WINSTED — Laurel City residents who want to know more about Winsted’s place in American Civil War history will be happy to know the Winchester Historical Society has hundreds of items and documents dating back to the beginning of the war between the states, which broke out 150 years ago this week.Historical Society Director Milly Hudak said Tuesday that Civil War historians have been in and out of the old Solomon Rockwell House (home of the Historical Society on Prospect Street) in recent weeks, and that events commemorating Winsted’s participation in the Civil War will include a Civil War re-enactment at Forest View Cemetery on June 5 and a visit from Civil War historians in September.“I have also been working on a project for local students,” Hudak said, noting that she has been in touch with Superintendent of Schools Blaise Salerno about an essay-writing project for students in grades five through 12, in which savings bonds are to be awarded. Hudak is planning to get local students to pick a subject from the Civil War and write about it from a Winsted-Winchester point of view. The details of the program are still being discussed.In a special Civil War room at the Winchester Historical Society, Winsted residents can see rifles used by the young men who signed up for the war in the early 1860s. “Lincoln originally called for a small number of men and he said the war would only last a few months,” Hudak said. “We now know it lasted much longer, of course.”Noteworthy soldiers from Winsted include the legendary Samuel B. Horne, a state legislator who received the Medal of Honor for his service in the war. Horne was ordered to deliver a message to the front lines in September 1864. While riding to his destination, his horse was hit by a cannonball and the animal landed on him, breaking three ribs and causing internal injuries. Horne went on to deliver the message on foot before fainting at the front line. Dozens of ribbons and buttons collected by Horne during his storied social travels are featured in the Civil War room.There are remembrances of Col. Elisha Strong Kellogg, a tough-as-nails commander of the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery who died in the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864, and the actual musical notebooks and drums of Charles Pine, a musician who served in the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery Band. There is also a saddle and bridle used by Lt. Col. W. T. Batcheller, who would become a state legislator and later comptroller of Connecticut.Uniforms, pistols, ammunition and written notes from Winsted Civil War soldiers are displayed alongside photographs, paintings and sketches that help bring this town’s Civil War history to life.In Hartford this week, cannon blasts roared in recognition of this historic anniversary, kicking off a four-year remembrance of America’s bloodiest war, which left more than 620,000 men dead and another 400,000-plus wounded. Gatherings and programs recognizing the anniversaries of major Civil War events will be held throughout the state and across the country in the coming weeks and months, until we reach the 150th anniversary of the end of the war, on April 9, 2015.The Winchester Historical Society is open by appointment. Call 860-379-8433 for information.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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