USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Newtown > The 250th anniversary of Newtown, Connecticut, 1705-1955 > Part 2
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The Chairman of the Council of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council in Wales wrote under date of July 13, 1955:
Dear Mr. Chairman :
Your very welcome and interesting letter of the 6th instant reached me yesterday.
It gives me great pleasure to send you on behalf of my Council, its Officers and the Inhabitants of Newtown, hearty greetings and good wishes on the occasion of your commemora- tion on the 6th of next month.
I enclose an Official Guide Book of Newtown which I trust will be of interest at the celebrations on the completion of the 250th anniversary.
E. Walter Evans Chairman of the Council
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Greetings from the Governor of Connecticut
In response to a request from Paul S. Smith, Editor of the Newtown Bee, Governor Abraham Ribicoff sent the following statement which was published in the August 5th issue of The Bee:
State of
Connecticut
OUI
SUSTINIET
TRANSTULIT
As one who takes great pride in the traditions and history of his native state, I am delighted to join with the people of Newtown in cele- brating your 250th anniversary.
A town is more than a geographical location and a collection of buildings and roads. It is people living together with respect for one another, and together helping solve the problems that all of us have in common.
When we think of Newtown, we think of Isaac Toucey-Governor of Connecticut, Attorney General of the United States, Secretary of the Navy-of President Hadley of Yale, of Governor Luzon B. Morris, and of Miss Mary Elizabeth Hawley, your generous Benefactress. The Cyrenius H. Booth Library, the Edmond Town Hall and the old Col- onial Cemetery which she beautified and endowed have stamped her imprint on your community.
So will future generations remember A. Fenn Dickinson, your late selectman and my very dear friend. The park that will be dedicated in his honor Saturday will be a living memorial to a fine man and an able public servant.
Newtown is rich in the tradition and lore of Connecticut. It is a romantic distinction to be able to say you live in a community your for- bears purchased from the Indians. The link with the hardy settlers who pioneered this state is an envious heritage indeed.
A boy who loves the woods and hills and the banks of a beautiful river such as your Housatonic must thrill to growing up in the shadows of the glorious past. It is a wonderful atmosphere in which to live and rear a family.
Apparently many people feel this way, because Newtown is one of the fastest-growing communities in Connecticut. Numerous new prob- lems are attendant on this growth. Similar problems are being experi- enced by sister communities across the country wherever there is a trend from urban to country living. The sense of history and pride in tradition, which the people of Newtown have, will help adjust to the new circumstances and perpetuate those traditions.
Abraham Ribicoff
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III. THE TOUR OF HISTORIC HOUSES
At the invitation of the 250th anniversary committee the owners of six of Newtown's most interesting and historic houses opened their homes to public inspection from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 30th. It was the first time in the long history of Newtown that such a tour had been arranged.
In order to facilitate the visits, the committee in charge had had printed a flyer showing a map of the area and giving a brief description of the principal features of each of the houses. Tickets for the tour were available at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, a donation of $1.50 being received from each visitor. Mrs. Milton A. Mandelson and Mrs. Ralph L. Knibloe were in charge here.
The day was a perfect one, sunny and warm, and the tour was even more successful than had been anticipated. A total of 235 persons visited the six houses. The majority came from Newtown, but there were many from other communities, and guests were registered from as far away as San Francisco, California.
The Six Houses
Each of the houses was designated by the official poster, with a specially printed caption. First on the list was the residence of Second Selectman and Mrs. Anthony Amaral, known as the Stilson House, on Country Club Road at the corner of Elm Drive. This home is an early 18th century salt box, with a fine hearth, stone stairs to the cellar, a low ceiling, and a large summer beam in the "keeping room". Hostesses assigned here by Mrs. Milton A. Mandelson of the committee included: Mrs. Renwick Brown, Mrs. Paul A. Cullens, Mrs. Bertram A. Stroock, Mrs. G. C. Richardson, Mrs. Ervin Stickles, Jr., and Mrs. Joseph Low.
All of the other five houses were on Main Street, from Borough Lane to the Town Hall. The second was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Knaur, the former Allison P. Smith House, on South Main Street at Borough Lane. Built before 1800, this house is a two-story, central chimney type. It contained many valuable antiques. Hostesses were: Mrs. Walter Reynolds, Mrs. Ross Fife, Mrs. C. R. Spaulding, Mrs. Harry Pease, and Mrs. William Cole.
