December 24, 1999

HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Lynn Johnson.

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Many Newtown children were expected to receive letters from Santa this week thanks to the special handling of the mail at the Newtown post office. According to postmaster Paul Marciniak, his staff has received nearly 100 letters this Christmas season addressed to the North Pole. He assured us that all letters were successfully delivered to the home of Mr and Mrs Claus, and that’s important since many letters include detailed lists of Christmas wishes. … Mr Marciniak said he works closely with Mr Claus to make sure that all letters from Newtown are answered. After all, Mr Claus receives hundreds of letters each year from all over the world. It takes the hard work of the local post office in each town to deliver each envelope.

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The developers of The Homesteads at Newtown, a 298-unit housing complex for the elderly planned for Hawleyville, intend to open the first phase of the project, a 100-unit assisted living facility at the 166 Mt Pleasant Road site, next fall. Dr Morton Silberstein, a geriatric psychiatrist, and his wife Linda participated in groundbreaking ceremonies at the 60-acre site planned for the $50 million project December 15. The Silbersteins of Guilford are the developers and owners of The Homesteads at Newtown LLC.

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The new Botsford Post Office is now under construction at the intersection of South Main Street and Botsford Hill Road. When completed, the 3,500-square-foot building will replace the old post office on South Main Street just north of Blue Spruce Drive. The post office will have 24 parking spaces and patrons will have access to the building via Botsford Hill Road. Construction began in early fall. John and Nancy Kalas are developing the property. A completion date has not been set.

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The Trinity Church Christmas pageant was held on Sunday, December 19, with a cast of fourth and fifth graders as angels, shepherds and wise men, as well as the Chamiec-Case family with baby Elizabeth Faith portraying the Holy Family. The pageant also featured youth choirs, and a special rendition of “Silent Night” that was portrayed in sign language by youth choir members. Narrator was Trinity’s rector, Kathie Adams-Shepherd, and the organist was Maria Coffin. Thirteen new angel costumes were created for this year’s pageant by Elaine Breitling and Anne Tabler.

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An arbitrator is weighing 20 hours of sworn testimony and more than 100 documents presented at the job termination hearing of Police Chief James E. Lysaght, Jr, in seeking to establish the facts in the case, and make recommendations to the Police Commission on whether the chief should be fired. Hartford Arbitrator Albert Murphy on Wednesday closed the four-day termination hearing after listening to the reasons the Police Commission believes Chief Lysaght should be fired from his $65,280 annual post, and also listening to the chief’s defense and explanation of his actions. Mr Murphy’s findings of fact and recommendations are expected by the beginning of February, at the earliest.

December 20, 1974

A meeting is scheduled between representatives of the Highway Department union and the Town Monday, December 23, to try to iron out disagreements over the union’s first contract. The men of Newtown’s Highway Department unanimously voted down the contract between their union local and the Town when it appeared in final draft before them at a meeting on December 13. Though Jack Butler, president of the local, which is number R-1-217 of the National Association of Government Employees, said he felt sure that the contract would be ratified, he afterwards supported the decision of the rank and file and accused the First Selectman of letting the union down by going back on his word and reneging on verbal agreements.

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The Ram’s Pasture property at the corner of Route 25 and Route 302 could cost Newtown about $90,000 to purchase as a town green, if available federal funds are used. At its meeting on December 16, the Conservation Commission put together some tentative figures for the total cost to the town of the 12-acre meadow currently owned by the Newtown Cemetery Association. The conservationists had decided to follow the suggestion of the Board of Finance given on July 22 and ask the town for a special appropriation, not just to buy the property, but also to do some preliminary development work to render it dry enough for strollers.

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Zoning Enforcement Officer Richard Howe and engineer Mike Miller of Flaherty-Giavara, the Town’s consulting firm, conducted an inspection of 13 sand and gravel operations on November 23. The inspection was precipitated by the infamous November 16 sand bank slide on the grounds of Sandy Hook School … Mr Howe began sending letters November 27 to operators of 12 commercial enterprises, and to the Town regarding an area at the landfill, informing them of the results of the inspection as spelled out in Mr Miller’s report and requesting that steps be taken to correct the dangerous conditions. Overhangs on mined banks and dangerously steep slopes are the key problem areas.

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Sandy Hook and Middle Gate Blue Bird groups, under the leadership of Linda Carlson and Caroline (Kitty) Hollstein with Sharon Fowler and Mary McLaughlin assisting, went Christmas caroling with the patients at Buckingham Gardens on Tuesday, December 10. The Sandy Hook group consisted of Andra Carlson, Marcia Fox, Kelley Johnson, Julie Fowler, Laura Schaedler and Ruth Thompson. The Middle Gate group included Robin Regan, Jennifer Hollstein, Dori Timko, Jennifer Murdy, Celine Dionne, Linda Perry, Carolyn Muse and Susan Colbert.

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The septic lagoon system proposed for the Town’s sanitary landfill will have to find a new location. Though tests at the planned site had shown gravel below the surface, deeper excavation revealed that clay underlaid the entire area. Since one of the three lagoons would have been a leaching pond and water will not leach through clay, the landfill is out of consideration for the project. Dr Thomas F. Draper, Town health director, said that a new site will have to be found since the Town is mandated by state law to provide a place for dumping septic effluent pumped out of town sub-surface septic systems. “However,” the doctor admitted, “it will not be easy to find a place which will be acceptable socially and ecologically.”

