CORNWALL — The story of Naomi Cain Freeman will continue to be told for generations to come thanks to the work of Cornwall Consolidated School’s seventh grade girls.
Four of the students, Skylar Brown, Izabella Coppola, Halley Villa and Willa Lesch, attended the Board of Selectmen meeting March 4 with a request to rename a section of Great Hollow Road in honor of the historic figure. This suggestion was inspired by research into significant women in Cornwall’s history.
According to Cornwall Historical Society records, Naomi was born in 1794 and was adopted by Colonel John Sedgwick and his wife Abigail, of Cornwall, in 1801. This act protected her from slavery, which was still legal in Connecticut at the time.
Sedgwick included Naomi in his will and she received a dowry after his death in 1820.
Naomi Freeman’s deed for “one acre of land with a dwelling House thereon,” Aug. 27, 1828.Courtesy of the Town of Cornwall
Naomi later married Obadiah “Obed” Freeman, a man who had been enslaved in Cornwall. She purchased an acre of land in Cornwall, becoming the town’s first Black woman to own land, and the two settled on Great Hollow Road in 1828.
Nearly 200 years later, the road itself may commemorate her legacy.
The selectmen were receptive to the students’ suggestion and agreed to help establish a memorial street name.
“We could name a section on an honorary basis in view of this extraordinary effort and extraordinary story,” said First Selectman Gordon Ridgway. “I commend the seventh graders.”
The students hope to achieve their goal within the month of March. An update is expected at the next selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, March 18.
The Salisbury town crew out plowing and salting Monday morning.
Schools, municipal offices, churches and numerous community events were canceled or postponed through Monday as plowing operations continued and temperatures dropped into the single digits overnight.
Despite the severity of the storm, local officials said preparation efforts helped keep roads passable and emergency services operating — though many towns acknowledged the financial toll of repeated storms this winter.
“In December, we had seen as much snow as all of winter last year,” North Canaan First Selectman Jesse Bunce said Friday, before the storm arrived, citing conversations with his highway crew. “Our salt budget is getting thin, and costs like this are tough. But we have to do it no matter what happens. Public safety comes first.”
Bunce said the town had likely exceeded its snow-removal budget even before the weekend storm. Crews logged nearly 30 hours during the Jan. 17–18 weekend alone, he said, after back-to-back storms required repeated plowing and salting.
“A typical snowstorm might mean a four-hour route for our crews — three or four inches that stops overnight, allowing them to head out early in the morning,” Bunce said. “But when storms drag out, it really lengthens the work.”
North Canaan employs four full-time highway workers, with an additional employee on call for larger storms. Bunce said the town has some reserve funds and expects to shift money within the budget to cover overruns.
Falls Village First Selectman Dave Barger said his town is facing similar pressures.
“We will be over budget,” Barger said Friday. “We have used more salt this season than we used all last year — and we’re only halfway through the winter.”
Several officials pointed to a recent rain-to-freeze cycle as particularly costly, turning snow into inches of ice that required heavier treatment. Some towns adjusted their salt usage by mixing materials to conserve supplies. North Canaan, for example, has used a blend of roughly two-thirds salt and one-third sand, Bunce said. Salt currently costs about $120 per ton, compared to roughly $20 per ton for sand.
Kent First Selectman Eric Epstein said his town entered the storm well stocked and operationally ready. “The highway department has been busy and has gone through a lot of material this year,” Epstein said Friday. “We’ve had deliveries, we’re well stocked, and the trucks are in good shape. There has been an increase in costs, but so far, it’s within the budget. We’ll see if this pattern continues.”
Richard Tietjen, a sexton at the Salisbury Congregational Church, shoveled some 16 inches of snow from the church's front steps Monday morning, Jan. 26.By Patrick L Sullivan
Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said Thursday that highway crews were prepared, while Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan also reported that his town had taken steps to be ready for prolonged snowfall and extreme cold.
Beyond road conditions, the storm triggered broader cold-weather planning at the state level.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Lamont’s office announced that Connecticut’s Cold Weather Protocol would go into effect ahead of the storm’s arrival, activating coordination between state agencies and municipalities.
The protocol is designed to protect vulnerable populations during periods of life-threatening cold, including arranging transportation to warming centers and shelters when needed. Residents seeking shelter were urged to visit 211ct.org or call 2-1-1 for assistance.
Municipalities also reached out directly to residents. The Town of Cornwall circulated an advisory email urging people to check on neighbors and vulnerable residents and reminding them of the town’s Storm Safety Check-In program, which provides advance notice of major weather events and wellness checks when necessary.
As crews continued plowing into Monday, local leaders said the storm underscored both the importance — and the growing cost — of winter preparedness.
"A year like this, with so much activity, it’s inevitable,” Bunce said. “We anticipate going over budget. But we’ll take it as it comes and keep the roads safe.”
With additional reporting by Patrick L Sullivan
