Spring 2014 - Cheshire Historical Society

CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWS
Volume 37, No. 1
PROGRAM
Monday, March 24, 7:30 p.m.
“America's Moveable Feasts: The Heart and Soul
of Our National Holidays”
Barney Kathan
Book in the Works, "America's Moveable Feasts: The
Heart and Soul of Our National Holidays," by the Rev.
Boardman "Barney" Kathan. A retired minister, he has
served churches in Connecticut (including Cheshire), Illinois and Minnesota, worked on a national board in New
York City and a state conference in Boston, and for many
years was the executive of an inter-faith, international organization. Special attention will be given to Gov. Samuel
Foot's 1834 Thanksgiving Proclamation, which is on display in the Meeting Room and provided the title for one
chapter, "Thanksgiving, Prayer and Praise."
Monday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.
“Copper and Baryite Mining in Cheshire”
Charles W. Dimmick
Charles Wm. Dimmick is a Professor of Geology Emeritus, having retired from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in 2005 after 40 years of teaching. He is a
Certified Professional Geologist, and served for three
years as national editor for the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and three years as President
of the Northeast Section of AIP. He has been a member of
the Cheshire Wetlands Commission since 1974, and is
currently Treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions. He received
degrees from Colorado School of Mines, University of
Florida, and Tulane University. (Dr. Dimmick is also an
active parishioner of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, an officer of Cheshire Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) and active
in committees of the Connecticut State Grange and of the
Association of Connecticut Fairs. ) Dr. Dimmick will discuss mining operations in Cheshire, beginning with the
discovery of copper near the Parker farm in 1711.
The Cheshire Historical Society welcomes
new members! Please tell a friend to join!
IN THIS ISSUE:
•
•
•
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Researching the Pewter at the HPH
A Shooting in Dallas: Member Shares Photos
1972 DIY: Converting Dormitory to Museum
“Spirits Come Alive” at Hillside Cemetery
Spring/Summer 2014
SPRING CALENDAR
Except for holiday weekends, the Hitchcock-Phillips House
(HPH) will be open to the public every Sunday, 2-4 p.m. from
April through the end of the year. It is also open by appointment on other days. Call 203-272-8771 to schedule a visit.
March 24
Monday
7:30 p.m.
Membership Meeting
SPEAKER
April 6
Sunday
2-4 p.m.
House reopens for
Sunday visiting hours
April 21
Monday
7:30 p.m.
Board of Directors
Meeting
April 28
Monday
7:30 p.m.
Annual Meeting
SPEAKER
May 19
Monday
7:30 p.m.
Board of Directors
Meeting
May 25
Sunday
House closed for
Memorial Day Weekend
See us in the parade!
June 14
Saturday
Strawberry
Festival
Antiques & Collectible Sale;
Boutique-in-the-Shed
Grand Opening
July 6
Sunday
House is closed for
July Fourth Weekend
August 31
Sunday
House is closed for
Labor Day Weekend
Sept. 28
Sunday
Second Annual Cheshire
History Trolley Tour!
Starting June 14 through October, the Boutique-in-the-Shed
will be open during Sunday visiting hours, 2-4 p.m.
BOUTIQUE TO OPEN JUNE 14
The Boutique-in-the-Shed is getting ready for its Spring opening on Saturday, June 14, along with our annual Antiques &
Collectibles Sale and the Strawberry Festival. All of the proceeds go back into programs and upkeep of the Society. Come
on in and poke around! The prices are right, and you never
know what you might find. We have been collecting treasures
all season and have brought in many unusual and interesting
items. After June 14, the Boutique will be open summer Sundays through October. Don’t forget we are always looking for
items, too. If you have collectible items that you wish to donate,
call Assistant Curator Kathleen Connolly, 860-518-6156.
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Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
FROM THE PRESIDENT ...
