This is a marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It’s located on a small grassy patch along Main Street in front of Piedmont Hall. It’s a two-sided marker with the same description on both sides. A brief history of Somers is described on the plaque –its settlement in 1706, it’s naming in 1734 after an English Lord, it’s separation from Massachusetts and annexation by Connecticut, it’s agricultural heritage of potatoes and tobacco, and it’s manufacturing heritage of mills and bonnet making(!!). The marker is in pretty good condition but is starting to signs of age, with faded and peeling paint in some areas. The full inscription reads: SOMERS Named 1734 Settlement was begun here in «East Enfield» about 1706 by Nenjamin Jones, followed in 1713 by Edward Kibbe, James Pease, Timothy Roote, and John McGregory. The Town of Somers was incorporated in 1734 by the General Court of Massachusetts and named for Lord John Somers of England. In 1749 Somers separated from Massachusetts and was annexed to Connecticut. There has always been an agricultural community with potato, tobacco and dairy farms. The Four-Town Fair was organized in 1838 as a contest to see which of the ten school districts had the most oxen. «Little Sorrel», the favorite horse of Civil War General«Stonewall» Jackson, was born at the Collins Farm on Prink Street, now Springfield Road. Industries have included grist– and sawmills, and bonnet making. In 1839, the Billings Satinette Mill was established on the Scantic River. Rockwell Keeney purchased it in 1879 for a woolen mill. As the Somersville Mfg. Co., it was the main industry here until 1970. Erected by the Town of Somers, the Somers Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission, 1980