Next came "Thankful House" on the east side of Main Street just beyond Lovell's Corner, now the residence of Mrs. Frederick F. Johnson. This house was constructed between 1750 and 1800, a central chimney, two-story type, and is furnished with many family heirlooms and outstanding examples of
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early furniture and paintings. Behind it is a most attractive garden. Hostesses here were: Mrs. James N. Greene, Miss Gertrude Hutchinson, Mrs. William Swanberg, and Mrs. Timothy Laughlin.
The fourth home on display was the Caleb Baldwin House, now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bounty. It was built in 1819 by a man who served for many years as Newtown's town clerk, and is located two doors south of Trinity Episcopal Church on the east side of Main Street. Here again is a two-story home, with beautiful grounds. Hostesses were: Mrs. Robert Muller, Mrs. Robert Stokes, Mrs. Frederick Herring, Mrs. Robert Van Patten Steiger, and Mrs. Albert Clear.
Diagonally opposite the Town Hall on Main Street is the Victorian steam- boat bracketed home of Dr. and Mrs. John P. Miller, which was shown as an example of a later type of architecture. It was built about 1860-65, and is ap- propriately furnished in the Victorian manner. Hostesses here were: Mrs. William H. Walsh, Jr., Miss Sally McNeil, Mrs. Nathaniel Wagner, Mrs. T. D. Robinson, Mrs. John G. Herlihy, and Mrs. H. P. Splain.
The sixth and last house on the tour was the old David Beers House, the first house on Main Street south of the Newtown Savings Bank, which, inci- dentally, observed its 100th anniversary in 1955. The Beers house was erected in 1787, and is now the residence of Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Titcomb. Here, re- freshments were served in an old store at the rear of the property under the direction of a refreshment committee headed by Mrs. Russell F. Strasburger and Mrs. William Wilson, assisted by the Misses Susan Desmond, Joan Mann, Caryl Stratton, and Mary Peterson. Hostesses here were: Mrs. William F. Green, Mrs. Hastings Morse, Mrs. Warren Earll, and Mrs. James Fluharty.
In addition to these six homes, shown as typical examples of gracious New England living, the Newtown Congregational Church was also open to visitors, and a historical exhibit was on display at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. The Congregational Church was built originally in 1719, and was remodelled in 1808. The Library was erected in 1932, one of the many benefactions of the late Miss Mary Elizabeth Hawley.
The Committee
The subcommittee on Exhibits, which arranged the tour of historic houses and installed the historic exhibits in the Library, was comprised of the follow- ing members:
Lincoln B. Mitchell, Chairman Mrs. William F. Green George A. Jackson Jerome P. Jackson Mrs. Milton A. Mandelson Mrs. Sarah B. Mitchell Henry Schnakenberg
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IV. THE HISTORICAL EXHIBITS
An anniversary celebration naturally arouses great interest in things of the past. An extensive historical exhibit was, therefore, arranged by the sub- committee on exhibits and installed at the end of July in the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Main Street. It remained on display until school opened early in September.
This interesting exhibit included many items loaned by towns people and also the permanent historical exhibit owned by the Library, the life-long collec- tion of Dr. Charles Howard Peck (1870-1927), one of Newtown's most promi- nent residents. Dr. Peck began actively to collect antiquities before the turn of the century, and his love of the countryside, its fine homes and their settings, are much in evidence in his accumulated material.
From a local historical point of view, perhaps the most important items in this collection are: the list of tax payers in 1773; the list of sheep owners in 1820; military orders and musters; lists of participants in the War of the Revo- lution and the War of 1812; old maps and surveys; deeds and business accounts of past generations; letters, petitions, and political broadsides; all of which help us to familiarize ourselves with conditions and characteristics of Newtown's interesting past.
Since Dr. Peck was careful to obtain accurate data on the local history of all the items he acquired, all are marked by him. The cases in the Library likewise contain household implements of the past, trade tools, farm utensils and equipment, wearing apparel, and many other of the unique hand-made articles of the 18th century.
Other items in the permanent collection include the ancestral furnishings of Miss Mary Elizabeth Hawley (1857-1930). On display are striking examples of Queen Anne, Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, Empire, and Victorian pieces, a progression in the changing styles which ideally depicts the purchases of a wealthy family from generation to generation.
The loan exhibit for the anniversary celebration was assembled to fit in with the permanent collection. Among its features were local Indian artifacts of great rarity ; examples of old needlework, paintings, water colors, paintings on velvet; maps, deeds, and military items; chairs made in Newtown in ancient times; clocks manufactured by Ebenezer Smith; furniture made and used here before 1850; signs, fixtures, and works from former stores, hotels, and business places; early photographs, cards, and prints of Newtown and its changing times.
