Spock would have loved this town! Colchester

Many are familiar with saying from the Star Trek Movies via the character Spock. It goes like this, “Live
long and prosper". Now how does this relate to the town of Colchester? Well they town has been
around for over 2 centuries and is currently one of the fastest growing populations in the state. So you
could say that the town and the saying do go hand in hand. Colchester is home to one of the state's
more popular 1/2 marathons that takes place in late winter. I know, because l have run it. The reason it is
popular is because of the camaraderie the race provides. Runners from all over the state converge on
Bacon Academy on this day. Old friends, new runners, elite and many running clubs partake in one of
our state's great road races. The race and course itself, well that's a different story. There are many hills,
dirt roads and windy bends. The last mile is completely all uphill as your approach the finish line. lt’s one
of those races where you can talk about throughout the year . There are many other things to talk about
in Colchester. For instance Bacon Academy is one of the more popular and historic schools in the state.
The school itself dates back to 1803 when Pierpont Bacon donated $35,000 to the town to build it. The
original building was rebuilt in 1993, but the legend of the school continues to prosper. There is Harry's
Place, a nostalgic hot dog, burger and shake joint that has been around for generations. Harry's is
seasonal, which builds excitement for the locals when opening day approaches when the weather
warms. The Air Line Rail Road use to run through town, over the once infamous Lyman Viaduct. The
Viaduct which went over the Dickson Creek back in the day has since been filled in with dirt since the
railroad became abandoned. The Viaduct was one of the pioneering structures of its day as it loomed
high and large. Then there's the Star Trek Connection again. Have you heard of the word, vulcanization?
Does this have to do with Spock again you ask? It does not, but it does have to do with Nathaniel
Hayward. Nathaniel Hayward is famous with Colchester history. As it turns out Nathaniel is credited with finding
the chemical process for converting rubber into durable material. Thus this process is called
vulcanization. There has been a debate over the years that Charles Goodyear was the 1“ to find this
process, but I am sure most Colchesterians will agree that it was Nathaniel that discovered it. The
Hayward Rubber Company was opened by Nathaniel in 1847. The company did so well, that it drew over
one thousand people to town in the middle of the 19"‘ century
to work there. Due to the population growth, the rail
road came to Colchester, hence the Air Line Rail Road. Nathaniel is also credited with creating the 1st
Fire Company in town as well as helping with the creation of the town's 1st bank. To this day Colchester
continues to grow even with the closing of the factory over one hundred years ago.
Spock was mentioned in the Next Generation of the
Star Trek Movies, thus I am sure the town
will continue to grow in the time period too.
Live long and prosper!!!!