November 7, 1997

It is not an exit on the interstate, but the handful of residents who live on Old Currituck Road believe their quaint little street looks like an off-ramp these days. Workers told one resident one recent morning they were assigned to erect the double-set wooden rails for safety reasons. Recently, a vehicle coming down Summit Road lost control and nearly went over the embankment, so town officials concluded that a guard rail needed to be installed the length of the 100-yard road.

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No matter how close the Cyrenius H. Booth Library comes to being completed, it always seems to still be only halfway there. The endless process of cutting something in half is proving to be frustrating for town officials. The project was supposed to be done more than five months ago and, though the contractor, Building Technologies, Inc of Prospect, is close to the end, the job still drags on. This week, the town gave the man in charge of getting the job done yet another ultimatum: get it done this week or get out.

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A man tried to grab a youngster in a Newtown Middle School bathroom, reported Superintendent of Schools John Reed to the board on Wednesday, November 5. Dr Reed said the “youngster reported that he entered the boys room, a person attempted to grab him. He got details: the color of his shirt, his height, nationality.” The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 am Wednesday, November 5, in the lower part of C wing. Dr Reed said that the police are investigating the matter.

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The Legislative Council Wednesday voted unanimously to designate Sanford Road as a scenic road, ensuring that its beauty is protected for years to come. The picturesque roadway becomes the first road in town to receive scenic road status under a recently created scenic road ordinance. The dirt road, which runs along the shores of Lake Lillinonah near the Shepaug Dam, is now protected, by law, from any major alterations.

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There was some confusion Monday morning at Newtown Middle School once the votes were counted to determine the winner of the 2nd Annual Sculptured Scarecrow Contest. It took nearly 24 hours for organizers to figure out which team of monster makers were the masterminds behind scarecrow Number 29. In the end, it turned out scarecrow Number 29 — a scarehuman, really — belonged to John Bunt, John Catino and Leigh Buckens. The boys had decided they wanted to make some kind of superhero, something that flew, and decided to work on a hobgoblin.

November 3, 1972

Just imagine how the driver of the car at the drive-up window at the Union Trust Company in Newtown must have felt falling into line behind a horse. But that was the case on Friday afternoon as Black Coal took his place to get “driver” Cindy Sperling to the bank on time. Cindy made the trip from her home on Edge Wood Lane, with Marianne Morhauser along as a passenger. While the deposit was being made, the bank teller fed Black Coal two dog biscuits, adding that the bank refuses to buy hay for such rare occasions. Possibly Black Coal would receive more attention from Union Trust if he came across with some horse “cents.”

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L.E. Pelletier of Newtown was elected president of the Connecticut Firemen’s Historical Society at the society’s annual meeting October 27 in Branford. The Society is incorporated as an educational non-profit organization to preserve the history of the fire service in Connecticut and ultimately established a museum of fire protection. At present it has had a small exhibit in the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport. There are 300 members of the Society, and another Newtowner who is a member is Joseph Wupperfeld, representing Newtown Hook and Ladder Company No. 1

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The State Inspector John Grossi checked the Newtown School buses on October 31 for bugs and goblins. The official results will be here in two weeks, but all the buses are road-worthy.

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The Garden Club of Newtown met at the Spinning Wheel in Redding for their annual luncheon meeting on Tuesday, October 31, and announced the recipient of the club’s 1972 Civic Award. James Kearns, custodian of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, was singled out for the annual award and was given a certificate for his pride and endeavors in maintaining the grounds around the library and the building itself and for keeping them in ever-superb condition.

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As announced by Editor Paul S. Smith, the news coverage of The Bee is now under the overall responsibility of veteran John Chabot Smith, as News Editor. A former writer for The Washington Post and The New York Herald Tribune, he moved to Newtown last year from Weston, which had been his home for 20 years. The new Mr Smith on The Bee, known to staff and friends as John, has covered local news in Washington and New York, and served as Washington Correspondent in Europe during World War II, and Foreign Correspondent in England after the war. John is a graduate of Princeton University (Phi Beta Kappa) and Cambridge University (First Class Honors). Born in England, he became an American citizen in 1943.

