Turning Back the Pages

100 years ago — October 1924

Mr. and Mrs. E.R. Smith have gone with Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Parsons to the latter’s place, “Isle of Hope,” an island off the coast of Georgia, for the winter. Mr. Smith has the position of chauffeur for Mr. Parsons.

Last Saturday Ferdinand Rapp of Falls Village was in collision with Robert Graham, also of Falls Village, at the Salisbury end of the bridge over the Housatonic at Amesville. No serious damage was done, but Rapp was arrested and charged with violation of the rules of the road in not giving Graham sufficient room to pass, also for not having his brakes in good condition and for operating without a license. He was brought before Justice Tuttle Monday and pleaded guilty. He was fined $5.00 on each of the first two counts, and $10.00 for operating without a license, amounting to $20.00. The costs were $12.01.

The home of Mrs. Susan Bennett on Factory Street, Salisbury, was completely destroyed by fire on Wednesday evening. The fire started in the chimney and had practically consumed the house before the alarm was given. It is understood that the house was covered by insurance.

LIME ROCK — Charles Cashdollar had the misfortune of falling in the woods, and hurting his side one day last week.

Governor Templeton on Tuesday placed a ban on all hunting in the woods, owing to the danger of forest fires. The governors of other nearby states have taken similar action.

50 years ago — October 1974

A distinct possibility loomed this week that local court sessions, restored to Northwest Connecticut only last April after an absence of 2½ years, may again be withdrawn. Judge Roman J. Lexton, who presided over the monthly meeting of the 18th Circuit Court in Salisbury last Thursday, said no further sessions were being scheduled for November or December. He closed the file rather than continue several motor vehicle cases.

The Little Guild of St. Francis for the Welfare of Animals formally divided into two groups at its last meeting Sunday. The Little Guild will serve the towns of Sharon, Cornwall, Salisbury, North Canaan, Lakeville, Falls Village, Norfolk and Kent. A new corporation, The Litchfield Animal League, will serve the towns of Torrington, Litchfield, Bethlehem, Morris and Harwinton. Director Alexander Spence said that the directors decided that the area formerly served by the Little Guild was too large for one organization, both financially and for the animal population.

A “suspicious” fire, believed to be caused by arson, leveled a two-story barn on Hospital Hill Road in Sharon last Thursday evening. The vacant building was owned by Dr. Richard Westsmith. The fire is believed to be the second case of arson on Dr. Westsmith’s property in the past six months. State and local fire marshals and Connecticut State Police are investigating the latest blaze.

Nellie Rodgers, long-time servant of Falls Village, was honored by her many friends and admirers Sunday at a reception in Miner Hall. Miss Rodgers was presented with $1,000, a trip to Acapulco and a scroll signed by her friends.

The State Bond Commission approved a $37,800 grant last Friday for the purchase of another 71 acres of land in Robbins Swamp in Canaan. The land currently belongs to Fiorella and Joseph M. Segalla. A Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said that the purchase is part of an ongoing effort by the state to create a large wildlife preserve. He said that Robbins Swamp is the largest inland wetland in the state.

No word has yet been received from state officials on the fate of the former Lawrence Playground. First Selectman Leo Segalla said this week that he has called the state Department of Transportation several times in an effort to find out what the final disposition of the property will be. The town has been trying for several years to repurchase the land. It was originally sold to the state in the 1950s as part of the land acquisitions for the relocation of Route 7.

Navy Engineman Fireman Francis J. Wilson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence A. Wilson of Sand Road, Falls Village, has returned to Norfolk, Va., aboard the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered guided missile frigate, the USS California. A former student at Oliver Wolcott Technical School, Torrington, he joined the Navy in 1974.

The Lakeville office of the Litchfield Savings Bank will move into its new building at Main and Pettee streets this weekend and will open for business there at 9 a.m. Monday. The building was the home of the late May Bissell and her father, Dr. William Bissell, and dates from about 1860.

25 years ago — October 1999

NEW YORK — On a beautiful fall day with music from French horns adding to the occasion, some 50 people gathered in Washington Square Park Monday to honor Lakeville-born Alexander Lyman Holley and to rededicate his refurbished monument. Among them were 12 members of the Salisbury Association and the Holley Williams House Museum and at least a dozen descendants of the man who introduced the Bessemer process of steelmaking to the United States and significantly altered its lifestyle and its economy.

A southbound Housatonic Railroad engine went off the track near the engine house in Canaan at about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday when it advertently rolled into a second engine it was about to replace. Some 120 feet of rail were damaged. A crane and other equipment were brought in to right the engine. According to Bob DuCharme, superintendent of operations for Housatonic, regular rail traffic would be restored by that evening.

SALISBURY — Five years ago, math mastery scores for the Salisbury Central School were so low a Math Council was formed to address the problem. Now, according to a report presented to the Board of Education Oct. 25, the school math scores are among the highest in the state.

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