Turning Back the Pages - December 25, 2025

125 years ago — December 1900

Chicken thieves have been at work. They recently visited Mrs. Pratt’s hennery and took nearly all of her fowls. It is supposed to be the same parties who raided her chicken house last year. A good dose of buckshot would be appropriate medicine for the thief.

The Cutlery Handle Co. is doing an increasing business. A larger force is now employed than for a long time past.

A singular and fortunate accident occurred on the Harlem Monday evening to the milk train; eight cars loaded with milk were tumbled into the stream at Tanner’s Bridge near Wassaic. Engine passed over bridge safely and caboose was not derailed. — No one was hurt. The wreckage has made transferring at that point necessary until Wed. when trains are again running through.

On Wednesday afternoon while Mrs. Mary Knight and Mrs. Robert Knight were going down stairs, in some manner they both fell. Mrs. Mary Knight was underneath and suffered a dislocation of the right shoulder and some severe bruises about the face. Mrs. Robert Knight escaped unhurt except for the shock of falling. The many friends of our elderly and much respected townswomen will be gratified to learn that she is now as comfortable as possible and trust that no serious results will follow the accident.

Beats the Dickens about that South African war don’t it.

We may not have seen the wireless telegraphy but we have frequently seen matchless safes and horseless chestnuts.

100 years ago — December 1925

Miss Elizabeth Warner of Gilbert School, Winsted, is spending the vacation with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Warner.

George Belcher Jr. has entered the employ of the Oxy-Crystine Corp.

The children of the white school trimmed Christmas trees, and gave them to the older residents of the village.

The young people have been rehearsing Christmas carols, which they will sing to all the sick, shut-ins and old people on Christmas eve. This is a custom established several years ago.

Mr. E.C. Mercer, the prominent lay evangelist, is home to spend a few days with his family and to get a short rest, after a very busy season. He expects to resume his work after January 1st. During his work which has embraced the entire country, Mr. Mercer has addressed more than five million people.

Mrs. Mary Dunn is at Wm. Tellerday’s on Brinton Hill.

John Stanton has taken a position at the local Western Union office to study telegraphy.

The sharp change in the weather on Tuesday night gave things a more wintry and Christmassy aspect and incidentally made a little bigger hole in the precious coal pile. The cold snap also froze over what is known as the muck hole and provided skating for the youngsters.

The Lakeville Journal wishes all its readers and friends a very merry Christmas with lots of joy, turkey, fixings, ‘n everything.

50 years ago — December 1975

Making up for lost time, Storm Dan insured good skiing and a white Christmas by clobbering the Tri-State area with more than 12 inches of snow over the weekend. Kids, sportsmen and resort operators were delighted. More cold was predicted.

The proposal to open the Falls Village landfill area to Salisbury and Sharon died Friday night. First Selectman David Domeier said that a preliminay study undertaken by Eugene Wright had proved the idea to be unfeasible. Domeier said that Wright’s figures showed that at least 60 per cent of the MacMillan farm (purchased two years ago by the town for its own landfill needs) is classified as wetlands. This would not leave enough land to support an additional landfill operation on the farm.

A turnaround for large vehicles has been constructed at the end of Dublin Road, to facilitate access to that road. The narrow width of the road has made it difficult for town trucks to plow the road, and school buses have been making their last stop about six tenths of a mile from the dead end.

25 years ago — December 2000

SHARON — Area residents vehemently objected to a proposed Sprint PCS telecommunications tower at a public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission held Dec. 13 at Town Hall. Zoning specialist Thomas Flynn, an employee of the Florida-based tower building firm SBA, attended the hearing to share what he considered glad tidings with commissioners and members of the public. A red trial balloon was flown by SBA on the weekend of Nov. 30 at the proposed site on Route 7 and, said Mr. Flynn, “the good news is that it was less visible than even I had anticipated.”

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