October 31, 1947

Those who think that Hallowe’en has always been an evening for the pursuit of mischief, preferably with the cops looking indulgently the other way, are several centuries off the mark. This annual period of juvenile sabotage began as a serious celebration, marked by many elaborate rites to ward off evil. About all that has remained is the pined old crone and the broomstick, symbols of superstition. … Here in Newtown the night of October 31st there are parties planned, civic, private and otherwise. If the goblins don’t get you — and chances are they won’t — have fun. Should you be unable to resist the temptation to stick a pin in your doorbell, be sure it’s your own.

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Mrs Bertha J. Piper, Director of Occupational Therapy at the Fairfield State Hospital, is attending the annual convention of the American Occupational Therapy Association and Institute on Psychosomatic Medicine at Coronado, California.

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William Hayes of Sandy Hook left on October 20th to spend two weeks in Denver, Color., visiting his niece and her husband, Mr and Mrs J.B. Espy.

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Dr J.L.W. Jenkins and Mr and Mrs Albert Knapp, with Mr and Mrs Ralph Swift of Middlebury, left on Monday for Bear River, Nova Scotia, on a bear hunting expedition.

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The Newtown section of the State Highway Department has been assigned a new KP-11 International truck, which was put into use on Wednesday for the first time, with Fred Wetmore at the wheel. The truck is a large, orange colored, efficient-looking piece of equipment, and should prove very useful in the snow storms of the coming winter months.

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The Scout Cabins are almost completed. Three years ago a fund of $5,000 was raised to build two cabins suitable for meeting places for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Newtown. The land was purchased across from the Newtown railroad station and surveyed, and the Boy and Girl Scouts helped to dig foundation ditches, cut brush, build a temporary road, carry bricks, pound nails, and generally assisted with some of the fathers in getting the two cabins erected. The five thousand is all used up and the two buildings stand with walls and roofs completed and one of the two fireplaces ready to use. A meeting of the combined troop committees has been called for and the building committee will recommend that extra money be raised to get the second fireplace completed, the doors and windows in and the floor for the girls’ cabin completed so that the Scouts can use the cabins this winter.

October 27, 1922

Another of Newtown’s old residents passed to the “Great Beyond” in the death on Wednesday morning of Sarah Glover Nichols, widow of the late Philo Nichols, the well known lumber dealer of his day. Mrs Nichols was 89 years old, the daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Villeroy Glover. Mrs Nichols was united in marriage with Mr Nichols on February 28, 1854. They established the home in Zoar district. Three children blessed their union. Mrs Nichols was a woman of most lovable character, gracious and charitable in her opinions of others, and kind and helpful to all whose pleasure it was to know her.

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Mr and Mrs Oscar Peterson and Roy Peterson of Washington were guests of Allison P. Smith at dinner at the Parker house on Wednesday. The birthdays of Oscar Peterson and Mr Smith fall on the same day, and once a year these gentlemen get together for a dinner. This year it was Mr Smith’s turn to entertain. There is one good thing about Mr Peterson, who has been the editor’s pleasure to know for 30 years. He grows younger every day.

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A Nugas outfit has been installed in the Hawley school for laboratory experiments.

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Willis F. Arndt, who attended the Grange blowout at the Newtown Congregational church, last Tuesday night, lost a fur robe that was used to cover up his auto engine. The auto was standing in front of the church and if anyone has one in his car that doesn’t belong to him, Mr Arndt would be pleased to have it returned.

November 5, 1897

The homestead, consisting of the house, barn and outbuildings, and 45 acres of land, of Mrs Sally M. Beardsley of Dodgingtown district, was sold on Saturday, October 23, at public auction to William M. Beardsley of Bridgeport, for $425. Mrs Beardsley will probably move to Bethel and board.

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Mr and Mrs Howard Peck of Berkshire and Mrs Charles Bayette of Bridgewater went to Boston on the excursion, last Friday, returning on Monday.

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Franklin S. Hoyt, principal of the New Milford graded school, passed Sunday in town, the guest of Mr and Mrs A.P. Smith.

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Arthur Moore of Bridgeport passed Sunday with his parents, Mr and Mrs A.C. Moore of Taunton district.

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Following is a list of letters remaining uncalled for in the Newtown post office, November 1, 1897: Wire Facktoriest, Henry Gouxs, George Van Alstyne.—[George F. Duncombe, postmaster.]

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.