Southbury, CT takes on the Nazis
In 1937, the residents of Southbury, Connecticut were surprised to learn that a pro-Nazi organization was building a Hitler-style youth camp in their midst. The German-American Bund secretly purchased 178 -acres of land. Southbury residents had to come to terms with the situation quickly, and decide what to do. Were they willing to risk having Nazi philosophies in the town, possibly sacrificing their staunch New England values? In spite of their differences in politics or backgrounds, the townspeople decided to find a way to respond. Melinda Elliott will discuss her research which provides an overview of the German-American Bund’s threat to America and exposes the full story of the day-by-day struggles of a small town working through their own issues in order to take a stand against the Nazis.
Melinda Elliott is the president of the Southbury Historical Society. She conducts historical research and shares her discoveries through writing articles, brochures, exhibits, booklets and books. She is the author of two published books, Connecticut Schoolhouses Through Time and Southbury Through Time: Remnants of Our Past. She also wrote a children’s book called Southbury for Young Historians. Her newest book, No Swastikas in Southbury will be released in February of 2023.
A link for the trailer of a documentary on the same topic, Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said NO to the Nazis, can be found here.
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