SHOWERED IN KINDNESS
Ann Doolittle Eastwood of Venice, Florida created a handmade hooked rug for the Society (detail in photo below): an
exquisite piece that we will treasure. I realized we have much to
treasure. So many people who have showered the Society with
kindness and dedication. We are a body of people devoted to
preservation and education. Meetings are held. Events are organized. Tours are provided. Thousands of items, large and
small, are cataloged and cared for. In any given “slow” week, at
least half dozen volunteers will provide a minimum of forty
hours of time. Our tireless curators headed by our most capable
Mary Ellen Kania continue to research and catalog our collections. Much time and thought is given to the exhibits you’ll see
in the glass cases at the Society. Volunteers of all ages come
forth: young Jack LaMadeleine who diligently cleaned out the
spiders and webs in the basement; Alice Santello who is an
administrative gift every Tuesday; Colleen Fitzgerald with her
brilliant smile as she guides people during our Sunday hours or
assists with the Boutique; Inge Venus who is either snapping
wonderful photos or creating wonderful gardenscapes; Warren
and Lois Van Almkerk who know the HPH probably better than
their own home and give insightful advice and support. This
names just a few! People, so many people, who volunteer, are
part of our Board, who help in so many ways: like the braids in
Ann’s beautiful rug, all plaited together in a common goal of
service to preservation, to the Cheshire Historical Society. I can
only be grateful to be part of such a community.—Diane
MEMBERS SHARE / UPCOMING EVENTS
Do you have an event that you would like to have listed in our
newsletter? Contact Diane Calabro at [email protected] for
consideration.
February 14-March 12th - New project, Cheshirepedia, an on
-line “resource for all things Cheshire,” is actively seeking
start-up donations at www.kickstarter.com Please go to this
website to make a donation to this worthwhile cause.
Saturday April 12th Inge Venus reports
that the Cheshire Garden Club is actively involved in a membership drive this year and hopes to attract some new members
with an exhibit at the upcoming Home and Garden Expo on
April 12th at the Cheshire High School. For further info, contact 203-631-9340
Sunday May 25th - Memorial Day Parade. The Cheshire Historical Society will be in the parade! Join us!
Mid-October 2014 - “Spirits Alive” Cemetery Lantern Tour.
Stephen and Thomas Mulholland are chairing this walking tour
of one of our local cemeteries. Contact Diane Calabro for tour
and/or ticket information.
In Process - Rails Through Cheshire: A Train and Trolley
Tour. Bob Belletzkie is working on a fascinating look at where
the trains and trolleys used to run in Cheshire. Volunteers are
needed! Contact Diane Calabro.
Look! RICE REUNION BOOK - Request from Margaret (Meg)
Sondey, Life Member - “When I was in Connecticut this past
summer, I was able to look at the Rice Reunion book in possession of the Cheshire Connecticut Historical Society. At that
time, we were unable to learn anything about when the book
was donated, or by whom. [Does] anyone know how the Historical Society came to be in possession of that book? I am
hoping that I might solve some of the mysteries of that branch
of the Royce/Rice family for an article in the Royce Family
Association of which I am a member. Thank you so much!” If
you have information, please contact Mary Ellen Kania.
Town Center App Taking Shape
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to the following new members
who have joined since the last newsletter:
Juline Beier (Life), Sausalito, CA
Sheree Brown, Hamden, CT
Marvin Carley, (Hon. Life), East Haven, CT
Lisa Drazen & Kevin Meehan, Wallingford Rd., Cheshire
June & Van Hale, Quarry Village Rd., Cheshire
Jill Rochford, W. Main St., Cheshire
Joseph & Nina Vianese, Mountain Crest Dr., Cheshire
Tim White & Carrie Collins, Orchard Hill Rd., Cheshire
Deborah Wylie, Dundee Dr., Cheshire
Town Historian, Jeanné Chesanow, has been working on a virtual tour of Cheshire’s Town Center that can
be accessed by mobile devices to provide - anywhere,
anytime - the beauty and history of
the Town Center. Along with Society Curator, Mary Ellen Kania, photos have been selected for the project
and the script is being finalized. The
project promises to bring the past to
life, along with
descriptions of
architectural details still in place. The
new app will be a lively experience,
one we hope will enhance interest in
town history and the Society’s work.
Spoiler Alert! A hot air balloon may be
an integral part of the new app!
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
3
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PEWTER AT THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
By Dotty Drufva
A year or two ago I became interested in antique pewter
collecting. As a long-time member of the historical society, I
was surprised when I realized that I had not noticed the small,
but very interesting pewter collection that is on display at the
Hitchcock-Phillips House. There are four marked pewter plates
dating from the last half of the 18th century to the first quarter of
the 19th century as well as a mid 19th century pewter teapot.
Pewter was in common use in America across all classes
from the colonial era up until the 1840s or 50s. Pewter that is
stamped with a maker’s mark is the most sought after by collectors, although approximately half of the thousands of pewter
items produced did not have any marks at all. These unmarked
items often can be attributed to a particular maker or a geographical region, nonetheless.
