June 5, 1992

Of life's enduring mysteries, there is one we have never been in much of a hurry to solve: Mary Hawley's secret. Newtown's most famous benefactress was married briefly, traveled to Europe, and then came home without a spouse. Now, Dan Cruson, Newtown Historical Society president, says he knows what happened in Europe and will tell all in the society's October newsletter. Newtown's most accomplished historical sleuth, Mr Cruson has pieced together the story and plans to use it to the society's benefit. He has titillated the public by calling the untold story "a true Victorian tragedy" that helps explain Miss Hawley's philanthropy. But, he says, only those society members who have paid up their dues by the middle of October will get the newsletter. As eager as we are to hear the details, we have mixed feelings about having Mary Hawley's personal problems fully illuminated. Her transformation from Mary Hawley the mystery to Mary Hawley the fund-raising-promotion-gimmick to Mary Hawley the fully explained historical figure may be a bit glaring to watch. We intend to enjoy the next months of mystery, then get our hands on the newsletter as soon as we can.

***

When Joe Grasso leaves the school system the position of music director may remain vacant. The position of band director and choral director at the high school will be filled, according to Superintendent John Reed, but there may be no one individual overseeing the school system's music program that begins in the elementary grades. One of the teachers in the fine and applied arts department, however, will serve as department head in the high school. Mr Grasso is retiring this month. Interviews are being conducted for the band director position, as well as for other vacancies at the high school, according to Principal Bill Manfredonia.

***

How easy, or difficult, do town officials want to make it for businesses wanting to move to Newtown, or to make changes to their facilities? This issue was discussed June 2 at the Economic Development Commission meeting. Developer Brian Corson has been part of this process for years, and knows who to go to for various information. But still, he says he is sometimes told things by officials such as, "I'm not here," and "Go away." Mr Corson said some people here have "a very negative attitude, and they put up walls." When these officials are asked questions, he said they sometimes say, "No, you cannot do it this way." Although he said he can sometimes "laugh it off," he said some officials "need an attitude change so we don't scare away the good people."

***

"Progress," the hallmark of Cyrenius H. Booth Library since it was founded in 1932, is still something to be celebrated as staff and patrons commemorate the library's 60 birthday with a jazz concert on June 12. "We have a 20th Century library," said Janet Woycik, librarian for 11 years, as she named improvements from installing computers to giving the burgeoning Children's Library more space in three rooms on the second floor. Sixty years ago the library was built with donations from benefactress Mary Hawley.

***

National Dog Registry, the oldest and largest missing animal identification and recovery organization in the world, has mounted a nationwide campaign to help combat the pet theft epidemic. In an effort to help protect pets in Connecticut, NDR and US Surgical are sponsoring two pet tattoo clinics on Sunday, June 7, at Fairfield Animal Medical Center, 607 Main Street, Monroe, from 11 am to 4 pm.

June 9, 1967

Friday, June 2, turned out to be an important date in the life of The Bee. On that day a contract was signed with The Goss Company for a three-unit Community web offset press. Buying a press is not an everyday occurrence for any newspaper. We beg the indulgence of our readers, therefore, in order to explain in this column the move we are making and our reasons for doing so. We are sure it is obvious to our readers and advertisers that the staff has been operating under mechanical difficulties and limitations of space for some time in producing each weekly issue. Our Goss flatbed press has been doing yeoman service for a long time, but it is slow and prints only eight pages at a time, so that we have been limited. The new press, scheduled for shipment from Chicago on the week of July 17, will print 12 pages at a time at the rate of 12,000 per hour. Since we are now printing 9,300 complete copies of the paper each week, our press time will be reduced from 16 hours to less than three.

***

Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission at its June meeting approved four subdivisions of land totaling 55 lots and involving 62,703 acres. All are located in one-acre zones. The largest is the "Brookwood Estates" consisting of 32 lots on 38.05 acres on Brookwood Drive in Flat Swamp district. A preliminary map filed by TEC-CELConstruction for "Hillpoint Manor," a 14-lot subdivision off Saw Mill Road in Taunton District was approved. The area involved is 16.2 acres. Also approved in Taunton District was the final map of "Great Hill Estates," off Great Hill Road for six lots on 8.3 acres. In Hattertown District, the final map of George Piccot for three lots on 4.03 acres located on Hattertown Road was approved.

***

It is requested by the Town Players that anyone having knowledge of its four-foot sign in red, black, and white, which was taken from Town Players Theatre on Orchard Hill Road last week, please inform PO Box 211, Newtown, Conn.

