Some say the world will end in fire. Ice is also possible.
Eliza Osborne
Latest News
Canaan residents among earliest to challenge British rule
Ruth Epstein
Jun 10, 2026
Historian Peter Vermilyea says Canaan residents were ‘radicalized, principled and constitutional’ in earliest days during a talk on June 2.
Ruth Epstein
FALLS VILLAGE – Residents of Canaan were among the earliest in the nation to publicly challenge British rule, according to local historian and author Peter Vermilyea.
Vermilyea shared that perspective during the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society’s first “First Tuesday at 7” lecture of the season June 2 at the South Canaan Meetinghouse. His presentation, “Liberty and Property: Canaan in the Revolutionary War,” explored the town’s surprisingly vocal role in the fight for American independence.
Displaying a Connecticut map from 1776, Vermilyea – who is also the social studies department chairman at Housatonic Valley Regional High School – noted that Litchfield County was once considered an undesirable place to settle because of its rugged terrain and poor roads.
“But that was seen as positive because it made the county inaccessible to the British,” he said. “So Litchfield County became a hotbed of the patriotic movement.”
He also pointed to the region’s large Congregationalist population as a factor in its strong support for the Patriot cause, noting that Loyalists were more commonly affiliated with the Anglican Church.
“Few towns embraced the war more than Canaan,” he said.
He then turned to the subject of the Boston Tea Party and Britain’s response, which included threats to close Boston Harbor.
“There were rallies held in Litchfield County, with citizens believing if they can do it in Boston, they can do it here,” Vermilyea said.
One of Canaan’s most significant acts came on June 21, 1774, when residents raised a 78-foot liberty pole to symbolize the resistance to British authority and support for colonial rights. While such poles existed in other towns, one that tall was uncommon, Vermilyea said.
Following the raising, residents gathered at the Lawrence Tavern, which still stands, and imbibed and offered a series of toasts. “They called it an act of defiance in honor of liberty,” he said.
The pole was called “Liberty and Property,” reflecting the belief that the protection of property rights was essential to preserving freedom. The townspeople also adopted a resolution when it protested stating that the illegal and cruel proceedings by the British parliament would lead to the colonists having no liberty or property.
Such a resolution was incredible, said Vemilyea, in that very few towns – only Fairfax, Va., and Farmington, Conn. – adopted statements earlier than Canaan.
“That showed a remarkable show of support from the people of Canaan,” he said. “They were radicalized, principled and constitutional in their efforts. And they were early.”
As the news of Lexington and Concord reached the Northwest Corner, muskets from Hartford were sent to local towns. Canaan received seven.
The war came to Canaan in 1778 when thousands of British and Hessian soldiers were being marched 880 miles from Boston to Charlottesville, Va., coming through Litchfield County. “They came right along there outside those windows,” Vermilyea said excitedly. Lt. Ashel Beebe, for whom Beebe Hill Road is named, opened his home to the soldiers, showing hospitality and humanity between enemies.
“Litchfield County’s isolation shaped its revolutionary experience,” Vermilyea said. “It was the bastion of the American cause. Canaan exemplified this steadfast resolve.”
Keep ReadingShow less
North Canaan to raise liberty pole for first time in 252 years
Ruth Epstein
Jun 10, 2026
Canaan First Selectman Jesse Bunce, left, and Geoff Drury conduct a test-run of raising the liberty pole and flag that will be officially raised in a ceremony on Saturday, June 13.
Provided
NORTH CANAAN – For the first time in 252 years, a liberty pole bearing a flag emblazoned with the words “Liberty and Property” will rise over Canaan as part of a community celebration June 13. The event, which will take place in Bunny McGuire Park at 11 a.m., will also include fun, games and food for families and residents.
The pole will be erected on the corner lot at the intersection of Routes 7 and 44, across from St. Martin of Tours Church, where it will remain in place for the rest of the year.
Town historian Kathryn Boughton said the event commemorates the patriotic fervor that swept through Canaan in the years leading up to the American Revolution.
Canaan was an early hotbed of dissent, she said, writing its Canaan Resolves before any of the other towns in the Northwest Corner and actively participating in shutting down the King’s courts in Great Barrington in August 1774 in response to the burdensome Coercive Acts.
Many Canaan men later fought in the Revolutionary War, taking part in some of its most historic battles.
Liberty poles were a common symbol of resistance to British rule and were often predominantly placed in public spaces to intimidate those with opposing views.
