Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — December 1922

The sleighing and wheeling are both excellent.

Neal Wyncoop has gone to Maine to visit friends and hunt deer for a few weeks.

LIME ROCK — Miss Clara Barnum has a nurse caring for her.

50 years ago — December 1972

Penn Central and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority plan to close down the Pawling railroad station, local public transportation advocates learned this week. According to MTA senior engineer John Tone, notice of intent to close the station has been filed with unions. The move could come within 60 to 90 days, he said.

Leading contestant (so far) in the “meanest thief of the Christmas season” competition is the person who stole the two small Christmas trees in front of the Apothecary Shop in Lakeville. Sometime Tuesday night the culprit (or culprits) took not only the trees which had been installed by the Chamber of Commerce, but the strings of lights and even the extension cords.

Salisbury Town Clerk Lila Nash is mourning the loss of her car, her beloved blue Corvair, which was apparently a total loss after an accident in the snowstorm last Tuesday afternoon. Mrs. Nash, on her way home after an early closing at the Town Hall, stopped on Main Street before making a left turn into East Street and was struck from the rear by a car driven by a Salisbury man. The impact pushed Mrs. Nash’s car into the eastbound lane where it struck a third car. All three cars were towed away. There were no serious injuries, although Mrs. Nash suffered a bruised forehead.

Kent resident trooper Andy Ocif is investigating recent burglaries in town. The home of Worthington Miner was broken into last week, and the Harold Bredberg apartment at Kent School was burglarized Sunday. Among the items taken from there was an uncooked roast of beef.

Fire Chief Richard Dakin told Cornwall’s selectmen last Thursday that a new firehouse is needed in the West Cornwall area in the near future. The present one which has cracks in the walls and floors was appraised by local masons and the verdict was that they could dig down to the footings and repour them. However there was no guarantee the repair would be satisfactory.

Dr. Elbert Gross, president of Music Mountain Inc., was given a $2,000 gift certificate of a Caribbean first-class cruise for two by Walter Nagel, president of the Hapag-Lloyd lines at Mr. Nagel’s Falls Village home last Sunday. It will be the first prize in a raffle, limited to 750 tickets, with proceeds to be devoted to needed improvements in the Concert Hall and musicians’ cottages.

—  John MacLeod recently purchased the Falls Village Plumbing and Heating firm from its original owner, Ralph Kirkpatrick. Mr. MacLeod said that he plans no great changes in the business and the firm will continue to maintain the town’s water system. Mr. Kirkpatrick will continue to work on a consultant basis.

25 years ago — December 1997

“Everything always happens for the best.” For his family and the hundreds of mourners who came to his memorial service, those words, often repeated by the late Dr. Vincent J. Peppe, may have been difficult to believe at the time. But they took some comfort in the fact that he was able to enjoy his friends and family right up until he passed away. “Doc” Peppe died Dec. 10 after a brief battle with cancer. 

WEST CORNWALL — Hedgerow’s Market, no longer just a place for fresh meats, fish, produce, deli products and dry goods, now serves a Sunday brunch buffet and dinner three nights a week. The establishment run by chef/co-owner Russell Sawicki has moved in to fill a need for more local eateries following the demise of Cadwell’s Corner restaurant. 

— The singing talents of Region 1 Superintendent Marvin “Muff” Maskovsky and board chairman Robert Loucks were displayed at the end of Monday’s meeting. Trying to encourage members of the public to leave so the board could go into a closed session, the pair harmonized on a round of “Good Night Ladies.” The room did clear out.

— The historic 19th century farmhouse on Undermountain Road in Falls Village destroyed by a Dec. 2 blaze will be razed by its owner, the Naugatuck Fish and Game Club, a club official said this week. Falls Village native Bill Holcomb, 86, escaped the fire that consumed the home he was born in, although the farmhouse built in the 1800s will not survive. Local building inspector Bill Conrad surveyed the extensive fire damage this week and advised that the badly burned structure be torn down.

These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.