches of old-growth forest ; Belden Forest , a 40-acre site with public hiking trails near the center of town was inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network in October 2019. The town is often considered a bedroom community for the nearby city of Hartford, Connecticut , which

1394-403: The spring of 1677, during which most moved back to Simsbury, though some never returned. In 1707, Daniel Hayes, then aged twenty-two, was captured by indigenous people and carried to Canada . The capture was witnessed and a rescue party was raised, but the group did not catch up with the captors. Hayes was tied up each night and bound to saplings. It took thirty days to reach Canada, where Hayes

1435-417: The tar to pour out. The wood is split into dimensions of a finger, stacked densely, and finally covered tight with earth and moss. If oxygen can enter, the wood might catch fire, and the production would be ruined. On top of this, a fire is stacked and lit. After a few hours, the tar starts to pour out and continues to do so for a few days. Tar was used as seal for roofing shingles and tar paper and to seal

1476-403: The wood texture. Tar was once used for public humiliation , known as tarring and feathering . By pouring hot wood tar onto somebody's bare skin and waiting for it to cool, they would remain stuck in one position. From there, people would attach feathers to the tar, which would remain stuck on the tarred person for the duration of the punishment. That person would then become a public example for

1517-427: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12. 29.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 3.6% were from 18 to 24, 27.7% were from 25 to 44, 26.6% were from 45 to 64, and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years old. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. In 2018,

1558-541: Was forced to run the gauntlet . Near the end of the gauntlet, he hid in a wigwam to avoid an attempted blow by a club. The woman in the wigwam declared that the house was sacred and, having lost a husband and son to a war, adopted Hayes as her son. He remained for several years, attending to the woman. Eventually, he was sold to a Frenchman, who learned that Hayes had skill as a weaver and put him to work in that business. Hayes managed to earn enough to buy his freedom after two years. He then returned to Simsbury, settled down on

1599-632: Was inhabited by indigenous peoples . The Wappinger were one of these groups, composed of eighteen bands that were organized not formally as a tribe, but more akin to an association, like the Delaware . These bands lived between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. The Wappingers were one of the Algonquian peoples , a linguistic grouping which includes hundreds of tribes. One of the Wappinger bands,

1640-417: Was left to be resolved later. This area includes the township Simsbury as well as Granby and Canton , which would later separate from Simsbury in 1786 and 1806, respectively. The precise origin of the name of the town is not known for certain. The town records covering the first ten years after incorporation were accidentally burned in 1680 and 1681. One possibility is that the name of Simsbury comes from

1681-769: Was the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom . Demand for tar declined with the advent of iron and steel ships. Production nearly stopped in the early 20th century. Traditional wooden boats are still sometimes tarred. The heating ( dry distilling ) of pine wood causes tar and pitch to drip away from the wood and leave behind charcoal. Birch bark is used to make particularly fine tar, known as " Russian oil", used in Russian leather protection. The by-products of wood tar are turpentine and charcoal . When deciduous tree woods are subjected to destructive distillation ,

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