I asked Wayne Hilt, a well-known pewter expert who lives
in Connecticut, for his opinion on two of the plates that bear
clearly legible marks. I could roughly make out the name King,
on the back of a large charger. Wayne confirmed that the
charger was made by Richard King Jr., a pewterer working in
London, England who died in 1792. This large charger shows
the considerable wear that is often seen on an object that is at
least 220 years old. However, in its usual place on the mantel in
the keeping room, the charger has rustic charm and retains a
majestic quality. Wayne agreed with me that another smaller
dinner plate was made by Thomas Danforth II, who died in
1782 and who did most of his work in Middletown, Connecticut.
Pewter plates are not as rare as many other forms of pewter, such as chalices or flagons which were used in church services. However, this particular plate is special because it can be
dated to the early career of one of the pioneers of the trade in
Connecticut. It is in unusually good condition considering that
it is at least 235 years old or older. Early plates such as this
often display a different level of craftsmanship than those that
were produced in larger quantities later on. On this Danforth
plate, the booge or curved portion of the plate is hammered in
even rows. This practice had a strengthening effect on the
metal. This type of hammering is often seen on English plates
of the same period. The Richard King Jr. charger has a hammered booge as well. However the edges are worn away and
one has to look closely to see this detail. The hammering on the
Danforth plate is strong and well defined.
Thomas Danforth II is thought to have trained more apprentices than any other pewterer in America according to John
Carl Thomas who authored a classic book on the subject
(reference below). Among Danforth’s apprentices was the eldest of his six sons, Thomas Danforth III. It is thought that Thomas III inherited the marking dies from his father and used
them extensively within the prodigious output of his own career. Because of this and for other reasons collectors have studied damage that has shown up on the marks quite closely. The
Historical Society’s plate has sharp, clear, undamaged marks.
These details provide further indication or proof that Thomas
Danforth II made the plate most likely sometime between 1760
and 1775 before his death in 1782. The early Danforth marks
mimic the styles used by English craftsmen. After the American
Revolution, Thomas Danforth III and most of his contemporaries changed much of their marking to include eagles or other
imagery seen as symbolic of the new republic.
I should also mention that in addition to his six sons, Thomas II had one daughter, Sarah, who married Oliver Boardman.
The resulting Boardman family created a pewter-making dynasty, selling wares along the entire east coast of the U.S.
In his wonderful book, John Carl Thomas ends his section
on Thomas Danforth II with this heartfelt obituary from the
Connecticut Courant, Tuesday August 20, 1782:
Middletown, August 10, 1782 – “Last Thursday died here
after a few days illness, of a bilious disorder, Mr. THOMAS
DANFORTH, Brazier, and pewterer, of this town, in the 52d
year of his age – A tender and affectionate Husband and Father,
an excellent neighbour, and a just, upright, honest man; in him
not only the Family and Neighbourhood, but the Poor sustain a
heavy loss; this tribute of gratitude, his friends and neighbours
think but just to pay to his memory; yet while they mourn the
loss of so good a man, they rejoice in the great prospect of his
ever lasting felicity.” (Thomas, p. 75)
For those who are interested in learning more about pewter,
The Pewter Collectors’ Club of America (PCCA) has an excellent website. The club plans national meetings on two weekends per year in the spring and in the fall. There is also a Northeast chapter that holds a luncheon meeting two times per year. I
have attended these in Sturbridge, MA and I have been told that
there is a tentative plan for an upcoming meeting to be held
somewhere along the Connecticut coast. If you would like to
know more about purchasing pewter, the PCCA website has a
contact list for its member dealers. Wayne Hilt, who contributed information for this article, is on that list, or you can
Google Wayne Hilt Pewter to see his excellent offerings. One
can also always find antique pewter on eBay. As many of you
probably already know - eBay is great; but using it can sometimes end up as a ‘learning experience’; and all of that is beyond the scope of this article.
Reference: Thomas, John Carl. Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers. The Connecticut Historical Society. 1976, pp. 62-75.
Above left: Photo detail of the stamped maker’s mark on a
pewter plate owned by the Cheshire Historical Society
4
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
These photos
were taken
by Society
Director
Robert
Larkin in
1963.
See story on
Page 5
d
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
A SHOOTING IN DALLAS
By Robert Larkin
November 2013 - During the past few weeks there
have been a number of documentary specials on TV remembering the assassination of President John Kennedy.
They brought to mind a number of photos I resurrected
from my cellar that I had taken on a trip to Dallas the
week after JFK was killed.
