July 26, 1996

The new Borough of Newtown Historic District Commission will conduct its first meeting at 8 pm, Monday, in the Mary Hawley Room of the Edmond Town Hall to elect officers and adopt its regulations. The public is invited to attend. Five persons were appointed to the commission by the Borough Board of Burgesses at its last meeting. They include Charles Fulkerson, Lindell Hertberg, Kathy Jamison, Stephanie Gaston, and Betsy Kenyon.

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Planning and Zoning Commission members are expected to consider creating about 180 house lots in the coming weeks and months... One proposal which has drawn the attention of people living in the Taunton Hill Road area, is the Estates on Taunton Hill, a 19-lot development proposed for 60 acres in the vicinity of Taunton Hill Road... the developer has hit some technical snags and recently withdrew the project just before a scheduled public hearing was to be held for it. Public hearings are now held in the auditorium at Newtown Middle School.

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The state plans to sell or lease about 15 small woodframe houses it owns along the edge of the Fairfield Hills grounds on the east side of Queen Street and the west side of Mile Hill South... The psychiatric institution closed last December with the remaining patients either transferred to Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown or to community settings... Oversight committee members would like to allow local, non-profit organizations the first opportunity to purchase the houses, possibly through longterm leases and eventual purchases.

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Newtown Hook & Ladder Fire Chief Steve Murphy warns that a public safety problem exists due to some missing street signs throughout Newtown. Youths climb the poles and remove the signs, using them as souvenirs and decorative items, Chief Murphy said... If parents find their children have possession of a local street sign, they should contact the police and return the sign to the town.

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“The league wasn’t that strong in the beginning, certainly nothing like it is today,” said John Daly, who played second base for the first-ever Newtown Slo-Pitch Softball champions back in 1971, and whose two youngest sons, Chris and Matt, play for the most recent champs... The Newtown Slo-Pitch League officially began in the summer of 1971 — 25 years ago — when Parks and Recreation Director Charlie Chamberlin organized a ten-team league.

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The drum roll, please... Past and present members of the Striders Drum Corps are invited to its 50th anniversary celebration on August 3 at the Sandy Hook Firehouse... Originally called the Sandy Hook Volunteer Firemen’s Drum Corps, the corps was comprised of fife, drum, and bugle, and membership was open to youth under the age of 18. Now, the corps is an adult corps, with the members playing fife, drums, bells, and trumpets.

July 23, 1971

The rains which fell in great quantity on Monday were great for the lawns, but posed quite a problem to motorists on I-84 in the construction area of Sandy Hook. Most of the wet stuff just rolled down the banks and gathered just west of the Route 34 bridge, reaching a height of over two feet in some spots. Cars passed through slowly and backed up to the east into Southbury, west to the Hanover Road section, while tank trucks attempted to pump the “pond” dry. Several hours slid by before traffic moved again at the proper pace.

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With the double purpose of creating a fun center for young people and providing an area off the roads to remove the young people from highway and traffic dangers, William Cornut has built a track for minibikes and other small bikes at his property on George’s Hill Road... he is planning a program for Saturday afternoon, July 24, at the track and invites young people wishing to do so to attend, starting at 2 pm... So far the young people in the neighborhood have accepted Mr Cornut’s invitation and have been using the track.

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With Selectman Sidney Seligmann absent, First Selectman Timothy B. Treadwell and Thomas Goosman formed a quorum and named a five-member committee to study noise abatement in the community. Mr Treadwell noted that many groups and individuals had complained about noise, particularly that caused by snowmobiles, and pointed out that the state had recently passed several laws on all-terrain vehicles... Mr Treadwell pointed out that since Newtown had a problem with other types of noise violations, such as lake violations and construction work, what had originally been planned as a snowmobile committee had become a noise abatement committee.

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The Newtown Jaycee’s Horse Show Committee is actively making preparations for fifth annual open horse show. Once again, this year it will be at the 4-H grounds off Route 6 in Bethel, on Sunday, August 22, rain or shine, beginning at 8:30 am.

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The Post 70 Explorers Pine Tree Patrol will leave Newtown, Sunday, July 25, at approximately 1 pm, for 14 days, on their annual trip to Canada. Ten days will be spent in the wilds of the lakes, rivers, and forest near North Bay, Ontario.

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The Newtown Women’s Fast Pitch Team suffered its fourth loss in eight games last Friday, in a closely contested battle with the Barden Royals. Playing on a thoroughly soaked field behind the Danbury War Memorial, the girls fought to keep their footing under adverse playing conditions. The final score was 10-9 in favor of Barden.

July 19, 1946

John Angel, sculptor, of Zoar district, has just returned from a 6,000 mile, six-weeks drive in a station wagon from Newtown to Saskatchewan, Canada, where he went to visit his three sisters whom he had not seen for 30 years. En route, he also made sidetrips to survey various of his sculptures now located in Pittsburgh, St Louis, Vincennes, Ind., and other cities.

