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East Windsor, Connecticut: Trolleys, Clockmakers and Five Villages

East Windsor, Connecticut

Pictures from East Windsor

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Connecticut Trolley Museum, lit for Winterfest Main Street, Warehouse Point Scantic River at the Melrose access

East Windsor was incorporated as a separate town out of Windsor in 1768, with the Connecticut River forming its western border — a position that made it a key transfer point for goods moving north and south. The area was settled in 1680, but the first English presence dates to 1636, when William Pynchon built a warehouse at what is still called Warehouse Point, sited at the Enfield Falls, the first major falls on the Connecticut River and the historic head of navigation. Rather than a single downtown, the town is made up of five villages — Broad Brook, Melrose, Scantic, Warehouse Point and Windsorville. Cabinetmaker Eliphalet Chapin opened his shop here in 1771, and Eli Terry, "the father of the American mass-production clock industry," was born in East Windsor in 1772. Shade tobacco became the dominant crop by the 1900s, and drying sheds still mark the landscape along Route 5.

  1. A restored-trolley heritage railroad run since 1940.

  2. 16 fire apparatus and 8 motorcoaches, co-located with the trolley museum.

  3. 784 acres along the Scantic River, spanning three towns.

  4. An 1817 former academy, now a local history museum.

  5. A Warehouse Point fish market and restaurant since 1980.

  6. A family Italian restaurant and pizzeria since 1983.

  7. Noodles, ramen and sushi with a cocktail bar.

  8. A neighborhood pizzeria on Route 5.

  9. A Route 5 hotel near Bradley International Airport.

Trolleys, fire trucks and a village mill

The Connecticut Trolley Museum, run by the Connecticut Electric Railway Association since October 1940 — the nation's oldest incorporated trolley-preservation organization — operates 1.5 miles of track built on the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway Company's old Rockville branch, with restored cars, a "guest motorman" experience, and seasonal events from Easter through a holiday Winterfest light display. Sharing the site, the Connecticut Fire & Motorcoach Museum holds 16 fire apparatus and 8 motorcoaches under the Connecticut Antique Fire Apparatus Association, formed in 1968. In Broad Brook village, the historic Broad Brook Mill was once the center of local life until the bulk of the complex burned in 1986; surviving buildings still show its former scale, with Broad Brook Pond and its dam across the street.

Getting there

East Windsor is reached by car via Interstate 91, exits 44-45, and U.S. Route 5, which runs the length of the town through Warehouse Point and past Broad Brook. There is no passenger rail station in East Windsor itself; rail travelers use the Windsor Locks station on the CTrail Hartford Line, just across the Connecticut River, which stops at Springfield, Windsor Locks, Windsor, Hartford, Berlin, Meriden, Wallingford, New Haven State Street and New Haven Union Station.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to East Windsor?
By car — Interstate 91 (exits 44-45) and U.S. Route 5 run through town. There is no passenger rail station in East Windsor; the nearest is Windsor Locks on the CTrail Hartford Line, across the Connecticut River.
Is there a train to East Windsor?
No CTrail, Amtrak, Metro-North or Shore Line East station exists in East Windsor. The nearest stop is Windsor Locks.
What is the Connecticut Trolley Museum?
A restored-trolley heritage railroad run by the Connecticut Electric Railway Association since 1940, at 58 North Road. The 2026 season runs Easter weekends through a holiday Winterfest; admission $14 adults, $12 seniors and youth, $10 children.
What is Scantic River State Park?
A 784-acre park in three sections spanning Enfield, East Windsor and Somers, with the Melrose and Harrington Lot access points in East Windsor's Broad Brook section. Open daily 8 a.m. to sunset; hiking, fishing, boating and birding, no camping or alcohol.
Is there a hotel in East Windsor?
Yes — the Baymont by Wyndham East Windsor Bradley Airport on Main Street, with free breakfast and about five miles from Bradley International Airport.

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