Figuring out bridge's history takes its toll

NOTH CANAAN — Gwynne Lorenzo, who grew up on Church Street in North Canaan but is now a resident of Kent, stopped in last week to share this photo of a bridge in North Canaan, which she found in a bundle of her late mother’s papers.

No one here was quite sure where the bridge was. It was marked: Aerial view of Canaan, Conn., as flood sweeps New England Nov. 1927.  That could have meant North Canaan or Falls Village. But the river there doesn’t resemble the Housatonic at the Great Falls.

As is often the case, historian and Lakeville Journal columnist Dick Paddock knew all the answers.

“The bridge in the picture was the Canaan Toll bridge,â€� he explained. “It ran from Honey Hill Road in North Canaan over to Weatogue Road in Salisbury. It was built in the 1890s  by a private stock company of Canaan residents, to shorten the ride from North Canaan to Twin Lakes.â€�

Although he wasn’t certain on this part, Paddock said he believes that bridge was destroyed by a flood in 1938 and never rebuilt.

“Today there is no longer any trace of the bridge  or of the approach road that connected it to Weatogue Road,â€� Paddock said. “The industry in the picture is the Canaan Power Co., which operated until 1931 or 1932. There are some traces remaining of the dam the power company built. Those remains are a serious hazard for canoes and require one to walk around them for safety.â€�

Latest News

Water main cleaning in North Canaan

NORTH CANAAN – Aquarion Water Company today announced a water main cleaning project in the company’s North Canaan system. The project is scheduled to take place from Monday, April 1 through Tuesday, April 16, and is being undertaken to ensure customers in North Canaan continue to receive the highest quality water.

The cleaning for April 1 and April 4 (subject to change) will take place on the following streets:

Keep ReadingShow less
Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less