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Persons Who Contributed to the Loan Exhibition
Archeological Society of Connecticut State-
Robert Newbauer, Danbury Chapter
Preston Beers
Anna M. Betts
Mrs. Henry Blackman Dorothy Botsford
Mrs. Henry Clark Anna M. Griffin Mrs. Edith Halpert Kenneth Hammitt H. Carleton Hubbell George A. Jackson
Jerome P. Jackson Frank L. Johnson Albert S. Knapp Robert D. Knapp Lincoln B. Mitchell Mrs. Sarah Mitchell Mrs. James B. Nichols Henry Schnakenberg Mrs. H. G. Warner Myra Warner
V. THE MOTION PICTURE
As a contribution to the anniversary celebration, the Board of Managers of the Edmond Town Hall voted to present a complimentary motion picture in the Edmond Town Hall Theatre. The film, "Stars and Stripes Forever", star- ring Clifton Webb and Debra Paget, and based on the life of the great band- master, John Philip Sousa, was shown to capacity audiences at 7 and 9 p.m. on Thursday evening, August 4th.
The Town Hall was also gaily decorated with red, white, and blue bunting, as well as with a large sign proclaiming the 250th anniversary of the town. The Edmond Town Hall, built in 1930 through the generosity of Miss Hawley, was observing its own 25th anniversary at this time.
Members of the Board of Managers of the Town Hall in 1955 included :
George A. Jackson, Chairman John J. Donahue James B. Forbes John R. Kelly Betty Lou Osborne Albert Rasmussen
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VI. THE PARADE
"Parade Sets Mood For Day-Long Celebration", proclaimed the headline in the August 12th issue of the Newtown Bee, "August 6, 1955 Is Day Long To Be Remembered By Townspeople". Most of the following narrative of this important event is, in fact, taken verbatim from the well-written report in the Bee.
Fifty years from now, Newtown's present-day youngsters will harken back to a hot, humid day in August, 1955, recalling the spectacle they saw then, the 250th anniversary parade, which ushered in the day-long series of activities that marked two and one-half centuries of the town's existence. Conceived in the grand manner and brilliantly executed, the August 6 parade will long stand as an appropriate commemoration to such a noteworthy event, a worthy suc- cessor to the town's big turnout in 1905, when Newtown celebrated its bicen- tennial. Altogether, it was a great show.
Beginning in the mid-forenoon last Saturday, units began to assemble in the vicinity of Edmond Town Hall, along North Main Street and Currituck Road, in preparation for the starting signal at 11 o'clock. Just as early, specta- tors began to gather, lining the parade route. Hawkers were everywhere selling souvenirs of the occasion. There was bustle and excitement in the air, traffic was thick. Despite the heat, a gay holiday mood prevailed.
As the scheduled hour drew near, bumper-to-bumper traffic on Main Street came to a stall, but with the least possible confusion, State Police got it going again until through traffic on Routes 6 and 25 was cut off or re-routed al- together. It took less than five minutes to clear the parade route. Only the heads and shoulders of spectators could be seen along the line of march, heads turned in a single direction toward the slight rise at the upper end of Main Street where the first units were scheduled to make their appearance.
Governor Abraham Ribicoff arrived from Hartford in his official car at precisely 11 a.m. He was received with ruffles and flourishes by the Sandy Hook Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps, drawn up on the lawn before the Town Hall, and he was greeted by a welcoming committee consisting of Colonel James A. Tobey, Mrs. A. Fenn Dickinson, State Representatives Sarah Frances Curtis and Herbert H. Cutler, Selectmen Anthony Amaral and Edward E. Knapp, and Park Commissioner Bertram A. Stroock.
A quarter of an hour later the parade was under way, headed by the Color Guard of the Connecticut State Police Department, and the Color Guard of the Connecticut Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The smart step and spruce appearance of these color guards set the pace for the whole show, to the final group of horsemen from the Flying W Ranch, nearly an hour later. It was
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a great performance. The parade, thanks to a hard-working committee and the individual participants, had all the elements of success in its makeup; it had color, dash, good music, humor, dressiness, the high touch of seriousness, and pace. The floats were unusually good. The local and many out-of-town drum corps had snap, the fire companies, both personnel and equipment, looked their best, and marchers marched as though they meant it, with commendable dis- regard for the day's mounting temperature. From the outset it was apparent that this was going to be a parade to remember.
Drum Corps Out In Front
The first musical unit to come down Main Street proved to be a treat for the hometown spectators, since it was the Sandy Hook Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps performing on its home ground. The group was in top competitive form and earned enthusiastic applause from the sidelines. Both high-stepping Eilene Wright, the drum majorette, and Kathy Kanouse, the diminutive twirler, took the lead like seasoned troupers.
