on a farm and married. He became a prominent figure in civil affairs, as well as the church at Salmon Brook (now Granby). Patent Safety Fuse factory explosion On Tuesday, December 20, 1859, the two-story Patent Safety Fuse factory located near the center of town exploded, killing seven women and one man. The blast also injured several other people, including the factory owner. The factory made cord fast-burning fuses used for blasting, which resulted in the explosion. Two days later, on Thursday, December 22, 1859, the New York Times ran a story about the explosion. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.09%, is water. Simsbury lies in the northern end of the Farmington Valley. The east side of Simsbury is flanked by Talcott Mountain, which is part of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to near the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in Simsbury include Heublein Tower, Talcott Mountain State Park, Penwood State Park, and the Tariffville Gorge of the Farmington River. The Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge. At the western foot of the mountain, the Pinchot Sycamore, the largest tree in Connecticut, grows near the Farmington River. Simsbury also has some patches of old-growth forest; Belden Forest, a 40-acre site with public hiking trails near the center of town was inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network in October 2019. The town is often considered a bedroom community for the nearby city of Hartford, Connecticut, which is a 20 to 25 minute drive from Simsbury Center; however, many residents also commute to other towns and cities within the west-central Connecticut region. Principal communities After the complete destruction of the town in 1676 during King Philip's War, there were three late 17th to early 18th century nucleated resettlement communities: East Weatogue (also called East Simsbury), Simsbury Center, and Terry's Plain. There are four census-designated places in Simsbury: Simsbury Center, Tariffville, Weatogue, and West Simsbury. Climate Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 23,234 people, 8,527 households, and 6,591 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 8,739 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.3% White, 1.17% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from