The photos were actually slides taken with my split
frame camera in 1963 and converted last year to jpeg.
While the quality isn’t that good, they captured the reenactment of the shooting with a convertible and standins for the President and his wife, surveyors still at the
site checking the marked locations in the road, flowers
being brought to the Dealey Plaza area and of course the
Texas Book Depository.
Many TV broadcasts and newspaper articles discussed the history and asked where people were when
they heard the news. For me, it was an easy answer but
the trip to Texas is by far and away the one I’ll never forget. Rediscovering the slides in my basement here in
Cheshire brought back many memories from fifty years
ago.
On Page 4: Slides photographed by Robert Larkin in 1963
IN 1963—There
were no actual camera shops in
Cheshire. If you wished to purchase a camera you could
do so in Waterbury: Caesar’s Camera Shop on Bank
Street (“Your Authorized Kodak Dealer - all types &
makes of camera equipment”), Curtis Art Co. on West
Main Street, Goldie’s Camera Shop or Speed’s Camera
Co., Inc. on Grand Street. Also in New Haven: Fair Haven Camera Shop on Grand Avenue, Karber Photo Shop
& Lab (selling ANSCO, Kodak, Argus, Graflex, Revere,
Keystone, Bell & Howell, T.D.C., and Polaroid Land
Cameras) on Dixwell Avenue with ample parking, or
Temple Camera Shop on College.
Source: 1963 telephone directory on
file at Cheshire Historical Society.
Note that the Polaroid Land Camera
would set you back $279 —
an expensive purchase considering
the average monthly salary was
about $430.
E-MAILS FOR HISTORY QUESTIONS
Town Historian: [email protected]
Our CHS Curator: [email protected]
CHS President: [email protected]
Cheshirepedia: [email protected]
5
MARSHALL ROBINSON
SPINS A YARN IN DERBY
Paula Norton, Deputy Director of the Derby Historical
Society (above, left), met with CHS Director Marshall
Robinson (above, right) who made a special delivery to
Derby. We had an unassembled spinning wheel in our
collection. Marshall shared that the Derby Historical Society conducts classes in spinning and other fabric arts
and they could rebuild our spinning wheel and use this in
their program. The CHS Board voted unanimously to donate the “as is” spinning wheel and Marshall very kindly
delivered this, saying, “We at the Cheshire Historical Society hope that the spinning wheel works out for you. I
think it's nice when two
groups such as ours can
work together.” We hope
to include an update on
this project and more information about the
Derby Historical Society
classes.
This garden area along the
north side of the HPH is
maintained by the Suburban Garden Club and is in
full bloom during the
Strawberry Festival.
Photo by Susan Dillman
In Memoriam
Kristen (Manke) Slocum, wife of Tim Slocum Feb. 10, 2014
Alfred Stapkowski, father of Diane Calabro Sep. 25, 2013
We were deeply saddened by the deaths of these members
and extend our sincere sympathy to their families
6
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
FORTY YEARS AT 43 CHURCH
DRIVE: Establishing the HitchcockPhillips House as the home of the
Cheshire Historical Society in 1972
Articles describe bake sales, an auction that raised
over $7,000, a folk art display that drew a crowd of over
300 people and more. Photographs display a younger Ed
Kania, then on the Cheshire Board of Finance, and another with the author herself dressed in period costume.
Warren Van Almkerk’s name appears repeatedly in
By Lois Van Almkerk
In the summer of 1972, you might have put an eight
cent stamp on the letter you were sending to President
Richard M. Nixon to express your disapproval about the
Watergate scandal. You might have opened the door of
your new Ford Pinto (cost: $2,078) to do a little shopping:
a pound of ground beef was 98 cents, a pound of strawberries was 31 cents. You’d listen to 13-year old Michael
Jackson sing his first solo hit on your car radio and put
gas in your car for 55 cents a gallon. You might even
have noticed all the activity on the Church Green as the
Cheshire Historical Society “enjoyed a dream come true,”
according to the August 18, 1972 edition of The Newtown
Bee, as the Town of Cheshire had purchased the house
that Col. Rufus Hitchcock built in 1785 and the Cheshire
Town Council released the use of the house to the Society. Then Co-Curator, Warren Van Almkerk, had discovered that the original chamfered paneling was actually
intact under the commercial pine paneling installed by the
previous owners, the Cheshire Academy.
