Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — March 1922

SALISBURY — Miss Thompson, who has been at Mrs. N.E. Clark’s recuperating from a recent illness, is now employed as stenographer at the Bank.

Fenton Drum has moved from Judge Warner’s tenant house to one of the Company houses on Factory Street.

The roads of the town with the exception of the state trunk lines are in a fearful condition, owing to the deep mud. The warm weather has caused the frost to come out and the autos to go in. Cars in goodly number have been stuck and had to be pulled out with horses. R.F.D. Carrier Boyd says he needs an aeroplane as his Ford is getting a regular habit of being stuck.

Landlord Perry is having a large brick fireplace built at Farnam Tavern which will add to the attractiveness of the Inn.

Etta, the 20-months old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reland Northrop of Taconic died on Wednesday, March 22nd after but a few hours’ illness of pneumonia. Etta was a sweet, winsome child and her parents have the sympathy of the entire community in their great bereavement.

Lost: Crank of little six Studebaker somewhere between Hotchkiss School and Wake Robin Inn. Finder please leave at Lakeville Journal Office, or George Brizzie’s, Millerton.

Last year the ice left the lake March 18th. This year it is still covered to date.

James Brady, the efficient janitor of the Men’s Club states that he has received word of the death of his brother in Butte, Mont. and that he is to inherit a very substantial fortune. He is now awaiting further particulars.

50 years ago — March 1972

The Hartford Electric Light Co. announced this week that it has contracted to purchase a new site for a permanent substation in Salisbury to replace the temporary structure erected along Route 41 last fall after hot local controversy. The new site is an eight-acre portion of property owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Johnson on the east side of Indian Mountain Road straddling the Sharon town line. Robert Grier, manager of the HELCO plant in Falls Village, said the company plans to install a “low-profile” substation on the new property.

The bright blue light on the roof of the State Police cruisers is notice to drivers that a trooper is on patrol, but it does not always mean trouble. Troopers will be patrolling in all areas of the state with a new blue colored “cruise” light beaming bright and clear, according to State Police Commissioner Cleveland B. Fuessenich. The blue non-flashing “cruise” light will be used while troopers are on routine patrol to make the cars more visible to the public. Some drivers have been confused when a trooper was behind them and the blue “cruise” light has been on, thinking they had violated a law, when in fact the trooper was on routine patrol.

Pegeen Fitzgerald, known for her “Luncheon with the Fitzgeralds” on WOR radio, will be one of the models in a benefit fashion show at Mohawk Ski Lodge in Cornwall on April 22.

Spec. 4 John Post, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Post of Canaan, was discharged from the Armed Forces March 20, after returning home from Vietnam. He had served with E Company, 4-31 Infantry of the American Division while stationed in Da Nang. He was an ammo bearer for the 4.2 mortar.

Falls Village will soon be asked to rent classroom space for Kindergarten classes in September. School Building Committee spokesmen reported Monday night that any permanent addition to Kellogg School which voters may approve this spring could not be ready for September occupancy.

25 years ago — March 1997

Beginning this Sunday, March 31, Kent residents can call Canaan, Lakeville, Salisbury and Falls Village without getting charged for a long-distance call. And people in those towns can now call Kent toll free. Notice of the change has already reached most residents in the Lakeville, Kent and Canaan exchanges or will reach them soon, according to a letter from Southern New England Telephone to Bruce Adams, the Kent Center School teacher who has relentlessly led the push for this change.

LAKEVILLE — Traffic along Main Street has moved to a stop-and-go pace recently, as crews from Connecticut Light and Power Co. have been working to improve the power line circuits along that thoroughfare and some side streets. The work was preceded by a massive tree-trimming effort during February which stretched the length of Route 44.

FALLS VILLAGE — Town Treasurer Karen Surdam will resign her post after nearly 20 years service next month. She will be succeeded in the job by Tax Collector Linda Paviol.

These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible. For more archival material, go to www.scovillelibrary.org.