Windsor's town motto is "First in Connecticut." A Plymouth party led by William Holmes reached the site on September 26, 1633, and the town counts itself as the colony's first English settlement, a claim Wethersfield has long disputed.
Palisado Green and the old town
The original settlement centered on Palisado Green. The houses around it and along Palisado Avenue span three centuries, among them the 1758 Strong-Howard House, run by the Windsor Historical Society, and the 1794 First Church. The Palisado Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1987.
Houses from that era have the same roofing concerns as early houses anywhere in the valley: timber framing, wide-board decking, big center chimneys and roofs that have been replaced many times. A tear-off is the only way to know what the deck is like, and adding new sheathing over old boards is common.
October 3, 1979
On the afternoon of October 3, 1979, an F4 tornado formed in Poquonock, in Windsor, and moved almost due north, an unusual direction for a tornado. The worst destruction was on River Road, Hollow Brook Road, Pioneer Drive and Settler Circle. The Windsor Historical Society records 69 homes destroyed and 50 more severely damaged. Three people died.
Building a roof for wind
The far more common threat in Windsor is ordinary high wind from thunderstorms and nor'easters. When the roof is replaced, ask about:
- High-wind nailing, with the number and placement of nails the shingle maker specifies for high-wind areas
- Sealed starter strips at the eaves and rakes, where wind lifts shingles first
- Drip edge fastened securely along every edge
- Ridge cap shingles meant for the ridge, not cut three-tabs
- Ventilation that does not create weak points, such as tall box vents on exposed slopes
From Palisado Avenue to Poquonock, call to talk with a roofer who replaces roofs in Windsor.Mon–Fri 8:30 am–7 pm, Sat 9 am–4 pm (Eastern)
(844) 505-0987Windsor roof replacement questions
- My Poquonock house was rebuilt after the 1979 tornado. Is it due for a roof?
- Very possibly. A house rebuilt in 1980 got a new roof then. Asphalt shingles of that era commonly lasted 20 to 25 years, so many of those houses were re-roofed in the 2000s and are approaching their next replacement now.
- Are Palisado Avenue houses in a historic district?
- The Palisado Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1987. National Register listing by itself does not require approval for a new roof, but check with the town whether any local historic district rules apply to your property.
- Should I worry about tornadoes when choosing a new roof?
- No roof survives a direct hit from a strong tornado. What a new roof can do is hold up better in the far more common high winds: shingles installed to the manufacturer's high-wind nailing pattern, sealed starter strips at eaves and rakes, and drip edge fastened tight.