Turning Back the Pages

125 years ago — April 1900

Oliver Jewell is ill at the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Jewell.

Misses Jennie Clark and Mamie Conklin were in Hartford on business this week.

Four members of a Torrington family were recently poisoned, supposedly by eating dried and salted codfish. It is not known whether the poisoning was due to the putrid condition of the fish before salting or to some preservative used in curing it. After eating the fish the members of the family were taken with violent retching.

E.H. Gilbert has been appointed postmaster of Kent Furnace, a fourth class office.

We understand that Dr. Knapp, the dentist at Millerton, is to be in Sharon on Wednesdays, occupying rooms in the Orton building.

SHARON — There is a rumor of a wedding in town next week Wednesday.

They say there is still two feet of snow in Vermont, and Goshen is yet to be heard from.

SHARON — Dwight St. John and Baldwin Reed made a business trip to Mt. Riga one day this week.

Died, on Friday, at his home, Alfred Malcuit of Sharon, age 32 years. Funeral was held on Monday. Mr. Malcuit was ill of the measles and going out of doors too soon took cold, pneumonia quickly seized him and death soon followed. He was well known to many people in the village.

A few days since a lady in town would have lost her life in attempting to cross the lake had it not been for the presence of mind of a clerk in one of the leading stores on Main street. Leaving home with $100 in her pocket she went to the stores of Bissell & Co.’s where she traded to the amount of that already stated and started to return home on the ice, when about two miles from the shore she discovered that she was being carried away on a large piece of ice, which in some manner had become detached from the large body in the lake, and was being carried with the tide at a terrible rate of speed toward the bridge which crosses the outlet, as she approached the structure she screeched several times and everyone in town at once started for the place of danger thinking that a locomotive had run some one down, on discovering the real cause a clerk in one of the stores where she had traded shouted to her to tie her stamp book about her waist and jump into the salty deep, and acting on his advice, she jumped, her feet struck bottom and she walked to the shore.

The spring peepers were heard last week Sunday for the first time this season. The weather wise affirm they will sustain three freeze-ups before coming out permanently. In other words that means three cold snaps before the real arrival of warm weather.

100 years ago — April 1925

George Storm and Chas. Cane are resigning from their work at Lea Farm May 1st, as it is to be run under college management.

Clarence P. Allen of Ore Hill met a tragic death on Tuesday. While driving a pair of horses at Spencers Corner the team became frightened and reared and plunged about. Allen was jerked from his position on the wagon and fell heavily to the ground striking on his head and shoulders. He was immediately taken to his home in an unconscious condition and died before a physician could reach him. Dr. A.F. Hoag of Millerton pronounced the cause of death as a broken neck. Medical examiner Bissell reviewed the remains and gave a decision that death was purely accidental. Allen lived in Lakeville about a year ago, being in the employ of E.L. Peabody. He was considered an excellent teamster.

Dwight M. Cowles has started the construction of a building to be used as a Roadside Market, which will be open during the summer for the sale of fruits, vegetables and poultry products from Woodmere Gardens.

Burt Ball has given up his position at Roberts Store and it is understood is moving to Poughkeepsie.

Liquor cannot legally be carried in autos in Massachusetts, according to a ruling of the supreme court of that state. Wonder if that applies to the liquor inside the driver.

50 years ago — April 1975

Housatonic Valley Chapter members of the Future Farmers of America, Matthew Freund of East Canaan, a senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School and president of the local FFA chapter, and Gerry Christinat, a freshman at HVRHS from East Canaan and president of the Junior local FFA chapter, each have achieved second-place honors in district FFA competition in public speaking and creed speaking, respectively. Their achievements enable the two to go on to state-wide competition in June.

Because of declining orders, the Becton-Dickinson Company in Canaan has had to order the layoff of 21 full-time employees. Workers were notified last Thursday with their job terminations effective May 9. This is the second time in three months that B-D has had to reduce its work force. In February, a total of 43 employees were let go.

Sharon volunteer firemen were called out to an early morning fire last Thursday at a vacant cottage on Mudge Pond Road in Sharon. The origin of the fire has been described as suspicious since the building has been vacant and because of the time the fire was discovered. The fire whistle sounded shortly 3 a.m. Thursday morning and was originally reported as a brush fire.

The public is invited to the grand opening April 26 of a custom upholstering and gift shop in Cornwall Bridge, owned and operated by Junne Adair Steeples and Dorothy Partridge, both residents of Cornwall. The shop — to be known as “Nip ‘n Tuck” — is located in the former offices of the National Iron Bank at the junction of routes 7 and 4 in Cornwall Bridge. The front section of the shop will serve as a gift shop, and the old teller’s counter will serve to divide the gift shop from the working area for custom upholstering, over which visitors can view the work that is in progress in that section.

25 years ago — April 2000

Heather Sykes of Winsted caught the largest fish in her three-to-six-year-old age category — a one-pound, one-ounce trout — in the opening day fishing derby at Lake Wononscopomuc Saturday. Also enjoying opening day fishing at Factory Pond were her uncle, Richard Pilch, and cousin Tyler Pilch of Canaan.

FALLS VILLAGE — Fast Tracks, the restaurant located on Route 7 across from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, closed its doors today after more than two years of operation. Owner Sandra Gomez said negotiations are underway with someone who will lease the building and continue it as an eatery. She echoed the woes of many merchants recently, who say securing employees is a major problem.