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Newtown has a new building inspector, R. Allen Brinley, Jr, who took over the position on August 1. Before coming to Newtown, Mr Brinley served as Southbury’s building inspector for four years. Mr Brinley said that he anticipated the builders would see no major changes in operations.

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While on a teaching assignment from Bowdoin College in the People’s Republic of China this summer, Robert Hannah of Wilderness Road found himself waiting for the same elevator as a well-known Connecticut pediatrician. Dr Thomas Draper was there to visit his daughter, Rosemary, who had spent a year in the People’s Republic as part of a Wellesley College studies abroad program.

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After studying possible sites for a regional garbage to energy plant, the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is considering recommending such a plant be built either at Fairfield Hills Hospital, or on state-owned land near Danbury Hospital and Western Connecticut State University. Windham is the only Connecticut town with a garbage to energy facility but interest by other municipalities is picking up as landfills become increasingly scarce.

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Librarians and members of the Long Range Planning Committee met this week with Felix Drury, the architect selected to design the new second floor children’s rooms at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, and reviewed preliminary sketches and made suggestions. The meeting took place on the second floor where the back part of the building is in the midst of renovations which will bring the library into state fire code compliance. The 540 square foot addition which will house a stairway elevator, machine room, bathrooms and storage area, has been enclosed and the wall broken through.

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A South Carolina truck driver found he did not have a foot to spare under the Church Hill Road railroad bridge when his trailer became firmly jammed under the overpass Wednesday, August 24. Traffic was backed up for several hours along Church Hill Road and for more than a mile up Mount Pleasant as a wrecker disengaged the truck and towed it away.

 

August 29, 1958

The Newtown Board of Education announces that Carl A. LeGrow, Superintendent of Schools, has written the board that he plans to retire from his position in the Newtown school system at the termination of his present year of service on July 1, 1959. Mr LeGrow has served the Board of Education and the town long and well. His hard work, integrity and loyalty will be missed.

* * *

At the meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday evening, James Carmichael resigned as a member of the commission and was appointed as zoning enforcement officer, effective as of August 25. In connection with Mr Carmichael’s duties, the commission reminds the public that applications must be made to him for all new construction, remodeling and any subdivisions that may be contemplated.

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“Mimi,” an apricot French poodle owned by Mr and Mrs Paul McNamara of South Main Street, appeared on TV Channel 2 in the program, “Your Hunch,” Wednesday morning, August 20. Mimi, weighing five pounds, appeared with a large St Bernard weighing 161 pounds, owned by William Rankin of Brookfield.

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As one of the concluding items of this year’s Greater Newtown Sales Days, checks have been forwarded this week by William Dudde, secretary of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, to Bertram Stroock of Dodgingtown District, chairman of the Danbury Hospital Progress Fund. The checks, totaling $347.30, represent a portion of their receipts during the Sales Days which nine Chamber members have donated to this worthy cause.

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Under a ruling handed down last Thursday by State Attorney General John J. Bracken and delivered to the State Board of Education, towns which use public school buses to transport pupils of parochial or private schools are not eligible to receive transportation grants from the state for such pupils. State elementary school transportation grants are paid on the basis of one-half the cost of transportation, up to a maximum of $20 per pupil served. On the basis of the maximum transportation grant, state money would be reduced if parochial students are given town transportation.

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Sixteen rare primitive American paintings, most of them early 19th century portraits, went on exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum for the first time Tuesday, August 26. The works are the gift of Mrs Edith Gregor Halpert, owner of a New York gallery and long-time patron of modern American art. A resident of Hattertown District, Newtown, Mrs Halpert has established the Halpert Foundation for the encouragement of contemporary American art.

 

August 25, 1933

Old inhabitants cannot recall so severe a storm in August as visited the east, Wednesday night, and through to morning. According to the United State Weather Bureau it was the worst storm since 1896. Locally the electric light service went out of commission and remained off until 7 the next morning. Trees were blown down and in great number. The damage to the farmers must be great as the silo and field corn was blown flat to the earth. The damage to the apple crop must be very heavy. The D&B Gas & Electric Light Co were great sufferers and had poles and wires down in three places between Danbury and Newtown.

