Wethersfield has changed a lot since the fictional Kit Tyler first arrived here by boat in 1687. For one thing, the former Colonial settlement is now considered a Literary Landmark by the American Library Association, thanks to Elizabeth George Speare's historical novel, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond."
As part of the 375th anniversary celebration, graphic artist Phil Lohman will be give a talk on the book Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 7 to 8 p.m. in Room 210 at Wethersfield High School. The free event is offered through Adult Education.
Speare, who died in 1994 at age 85, lived in Wethersfield for a time in the 1930s. The town's long history inspired her to write her novel about a teenage girl who comes from Barbados to live with her Puritan relatives, clashing with the stern morals and superstitions of the local people.
Published in 1958, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" won the Newbery Award in 1959, and has never been out of print since. It's a rich story, said Lohman, "it's a constant, a perennial."
Lohman said he gradually became known as the unofficial expert on the book when, a few years ago, Wethersfield Library Director Laurel Goodgion asked him to draw a map of the town as it was in 1687. She was applying for the Literary Landmark status for the town, which is for books associated with a particular local, he said.
He drew the large-scale map, showing where key events in the story would have happened. The original is now hanging in the library's History Room. Geographically, the area was somewhat different then, he noted, since the cove didn't exist at that time and Blackbird Pond is gone. "There's some question as to where it was, or if it ever was, but the highway [I-91] probably devoured it when it went through here."
The Friends of the Library invited Lohman to speak about the book at their annual meeting. He's since given his talk three different times, and smaller copies of his map are for sale through the library and other locations in town.
"The charm of the story is its locale," Lohman said. "It's a teen novel, and it has a little romance, it has a little violence, it has a little history, it has a little philosophy, religion, ethics. And of course it touches on witchcraft and tolerance issues, so you can take it in a lot of directions."
"If you look up "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" on the Internet you get thousands of hits because there's all different lesson plans that people use."
He noted that the principal characters are fictitious but they intersect with real people and events in history, such as local anger when Royal Governor Edmund Andros sought to revoke the charter that granted unusual autonomy to the Connecticut Colony. The charter was an early document of self government, a step in what ultimately led to the independence movement and the Constitution, he explained.
Lohman said his talk also covers the context of what was going on in other parts of the world, how people didn't know about microbes at that time (deadly illness in the story is attributed to the influence of witches), how Speare used actual houses in town for descriptions in her story, and lots more. The author was very meticulous in her research, he said. "There are those that can find fault, there are some little inaccuracies. It's fiction. But the idea of a young woman from a privileged culture in the Caribbean and different political loyalties coming up here and getting into trouble because she's impulsive and generous of spirit - it's a complicated story which make for interesting literature."