Peek Behind the Scenes All Year Long!

It is time to unveil the 2014 line up of Behind-the-Scenes Tours. We’re offering even more access to the hidden treasures of Connecticut history that are normally behind closed doors, and with the option of buying a Season Pass, you can get that sneak peek at a great 20% discount!

G. Fox Was Way Ahead of Amazon

Ready to deliver! The G. Fox & Co. Fleet in 1955. CHS 2007.24.263.

Long before Jeff Bezos imagined drones delivering packages to your door, G. Fox & Co. built their business on world-class service and home delivery—and even air delivery. So many Hartford residents have warm memories of visits to the iconic downtown department store, but the truth was that you didn’t have to set foot in G. Fox & Co. to shop there. Almost immediately after they opened in 1847, G. Fox was already delivering to its customers—via wheelbarrow. Technology evolved rather slowly, and the wheelbarrows were finally replaced by one-horse wagons in 1907. By 1964, a fleet of 165 boxy blue G. Fox trucks reminded everyone around Hartford and Connecticut that G. Fox delivered. And deliver they did—the official policy was that they would any purchase of any size to your door, and even pick up merchandise for returns.

G. Fox for all your holiday needs

The weather is having a bit of a fit this week…it can’t quite decide if it is winter or fall.  Either way, the air is getting chillier and people are looking to get warmer.  Now-a-days we hop in the car and head to the nearest mall, specialty shop, or big-box store to find our cold weather gear, but there was a time when shopping for winter was an event.  An event that often took place at G. Fox and Company Department Store in downtown Hartford.

Exterior view of G. Fox Department store, 956-986 Main Street. 1918. x.2000.9.19

Before Black Friday…there was G. Fox

For decades now, the day after Thanksgiving has been referred to by many as “Black Friday”, the first day of the holiday shopping season. It’s a day of transition from a season of autumn and Thanksgiving to a season of holiday shopping and festivities; a day of drastic sales, crowds and madness at retail stores. As with many aspects of history common folklore often dictates people’s beliefs, falsely.  So, what is the history of “Black Friday”? What does it mean? Where did it come from? How long has it been around and what on earth was it like before “Black Friday”?