a walk along the river will give you views of the West Hartford Historic District. West Hartford Village is one of five villages in the town of Hartford, located in the northwestern corner. The district is an excellent example of a New England community that shares its two hundred years of diverse village history through architecture, early farms, and former railroad- related buildings. Most of the historic sites in this 47-acre linear district are on the east side of Route 14, once known as Main Street, along the White River. The historic focal point of the District is at the intersection of Main Street and Harper Savage Lane where two stores once existed. Historic sites still standing include 19th-century homes, a library, church, schoolhouse and two cemeteries.
The first residents of European descent were farmers and mill owners, with permanent settlement beginning in the 1790s. West Hartford grew as vehicles and trains brought more activity to the village. Traffic increased along White River Road (Route 14), a main travel route between Boston and Montreal. A commercial rest stop along White River Road was built to accommodate traffic. New structures were built when the railroad came to Town in the late 1840s. The c. 1870 house near Harper Savage Lane is a surviving sign of the railroad, as is another c. 1870 former storehouse built west of the railroad station.