Historian Tim Abbott said Canaan’s original liberty pole was raised June 21, 1774. The Connecticut Courant described it as “a Standard for Liberty, 78 Feet high,” and topped by a scarlet flag 15-feet long bearing the words, “Liberty” and “Property” in large Capitals.
The event was peaceful, and the participants later gathered at the Lawrence Tavern, which still stands, for celebration. It is reported a more violent demonstration took place at the same site just a few weeks later.
The words were reportedly chosen to highlight the value of property ownership, which was often considered as a way to secure liberty.
Following this Saturday’s flag raising ceremony, residents are invited to Bunny McGuire Park for a free community picnic titled, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Appleness,” featuring American items like hot dogs and apple pie, provided by Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery.
Kathy Keane, chairman of the town’s USA 250th Committee, said there will be colonial re-enactors, musket demonstrations, cartridge rolling, quill and ink drawing and games for children.
“It should be a lot of fun,” said Keane. “We’re keeping in the spirit of that time.”
The event is being sponsored by the 250th Anniversary Committee, the Canaan History Center, the Canaan Exchange Club and the town of Canaan. Freund’s Farm Market and Bakery will provide hot dogs and apple pie.
Cemetery Tours
The Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society and the North Canaan History Center will host guided tours of Revolutionary War veterans’ graves Sunday, June 14.
In Falls Village, guides in period dress will lead tours at Grassy Hill Cemetery, 68 Point of Rocks Road, sharing the stories of veterans buried there. Self-guided tours will also be available at Haskins Cemetery on Undermountain Road and the Root-Gillette Cemetery on Steap Road.
In Canaan, tours will be offered at Mountain View Cemetery on Sand Road, Forbes Cemetery on Lower Road and Hillside Cemetery on Route 44 in East Canaan.
The free event is part of America’s 250th anniversary commemoration and is funded through a grant from the Canaan Foundation.
For more information, call the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society at 860-824-8226 or the Canaan History Center at 860-453-4435.
Keep ReadingShow less
June is turtle breeding season
Lakeville Journal
Jun 10, 2026
Alec Linden
Early June is the heart of the breeding season for turtles in New England, causing many mother turtles, like the painted turtle above, to cross roads in search of places to lay their eggs.
Wildlife experts advise vigilance and slow driving during this critical period, which lasts into July.
Aly Morrissey
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Hazardous household waste day set for June 20 in Falls Village
Alec Linden
Jun 10, 2026
File photo
FALLS VILLAGE – A household hazardous waste collection day will take place rain or shine from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 20 at the Falls Village Public Works Garage at 100 Railroad Street.
Residents of 12 towns are permitted to participate in the event, which is meant to provide a safe and clean way to dispose of harmful household materials that may pollute the environment and risk public safety if handled improperly.
Registration is free but required to participate, and is restricted to residents of Falls Village, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon and Torrington. Registration can be made by contacting one’s town hall or by navigating to the associated Eventbrite page by searching “NHCOG” on Eventbrite.com.
Accepted items include paints, cleaners, gasoline, pool chemicals, furniture polishes, household batteries and other toxic, corrosive and flammable materials. A full list of acceptable and unacceptable materials can be found on the Eventbrite page, alongside more information and an FAQ.
Residents will be required to sign up for a one hour time slot to manage visitor volume. Registration closes the Friday evening before the event at 8 p.m.
The event is being co-sponsored by the Northwest Hills Council of Governments and participating towns.
Keep ReadingShow less
North Canaan mourns loss of three community leaders
Christian Murray
Jun 10, 2026
Madi Long
NORTH CANAAN – Town officials paid tribute last week to three longtime residents who have died recently, remembering their decades of civic engagement that left a mark on the community.
Over the course of the last month, North Canaan has lost Peter Brown, Bill Hower and Nick Gandolfo, all of whom dedicated years of service to local boards, organizations and community efforts.
“We all in the Town of North Canaan are grieving the loss of many people,” First Selectman Jesse Bunce wrote on the town Facebook page, referring to the three men.
Brown, who died at age 70, served on the Planning and Zoning Commission for nearly 25 years, including more than two decades as vice chairman. Bunce said Brown also operated Lone Oak Campsites with his brother, Barry, and was known for supporting charitable causes, including motorcycle fundraising rides and other community events.
Brown, as a child, grew up on a farm in East Canaan that his parents converted into what became Lone Oak Campsites. In the 1990s, he and Barry purchased the campground from their parents. The campground was sold in 2024.
“Very seldom do you find a person that pretty much everybody in town loved,” Bunce said in an interview. “Peter’s one of those guys.”