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One of the most successful affairs to be conducted recently in Newtown was the Connecticut Children’s Aid Dance, by the Newtown Auxiliary, at Newtown Country Club last Saturday evening, July 13th. Well over $1,300 was realized. Many of our Connecticut children will benefit from the generosity and cooperation of Newtown neighbors.

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The children of Fredricka House in Sandy Hook will have their closing camp program on Wednesday evening, July 24, at 8 o’clock. They will present an Indian operetta, “Dawn Boy,” by Oscar Rasbach. This will be followed by folk dances of many nations... A cordial invitation is extended to anyone who wishes to attend.

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“DDT — three magic letters that have been so extensively publicized in these last four months. DDT— the all purpose insecticide that will solve the farmers’ and housewives’ insect problems. DDT — praised; DDT— condemned. Everyone is talking about it and a very few know anything about it.” With these words, members of the Newtown Rotary Club were introduced to the product with which many of them had toyed in their homes and gardens the past year... The speaker was John Mills, manager of the Aer-A-Sol division of Bridgeport Brass Company... Telling the almost miraculous effects of the use of DDT with the armed forces, the speaker stated that at one point in Africa where malarial infection has been as high as 70 percent, use of DDT... had reduced the percentage to as low as one-half of one percent... He said there are no injurious effects from contact with human skin...Regarding general use... DDT has the individual characteristics of residual action, the poison creeping up the nerve centers through the feet of insects. When walls, ceilings, trees, or plants are sprayed with the 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent solutions of DDT, their surface retains its killing ability of anywhere from four to six months.

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Installation ceremonies of the newly organized Raymond L. Pease Post No. 163 American Legion were held in Bridgeport Hall, Fairfield Hills Hospital, last Friday night at 7:30 pm, with more than 1,000 persons, including veterans of World War I and II in attendance. There are enrolled in the new Post 60 war veterans, all employees of the hospital, and it is believed to be the first Post ever organized to be composed entirely of state employees.

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Adult classes in swimming will start this Friday evening at Fife’s pool. Cars will meet at 6:30 pm at the Flagpole Fountain and Sandy Hook Center for those who have no transportation. Anyone interested in learning to swim, or improving their strokes, is invited to attend. The classes will be under the supervision of Coach Harold DeGroat, assisted by Miss Barbara Baxter.

July 8, 1921

CAKE SALE SATURDAY: At Brother Cushman’s Tea House, some of the good cooks in Newtown (and there are some mighty good ones) are making some delicious cakes and cookies which will be placed on sale at Brother Cushman’s Tea House on Saturday at three o’clock.

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Dennis F. Cavanaugh and Charles L. Griffin were among those who witnessed the Dempsey-Carpentier fight in Jersey City, N.J., on Saturday.

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Mr and Mrs Arthur J. Smith and Paul and Earl Smith went to Westport, Monday, to witness the historical pageant, and were guests for the day of Mr and Mrs F.B. Hubbell.

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Miss Gladys Campbell, daughter of Mr and Mrs James Campbell, was taken to St. Raphaels hospital in New Haven on Monday. On Sunday afternoon there was a consultation on her case in Sandy Hook at which there were present Dr Kiernan, Dr D. Chester Brown of Danbury, and Dr O’Brien of New Haven. While the physicians are not absolutely certain, sleeping sickness is believed to be the malady from which the girl is suffering.

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HATTERTOWN NOTES: Mrs Ada Parmelee, Mrs Lizzie Wakeman, Richard Bevans, and George Summers went to Brooklyn, N.Y., in Mrs Parmelee’s auto last Saturday. They were the guests of Benjamin Fairchild and family while in the city. They returned Monday night. …Mrs and Mrs Craig, who are occupying the David Parmelee residence this season, welcomed a little son to their home last week. …Mrs J. H. Jackson has recovered from her recent sickness. …Frank Perkins and Charles Leibold of Bridgeport were at their homes in this place over the Fourth. … Harold Tomlinson has harvested over 30 bushesl of fine strawberries. …Miss Maude Lewis entertained some friends from Bridgeport over the week-end. …Jacob Goldberg has his two houses filled with boarders from New York City. …Andrew Pavlick of Yonkers, N.Y., was a visitor in this place over the Fourth. Mr Pavlick is now the sole owner of the Crofutt property, formerly owned by H.P. Morgan. …Andrew Summers of Bethel has been spending a week with his sister, Mrs Ada C. Parmelee.

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MOVING PICTURES AND DANCE, Town Hall, Newtown — Saturday Night, July 9, An R.A. Walsh Production in “The Deep Purple,” based on the play of Paul Armstrong and Wilson, Mizner, six parts. ... and is said to be a vivid exposé of the methods by those who work the badger game. The story centers around a wholesome young country girl who unwittingly becomes the pivot of a daring blackmail plot. Bill Lake, one of the characters, outwits the crooks, rescues the girl and how in the end, Leeland meets his fate at the hands of the man whom he had betrayed to the police for bloodmoney, is vividly told. The wideawake comedy, “Startling Adventures of Keenan Sharpe,” will also be shown.

Your memories are the ones we want to share! 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.