Turning Back the Pages - August 6, 2026

125 years ago — August 1901

Mr. Thomas S. Chambers, the oldest knifemaker in Lakeville, celebrated his 81st birthday on Friday. He is in perfect health and is in full possession of all his faculties, his eyesight being remarkably good. He can work without the aid of glasses.

CHAPINVILLE — An agent of the Canaan milk company was in town Wednesday visiting dairy farmers.

Much merriment was caused by the appearance of William Kane’s horse attired in a straw hat. To those unaccustomed to the sight, it appeared comical to a high degree. However, hundreds of city horses are wearing similar hats this hot weather and it is really a very humane idea. It would be well for more drivers to follow the example set by Mr. Kane. The horse is a gentleman and should be treated as such. About the only drawback that may happen will be when “Mrs. Astorbilt” or some other “sassiety” belle trims the horse hat with ribbons, feathers and chiffon. Mules don’t count.

LIME ROCK — Miss Carrie Richardson has gone to Watch Hill, on the sound, for a couple of weeks.

100 years ago — August 1926

ORE HILL — Michael Meehan and a force of men are digging a trench from Rockledge to Reed’s corner to connect with the Lakeville Water Co. mains.

Henry Ford is now announcing that he expects soon to manufacture air flivvers on a commercial basis. Great Scott! Henry! Haven’t you done enough to us already.

C.H. Barnum of the Journal force enjoyed a few days’ vacation last week. He has been putting in the time fishing, but doesn’t say much about the catching.

A water snake measuring four feet was killed on John Monahan’s place at Lincoln City one day last week.

50 years ago — August 1976

“No,” say three of four Northwest Corner pharmacists who have addressed the question of whether to advertise prescription drug prices. The Lakeville Journal sought local comment on that question following a ruling by Connecticut Attorney General Carl Ajello that struck down a law prohibiting prescription drug advertising. Morris Bartot of Kauttu’s Pharmacy in Canaan believes “pharmacies should be able to run specials.” Bartot said he thinks drug advertising is a “good idea” and went further to suggest that pharmacies should operate much like other retail outlets. Audrey Whitbeck, pharmacist at Salisbury Pharmacy, does not agree. She termed advertising by pharmacies “unprofessional.”

The Lakeville Journal learned from reliable sources this week that the Stanley Works Corporation of New Britain has planned a 227-acre land conveyance in Kent to the state of Connecticut and The Nature Conservancy. A Stanley Works spokesman would not confirm the proposal but did say “there is a possibility.”

It still was unclear this week whether the bankrupt Penn Central Railroad has formally abandoned the portion of the Berkshire line from Canaan south to New Milford in accordance with its expressed intent to do so last Thursday. Notification of this intent had been received in the Canaan Town Hall.

Mark and Gala Cohn of Sharon would like to give away their 45-room mansion and the 100 acres of park land surrounding it. The proposed recipient is the state of Connecticut, but state authorities aren’t sure they want it. Filston House and its surrounding gardens were originally owned by Romulus Riggs Colgate, grandson of the Colgate soap company. He also founded Dutch Boy paints and the National Lead Company. The mansion was built between 1903 and 1906. The Cohns acquired the property in 1967. Mrs. Cohn is now terminally ill with cancer and the couple’s concern is that the property be kept intact. If she dies before the transaction can be completed, Cohn says, estate taxes may cancel the project completely.

Lakeville attorney Rodney Aller was a guest of President Ford at the White House Saturday noon at a reunion of Phi Delta Phi law fraternity. Both Mr. Aller and Mr. Ford were members of the Yale Law School Class of 1940. The President, Mr. Aller reported afterward, “was the most relaxed man you ever saw,” despite the exigencies of the political campaign.

25 years ago — August 2001

On Tuesday afternoon, a brakeless truck with 74,000 pounds of asphalt screamed down Route 128 through West Cornwall Village, veered left just before reaching the covered bridge, burst across a homeowner’s yard, and rumbled nearly 30 feet into the Housatonic River. No one was harmed. No asphalt was spilled.

Radio station WQQQ (FM 103.3) will be allowed to extend its lease for five to 10 more years at the historic town-owned railroad depot on Ethan Allen Street in Lakeville.

Porsche racing car enthusiasts from around the world converged at Lime Rock Park Race Track last weekend for possibly the largest public gathering ever of the elite automobiles. “It was a one-in-a-lifetime gathering. Essentially, every significant Porsche race car ever created was represented here over the weekend,” the track’s general manager, Garrett Mudd, said. “Ten cars were shipped over by Porsche from their museum in Stuttgart, Germany.” There were more model 956s and 962s congregated there than ever before in automotive history.”

CANAAN — McDonald’s restaurant was closed by the town health department for most of Sunday and Monday, after sewage was discovered leaking from a pump station on site. The problem was found early Saturday evening by a passerby who was treated to the sight — and smell — of sewage leaking from a manhole cover and flowing over the sidewalk at the southeast corner of the McDonald’s property. That individual happened to be Town Sanitarian Ralph Stanton.

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