Turning Back the Pages - April 23, 2026

125 years ago — April 1901

Connecticut’s onion crop is threatened. From time immemorial Southport boys have quit school when “setting out” time came, earning good wages on the onion farms till fall. “Where are all the boys?” Principal Tait asked on Monday. “Setting out sets,”

came a chorus of answers. Onion farmers promptly were notified by the indignant principal that school attendance was compulsory under the State law, onions or no onions. “What’s this mean?” the wrathful onion growers asked the School Board. “Don’t mind him. He’s only been here a year,” said the School Board, who grow onions themselves. But Principal Tait is still determined to make the boys return to school.

Mrs. Julia Ayres, aged 87 years, died at her home early Saturday morning. Mrs. Ayres had been a resident of this place for many years. Her husband, Whiting L. Ayres, was one of the iron workers on Mt. Riga years ago. He, with two sons Daniel and Henry, and grandson Charles Ball, were in the civil war. The deceased was the head of five generations of whom the following survive: seven children, 21 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. The funeral was held at the Congregational Church Monday afternoon, Rev. J.C. Goddard officiating.

Ground has been purchased on Frink Hill, near Salisbury, and the buildings of a new school for boys will be put up at once. This school has been hitherto located at New Brighton, Staten Island, and is to move up here for next year. It will admit a younger class of boys than attend our school. It is understood that military discipline will be employed. The Head Master is Mr. Quaile, a graduate of Dublin University, Ireland.

A Methodist Episcopal Church and bank building will be built at once at Falls Village in place of those recently burned.

100 years ago — April 1926

Auto owners will do well to see that garages are well locked at night in view of the recent theft of cars and tires. A watchful eye and a double barreled shotgun might make things interesting for the miscreants.

The waste places in the village where the uncut brush and grass have accumulated are going to receive attention, and the danger of fire removed. This evening at 6 o’clock the members of the Lakeville Hose Co. and others will visit the danger spots and if there is not too much wind will burn them over under controlled methods. Every member of the company is requested to be on hand and lend their assistance. This is a wise move and will make for safety.

The ice left the lake during the past week — a much later date than in a number of years.

50 years ago — April 1976

Scores of Salisbury residents flocked to the Town Grove this Monday for some pre-season wading and sunbathing. Temperatures near the 90-degree mark for four successive days coincided with the area schools’ vacation week, the beginning of Connecticut’s fishing season and a severe general outbreak of spring fever. The week of unseasonably hot and dry weather in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner has also produced the worst spring forest fire danger in five or six years, according to Arb Roberts, Department of Environmental Protection regional fire manager. His department is keeping Gov. Ella Grasso advised but Roberts said the danger is not yet bad enough to warrant a recommendation to close woodlands in the state.

For the past two weeks, an advertising film crew using professional actors and local residents has been roving the Northwest Corner shooting commercials for television. Producer of the retail sales commercials is William Muyskens, who lives in Taconic and incorporates his neighbors’ houses, dogs and nearby scenery in the commercials. The advertising firm of Madison, Coleman and Muyskens Inc. is headquartered in New York City but the majority of the spring and summer commercials are filmed in Northwest Connecticut. Muyskens said the countryside here offers everything “except sand dunes and surf.”

Two Housatonic Valley Regional High School juniors, Cindy Brammer of Salisbury and Kathy L. Blanke of North Canaan, were elected Future Homemakers of America state officers at the FHA state convention on Thursday and Friday, April 8 and 9. Miss Brammer will serve as vice-president of Reporting and Records, while Miss Blanke will serve as treasurer for the1976-77 school year.

Harrison Salisbury of Taconic and New York City, retired reporter and editor for The New York Times, will appear twice weekly as a press critic on CBS Morning News.

Esther Freund of East Canaan was honored in Hartford Tuesday as Connecticut’s Mother of the Year. Mrs. Freund, a farmer’s wife and mother of five children, was selected for the honor by the American Mothers Committee Inc., a group which has its headquarters in New York City.

The end of April will see the passing of yet another small Canaan business. Donati’s Market, an East Canaan mainstay for the past 40 years, is closing according to Louis (Babe) Donati. Donati said last week he is retiring from the business because of the long hours and the steadily increasing pressures on small businessmen. Obviously reluctant to close the little store, he spoke wistfully of all the customers who make his store a regular stop.

George and Genevieve Stenman of Ashley Falls, Mass., have sold a parcel of land on West Main Street in Canaan to the North Canaan Airport Inc. The land in question has been leased by the airport for the past several years. The Stenmans reserved a parcel in the southwest corner of the property for themselves but gave the airport first refusal if they should ever sell the land. The operation of the airport has been a source of controversy over the years with neighboring landowners complaining about the noise from tow planes which pull gliders aloft each weekend.

25 years ago — April 2001

SHARON — First Selectman Robert Moeller, Sharon Historical Society President Edward Kirby and archaeological engineer Stephen Sopko examined the Sharon lime kiln last Thursday in preparation of its upcoming restoration project. If the project comes together as planned, Mr. Kirby tentatively expects the onsite restoration work to start mid-August.

“Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.” That’s the message of a videotape by local filmmaker Eric Veden entitled, promisingly, “Falls Village. Episode One.” The 55-minute documentary has been aired several times on public television, and copies of the tape can be found at the D.M. Hunt Library.

CANAAN — In a downsizing move, Connecticut Sand and Stone Corp. is giving up mining operations and recently sold two of its sand and gravel pits in Canaan for a total of $1.25 million. It also plans to sell a third one soon.

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