Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — April 1923

FOR SALE Ford Runabout, with extra delivery box, in good running order, for sale or will exchange for good horse or cows. Phone 62 or P.O. Box 26.

Robert Fowlkes, who has been chef for 23 years at the Wononsco House, has accepted a similar position at the Salisbury School.

Miss Helen Spurr is working at Champagne’s Drug Store.

50 years ago — April 1973

All that construction activity in front of the Lakeville Post Office this week was to replace a sidewalk that collected water, Postmaster Joseph Whalen has announced. Ernest P. Riva & Son was the contractor for the new sidewalk to replace the previous walk that canted the wrong way. The cost was expected to be “over $1,000” and the work was scheduled to be completed by Thursday, Mr. Whalen said.

Canaan voters will be asked to act May 1, during the annual town meeting, on a proposal to purchase a tract of land adjacent to Church Street for housing for the elderly. The proposal marks the first tangible results of more than a year of effort by the Housing Authority to establish housing for the aged.

The idea came from Maryland. The decision was Richard Snyder’s. The Canaan Union Station will be painted light mustard yellow, with eave brackets and train shed supports “a light gold brown.” He announced Tuesday that the paint job might begin as soon as next Monday, May 1.

The changing of names of various town roads in Kent, intended to eliminate confusion, appeared to result in even greater confusion at Monday night’s special town meeting. It was proposed that the names of eight town roads should be changed. Three changes were tabled, five were acted upon. Result: the town of Kent now has two town roads with exactly the same name, two other town roads with almost exactly the same names as roads they adjoin, and two town roads with brand new (official) names.

The Kent A&P store, located on Main Street for several decades, is scheduled to discontinue business sometime in the near future.

25 years ago — April 1998

Actress and Salisbury resident Meryl Streep was honored last Thursday at Boston University when she received the Bette Davis Lifetime Achievement Award created by Ms. Davis’ son, Michael Merrill, who wanted to recognize an actress “with the high professional standards” set by his mother. Ms. Streep had previously won two Oscars and an Emmy Award.

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