May 8, 1998

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — TREES FOR MAIN STREET: Normally, when we want to enjoy the good works of Newtown Forest Association, we travel out to the edges of where we live to take a walk in one of the NFA’s land preserves. But now the association has had the extraordinarily good idea of bringing a little bit of the forest to the center of town. Initiating a program it is calling “Newtown Trees for the Millenium,” the forest association this week planted, with the help and support of middle school students and local businesses, a sapling maple in front of the Newtown Savings Bank. The idea is to replenish the more than 100 maple trees that lined Main Street at the turn of the last century. … We applaud the Newtown Forest Association for helping a new generation of Newtowners put down roots on Main Street.

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HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Bonnie Miller.

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Newtown High School was one of three schools across the state to receive a mentorship grant to become a demonstration site for an entrepreneurial model of education. Jules Triber, vice principal of Newtown High School, said that “in essence, we will be designing the model for the state. We will be making a kind of how-to guide so another school system could do this.” The grant for $150,000 will be put toward school-community programs, such as the mentorship program, internships, and job shadowing.

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Teams of volunteers from Newtown joined with other area volunteers to make free home repairs in the greater Danbury area as part of the annual AmeriCares HomeFront Day on May 2. Using donated materials and services, the volunteers worked on 12 houses in Danbury, Sandy Hook, Sherman, Southbury and New Milford, and at the Shelter of the Cross center in Danbury. The volunteers included teams from Newtown Congregational Church, Knights of Columbus Virgilius Council 185 at St Rose Church, Trinity Church, and Sorvall Products Company in Newtown.

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A development firm wants to build two 10,000-square-foot buildings on Peck’s Lane that would serve as combination warehouse/office buildings. Oak Street Design and Construction, represented by engineer Larry Edwards, has submitted plans for the project to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Conservation Commission, serving as the town’s inland wetlands and watercourses commission, endorsed the development project last December. The site lies south of Peck’s Lane’s northerly intersection with South Main Street. It is west of Peck’s Lane and east of South Main Street.

May 4, 1973

The Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Company brought their new fire engine to the Edmond Town Hall last weekend to show it to town dignitaries and their friends in Hook & Ladder. It cost $45,000 and goes only four miles to the gallon, but Police Commission Chairman George McLachlan, a H&L volunteer, commented enviously that it’s just the right size for Newtown’s narrow roads.

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There wasn’t much discussion of the town budget at the annual town budget meeting Tuesday evening, and there wasn’t much discussion of the merits of voting by referendum, either. But there were a lot of angry comments, and in the end the meeting did the only thing it could do: fix dates for the referendum and the adjourned town meeting that will follow it. The referendum will be Tuesday, May 15, from 6 am to 8 pm in the gymnasium of Edmond Town Hall. The adjourned town meeting will be Wednesday, May 16, at 8 pm in the Middle School auditorium, to vote on the financing of three capital items and the maintenance of town roads if the budget is approved at the referendum, and to adjourn again without action if the budget is rejected.

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The annual meeting of the Newtown Scholarship Association was Wednesday, April 25, in the Newtown High School, with Mrs Edmund C. Platt presiding. It was voted and carried to expand the Board of Governors to not less than ten and not more than 15, and elected as new members of the Board were Mrs Robert J. Campbell and Mrs Harold A. Haase. A new slate of officers was also elected, three board members were re-elected, and multiple appointments were made.

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The French and Spanish Honor Societies at Newtown High School had induction ceremonies on April 25. Salutations were given by Delly Ozanne, president of the French Honor Society, and Beth Marks, president of the Spanish Honor Society. JoAnne Schmidt and Patricia Burns, secretaries to the French and Spanish societies, respectively, gave brief histories of the organizations. There were 43 students inducted into the French society and 54 into the Spanish society.

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The Red Cross Bloodmobile visit in Newtown Friday, April 27, was a resounding success, said Dr Robert S. Grossman, Blood Program Chairman for the Danbury Area Chapter. The collection of 138 pints of blood exceeded the quote of 75 pints by 63 pints of life-saving blood and 158 persons appeared to donate but 20 were deferred due to reasons of health. Sandwiches were provided by Fairfield Hills Hospital.

April 30, 1948

Last Thursday evening in the Edmond Town Hall theatre, the Senior class of Hawley school presented its annual play, this year’s choice being A.A. Milne’s “Mr Pim Passes By.” The play has been around for a number of years and is much too well known to require dissection, except to say that in America it is only vaguely funny, whereas in England, where it was written, it comes off as being hilarious. … The cast did well. … There were remarkably few lapses in the performance and only occasionally did any of the actors drop their roles long enough to look out into the auditorium to assure themselves that the audience was still there. All in all, it was a good high school play, and, like all high school plays, it was thoroughly enjoyed.