Meanwhile, Hower, who was 66-years-old at the time of his death, was involved in North Canaan’s economic development efforts for roughly 25 years. He was a longtime local business person, who worked in the automotive industry, primarily through his family business, Jim’s Garage.
According to Bunce, Hower had recently approached town officials about helping boost the local economy.
“He was a great asset to the town,” Bunce said.
Also remembered was Gandolfo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, who was a familiar presence at Memorial Day ceremonies and veterans events. He served in Korea from 1952 to 1953 and participated in several battles and combat operations.
Bunce said Gandolfo, who died at the age of 94, served on multiple town boards and committees, participated in Boy Scout activities and remained active in community affairs throughout his life.
In announcing Gandolfo’s death, Bunce noted that he was among the town’s last remaining veterans from before the Vietnam War era and had become a fixture of North Canaan’s Memorial Day parade.
“There are few, if any, in North Canaan who don’t have a memory of him,” Bunce wrote. “His dedication, kindness and unwavering commitment to this town will not be forgotten.”
Bunce said each of the men contributed to North Canaan in different ways, but all shared a commitment to bettering the town.
“As our community continues to face a number of recent losses, now is a time for us to come together — to support one another, to share our memories and to honor the remarkable lives of those who paved the path before us,” he said.
Keep ReadingShow less
Sharon’s forgotten animal pounds draw new attention
Alec Linden
Jun 10, 2026
Lynn Kearcher and her husband, Carl Chaiet, pull brush from within the pound’s walls just off Sharon Mountain Road. Kearcher said the boulder embedded in the slope at the back of the pound is a unique architectural feature.
Alec Linden
SHARON – While many think of the “pound” as a place for stray dogs, a century and a half ago town pounds were a fixture of life in rural Connecticut, used to temporarily contain wandering livestock. Today, a Sharon resident is working to restore one of those long-forgotten stone enclosures.
Lynn Kearcher, a town selectman pursuing the project independently, has spent months restoring an old-fashioned pound on Sharon Mountain Road in an effort to preserve a little-known piece of the town’s agrarian history.
“It’s a structure that links us to our past in what was a very important period,” she said June 4, while pulling brush from the pound’s low stone walls. The site, near the intersection of Sharon Mountain and Jackson Hill roads, is owned by three private landowners, all of whom have given permission for the effort.
The now-tidy plot looked very different just several months ago, Kearcher said. Since then, she, her husband, Carl Chaiet, and other volunteers have spent many hours clearing weeds and brush, while several community members donated money to hire Applewood Tree Care to remove several dead trees from the site.
Kearcher is continuing to raise money to restore the pound to an appearance she believes reflects the dignity such a vestige of town history deserves.
In pre-barbed wire days, when farms were more numerous and often smaller with limited means of monitoring livestock, New England towns built special corrals for animals on the loose. A resident known as the pound keeper rounded up rogue animals in a common pen. Farmers could either pay a fee to collect them or surrender them to the town, which could then auction the animals and keep the earnings.
Town pounds emerged in New England from the earliest days of livestock husbandry up until the late 19th century, and their importance in that era is hard to overstate, said history writer Matthew E. Thomas, author of a 2023 book on New England’s remaining animal pounds.
“You had to have a pound to be able to prevent all of these different livestock animals from escaping from their farms and wreaking havoc in neighbors’ property, which did not make for good neighborly dealing sometimes,” Thomas said.
“These are wonderful monuments to the past,” he added, noting that a runaway cow could wreck someone’s food stores for the hard winter ahead.
Thomas’s research identified approximately 170 known pounds intact today in New England, but he said he’s grateful to residents like Kearcher who show that there are likely many more lost to time in yards and woods across the region.
“It just makes it so much more meaningful to know that there are people out there that genuinely care about preserving our early American history,” he said.
Kearcher has identified two more suspected pounds nearby, with one hidden in the woods farther south on Sharon Road and the other sitting in a thicket next to Fairchild Road. Both are located on land owned by the Sharon Land Trust, which has given permission for future restoration.
The goal, Kearcher said, is to protect these sites with an ordinance that would herald them as artifacts of Sharon’s history, potentially dating back to the early 18th century. Kearcher has been communicating with the state archeologist to organize a visit that may shed some light on the specific stories of the structures.
For his part, Thomas said the pounds, while forgotten by many, are a strong reminder of a different way of living in the countryside: “A time,” he wrote, “when nearly all social, economic, religious and political issues were handled primarily at the local level.” In that bygone era, sometimes locking up a cow or pig for a few days was another means to keep the peace.
Keep ReadingShow less
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
loading