***

All the committee for the local flea market, sponsored by the Newtown Rotary Club, report everything ready for this Saturday's event which is set to open at 10 am on Taylor Field behind the Hawley Elementary School. Running the club's side of the flea market is Nelson Roberts. Art booth manager Jack Kipp oversaw paintings which will be for sale in the art exhibit, a part of the flea market program. The art show was started last year and proved to be so popular that a repeat is set for Saturday. Many local artists will offer a wide variety of works. Dealers from several states will be on hand, under the direction of Ann Anderson of Trumbull, and a donation of 75 cents will be collected at the gate. All proceeds benefit community projects.

***

It's one thing to restore an old house for comfortable, modern family living, but it's quite another when you're the director of an important new historical foundation and the house you're restoring used to be the home of a beloved and famous literary figure. Hence, the restoration of the Harriet Beecher Stowe house at 73 Forest Street, Hartford, presented special problems to William Warren, director of the Stowe-Day Foundation and the man in charge of the buildings once part of Nook Farm. Ultimately, five buildings will constitute an historical museum of the period, 1840-1900, when Nook Farm was the location of homes of Mark Twain, Ms Stowe, Charles Dudley Warner, and others whose fame is less significant now.

June 5, 1942

Come Earlier Next Time! We hope that we will be pardoned if we again emphatically remind our advertisers that our deadline for all types of advertising, classified included, is 10 o'clock Thursday morning. This week in particular we have received urgent requests to break our rule, in order to accommodate one latecomer after another. But we must go to press on time, which means our deadline must be observed. We hope everyone will understand, and come earlier next time.

***

The Children's Spring Festival will be held at 3:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon, June 6, on the lawn of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. Come and see the Queen of Blossoms crowned by her courtiers. See the dance on the green and the marvelous and spectacular Punch and Judy show: "The Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy," presented by the cast of superb players to entertain the Queen. Everyone is invited to join the Queen on this joyous occasion. The Children's Library Club will give the festival and the children themselves made the puppets and manipulate them.

***

Following a conference between Governor Hurley and Motor Vehicle Commissioner John McCarthy, it was announced that the automobile inspection lanes will be closed for the duration of the war. The governor also indicated that no inspection will be necessary for the current period which closes July 31.

***

The Sandy Hook Baseball team lost an exciting game Sunday afternoon at Pine Grove Park when they lost 8-3 to Middlebury in the 10th inning. They held the lead most of the time with Joe Cavanaugh on the mound and Jim Cavanaugh behind the plate. This Sunday's game will be played at Bethany. Manager Jack Leavy has also scheduled a game for this Friday when the Stepney A.C. will meet the Sandy Hook boys at Pine Grove Park at 6:30. "Buddy" Luckner will pitch for the visitors.

***

Due to the gas rationing the library staff believes that many people may find it difficult to come to the library during the afternoon and evening hours. To accommodate these patrons, it has been decided for an experimental period to open the library an additional morning each week, beginning the week of June 7.

June 8, 1917

Town Clerk Oscar Pitzschler will be busy for some time. A deed from the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company to the United States Rubber Company was filed for record with Town Clerk Oscar Pitzschler this week. By this deed all the property of the Rubber Goods Manufacturing, situated in many states, is transferred to the United States Rubber Co. of New York for the great sum of $97,259,900 on all its real estate holdings. This deed is by far the largest ever offered for record in Newtown. It is a printed volume of several hundred pages and weighs about two pounds. With the big crop of potatoes the Town Clerk is raising and this big deed to wrestle with, he will be an extremely busy man for some time to come.

***

George Dayton, the genial representative of Dayton & Hurtzler, bakers of Bethel, now makes his tri-weekly trips to Newtown in a very handsome Rush auto delivery van. The D7H bread seems to go like hot cakes, for George disposes of something like 500-600 loaves each trip. The car is painted a brilliant yellow and attracts favorable comment everywhere it goes.

***

TIME TO SPRAY - We're prepared to do good work. We spray the right material and charge the right price. Write or phone Harold M. Tomlinson of Albert W. Rasmussen, Hattertown, Newtown-Adv.

***

The main trunk line highway from Hartford to Springfield on the east side of the Connecticut River is closed to through travel. All travel should go by the west side. The state highway department begins work on the concrete road from Depot Hill in Warehouse Point. A detour will be provided for local traffic.

***

Members of the freshman and sub-freshman class, under the direction of Miss Troy, decorated with flowers on Memorial Day the graves of their former school friends, Amelia Pierron and Lester Ray.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com, or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.