Turning Back the Pages - September 25, 2025

125 years ago — September 1900

SALISBURY — George Washington of Winsted has entered the employ of the Salisbury Cutlery Handle Co. and will move his family here shortly. Mr. Washington was formerly an employee of this company for many years, and is welcome home again.

The wells of the village are showing the effects of the dry weather and the watering trough is being pressed into service again.

It is estimated that George Bushnell has 1000 barrels of apples, Will Pulver 1200, and the Campbells 2000.

A.B. Landon has gone to Vermont for a load of cows; will be home with them Saturday; ready for the dairymen next Monday morning.

Mrs. Thomas Lindley met with an accident Monday. While paring potatoes, she was seized with a sudden dizziness and fell to the floor and in some manner received a deep gash on her head. The doctor was summoned and it was found necessary to take five stitches in the wound. She is quite comfortable at present and no serious consequences are feared.

For some time the new mogul locomotives of the Consolidated road have been drawing accommodation trains between New Haven and New York, and getting their bearings in shape for faster time. They are nearly all broken in now, and will soon be running on the fast trains. The new engines are very large. Their driving wheels are six feet and six inches in diameter and they have 19x26 cylinders.

It is now nearly time for the hobo to put in an appearance claiming to be a survivor of the Galveston horror.

The average man of family has been congratulating himself that it is about time to put away the lawn mower, but his rosy dreams are disturbed by thoughts of coal hods, cellar stairs, ashes sifters, frosty mornings, kindling wood and other incidentals pertaining to the coming of coal weather.

LIME ROCK — Geo. Melvin and son are painting the residence and farm buildings on the farm of James Richardson.

100 years ago — September 1925

SALISBURY — Mr. E.C. Mercer expects to leave in a few days to resume his evangelical work for Episcopal Churches throughout the country.

J. Brewster Pratt of Hartford, who lost his life in the fall of a seaplane piloted by H.M. Ludwig, who was also killed near Hartford on Sept. 17th, was a nephew of Mrs. Henry Hubbard of this place. The plane fell into the Connecticut river and for some time Mr. Pratt’s body could not be found.

LIME ROCK — Grandma Lorch had the misfortune to fall down stairs in the barn and was quite badly shaken up.

Leon Atkins was quite badly burned and cut about the face and neck last Sunday while attempting to remove a cartridge that had become jammed in the breech of a gun. The flare of powder caused the burns and the copper jacket of the cartridge caused the cuts. However the injuries are now healing nicely.

Vincent A. Stuart has resigned his position at the Journal office and has entered the employ of his uncle, E.J. Stuart, at the Best Theatre.

LIME ROCK — Miss Jennie Brasie is storing her household things and staying with Mrs. Brusie for a while.

The first killing frost of the season arrived Tuesday night. Ice formed in exposed places and flower beds and vegetables came to a sudden finish.

50 years ago — September 1975

Amenia and Sharon are off the hook, at least for another month. The Curtiss Wright Corporation, owner of the present Route 22 landfill site, has decided to let the two towns continue to rent the landfill. The corporation has set a new higher rent schedule for the next six months beginning at $1,000 for October. Amenia and Sharon now split the $500-a-month rent on the landfill site.

A slowly improving economic environment has resulted in the recall of all full-time employees laid off this year by Becton-Dickinson Company in Canaan. The plant is one of the largest employers in the area, employing up to 40 per cent of the area workers.

Beginning Wednesday it will be illegal for any state or town government body in Connecticut to meet in executive session except for limited and carefully defined purposes. Oct. 1 is the day the new Freedom of Information Act promoted by Gov. Ella T. Grasso and passed by the General Assembly comes into effect. The so-called “sunshine law” provides for open meetings of public agencies and for citizen access to public records.

“Little kids never change,” declares James DuBois. He might be considered something of an authority on the subject, being a veteran of 25 years and one month as a custodian at Salisbury Central School. Jim, who will retire on Sept. 30, has seen hundreds of “little kids” enter the school and has watched them become “big kids” and inevitably, adults.

Canaan has sold its first load of glass to the Dayville Glass Container Corp. of Dayville, Connecticut. The 9,410 pounds of glass was transported in two dump truck loads and brought a price of $102.99.

A new fountain has been installed near the Meadowbrook parking lot in Norfolk. The fountain draws its water from springs running through the bank under the railroad tracks. The water has been tested by the state and is safe for human consumption.

25 years ago — September 2000

Another group seeking an alternative to Essent Healthcare’s purchase of Sharon Hospital has surfaced. Walton Green of Sharon and Dr. Carl Bornemann of Falls Village, along with two other unnamed persons, have formed “Community Association to Save Sharon Hospital,” or CASSH. They are hoping to have their incorporation papers back from the state shortly. Members of the group were originally part of another group, called Citizens for the Hospital which was an infomal group started by Lime Rock resident Martha Miller.

Jim Britt, editor of Salisbury’s town report, was presented an award for the most outstanding report during a ceremony at Town Hall on Wednesday. The judging and awarding is done by the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Salisbury’s report bested the 43 other submissions from around the state.

Thanks to an unidentied donation from a local charity, the Sharon Day Care Center may soon have a building of its own. Cathy Casey, president of the day care center board, announced last week that a local nonprofit organization has given the day care center $100,000 to be used to purchase a building next to Sharon Center School. The day care now leases two rooms in the lower level of the school.

A successful after-school program, poised to enter its 10th year at North Canaan Elementary School, is threatened this week with becoming history. Lynn Nania, who founded and ran AHA (After Hours Activities) for nine years, wrote her letter of resignation this week. It followed the lack of a Board of Finance decision last week on her request to make her position a salaried one. Mrs. Nania’s request to the Board of Selectmen in July to make leadership of the program, which comes under the auspices of the town, a paid position, was referred to the finance board. She requested $11,250. With an eye toward leaving the program after the next year or two, her goal was to make it easier to replace her in the time-consuming post.

FALLS VILLAGE — Almost $40,000 has been raised for a new playscape and fitness trail at the Lee H. Kellogg School. With a few thousand dollars more, the school will be able to purchase all the equipment it needs. The new metal and plastic set will feature a spiral slide, curly climber, double track ride, double straight slides, double ring trek and challenge ladder for students at the school and other youthful town residents. The set is wheelchair accessible.