in 2025 we celebrate 200 years of Tariffville
This page will cover the planned activities to celebrate this historic anniversary.
Amazing Tales with Mike Allen podcast with Frank Haviland
It ranks as among the deadliest train crashes in Connecticut history. It also marked the first time in the U.S. that a telephone was used to summon help after a disaster, essentially the first 9-1-1 call in the country’s history. The Tariffville Train Wreck occurred when railroads were at their peak. On the icy cold night of January 15, 1878, a train full of passengers headed home from a religious revival in Hartford. As they crossed the Farmington River, with its five inches of ice, the bridge collapsed and sent dozens into the ice-cold waters below. Rescuers couldn’t easily access the remote location. The story is told by Frank Haviland, a member of the Board of the Tariffville Village Association and a noted researcher on this event.