Turning Back the Pages
100 years ago — February 1922
ORE HILL — Moxie Rowe spent the past two weeks in New York.
Adv: Found — At Salisbury, strayed Bird dog, no name or tag. Finder can secure same by addressing Geo. H. Simons, 234 Oak St., Winsted.
LIME ROCK — Frank Boice has accepted a position in the Foundry and expects to move here in the near future.
James Hallahan, who has been employed at Egan’s market, expects to return to Torrington Saturday where he has accepted a position.
50 years ago — February 1972
Del Tenney plans an airstrip for his own plane rather than a general airport on his property along Dugway Road in Salisbury, his attorney, John A. Rand, told the Lakeville Journal this week. Acting for Mr. Tenney, Mr. Rand sought to dispel any fears that a commercial development was contemplated.
Lakeville found itself suddenly without water last Thursday morning when a major leak erupted in front of Bogue’s Garage on Main Street. Fred Wohlfert, superintendent of the North Canaan Water Company, one of the men called in to help with the repair, told The Lakeville Journal that the leak occurred when a plug in the end of a four-inch spur worked loose under the constant pressure of the water. Mr. Wohlfert theorized that the spur had been laid off from the main years ago for a hydrant that had never been installed.
The Fitch Inertial Barrier System, the invention of John Fitch of Lime Rock, has “saved several Connecticut lives,” according to a UConn traffic expert.
Dr. Rajendra P. Jain, an authority on traffic engineering, reported on field tests of the Fitch System at a recent meeting of the Highway Research Board in Washington, D.C. Dr. Jain noted that Connecticut was the first state to test the system, which consists of specially built plastic barrels containing a quantity of sand. These barrels have been placed at critical locations in the highway system to provide a cushion for cars which otherwise might slam into a concrete abutment.
Although The Lakeville Journal’s little story last week about Steve Blass refereeing basketball games at The Salisbury School incognito came from a reliable source, according to Steve it just didn’t happen. Steve told the Journal Tuesday that although he has been working out occasionally in The Salisbury School gymnasium, he has not acted as a referee -- and hence no school player could have been dissatisfied with his decision and asked what he knew about sports. As the upstaged raconteur said, another good story spoiled by a dad-gummed eyewitness!
The North Canaan Housing Authority has asked the Connecticut Department of Community Affairs to finance construction of 50 units of low-income housing for the elderly. Authority members completed the application forms at a special meeting Monday night and mailed them off to Hartford early Tuesday. “We know the need for 50 units is there,” authority chairman Art Baldwin told The Lakeville Journal.
Falls Village, a town that owes its origins to the water power of the Housatonic, is paradoxically a town plagued by a lack of water for its water system. It was brought out at recent town meetings that, while there is no lack of drinking water, the system does not have a strong enough supply to allow homes near hydrants a reduction in insurance rates. The actual system of pipes that carries the water to Falls Village homes is perhaps the newest in the northwest corner of the state. Originally laid in 1901, the Falls Village Light and Water Company was updated around 1950 by Mrs. Henry C. Gaylord, who then turned it over to the town.
25 years ago — February 1997
After decades as a Canaan landmark and an entertainment center for the Northwest Corner, the Colonial Theatre’s blank marquee signals its closing after last week’s death of owner Shirley Boscardin. Family members have not announced plans for the Colonial’s future.
Erin Matheson of Falls Village has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.
KENT — Bruce Bennett, owner of the Kent Greenhouse, has designed a scenic riverwalk for about 2,000 feet on the Housatonic River. The Kent Land Trust recently purchased a 12.5-acre stretch of riverfront, and the riverwalk is part of its plans to make the area more accessible. A picnic area will be included.
These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.