This is some of the first information to be found in a
scrapbook assembled by Evelyn Brodeur, the wife of Armand A. Brodeur, Society President from 1972 to 1974,
and 1985-1986. Mrs. Brodeur’s daughter, Evelyn
Michaud, presented this scrapbook of newspaper clippings, event invitations and Society correspondence to
Warren Van Almkerk.
The scrapbook begins in the summer of 1972 with the
announcement that the Society was to use the townpurchased “A.W. Phillips House,” as it was known in the
early Seventies, and continues with the purchase process,
the restoration and related funding projects, and ends with
a special American Folk Art exhibit that showcased the
grand opening of the House in the late fall of that same
year. Current President Diane Calabro has electronically
scanned the contents of this scrapbook and has put these
on the Society website.
These were the heydays of the Society when the
Renovation Drive encompassed not just Society members
but involved door-to-door canvassing that appealed to all
“Cheshirites” to help contribute $40,000 needed to restore
and develop the newly acquired Phillips House. Considering in 1972, the average annual income was $11,000 and
that houses were being sold for about $20,000 and you
understand the magnitude of this funding project. President Brodeur envisioned this as the “Community Historical Center” with the goal of making this the “focal point
in rekindling interest, knowledge, and instruction in the
many arts and crafts utilized by our forefathers.”
these articles. The “tedious” restoration work referred to
by President Brodeur was graciously taken on by Warren
who restored and redecorated the former school dormitory
and classrooms into the Hitchcock-Phillips House museum we treasure today.
Above: Four decade old photo from The Newtown
Bee (August 18, 1972): “Warren Van Almkerk,
curator of the Cheshire Historical Society, discovering old panelling under the commercial panelling
installed by the Academy when it was a dormitory.”
IN 1972, the Cheshire Football
Rams would summarily trounce
Westport’s Staples High School.
Current House Chairman, David
Calabro, Cheshire ‘74 (photo left)
in uniform. Our Society President
Diane Stapkowski Calabro, Staples
’74, would occasionally see her
future husband on the field of play.
Neither HS Junior had any idea
they’d be wed. Again proves that
football is a most interesting sport.
Go Rams!
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
CURATOR NOTES
CEMETERY TOUR
(Continued from Back Cover)
By Mary Ellen Kania, Curator
EXHIBIT CASES: New exhibits will be in the
two Meeting Room display cases when the house
re-opens for Sunday visiting hours in April.
“Spirits Alive” 2014 Hillside Cemetery Lantern
Tour: Hillside Cemetery invites you to participate
On the north wall, the case will feature the certificate signed by the US Postmaster appointing Edward Andrews as Postmaster in Cheshire in 1875.
It was a gift from member Ralph Edson and the
Society had it “conserved” at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA in the
fall. The certificate will highlight a display of
Cheshire postal memorabilia from our Postal Collection.
On the south wall, the case will display items
from the Durand Family collection. These include
many “fun” artifacts such as the puppets Howard
“Pop” Durand used in the family vaudeville act,
1905-1916.
Contributions in Addition to 2014 Dues
Warm thanks to the following members who made special
contributions in addition to their 2014 dues payments.
Major
Mary B. Hobler Hyson
Mr. & Mrs. John Knott
Elizabeth Lewis Panke
Joseph & Suzanne Robinson
David & Sally Schrumm
Supporting Members
Mike & Gail Collins
Marty Connolly
Jay & Carole Cunningham
Addie Marx
Other Contributors
Peg Boutwell
David & Diane Calabro
Robert & Noreen Cawood
Gary & Denise Charette
Gerald & Adoria Corcoran
Helen Lee
Richard Miller
Louis & Mary Ann Ricciuti
Ralph & Bernice Rowland
Marie Stapkowski
William F. Suter
Ingeborg Venus
James & Cynthia Vibert, Sr.
7
in a walk among the tombstones presented by the
Cheshire Historical Society
By Stephen Mulholland & Thomas Mulholland
Stephen Mulholland, Student Liaison, is the Event Chairperson
and the Co-chairperson of the event is Thomas Mulholland
We are organizing an evening walk through Hillside
Cemetery located on Wallingford Road scheduled for
mid-October, 2014. Every fall, our family enjoys attending cemetery lantern tours across Connecticut and we’re
now intending to bring such a tour to Cheshire. We are
advertising the event under the tag line “Dead men tell no
tales, except when Hillside Cemetery comes alive.”The
planning committee has already logged in many hours of
research and site visits as we prepare this walking
tour. The tours will be led by a guide or "hooded specter"
through the historic grounds of Hillside and tour participants will hear tales told firsthand by actors or
"Cheshire’s former residents."