Hardly had the marching units gone by when a motor cavalcade followed, carrying state, county and local officials. In the lead car was the state's chief executive, the Honorable Abraham Ribicoff, Governor of Connecticut, here not only to help the town celebrate its anniversary but to pay tribute to a friend during the afternoon's dedication of the town's first park to the memory of the late A. Fenn Dickinson. On the seat beside the governor was the Dickinson boy, five-year-old Happy. Accompanying the governor in the official car were Select- man Edward E. Knapp, parade marshal, and Bert Sheldon, for over 40 years instructor and judge of the American Fifers and Drummers Association.
The next car in the procession identified its occupants by its long-familiar license plate, "SLIM", used by the late selectman on the town-owned car and now transferred to his family's private sedan. Mrs. A. Fenn Dickinson, widow of the selectman, was one of the occupants, as was her daughter DeDe, and Mr. Dickinson's mother, Mrs. Harry Godfrey of Bethel. The car was driven by Warren Dayton, Mrs. Dickinson's brother. Newtown's representatives to the General Assembly, Sarah Frances Curtis and Herbert H. Cutler, and Bertram A. Stroock shared a car with the man charged with the responsibility of making the 250th anniversary celebration the success it was, its chairman, Col. James A. Tobey. Other officials following included Selectman Anthony Amaral of Newtown, Selectman Louis Shaw of Bethel, Selectman Louis Anderson of Brookfield, Town Treasurer Herman Parker, Tax Collector William Murphy, Probate Judge Walter A. Reynolds, Town Court Judge John F. Holian, Town Prosecutor Henry McCarthy, Borough Warden Russell F. Strasburger, Assessors Charles M. Goodsell, Robert Mount, Town Hall Manager Arthur J. Smith, Jr.
The Derby Hurricanes, a top-notch drum corps in blue and white uniforms, came next, looking very smart and pleasing the sideline throng with its musical performance. A Connecticut National Guard unit did a neat cadence count step
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at intervals and in perfect unison, followed by the colors of the Danbury Drum and Bugle Corps and the corps itself, members of whom sang and played alternately. The car following was the official car of the Commander of the Department of Connecticut, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Marching units of the two local veterans posts and auxiliaries came next, the Charles Howard Peck, Sr. and Jr. Post 308, V.F.W. and Auxiliary, and the Raymond L. Pease Post, Post 163, American Legion and Auxiliary, The V.F.W. float was most effective, depicting as it did a graveside honor guard and firing squad with Bugler Irving Shaw sounding "Taps". The Daughters of the American Revolution and the Disabled American Veterans were represented by respective cars bearing several of their members. The St. Mary's Drum Corps of East Hartford in green and yellow uniforms marched smartly by, followed by the Southbury Training School's float, a large truck covered with greenery and peopled by persons representing Indians and early settlers out of America's past. An Indian-looking Indian stood well forward on the float with his bow drawn across the top of the cab, ready to let fling an arrow. He was obviously a Pootatuck, though not a spectator was inclined to quibble with his fancy headdress, which was that of a Sioux, a real Plains Indian war bonnet. Fairfield State Hospital was next represented, both by a float depicting the services rendered at the Newtown state institution and by the fire equipment located there.
Second Division
Following closely upon the heels of the first division, so that a break in the line of march was barely noticeable, another crack drum corps, the Bridge- port Troopers, led the next formation, its color guard out in front. This unit is comprised of the Catholic War Veterans of Bridgeport. The Coger Lumber Company float depicted a most familiar landmark, a replica of the Newtown Congregational Church, complete in all major details, even to the well-publi- cized rooster atop its spire. Paul Webb, driving a snappy Model T Ford, and dressed in appropriate gear for motoring at the time of World War I, shared applause with his car's three female occupants, all nicely done up in dusters. The familiar Bee Publishing truck, with Frank Mack's cut-out of the buzzing bee mounted behind the cab, was next, with driver and riders, Mrs. Paul S. Smith, Miss Irma Nichols and Mrs. Matthew Winkle, respectively, garbed in old-fashioned attire. Outriders for this float-runners, distributing copies of The Bee's special anniversary supplement, included Paul S. Smith, Robert Shannon and Thomas Quigg.
