Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago —
February 1924

SALISBURY – Seven of Sherwood Wright’s little friends helped him to celebrate his fourth birthday on Tuesday.

It is understood that Mr. and Mrs. I. Kent Fulton will soon start on a tour of the West Indies.

37 donors have contributed $65.00 toward expense of running the Snow Plow. While this is very gratifying it would appear to the committee that more people in the Fire District must be interested in having the Snow Plow run in front of their property. There seems to be a difference between being merely interested and interested financially.

The funeral of Mr. Michael Dunn who died very suddenly while sitting in a chair at his home in Lime Rock last Wednesday took place from St. Mary’s Church on Friday morning with interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salisbury.

The dance given by the Friendly Club last Thursday evening was a great success and cleared nearly $25. Kegler’s Orchestra furnished the music and the affair was more than usually enjoyable for the large crowd present. The proceeds were turned over to Miss Frink to be used to buy clothing for some needy children of the town.

50 years ago —
February 1974

Jury selection began Wednesday in the Litchfield murder trial of Peter Reilly, 18, of Falls Village. State and defense attorneys had agreed Tuesday to the surprisingly sudden start of trial proceedings. Friends of Reilly were hopeful Wednesday evening that his $50,000 bond might be posted “within hours.”

Noah Webster, father of the American dictionary, lived and taught school in Sharon nearly two centuries ago. Now U.S. Sen. James Buckley plans to donate the old “Noah Webster Schoolhouse” on his property to the Sharon Historical Society. Senator Buckley confirmed the donation will relate to Sharon’s part in the Bicentennial celebration of the American Revolution. Plans, incomplete as yet, call for moving the ancient schoolhouse to the grounds of the Society’s Gay-Hoyt House near the Sharon Green.

After a fervent protest by citizens opposed to the X-rated movie policy at the Millerton Theater, it appears hopeful that GP (general public) films will once again be shown on a regular basis. In a last ditch effort, the Victory Theater Corporation presented nightly this week the first GP movie in nearly four months. James Severine, president of the corporation, said “it’s the most people we’ve had since ‘The Poseidon Adventure’” (the show last summer that has brought in the largest attendance since the theater opened in June).

During the past year, Canaan center was stripped of two of its major food outlets, the A&P store and Jack’s Market, and the village was left bereft of a general food store within easy walking distance. But now that trend has apparently changed. This week, James Blakey, former proprietor of Helbing’s Delicatessen, and Martin F. Emory of West Cornwall and New York City, purchased the little delicatessen and announced a major expansion of the business. Among the announced plans for the business is the installation of a quality meat market operated according to Blakey “by an old friend” of the community.

Geer Memorial Extended Care Facility has officially opened its long-awaited new wing, and is now accepting new residents. Ambler Travis, director of the Volunteer Services at the facility, said that new residents “are coming in fast” to fill the additional 30 beds supplied by the addition.

Young John Taylor, 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Taylor of Railroad Street in Canaan, had his first lesson in flying on Saturday. He received his instruction from a qualified FAA instructor at Great Barrington Airport in a Piper Cherokee 180. John, who cannot, by law, solo until he is 16, is a sixth-grade student at North Canaan Elementary School. Although Saturday was his first formal lesson, he has flown before with his father.

The stunt flying of Canaan’s Stanley Segalla, as he performs it every Sunday at the Old Rheinbeck Aerodrome, will be featured on the half-hour television program “Go-Show” this Sunday. The flying centers around the Aerodrome’s show of antique aircraft from the First World War. A skit is presented in which the Red Baron duels with his alied counterpart. Narrator for the Go-Show presentation will be Artie Johnson, the “little German” of Laugh-In fame.

25 years ago —
February 1999

LIME ROCK – Skip Barber is selling a majority interest in his famed racing school to Sports Capital Partners, a privately-held investment fund. The sale, which should be completed in 30 days, is expected to be valued between $25 and $30 million.

Students in sixth through eighth grades at Cornwall Consolidated School will dedicate this year’s Jump Rope for Heart to retired librarian Sally Hart, who is recovering from a heart attack.

Fred King, a former resident of Cornwall and a 1966 graduate of Housatonic Valley Regional High School, has recently accepted assignment as crew chief/ mechanic on a UH-1 helicopter owned by the NC Forest Service. Mr. King is retired from the U.S. Marines and has worked as a helicopter pilot for the NC Forest Service in Kinston, N.C., since 1997. Mr. King and his family live in Jacksonville, N.C.

SALISBURY – Some people will soon have to drive a little farther for a video, as Academy Video will be closing its doors. Owners Rory and Andrea O’Connor opened the store five years ago. According to Mrs. O’Connor, the reason for closing the video store was not because of a lack of business, but rather a lack of time. “I just had my third baby 10 months ago,” she said. “That’s why we’re closing. It’s a lot of work managing two businesses and three kids. This way it will be a little bit easier on everybody.” The couple also owns Oscar’s Ice Cream Shoppe next door, which will reopen in the spring.

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