Thomas has worked to assemble a list of 10 to 12 historic characters including Marietta Moss Peck whose two
-year old stepson drowned in the canal, Ebeneezer Johnson the early grave digger, Richard Storrs the World War
II soldier memorialized at Hillside but buried in France,
Abigail Hitchcock the daughter of Reverend John Foote,
Moses Bradley the father of a prankster son and
more. The Cemetery
Lantern Tour is looking
for volunteers to act the
parts of the former residents (this can be
speaking or non-verbal
roles, as desired), as
well as tour guides, and
help with set up and
clean up. Anyone that
can share some expertise with costumes
would also be very
welcome. For more
information, contact
Stephen Mulholland at
e-mail to [email protected] or phone
(203) 272-0140. Additional information can be found on
the Society web page: www.cheshirehistory.org
Photo above:
Stephen Mulholland (l.), Thomas Mulholland (r.)
Assistant Curator, Warren Van Almkerk,
celebrated his 89th birthday in January. At least half of those
years have been spent volunteering his time with the
Cheshire Historical Society. Thank you, Warren!
8
Cheshire Historical Society News—Spring/Summer 2014
CHESHIRE CLIPPERS
We are looking for adult member volunteers to help
with a new youth program. Designed for a Sunday afternoon activity, the “Cheshire Clippers” concept is being
organized. We envision young people becoming history
researchers using Cheshire Herald newspapers from the
1970s to the 1980s. As these are duplicates for us, Board
Member Bob Belletzkie suggested the “Clippers.” Children would clip out and date (and read) all the articles
that have to do with anything in Cheshire. The subject
could be further researched at the Cheshire Library and
the child could prepare a brief oral or written report on
the topic. Other children could help by filing the gathered
information into the permanent Society information files,
putting these into the appropriate folders with adult supervision. Certificates will be given in thanks to each
Cheshire Clipper.
We are excited about this program as the children will
learn about Cheshire history and help with our ongoing
filing. There are Board Members who will volunteer their
time but we also need member volunteers to step forward
to assist with this program. If you are interested in volunteering or would like to reserve a space for your child or
grandchild, please contact the Society. The Cheshire
Clippers would begin as soon as we have the volunteers
and interested children
Cheshire Historical Society
PO Box 281, 43 Church Drive
Cheshire, CT 06410
Society Officers
President
Diane Calabro
Vice President
Art Sides
Secretaries
Jaime McCormick
Brad Zambruski
Joseph Robinson
Treasurer
Ed Kania
Board of Directors
Robert Belletzkie
Shirley Brady
Robert Cawood
Robert Larkin
Clare Leake
Cara Luciani
Marshall Robinson
Lois Van Almkerk
Pat Vita-Garber
Student Liaison &
Facebook Editor
Stephen Mulholland
Curators
Edgar Johnson, emeritus
Mary Ellen Kania
Warren Van Almkerk, asst.
Kathleen Connolly, asst.
Webmaster
Diane Calabro
Newsletter Editor
Diane Calabro
CURATOR NOTES
By Mary Ellen Kania, Curator
CHEERS for member Betsy Fox, who arranged for
the Society’s one-of-a-kind Nathan Booth map of
Cheshire (1865) to be digitized. Betsy not only obtained funds from the Town Clerk but also scheduled
a session with New Haven photographer Bill Sacco,
packed the framed map, and drove it round-trip to his
studio. The Town Clerk, the Town Historian, and the
Society now have JPEG and TIFF images of this important document.
NEW ITEMS: Twenty-five individuals donated 49
items to the Society’s collection in 2013. The final
item received was a beautiful 2 ft. x 3 ft. braided rug
from Ann Doolittle Eastwood of Venice, FL, who
visited the Society last summer (see Newsletter, Fall
2013). She made the rug as a Christmas present to
the Society. Look for it under the “mammy bench”
in the Keeping Room, 1st floor.
(Continues on Page 7).
SPRING 2014
Use this QR code to quickly
visit our CHS website.
Our Telephone:
203-272-2574
LIKE us on FACEBOOK!
Visit our Website
www.cheshirehistory.org
*MEMBERSHIP MEETING* - March 24th
*ANNUAL MEETING* - April 28th
Both Meetings include a Speaker and are Monday Evenings:
Start Time: 7:30 p.m.
at THE CHESHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY