Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — March 1924

The mysterious disappearance of Lawrence Travis, 20 years old, in a Star Sedan belonging to A.S. Martin, was solved at 5 o’clock last Thursday afternoon, when the car containing the young man’s body was drawn to the surface of the lake, after hours of hard and dangerous work. The search for the body resulted from the discovery of a patch of black oil under the surface of the ice by William Bassett, a fellow worker of Travis at Martin’s Garage. Mr. Bassett had never been fully satisfied in his mind that young Travis had gone very far away and he believed that some accident had befallen him. On Thursday John H. Garrity’s small derrick was taken to the lake and block and tackle installed. By this time a crowd of between two and three hundred people had gathered, and many hands laid hold of the rope to draw the car out. Soon it was resting on the ice, and a moment later Michael P. Flynn entered the car and brought forth the remains of the unfortunate young man. An autopsy conducted by Medical Examiner Bissell was done immediately after recovery of the body and death was found to have been due to drowning. Much sympathy is felt for Mr. John Travis, father of the young man, and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Travis, with whom the lad had lived. There is a great feeling of sadness throughout the community over his untimely death.

LIME ROCK – John Eggleston has moved to the Frost farm which he recently purchased.

A.C. Roberts who has been indisposed, has been spending the week in Sharon Hospital to rest and recuperate. Physicians are of the opinion that a run down condition coupled with overwork made a period of rest and relaxation necessary.

50 years ago — March 1974

Baby chicks were hatched recently by members of Robert Snyder’s fourth grade class at North Canaan Elementary School. The class hatched the little chickens as part of their science classes. Twelve of the students who have brooders at home took the chickens to raise, each student receiving seven or eight of the birds. The students injected vegetable dyes into the eggs before the chickens hatched so many of the birds emerged with brilliantly colored plumage.

Three years ago the formation of a Housing Authority to establish housing for the elderly in Canaan was a burning political issue. The politics have been removed from the situation, but the burning resumed this week. It was revealed Tuesday that while the town crew was busy clearing the site for the housing project, a small fire got started in the old banks of coal left over from the railroading days. The coal has impregnated the soil and the fire went underground. A trench has been dug around the smoldering area and the fire company has drenched the soil with water to extinguish the fire.

Andrea Gandolfo, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Gandolfo of East Canaan, took third place this week in the 15th annual statewide competition of accordion players. The competition is sponsored by the Accordion Teachers of Connecticut. Miss Gandolfo, a seven-year-old who has studied for only one year, is a student of Gary Ross at his Lakeville School of Music.

An unusual double ceremony on April 6 will mark a renewal of the wedding vows for two couples, Mr. and Mrs. William P. Starr of Kent and Mr. and Mrs. Stephen R. Squires of Goshen. The ceremony will take place at the First Church of Christ, Cornwall. Mr. Starr and Mrs. Squires, who are brother and sister, are great-grandchildren of a former minister of First Church.

A mailbag containing all copies of The Lakeville Journal for Norfolk mail delivery and newsstand sales went astray in the postal system last Thursday and was not located until Monday afternoon. Consequently Norfolk subscribers received their papers late and would-be newsstand purchasers were disappointed until Saturday morning when The Journal supplied extra copies.

25 years ago — March 1999

Ruth Epstein, editor of The Lakeville Journal, has been named to the board of directors of the New England Press Association. The vote was taken during a retreat held by the board this past weekend in Hanover, N.H.

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