NORTH CANAAN — A central (and often emotional topic) at the Dec. 12 informational meeting on the rebuild of Canaan Union Station was the impact it will have on a nearby business.The depot is a national landmark, a tourist attraction and, for North Canaan residents, an iconic structure. Half of the building was destroyed by a fire in October 2001. When it emerges from the ashes after the rebuild, it will have a museum and a retail center. The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) is now the owner of the depot. Its members have been working on the project since it purchased it from a private owner in 2003.On Dec. 12, the Town Hall meeting room was packed tight with concerned citizens. It was also attended by engineers, architects and state Department of Transportation (DOT) representatives.Project designers and state officials were there to do what is usually a routine, informal presentation as part of a checklist for administering state and federal funding. The last phase, including finishing work inside and out and adding drainage and landscaping around the depot and parking lot, is estimated to cost $2,358,000. There remains a $1.3 million appropriation in the federal highway bill to be tapped.It may have been the first time this group had seen a crowd so entirely and passionately in favor of a project. They also appeared taken aback by the numerous comments and questions.Ameen-Storm Abo-Hamzy, whose family owns Collins Diner (which shares the station plaza with the depot), came to the meeting with deed in hand — and with serious concerns about how work will affect his business both during construction and in the long term. There was considerable discussion, during and after the meeting, on that and various easements, particularly those for the railroad and power companies.Plans displayed on easels around the room showed plantings swapped for a couple of parking spaces in front of the diner, which is already nicely landscaped. Members of the public tried to make sense of the approach. Of greater concern was a proposal by the engineers to block off the road that runs behind the diner. A wall was to be built at the bottom of the hill. Abo-Hamzy explained that large delivery trucks use the road to access the rear of the diner. There is no room to turn a large vehicle around. There was no compelling reason given for blocking the road, except to create a few new parking spaces as a trade-off for the plantings. An engineer said the state is concerned about the lack of line-of-sight where that road intersects with Route 44. But with the new plan keeping them from pulling all the way around the diner, truck drivers would be compelled to back out into traffic, or block off Route 44 while backing into the road.Selectman Charlie Perotti, who is the liaison between the town and CRHA, told The Lakeville Journal that CRHA board members decided that night (Dec. 12) not to opt for those changes. He also said the state is worried about land use and deed issues that were raised, and wants to see either a letter from Abo-Hamzy or an agreement between him and CRHA.Abo-Hamzy said no one is more supportive of reopening the depot than he, but he needs some assurances to protect the business his parents took over 41 years ago. “The diner is a national landmark itself. We need to be looking out for that as well,” Abo-Hamzy said.He said later in the week he was feeling more confident he was being heard, and was pleased the proposed changes, such as the road closure, were not going to happen. He said he needed an agreement that would protect and compensate him in case his business is interrupted.Landscaping concernsThis is far from the end of the process. There are required comment periods on plans, which will go back and forth between the state and CRHA before they are finalized. But it will move quickly between now and next June, when the project is expected to go out to bid, according to Tom Burgess, of the state Department of Transportation. That puts completion at late next summer or early fall.An “ellipse” at the front of the plaza was planned for removal at one point, according to First Selectman Douglas Humes.“They were going to move the new clock tower over by the depot and take the whole thing out to reconfigure the entrances,” Humes told The Journal. “I told them there was no way they were getting rid of it.”The ellipse has a bus stop shelter, which will go. (People will be allowed to wait in the depot instead.) An old ticket office will be moved. The information kiosk and restored steam engine displayed there were not publicly discussed. A memorial to railroad historian Earl Smedick will remain, along with the clock tower and paver sidewalk recently installed as part of the streetscape project. The concrete wall will be replaced with granite.Work on the depot exterior is proposed to include moving the antique caboose displayed there from the north-facing end to the east end, adjacent to where it is hoped a restaurant will be once again. A brick plaza will make for a more dramatic main entrance at the inside apex of the two wings, with decorative fencing funneling people to the plaza. Engraved paving stones sold as a fundraiser will be used in walkways leading to the plaza. The concrete loading platform, which runs for more than 500 feet along the tracks will be entirely replaced. A honey locust will be planted at the east end of the depot to mirror the one on the north end.Tom Zetterstrom, speaking on behalf of the town’s Beautification Committee praised that part of the plan, as well as other landscape approaches. He asked for careful protection during construction of the existing locust tree, calling it the healthiest tree in the town center.Inside, the octagonal tower will house a museum and CRHA offices. Retail spaces will be “white box,” minimally finished, with final work done at the expense of tenants to meet their needs.CRHA has been fielding calls from potential tenants, but no leases have been signed yet.Project Engineer Bob Gallo explained the drainage work that will address flooding issues in the parking lot. The plan is to tie in to drainage for the Main Street railroad crossing. There were concerns raised about that project not having been started yet, even though it’s been on the drawing board for more than a decade. Burgess said it is moving forward now.Property issues at the rear of the depot, a vital area for parking and delivery vehicles, were brought to the attention of The Lakeville Journal prior to the meeting. A landlocked parcel owned there by CRHA board member Bob Gandolfo is believed to infringe on the needed space. Perotti said they anticipate an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use its 50-foot right-of-way along the former east/west rail bed. Although the track has been removed, the rail easement remains in place.
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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