Turning Back the Pages

125 years ago — May 1900

Last Sunday the new Sunday School room of the Methodist Episcopal church was formally dedicated by the laying of the corner stone. The ceremony took place in front of the new building immediately after the close of the morning service, and a goodly number were present to witness the interesting services.

LIME ROCK — Marketman Geo. McCoy has an attractively appearing wagon upon the road every week day. He is building up a large trade in his line. Our citizens appreciate having a good market in the place.

On Thursday, while visiting Mrs. Charles Dakin, Mrs. Geo. Lamb was taken suddenly and violently ill. Dr. Miller of Millerton was called and Mr. Lamb summoned from New Haven. At this writing there is but little change in her condition.

They say Hobson is coming home from the Phillipines completely cured of his kissing mania.

SHARON — The firemen in full uniform, with their new hook and ladder truck, made a very fine showing on Monday evening. We have just cause to be proud of our fire company. The truck was made in Amenia and is similar to the one in that place.

The song of the lawn mower is heard in the land.

Have you noticed how neat and tempting the park is looking these days?

J.M. Miller is right on deck with a large lot of summer lap robes and horse blankets, from 50 cents upwards.

Frank Wright Jr. of Hotchkissville has taken a position in the jack knife room at the Holley M’f’g Co.

CHAPINVILLE — The upper wall of the dam has been removed and tileing has been put in to carry off the waste water in the old mill race.

100 years ago — May 1925

The body of William Ostrander, Sergeant Co. M, 102nd Inf., who was killed in action in France, arrived in Salisbury Monday. Sgt. Ostrander will be buried at Salisbury Sunday afternoon May 24 at 3 p.m. standard time.

The Dutchess Auto and Supply Co. of Millerton has delivered a new Buick estate bodied car to Mr. Lyman Sage of Sharon.

The road oiling machine has been oiling the state highways in this section.

A slight frost was reported early Tuesday morning.

Mr. John Robert Taylor has purchased from Mrs. Marion Jefferis a portion of the old Bissell farm comprising three fields adjoining Mr. Taylor’s present holdings. The part of the Bissell property now acquired by Mr. Taylor includes all the frontage on the highway to Mt. Riga which highway is now known as Robbins Road.

Mr. Ralph Bertone and family, who occupy rooms in the telephone building, had a rather exciting experience early Wednesday morning. About 3 o’clock Mr. Bertone was awakened by the smell of burning kerosene. Arising he went to the kitchen and found the oil hot water heater all ablaze. He threw on ashes to smother the flames, but the blaze grew worse. He rushed over to The Gateway and aroused Landlord Lawrence, who answered at once, bringing with him a fire extinguisher, which he applied so effectively that the fire was soon out. Aside from some smoking up of the kitchen there was no damage. It might be well to christen these fire fighters Bath Robe Co. No. 1.

The tent worms are very much in evidence in orchards and along the highways, especially where there are wild cherry trees.

Jacob Wevatoski has purchased the old school grounds at Ore Hill. He also purchased the office building used by the Salisbury Iron Corp. and will move it to his newly purchased lot.

50 years ago — May 1975

Russell Ottey of Lakeville landed an 8½ pound bass early this week in Lake Wononscopomuc.

Salisbury dog warden Hezekiah Goodwin is a patient in Sharon Hospital after suffering a broken leg. While he is recuperating, dog problems should be reported to the selectmen’s office or after 5 p.m. to Thomas Tweed.

The Lime Rock Protection Committee seems to have won a battle in its lengthy war against Lime Rock Park. In a letter mailed Tuesday to James Haynes, manager of the race track, Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission reported that its attorney agreed with the Protection Committee that zoning regulations have been violated at the track. P&Z chairman John Brock said that the track management must limit camping on the grounds, must plant trees to form a buffer zone and must not allow planes or helicopters to land at the track.

One of Sharon’s young citizens, Jennifer Prindle, was presented with the prize for her entry of the winning design in the Sharon Heritage ‘76 contest. The design is for an emblem to be used during the Bicentennial activities.

A new riding stable is opening up in Canaan. Laura Freund of East Canaan has established her stable behind the Blackberry River Inn and will be open for business seven days a week throughout the summer and fall. Miss Freund currently has seven horses in her stables, but expects to have five more in the near future, with another five or ten to arrive next month.

The Gary Duntz family of Falls Village lost their home and many of their possessions Monday morning in a fire. The alarm was received at about 9 a.m. sending Falls Village firemen rushing to the scene. The blaze was under control within an hour. Mrs. Duntz and her two young children were all away from the house at the time of the blaze. The house belonged to Mrs. Hillard Alston of Falls Village.

First Selectman Leo Segalla has a different kind of party planned for Canaan residents this week. Mr. Segalla has called on his fellow townspeople to join him in a “rock picking party” to clear stones from the former Lawrence Playground. The town is in the process of preparing the field for a recreation center for the community.

Edward W. Manasse, Falls Village attorney, was admitted May 12 to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Proposed by Robert Bork, solicitor general of the United States, Mr. Manasse was admitted during a ceremony before the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Manasse, a former Sharon resident, is associated with the firm Smith, Cornell, Smith and Mettling in Torrington.

The World Ministries Committee of the First Church of Christ, Cornwall, will have a public information meeting Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the church to discuss the possibility of the town’s adopting a Vietnamese refugee family. The idea of bringing such a family to Cornwall grew from the church’s interest in and financial support of Vietnamese orphans and the fact that for a number of years the church school supported a Vietnamese boy, Tri, through the Foster Parents program. That program is no longer operating in Vietnam because of the change of government there.

KENT — Town Clerk Marian Pacocha reminds the owners of one or more hives of bees that they should be registered annually with her office on or before the first day of October. The registration fee is only 25 cents. Those failing to register may be fined not more than $5 under Section 22-89 of the Connecticut General Statutes. Evidently inflation hasn’t hit beekeeping.

25 years ago — May 2000

Forty-six members of a Tri-State contingent joined the throng of Million Mom Marchers Sunday on the Mall in Washington, D.C., to advocate for gun control legislation.

A new lease has been signed that will allow the towns of Salisbury and Sharon to use property owned by The Hotchkiss School as a transfer station until the year 2020.

Have you noticed what strange weather we seem to be having? In the past two weeks alone there have been days so hot it seemed like July, followed by snowflakes and hailstones. Then last Friday a horrendous thunderstorm and lightning that hit a tree on Wells Hill Road in Lakeville knocked out a gas pump at PATCO, also in Lakeville, disrupted reception at WQQQ and frightened dogs and other animals. Then this week, just after many people had planted annuals over the weekend, there was quite a heavy frost on Tuesday morning. Does anyone else feel we are living on a roller coaster?