December 16, 1949

There was a large gathering at Fairfield State Hospital Wednesday afternoon to attend the dedication of the new structure, the first major post-war addition to the hospital. The new building is called Bridgewater House after that town, which is the residence of William M. Curtis, secretary of the hospital board of trustees and a member of the House of Representatives. The dedication ceremony was conducted by Mrs Alice Russ Cochran, who presented the three guests of honor, Charles G. Morris, Newtown; Cornelius F. Mulvihill, Bridgeport; and William M. Curtis, Bridgewater. … Funds for the building were part of a $6,000,000 appropriation made by the 1947 legislative for improvement of the state’s mental hospitals.

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The Newtown Lions Club invited the ladies to a dinner meeting, which was held at The Pines on Wednesday night, December 14th. The Honorable John David Lodge and Mrs Lodge were the guests of honor. After dinner, program chairman, Alvin B. Coger, introduced Congressman Lodge, who then addressed the group on world affairs, a subject on which he is well versed, being a member of The House Foreign Affairs Committee.

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George A. McLachlan, Jr, son of Mr and Mrs George A. McLachlan of the Boulevard, was awarded his junior varsity letter in football at the annual fall sports banquet of The Choate School held December 8. At the dinner, varsity and junior varsity letters were awarded 100 boys in football, soccer and cross country. Awards were also given to the boys selected by the coaches for all-star recognition and to the members of the winning teams in each division of the intramural sports program.

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Mrs George Edward Camp of Waterbury announces the engagement of her daughter, Miss Margaret Holbrook Camp, to Henry Hawley Warner, son of Mrs Hobart Glover Warner and the late Mr Warner of Sandy Hook. Miss Camp, daughter of the late Mr Camp and granddaughter of Mrs Frank Holbrook Mitchell of Main street, was graduated from Saint Margaret’s School in Waterbury and Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. She is a Technical Assistant at The Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. Mr Warner graduated from the Wooster School, Danbury, and the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance in Boston. During the war he served with the 87th Mountain Infantry. He is now associated with the H.G. Warner and Co, Sandy Hook.

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Steve Paproski of Newtown has been given the privilege of the exclusive use of the name “Cahifa” as a herd name in registering his purebred Holstein-Friesian cattle. This prefix name is granted and will be recorded by The Holstein-Friesian Association of America, Brattleboro, Vermont. Nearly 1150 prefixes were reserved for breeders in 1948.

December 12, 1924

The Bee is obliged to correct The Hartford Courant. The last survivor of the “Light Brigade” on its immortal charge at the Battle of Balaklava in the Crimean War has not died. The last survivor of the Battle of Balaklava is Thomas Kinsie of Newtown, now living with a son at Chelsea, Mass. Mr Kinsie resided in Newtown for 40 years, was a skilled wall layer and well digger, is still hale and hearty, and a very agreeable and pleasant gentleman to converse with. Mr Kinsie was a visitor at The Bee office in the summer of 1924. He has often spoken to the editor of his participation in the immortal charge. Mr Kinsie resided for many years in Hanover district, Newtown.

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Cornelius B. Taylor, vice-president of the Newtown Savings bank, left on Wednesday for a winter’s sojourn at St Petersburg, Fla. At the session of the Congregational Sunday school, Sunday, where Mr Taylor has long been a member, he was given a cordial send-off, good wishes for a successful trip and happy winter. Every member of the school gathered around him to say good-bye and wish a most pleasant winter in the Southland.

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Thus far this year, public meetings have been held at the following schools: Half Way River school, November 13. Taunton school, November 14. Flat Swamp school, November 12 and November 26. These meetings have consisted in part of demonstrations of school work and in part of discussions of educational problems. The school nurse has been present at one of these meetings and the County Farm Bureau Agent at two of these meetings. The attendance of children and parents has been good, particularly in the country schools, where practically all of the pupils and parents have attended.

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Louie Lovell has finished the concrete work on his new garage, which will be 40x70 feet. The second story will be of brick construction. The floor will be concrete supported by steel beams, weighing about six tons each. The supports for the roof will be of steel construction. The garage will be fireproof and the largest in town. The first story will be used for the storage of cars and the second story will be devoted to the garage.

December 22, 1899

F.C. Sanford of Bridgeport passed Sunday with friends at Hawleyville.

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Rev and Mrs Charles H. Smith of Plymouth made a brief call, last Friday, on Newtown relations.

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Robert Barnum, a freight brakeman on the Shepaug branch, returned to work, last week, after being laid up for two months with a fractured ankle.

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A.G. Baker & Son, the well known Hawleyville furniture men, are having a small ice house built in the rear of their furniture establishment.

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Dr Green has purchased a new turnout complete with A.N. Briscoe & Son.

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A child of Michael Turner, who lives near the Sandy Hook station, is ill with typhoid fever.

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H.P. Boyson has a few carriages which he has not sold yet. Anyone can find out about them by inquiring of Mr Hubbell at the Newtown Inn.

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Thomas Donovan of Lake George has just completed two large culverts on the road between Hanover and Lake George.

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.