I have been documenting the Colebrook Land Records from the Proprietor’ Book, earliest date: 1720, through volume 6, latest date: 1819, for the better part of this past winter season, 2011-2012. The reason for choosing these particular volumes was because a recent grant was made available to make readable the earliest volumes, which, as anyone who does research knows, is not the easiest thing to do. The entries are all made by the various town clerks, some of whom had notoriously poor penmanship, and were even worse spellers. If one person has cause to spend a considerable amount of time with these documents (such as the town historian), he eventually learns to read them with relative ease. However, the majority of researchers is either tracing a certain plot of land, or birth or marriage record, and find it all but impossible to make head or tail out of the text.Apparently this difficulty carried over to the person chosen to do this research, as they began with volume 7, which was about the time the bulk of the terminology employed in the Land Records volumes came pre-printed, with only the names and certain other necessary information needing to be filled in by the clerk. This, of course, meant that anyone doing early research in Colebrook was confronted with the worst of the worst to wrestle with.No one asked me to undertake this project, but it was one that I felt would be of considerable value to not only the town, but also the historical society, which gets a considerable number of requests every year, especially for genealogy.The project, now complete, turns out to consist of 67,461 words, a figure I’m glad I didn’t know before beginning.As each page was quickly scrutinized, any especially interesting scraps of information were given an identifying mark, so that I could return later and copy it down. One such example was a deed made by Solomon Rockwell and his brothers to another brother, Reuben. The basic reason for this transfer of title to Colebrook lands was that the year was 1811, a time of a deep recession in the newly created nation, and partly as a result of this, the majority of the Rockwell enterprises were moved to Winsted, where the business climate was better than isolated, water-poor Colebrook. It was Reuben who remained, keeping alive the Rockwell name in the town that had given birth to the steel industry in North America.This two-page entry, written in a tiny, quill-pen hand, begins as follows: “All lands and buildings in Colebrook, beginning with the Higley Lot, so called, consisting of 121 acres.” This piece of land today consists of a southerly section of Mt. Pisgah Road, which contains Beulah Falls and two foundations, one for a lumber mill constructed in 1829, and a grist mill site, dating back to the 1790s. It is also interesting that the name Higley relates to the Higley of Granby, the manufacturer of the so-called Higley halfpenny, an example of early Colonial copper currency. These coins today are extremely rare and have a current numismatic value of between $6,000 and $6,500 each. I wonder if he paid for that 121-acre plot with his copper coins?The land descriptions go on to include most of the land between Colebrook Center and that part of Sandy Brook downstream from the intersection of Pisgah Mountain Road to the sharp curve where Jerry Peters lives. With the exception of the potential building sites along Pisgah Mountain Road, Schoolhouse Road and Center Brook Road, none of these lands were ever developed, although they certainly were stripped of most if not all of their forest cover, which was converted into charcoal for the iron and steel industry or lumber for construction or firewood.If one were to take a close look at the location and date of construction for sawmills, the progress of the development of the town can be determined, For example, the first two structures erected in Colebrook Center in 1766 was a sawmill and the house for the sawyer. This mill was constructed immediately to the right (east) of the bridge carrying Connecticut Route 183 as it crosses Loon Brook, at the site of present-day Abbott property at 2 Center Brook Road. Presumably the lumber for the early buildings that were to make up the village came from this mill. Then in 1829 we find a new sawmill is constructed on Center Brook, about 1 mile east of the village. We don’t know when this Pisgah Mountain sawmill used up its surrounding forest, but we do know that the town constructed a road running eastward from the bridge separating Schoolhouse Road from Pisgah Mountain Road, in front of McNeill’s at 36 Schoolhouse Road in 1853. The purpose of this road was to connect the Center with the three sawmills then in operation on Sandy Brook.This previously mentioned land excluded certain small plots of land, which document the construction of several houses, most of which still exist. Thus we see that Jesse Carrington has already purchased one acre of land “on which said Carrington’s dwelling house now stands.” This is 20 Schoolhouse Road today.An obscure bit of information that emerged embedded in the Center’s land ownership is the fact that Colebrook Road, from the bridge over Loon Brook to the top of the hill past the Center Cemetery, was named Phelps’ Hill 200 years ago. This seems an odd choice, as there is nothing in the contemporary list of land owners with the name “Phelps” in Colebrook Center, and as the town was only 32 years old in 1811, there couldn’t have been a previous owner who lent his family name to that short section of hill. As an aside to this article about the Center, there are other geographical locations that have names that give no clue as to their origin. Prock Hill, in northwestern Colebrook is one. Who was this named for? We know all the land owners, but no one with a name anything like Prock or Proctor ever appears as Colebrook land owners, either there or elsewhere. Then there is the western section of present-day Stillman Hill Road, as it ascends the elevation culminating at the intersection of that road and Rock Hall Road. I have come across a document naming it “Governor’s Hill, so called.” Again, there doesn’t exist another example of this name, but the fact that it was used in an official document has to carry some weight.There are many more scraps of interesting Colebrook history that have been noted at the tops of my research pages; this includes Colebrook Center, as I have barely scratched the surface at that location, and as soon as they can be untangled, they will be made available. Bob Grigg is the town historian in Colebrook.
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Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
L. Tomaino
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
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Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Provided
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
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