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Connecticut’s long lost Western Reserve
Alex DuBois presented a lecture Saturday, April 13.
SHARON — Horace Greeley’s advice to the young man may have been valid later in the 19th century, but at the dawn of that century, when area families contemplated going west to the uncharted Western Reserve, mapped as “New Connecticut,” the going was not for the faint of heart.
During a talk titled, “To Certain Western Lands: Connecticut Stories from the Western Reserve,” Alex DuBois, Curator of Collections at the Litchfield Historical Society, described the realities faced by those who ventured west, leaving New England for a variety of reasons. The lecture was presented by the Sharon Historical Society on Saturday, April 13, following its annual meeting and election of officers.
Noting that his information about Connecticut’s role in settling of the Western Reserve has taken years to assemble, DuBois began the timeline with the original charter in 1666, when the state’s western boundary was undefined so that in theory the colony extended from the western border of the colony of Pennsylvania all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Due to the vast distance involved, the western boundary was eventually decided to be the Mississippi River, DuBois indicated.
After the American Revolution, DuBois said Connecticut gave most of its claimed western lands over to the new American government, but it “reserved” 35 million acres in the northeast of present-day Ohio from Pennsylvania to the lower tip of Lake Erie for its continued use and settlement. This area was named the Connecticut Western Reserve, also known as “New Connecticut.”
Sharon native and surveyor Amos Spafford was instrumental in the early surveying of those lands, not an easy task to map townships defined by precise single square miles arranged in blocks of 25 or 36, a concept know as five-by-five or six-by-six.
DuBois recounted that once the land was mapped, investors could either set about to farm the land themselves or they could sell to Connecticut residents who might move to the land. The Connecticut Land Company, specializing in speculation, was actively involved.
In the course of events, Ohio’s native tribes were being displaced. Numerous military actions were always ended by treaties that invariably called for the tribes to cede land.
“It’s harder to find their voices,” DuBois said of his work to uncover the tribal historical record. He spoke of Seneca and the Wyandot Nation.
As for the families who went to the Western Reserve as migrants, DuBois said that the ads promoted the idea as a good move, while in reality it may not have been so.
“When you went, and how much money you had predicted your outcome,” DuBois said.
People who sought freedom found their way to “New Connecticut.” Freed slaves found it to be a place of opportunity. Slavery was not permitted in Ohio, but the prohibition was not enforced, and slaves were regularly seen working the fields. Fugitive slaves were returned to their owners as a matter of course.
In time, however, the Western Reserve became aligned with the abolitionist movement.
“It’s an important story for Connecticut,” DuBois said.
Re-elected to their positions as officers at the historical society were Chris Robinson, president; Jodi Scheurenbrand, vice-president; Stephanie Plunkett, secretary; and Douglas Rick, treasurer.
North Canaan budget heads to hearing
NORTH CANAAN — The Board of Finance has sent the 2024-25 spending plans to public hearing scheduled for May 15 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
During the board’s April 10 meeting, one change was made to the municipal spending proposal. The Housatonic River Commission’s request for $400 was approved and added to the town budget. Salary negotiations with the highway department remain ongoing, which may lead to another adjustment.
There are three parts to the budget: municipal spending, elementary school spending, and Region One’s high school assessment.
The selectmen’s spending proposal showed a total of $3,642,536 in municipal expenses, a reduction of $24,166 (0.67%) compared to 2023-24.
North Canaan Elementary School showed a bottom line of $4,536,112.70 for next year, an increase of $110,075.87 (2.49%) over 2023-24.
North Canaan’s total Region One assessment came in at $5,565,923, down $136,960 (2.4%) from last year.
Overall, the combined budget totals in 2024-25 $13,344,971.70, a reduction of $51,150.13 (0.38%) compared to last year.
Professionals shared insights with Salisbury Central School students on Career Day, April 12.
LAKEVILLE — It started to rain Friday afternoon, April 12 outside the lower building at Salisbury Central School.
This did not make any visible difference to the group of eighth grade students visiting with Salisbury Resident State Trooper Will Veras and Department of Energy and Environmental Conservation officer Ed Norton.