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ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCED: Mr and Mrs George G. Canfield of Sunset Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Lillian Marjorie, to Walter J. McCarthy, son of the late Mr and Mrs John F. McCarthy of Sandy Hook. Miss Canfield, a graduate of Hawley High School and Booth and Bayliss, is supervisor of the Employment Records Department at the Bridgeport Brass Company. Mr McCarthy is factory manager of the Fabric Fire Hose Company in Sandy Hook. No date has been set for the wedding.

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At its regular dinner meeting Monday evening in the Parker House, the Newtown Rotary Club elected officers and directors for the club year, 1948-49, as follows: president, Howell Wright; vice president, Frederic M. Rees; treasurer, Fred Buermeyer; secretary, Wendell A. Mansfield. Other directors are James N. Greene, the retiring president, John Hanson and Albert H. Nichols.

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The Eagle Patrol of Boy Scouts won the current contest in Troop 70 and left early Monday for Francestown, New Hampshire. They will stay at the Scoutmaster’s Cabin there until Thursday. Those who made the trip with Mr Cullens are: James Mainwaring, Donald Giddings, Danny Desmond, Ralph Berkemann, Robert Richmond, Richard McTaggert.

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Coach and Mrs Harold DeGroat spent Saturday night with their son, Bob, at Wilmington, Del., where Bob coaches at Tower Hill School and are spending several days getting acquainted with their grandson, Eric Jr, who will come home to Newtown with them to start the new term. Eric’s father is one of the Physical Education instructors at North Carolina State College at Raleigh.

April 27, 1923

At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Newtown Water Co., last Friday night, C.B. Taylor, president of the Board, announced his purpose to retire from the office, but his association strongly urged him to reconsider his determination to sever his connection with the Board. In addressing their stockholders Mr Taylor said [in part]: “I have been president of your company for 18 years. As I shall be absent from town a part of the time and the officers of the company should be in close touch with its affairs, I think it best for me to resign. I thank you for the confidence imposed on me during the long time of service, and for the courtesies shown by your Board of Directors.”

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The will of Cornelius M. Hard, which has been admitted to probate, gives most of his property to Trinity Church, Seymour, and the Congregational church of Newtown, to be divided equally between them after minor legacies have been paid. Mr Hard told the editor three or four years before his death that he intended to leave a large share of his estate to a church. The estimate is said to be valued at $25,000 or more. It includes what was formerly the Emery place, on Emery street and money at interest.

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Postmaster Wheeler announces that due to the change in the train schedule on this division of the New Haven Road, the office hours of the post office will be 7 am to 5 pm, effective Monday, April 30, at 7 am.

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Mrs Alice C. Duell, who had been housekeeper for Arthur T. Nettleton for some time, died in Bridgeport, Sunday morning. Mrs Duell went to Bridgeport, Thursday morning, to visit a sister and was apparently in her usual health. She is survived by a son residing at New Bedford, Mass., and a daughter in Waterbury. The funeral took place in Waterbury on Wednesday afternoon.

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Mr and Mrs Robert Lake of Danbury were Sunday guests of Mr and Mrs E.G. Lake.

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Mrs Thomas Maloney and Miss Jennie Honan were in New Haven, Saturday, calling on their sister, Miss Catherine Honan, who is a patient in St Raphael’s hospital.

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Dr and Mrs Walter Chandler of Middletown were callers, Sunday, on Mr and Mrs Allison P. Smith.

May 6, 1898

At the Congregational church on Sunday morning the rite of infant baptism was administered to Joseph Field, son of Mr and Mrs H.W. Wright. Master Frederick Andrews, Miss Fannie Andrews and Emma Wilson were received into the church on confession of faith. The latter was also baptized. At a business meeting of the church on Sunday morning, William Fairchild was reelected a deacon for a term of three years.

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F.W. Wheeler of Monroe was in town on Tuesday, a welcome caller at The Bee office.

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The first man to place his name on the register at the Newtown Inn was W.C. Hibbard of Springfield, Mass. Others who followed him were David Bloomfield of Meriden, A.F. Clarke, just returned from a trip ‘round the globe,’ and Dr W.H. Rider of Danbury.

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John Ray, for the last year in the employ of C.F. Beardsley, has taken a position with W.A. Leonard, and is now driving the stage for the Newtown Inn.

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Charles Briscoe has rented the farm of Mrs Daniel Gregory for the ensuing year.

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Mrs Daniel Gregory, who has been seriously ill for a long time, is much better.

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Capt Alfred Jefferson Briscoe, who has been seriously ill for some days, is convalescent.

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.