The Platt Lumber Yard of Hawleyville had a beautiful float, a top prize- winner as it turned out, in the replica of Mt. Vernon, Washington's home on the Potomac, complete in detail and accurate in scale, even to tubs of shrubbery spotted along the famous high-ceilinged veranda. Many spectators commented on the house, adults and children alike sharing the thought that rarely had they
(continued on page 33)
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NEWTOWN'S
Auc. 6.1955
-
At 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, August 6, 1955, the marchers in Newtown's 250th Anniversary Parade stepped out at the head of Main Street and swung down the street, the color guard of the Connecticut State Police (above) leading, and the Sandy Hook Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps giving the beat. As the procession passed along under the ancient elms (the Danbury Drum Corps is seen below), the watchers enjoyed a spectacle which had not been seen in Newtown in 50 years.
The parade passed along Main Street to the Fairfield State Hospital entrance, returning north on Queen Street to Glover Avenue where Governor Ribicoff and town dignitaries reviewed the units (top) and the Sandy Hook Drum Corps stood at attention (middle). At bottom are Donald Ferris and his yoke of oxen, and Dr. John P. Miller, Jr.'s White Steamer.
The firemen of the Newtown Hook and Ladder Company, led by Chief Lee W. Glover and Fire Marshal Albert H. Nichols drew their ancient apparatus (top). The winning float was Platt Lumber Yard's model of Mount Vernon (center). At bottom, Paul Webb's Model T Ford and William Ferris and William, Jr. with their young oxen.
(
الرياضية
The Newtown Lions Club's float dramatized the sale of the land of New- town by the Indians (top). The girls of Frederika House and "Keystone Kop" (center) were pleasing parade features. Thomas Quigg handed out copies of the anniversary supplement to The Newtown Bee (bottom left). Those responsible for the supplement, Col James A. Tobey, Editor Paul Smith and H. K. Tootle, are seen at bottom right.
LOVER AV
MEDICINE SHO
Town Players turned back the clock with their "medicine show", driven by Charles Ferris, Jr. with Mrs. Charles Hamburg as passenger (top). Models of historic Newtown buildings also had their place in the day's activities, the Con- gregational Church with its golden rooster on the steeple in the parade, and the Middle District School, the town's first schoolhouse, on the grounds of Mrs. Albert W. Peck's Main Street home, the site where the school served gen- erations of Newtown children.
This MODEL IS OF NEWTOWN'S FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL. The MIDDLE OST SCHOOL, WHICH ST FROM 1735 821
ENN DICKINSON
The dedication of the town's park to the memory of the late A. Fenn Dickinson, first selectman, was the afternoon's highlight. The memorial plaque and honor guard of Post 308, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is seen above. During the ceremony at the park, State Representative Sarah Frances Curtis presented the first prize for the anniversary essay contest to Faith Brown (right). A double-header played by the town's Little League baseball teams at Taylor Field (below) followed the dedication ceremony.
Three leading figures in the park dedication are seen in the photograph above. At center is Governor Abraham Ribicoff, who gave the dedicatory address; at right, Mrs. A. Fenn Dickinson, and at left, Bertram A. Stroock, who established the fund which enabled the town to purchase the park early in 1955.
The final event of the anniversary celebration was a block dance on the paved plaza at the Queen Street shopping center. Townspeople turned out in nun :- bers to dance to the music of a dance band and hillbilly troupe, and to enjoy the singing of Newtown's Ginger Northrop (below).
As August 6, 1955 drew to a close, the people of Newtown had the satisfaction of a full day which recalled the town's 250-year-old heritage. Everywhere there was appreciation of the vast amount of planning and hard work done in prep- aration for the event. These activities had made August 6th a day for history.
These are the people who planned and directed Newtown's 250th Anniversary celebration-the members of the Anniversary Executive Committee: seated, left to right, Nelson G. Curtis, finance; Mrs. Bertram A. Stroock, secretary; Col James A. Tobey, chairman; Miles Harr's, park; Bertram A. Stroock. Standing, Lincoln B. Mitchell, exhibits; Robert M. Carruth, dance; Dr. William F. Green; M. Fridolf Jacobson, school essay contest; James Brunot, parade; Herman R. Geiger; Harry King Tootle, publicity; Arthur H. Christie, decorations; and Frank L. Johnson, treasurer. Committee members not in the picture are Mrs. A. Fenn Dickinson and Mrs. William M. Mckenzie.
PHOTO CREDITS
We are indebted to the following photographers, whose work appears on the preceding eight pages: Martin M. Merriam of New Haven, oxen and old cars, Lions' float, Frederika House and "Keystone Kop"; Edmund C. Platt, 2nd, Platt Lumber Yard Float; Al Mathewson, chief photographer of the Bridgeport Post, Town Players float, and Edward Lang, photographer of The Newtown Bee, all other photographs.
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