The students ignored the raindrops as both law enforcement officers showed the students their equipment. Veras allowed a couple to sit in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, to demonstrate the locking mechanism that only allows him to drive it.
Norton described his routine, saying that he covers over 40 towns and has a wide amount of discretion as to how he spends his time.
Veras noted that even though he is the resident trooper for Salisbury, he is still part of the team at the State Police Troop B barracks in North Canaan.
Marine Mechanic Colin Brooks was prepared for the rain, with a tent over the bed of his pickup. In the bed was an engine, and he demonstrated how he goes about diagnosing and fixing mechanical problems.
Inside Michael Baldwin, a SCS graduate and the Associate Artistic Director and Director of Education at the Sharon Playhouse, told a group of students that he caught the performing bug early.
“I was in a Christmas pageant at age five.”
It made a lasting impression.
“I looked for every opportunity” to perform after that.
Upright bassist Jeff Hill talked about his career in between playing the bass.
“My job is to make everybody else sound good.”
He asked the students if they knew how to read music, with mixed results.
“I think everybody should do it.”
Selectmen discuss Community Center lease
SHARON — Making steady progress toward developing a lease arrangement with the Sharon Housing Trust to develop the former Community Center building into four units of affordable housing, the Board of Selectmen discussed finalizing a lease draft at their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 9.
First Selectman Casey Flanagan reported that an attorney specializing in real estate law at the firm of Cramer and Anderson had reviewed a draft of the lease and offered two amendments. The Housing Trust had reviewed those amendments and had recently made small adjustments. Still being discussed is the term of the lease, whether 99 years or 75 years. Also included in the lease is a provision that In the event that the Housing Trust should dissolve before the lease ends, the property would revert to the town.
The town can require that the Housing Trust be responsible for the maintenance of the property located at 99 North Main Street, Flanagan said.
Housing Trust Board member Larry Moskowitz noted that as the Housing Trust invests in the Community Center building, the value of the improvements would be lost to the Trust under the provisions of the lease.
“It’s not uncommon for an organization to make improvements,” Trust Board member Bob Whelan said.
Parking at the site continues to be a challenge leading to suggestions toward a solution that might reconfigure access between the leased building and the neighboring rental property owned by the Housing Trust at 91, 93 and 95 North Main Street.
“Leasing was the quickest, easiest way to move forward,” Flanagan noted, having explored other options that had been suggested at previous meetings.
The lease draft will be reviewed again by the attorneys before being readied for public hearing and town meeting decision.
“I’m pretty comfortable with what I’ve seen so far,” Flanagan said. “We don’t need to keep this dragging along.”
The selectmen plan to act on the matter at the next meeting on Tuesday, April 23. If they approve the lease, then the selectmen could schedule a town meeting for May.
Grant funding is available to assist with the building’s renovation. Jocelyn Ayer, Director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunities reported to the selectmen about the availability of a possible $1M in funding through the Connecticut Community Block Grant program. If awarded, the grant would support the renovation of the Community Center building. $250,000 could be spent on each of the four apartments, she said.
The town needs to apply for the grant, Ayer explained, because the town owns the property.
“It has to go through the town,” Ayer said, adding that the application process is long.
The application must be submitted before May 31, Ayer said, indicating that a decision would not come until many months later.
The services of a consultant are needed to complete the application, Ayer noted, but indicated that her organization would pay the consultant’s fee of about $3,000.
The first step is for the Board of Selectmen to pass a resolution indicating its intent to make application for the grant, and that step needs to be taken before April 30.
The selectmen agreed to consider the grant application at their next meeting.
Improvements to the Town Hall’s internet system were discussed, resulting in unanimous agreement to seek $70,000 in ARPA funding to cover the expense.
Flanagan reported that the improvements would bring greater internet security to the building, seen as critically important.
As a result of the upgrade, the building would gain new cable and a fiber internet connection through the Connecticut Education Network, with the town paying to maintain the system. A later phase would introduce a permanent meeting system for the large Chapin meeting room on the second floor.
Flanagan said that he had reviewed three bids and chosen Yucatech of Goshen, Conn. to do the initial steps of the project, but the large meeting room would need to wait.
“We’ll have to do it in stages,” Flanagan said.
