August 15, 1986

The decision to bring back the sound of the Edmond Town Hall chimes was not one that the building’s Board of Managers rushed into. The managers decided to overhaul the cupola, paint the dome and weathervane, and repair the building’s clock system. As long as all this work was being done, they decided to repair the chime system. A month and a half ago, Bill and Carolyn Greene moved into the Budd House, directly across the street from the town hall. Before moving here, Mrs Greene was aware that because of all the cars, and the fact that Edmond Town Hall has a movie theater, there would be some noise on Main Street. She was unprepared, though, for all the truck traffic, and decided the chimes, “on top of the existing noise, would not be charming and cute.” On August 5, Mrs Greene registered her objections. Her concerns were not allayed when the managers told her that when the chimes are fixed they would ring every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. The managers suggested she wait and listen to “the sounds, not the noise,” and remarked that perhaps the sounds of the chimes would help offset the noise from the trucks.

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The planners for the proposed Queen’s Row office complex on 2.6 acres at Queen Street and Mile Hill Road won over a new supporter from the public at a Planning and Zoning public hearing Thursday night and drew no opposition, although some may still exist in town. “I no longer object to it, in light of the development that has gone on in this town,” said George Reichert of 70 Queen Street. “This building is more in keeping with what has gone on in town.”

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Conservation director James Benson is in the process of selecting a site to be preserved as a nature center for the town of Newtown, and expects to make his choice with the help of Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian by autumn. The center would be “devoted strictly to nature study,” he added, and to protect the fragile areas of woodlands in Newtown. After selecting the site and designing a trail system, the conservation director said, he will present his plan to the board of selectmen. He expects the project to cost about $10,000.

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An access route to Lake Zoar for the residents of the Riverside community has been blocked by an adjoining property owner. Residents denied use of this path are angry and are seeking some positive action to retain their deeded lake rights. According to a 1923 map of the old Riverside subdivision, the right of way is 50 feet wide and goes down to Lake Zoar. “There was a question about a piece of property and Town Attorney Ray Connor was investigating it,” First Selectman Jack Rosenthal said. “There was a question and I referred it to the Heritage Title Company in Danbury,” Mr Connor said. “They sent me a report a week ago which clearly stated that the town owns the land in question.”

August 18, 1961

Librarian of Congress L. Quincey Mumford announced Monday his appointment of Louis Untermeyer of Newtown, distinguished poet and editor, to serve the Library of Congress as Consultant in Poetry in English for a one-year term, beginning in the fall of 1961. The position of Consultant in Poetry in English was established in the Library of Congress in 1935 through a gift of funds from the late Archer M. Huntington. The consultant gives advice on improving the Library’s collections of literature; recommends the purchase of new materials; assists in acquiring manuscript and books through authors and collectors; advises on bibliographic and reference work in his field; and confers with scholars and poets using the Library’s collections and facilities.

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It is announced by Carl Smith, chairman, that at the regular meeting of the Newtown Planning Commission held on Friday, August 4, there were presented five maps of proposed subdivisions, which if approved, will contain a total of 83 building lots for potential home-sites.

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Robert Wheeler, who has been serving as lay preacher at the Newtown Methodist Church, has now fulfilled his qualification s for a local preacher’s license. He has been assigned in this church for the coming year and is living at the parsonage on Church Hill Road. The Rev Mr Wheeler is a graduate of Newtown High School.

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TV star House Jameson, resident since the ’30s, jumped “on stage” with “The Desperate Hours,” this week, after an emergency plea from his community theater group, Town Players, to fill in an unexpected cast vacancy. Splitting the week between daytime professional rehearsals in New York City and amateur theater in Connecticut, he finds among his local colleagues on this set the famed mystery writer and director of “Desperate Hours,” Edward Aarons, author of the Sam Durrell mystery books.

August 14, 1936

A robbery took place at the First National Store in Sandy Hook, Wednesday morning. Five boys from Bridgeport wanted to camp out on Lake Zoar for a week, and not having brought the needed supply of food, they thought they could take the bread, cake, crullers, and milk from in front of the First National Store and get away with it. Constable Hiram Hanson happened along in the early hours of the morning and saw what was taking place at the store. He got Constables Blake and Beers and put chase after the culprits. The boys were trapped about a mile from the store.

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State Police visited the Inns of Arthur Craft and Elmer J. Pearson in Dodgingtown on Sunday evening. At the time the police visited these establishments, glasses partly filled with beer were found on the tables. This is a violation of the law concerning innkeepers and tavern owners after certain hours. Both pleaded guilty, claiming they were unaware they were breaking the law. Innkeepers and tavern owners are warned that it would be well for the owners of such places to familiarize themselves with existing regulations.

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Beach Nichols, last Civil War veteran, died on Thursday of last week at the Fitch Soldiers’ Home in Noroton, where he had been a resident for the past several months. Mr Nichols was in his 92nd year and despite his advancing years, his mind remained keen and active. Beach Nichols was born in Newtown, February 8, 1844, the son of Isaac Nichols and Louisa Bartlett. He became a soldier in the Civil War on September 11, 1862, at the age of 17. During his service he was taken prisoner at Brashear City. Following his service, Mr Nichols was engaged as a mapmaker and surveyor, later returning to Newtown and serving as a deputy sheriff for a number of years.

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The Fabric Fire Hose Company of Sandy Hook is making an improvement at their factory by constructing a gravel driveway from the main road, directly to their plant. This will replace the old driveway which took a circuitous route with several turns in it and made a rather dangerous entrance into the main highway.

August 18, 1911

If the identity of the four or five persons who attacked a certain citizen of this town, last Saturday night in front of the Grand Central Hotel can be ascertained, they will all be punished to the full extent of the law. It seems a shame that a man can’t walk along Newtown Street after dark without being knocked about by such individuals. A detective is on their trail expecting to have them all soon before the court, and we hope that this will put an end to such doings.

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In the hard shower on last Tuesday afternoon, Sherman Crofutt’s house in Taunton, occupied by Mr and Mrs John Treadwell, was struck by lightning. Mrs Treadwell was burned on one arm and on one limb and foot by the lightning and received a slight shock. The lightning also did considerable damage to the house, tearing off some siding and plastering, and throwing a picture from the wall, turning a picture completely around on the wall, ran down a gun barrel knocking the rubber off the gun stock and played several other antics.

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The Editor paid a visit, Wednesday, to the peach orchards of Newtown M. Curtis, the local peach king, who now has growing between 6,000 and 7,000 thrifty trees. Mr Curtis now has between 3,000 and 4,000 trees in bearing. On Monday, his first day of picking, he gathered 95 baskets. Thus far, Mr Curtis is finding a market in Danbury, where his good peaches and careful handling have built him up a fined reputation.

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While driving his auto from Newtown to New Haven, Sunday, Mamert Woicehowski met with quite a serious accident. In his care were Howard Booth, Mrs C.W. Northrop, Misses Maude and Loretta Northrop. Miss Maude was at the wheel and in some way the machine ran into the fence, at a point on the state road near Allings Mills on the New Haven turnpike. All were more or less bruised, but Mrs Northrop suffered from a sprained back. The steering gear to the machine was found broken, and Mr Woicehowski thinks his machine is damaged something more than $100.