* * *

Mr and Mrs Irving Washburn and Charles Goodsell returned from Canada on Sunday evening with a splendid catch of fish which a number of their friends thoroughly enjoyed. Mrs Goodsell and son, Millard, remained in Canada for a visit with her parents at their summer cottage on Beverly Lake.

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People who happened to be in the vicinity of the Newtown Country Club on Friday, about 1 o’clock were treated to the novelty of seeing an aviator land his ship on the golf course of the Country Club. C.H. Da Boll, a noted aviator, was forced to make a landing when weather conditions forced him for the time to abandon his flight from the Newark airport to Syracuse, N.Y. He made a splendid landing on the west end of the golf course between the first and second greens, just south of the residence of Miss Helen Egan. Mrs Addie Johnson, hostess of the Country Club, immediately took coffee and sandwiches across the field to Mr Da Bolla.

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The hearing before Coroner Phelan on the Hawleyville fire, adjourned from Hawleyville last week Tuesday afternoon, was continued on Thursday afternoon at the City hall in Danbury. The contention of the state police that Lewis C. Durgy, of Brookfield, who was fatally burned July 23 in the fire which destroyed the Village Barn, Hawleyville roadhouse, was burned by flaming oil and not “bottled gas,” as was at first intimated, was borne out by the testimony of experts and by eye-witnesses.

* * *

The local democrats are planning a big Community sheep roast on Botsford Hill, for Sunday, the bake being superintended by that expert chef, William D. Parker, of the Parker house. There will be hot roast beef sandwiches and clam chowder at 11 o’clock followed by the sheep roast at 2. The tickets are to be $2.50.

* * *

There was an interesting ceremony in the cafeteria at the Fairfield State Hospital, Sunday afternoon, at 3 o’clock, when the members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented to the Fairfield State hospital a beautiful silk United States Flag on a standard. Frank Wright, a member of the Fairfield State Hospital Board of Trustees, said: “It is certainly a pleasure to be here and we are grateful for this beautiful gift.”

August 28, 1908

On Saturday evening, a bold attempt was made to burglarize the residence of Patrick Gannon, which failed, thanks to the coolness and pluck of Mrs Gannon. Mrs Gannon retired about 10 pm and about an hour later was awakened by a noise at her bedroom door. Rising quietly she felt her way to the door, which was locked with a chain arrangement, permitting the door to be opened a short distance. As she stood up to take hold of the door to close it, she placed her hand on the hand of a burglar. She took a box containing money and secreted it in the adjoining room, and passed to a cabinet in the next room in which were five revolvers. Seizing one, she returned to the front room and fired, the ball entering the wall. She then returned to her husband’s room and fired the revolver again. Mrs Gannon then went to the window and called lustily to some men in the church sheds for help. The burglar left the house by the side door. Mr Gannon returned home shortly after midnight and was astonished to learn of the attempted burglary.

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LAW OFFICES OF NEWTON, CHURCH & HEWITT. The Warden, Newtown, Conn. Dear Sir: I am chairman of two committees in regard to Sunday observance. Will you kindly inform me whether ball playing on Sunday is allowed in Newtown? Yours truly, Henry G. Newton. Query: How long is Sunday ball playing to be permitted in Sandy Hook? —[Editor]

* * *

Mr Oppe and Mr Poland had a narrow escape, last Wednesday. Mr Poland was fixing the chimney of the house when two rows of brick gave way, letting him fall backwards to the roof. As he fell he reached and caught the ridge boards which saved him from rolling to the ground.

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About two weeks ago in one of our hard showers lightning struck the well curb at the homestead of Mrs George Cubec in the south part of the town, shattering it all to pieces. Just as it was struck, two of Mrs Cubec’s daughters went to the window on the side of the house towards the well to shut it and they both were shocked and were thrown to the floor, but neither were badly hurt. One of her sons was in the pantry at the time, the door being open, and the lightning set fire to his hair, burning a few locks.

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The fair and sale under the auspices of the ladies of the Congregational church, Thursday afternoon and evening, on the spacious grounds of W.H. Hubbell, proved one of the successful and enjoyable affairs the lades have held. The “Sliby” sale of Orientals goods proved an attraction and netted the ladies a goodly sum. The net proceeds of the fair amounted to $135.