Ethos

Mount Southington: Dr. Harold Richman's Dairy Farm, a Dedication That Never Happened, and the 1969 Avalanche Chairlift

Town of Southington, CT

Part of Skiing New England

Mount Southington Ski Area's own "Our History" page states: "In the 1960s, when boots were leather and laced and skis were long, Dr. Harold Richman returned from a ski trip in Vermont with his wife Barbara, inspired to build a family-oriented ski area in central Connecticut." It further states that after discovering a dairy farm for sale, "Dr. Richman partnered with members of his family along with the Palmisano family and Dr. Marino Grimaldi of Bristol, CT and other local investors" to purchase the farm and build the ski area. New England Ski History corroborates and adds detail: Richman — a New Britain native, Navy veteran of World War II, and graduate of Trinity College and Tufts Dental School who had opened a local orthodontics practice — enlisted real estate broker Anthony Mastrianni Jr., who acquired options on the dairy farm site from 14 property owners; William and James Palmisano, and Richman's brother George, were also investors. Two corporations were formed to own and operate the ski area, Mount Southington Associates and Mount Southington Ski Area; Walter S. Ayre Jr. was named the area's first general manager, James D'Anconia operations manager, and Jim Day ski school director, per New England Ski History — the same source later applies the "general manager" title to successor William Hart, confirming Ayre held it first.

  1. Central Connecticut's local ski hill, founded on a former Plantsville dairy farm in the 1960s.

A dedication that was postponed, then never held

New England Ski History states that Mt. Southington's dedication ceremony, originally planned for mid-December 1964, was postponed to Valentine's Day 1965 and then delayed again by rain; warm weather persisted, and the ski area closed for the season at the start of March 1965 without ever holding its dedication, even though a rope-tow-served slope had likely opened to skiers around December 20, 1964 — a hedge that source itself attaches to that specific date and that is kept here rather than stated as settled fact.

Snowmaking noise, a blue-law lawsuit, and a summer theater

During Mt. Southington's debut season, per New England Ski History, 17 property owners sued for an injunction to halt snowmaking, alleging the snowmaking compressors were too noisy and that operating a ski area on Sundays was illegal under Connecticut's "blue law"; 85 other property owners subsequently signed a petition supporting the ski area, and the injunction was avoided when the ski area agreed to try to reduce snowmaking compressor and loudspeaker noise. After that debut ski season, a permit was obtained to construct a "quonset-type" summer theater building, which opened at the end of June 1965 with a performance of Gypsy that drew 500 people, with Anthony Mastrianni Jr. heading the theater company; the theater was leased to an outside operator for the 1966 season. New England Ski History's own account of exactly when and how the theater's run ultimately ended is more layered than a single sentence can render cleanly, and that further detail is not compressed into a claim here.

The Avalanche double, NASTAR, and a $3 ski lesson

In May 1969, Mt. Southington offered fifty six-year, family-of-four season passes for $500 to help raise money toward a chairlift, and in August 1969 the area announced the installation of a Hall double chairlift — the Avalanche double — for the 1969-70 season, per New England Ski History. Southington's next expansion took place in the late 1970s, starting with a J-Bar installed for the 1977-78 season, followed the next year by Mt. Southington's first triple chairlift, named Stardust, which gave the mountain its second top-to-bottom lift, per the same source — that source's own wording for this expansion carries no word describing it as "major." NASTAR racing was added circa 1973-74, "reportedly claiming the second highest participation rate in New England," a hedged claim reproduced here with its original hedge word intact. By the 1966-67 season, per New England Ski History, manager John Rigby — the source's own word for him, distinct from the "general manager" title it reserves for Ayre and Hart — claimed the area's $3 two-hour ski lesson was "the lowest cost in New England," and that an estimated 14% of Mt. Southington skiers were taking part in lessons at the time.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Mount Southington?
Dr. Harold Richman, an orthodontist inspired by a Vermont ski trip in the 1960s, per the ski area's own "Our History" page. He partnered with his family, the Palmisano family, Dr. Marino Grimaldi of Bristol, and other local investors, aided by real estate broker Anthony Mastrianni Jr., per New England Ski History.
When did Mount Southington open?
A rope-tow-served slope likely opened to skiers around December 20, 1964, per New England Ski History's own hedge. The area's planned dedication ceremony was postponed twice — from mid-December 1964 to Valentine's Day 1965, then delayed again by rain — and never actually held before the ski area closed for the season in early March 1965.
Where can I find Southington's other attractions?
This guide covers only Mount Southington itself. The town's other places — the Barnes Museum, Rogers Orchards, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, and more — are on Southington's own travel guide, linked below.

Foliage

Still green this week · most advanced Oct 14–20

This town never reaches full colour on the state's map — DEEP's eight weeks run out before it turns.

Derived from the Connecticut DEEP fall foliage map. DEEP's map is a climatological estimate last published in 2023; it describes a normal year, not this one. Stage names are ours. See the statewide forecast.

Connected pages

Nearby

See also