SBHS Newsletter December 2014

December, 2014

Come One And All Wassail Party!

Dec. 7, 3-5 p.m.

The Salmon Brook Historical Society’s traditional holiday get-together for members and their guests will be held Sunday, Dec. 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Society’s Rowe and Enders houses on Salmon Brook Street.

See our beloved old houses in their Christmas finery.

Enjoy the famous punch and scrumptious food. Take the opportunity to catch up with old friends.

This is an event not to be missed. Donations gratefully accepted. Please bring an appetizer (hot or cold) that can be shared.

Lesley J. Gordon Book Tour

A Place for the Peddler’s Wagon

(see page 7)

(see page 3)

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A Message from the President

By Bill Ross

Well, it is again the time of year when memories take us back

to Thanksgiving and Christmas past! Thanks to Carol Laun and her great archival and organizational skills, I want to share some “memories” found at the Salmon Brook Historical Society. `````

Christmas in Granby a long time ago:

In 1860, Adelaide Holcomb of Bushy Hill Road wrote, “I washed my clothes out. Sewed some. Went out after Starr (her brother), had a bowl of Oysters and some Christmas cake.”

In 1864, Starr and I went to Tariffville to church. It has been a beautiful day and excellent sleighing.”

In 1868, the diary of Rufus Messenger states, “Dec. 25, paid schools tax of $2.54.”

In 1886, “Friday evening at First Congregational Church there were services and two large trees wellloaded, one for the children and one for the older people. The Church was trimmed under the skillful hand of E.W. Johnson.”

In 1891, “Loomis Brothers new store is filled in its utmost capacity. A counter of Christmas presents is a new addition. The working is a full half dozen and at times requires lively stepping.”

In 1902, “O.B., Harold, Helen Colton went to the Christmas tree in West Granby. Nellie, Elmer, and Warren Lampson went to Washington Hill to a Christmas tree on Elmer’s bobsled.”

From 1916, “The weather was very unfavorable last Friday evening. There was good attendance at the Christmas entertainment under the direction of Miss Leona Bunnell, Miss Celia White, Mrs. F. H. Condit. The second part of “Bird’s Christmas Carol” was given and the parts were taken by Mrs. V.J. Irwin, Carolyn Colton, Ethel Griffin, Mary Brigham, Mary Korper, Storrs Brigham, Melbert Clark, Earl Shattuck, Wayne Griffin, and Helen Chittenden. The play showed good work by the committee and young people and was much enjoyed by all present.”

No fancy wrapping paper back then as all of the presents were in brown paper.

Children received sleds, skates, clothes, and games such as checkers, dominoes, and Pit. There was no Amazon.com or Target! Granby was a rural town back in those days but it is so interesting to read about how they spent their time during the Christmas season.

The Holidays have changed quite a bit, but there is still a very special sense of community here in Granby. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and a joyous Christmas and hope to see everyone at the Wassail party on December 7th.

2

What’s Happening in the Tobacco Barn?

by Carol Laun, Curator

The newly refurbished Peddler’s Wagon needs a place to stay, so changes are planned for the Tobacco Barn. I suggested to the Board of Directors that we hire Lee Hamberg, of the Southwick Historical Society and Sturbridge Village, to work Saturdays for about six weeks.

The plan is to have Lee help identify and evaluate our collections in the back half of the Barn. He is to label any duplicate, inappropriate or incomplete items and make recommendations for them. The Curator and Thursday volunteers will look at the history of the object and decide whether or not to deaccession it.

The surplus objects will be sold at an auction to be held after the Spring Flea Market. There will be more information about the planned auction in future publications. It is possible that members could be involved in consigning items for the auction.

In the meantime, there is a lot of activity in the Tobacco Barn. The Thursday volunteers are also working on clearing and organizing the barn. The area around the carved Beech tree from West Granby has been cleared and Lee has moved our interesting (and legal) gravestone collection to that area.

It is planned to move objects from the twenties and thirties to an exhibit area in the Preservation Barn (after they are cleaned). A display case in the Preservation Barn will house a collection of interesting tools and shelves will exhibit small interesting farm items such as horse anchors, a rat trap, a device for leading a bull around by the nose and much more.

In the Tobacco Barn rear area, we already have many displays such as ice cutting, maple sugaring, bee keeping, a variety of pumps, blacksmith shop, carpenter’s shop, harness maker’s shop, cider mill, saw mill, grist mill, tobacco growing and the Great Wheel. These exhibits will be improved and the remainder of the farm equipment will be set up to feature related objects, such as the corn chopper, stalk chopper and corn shucker in one area. More descriptive signs will be added to the exhibits.

The large barn door also needs work and the Thursday volunteers are working on that. A new hinge has been added, “Indian bars” are planned for security and a jack has to be added to stabilize the door and keep it from sagging.

We hope everything will be ready for the Peddler’s Wagon in the early spring.

3

An Incredible Gown on Display…

This past summer flew by, and with September’s end it was time to dismantle our summer exhibit and return the gowns on display to storage -– but not all of them. For the first time in years we have left one gown on exhibit for the Wassail Party. Our beautiful iridescent “changeable silk” gown of olive and blue, circa 1840-1870, will see yet another holiday celebration. If you didn’t see this incredible gown over the summer months, here’s one more opportunity.

by Jean Potetz

In the process of storing items in the Textile Storage Room, we’re discovering some beautiful gowns, hats and clothing items stored away many years ago that we believe others would enjoy seeing. With next year’s exhibit in mind, we have begun to set aside a few of these lovely pieces.

This exhibit is still very much in the planning stages, but you’ll be hearing more over the months to come. What’s the theme? We’re going fancy!

A sincere thank you to Textile Committee members Bert Dinella, Betsy Henebry, Lucille Ladden, Sally Markey, Pam Palmer, Patty Sansone and Ginny Wutka for their commitment to the Textile Collection. Due to their extensive knowledge and variety of skills, our collection is being preserved for future generations and also shared through summer exhibits and Behind the Scenes Tours.

Their work is very much appreciated.

Donations to Textiles in 2014 The generosity of our members and friends continues. Over this past year, the following items have been donated to our Textile collection:

For our research library, two quilt history books from Fran Adams: Calico Man by Paul Kopp and Making History: Quilts & Fabrics from 1890-1970 by Barbara Brackman.

Jim Allen donated his time, materials and expertise to build a display case to house small items on exhibit.

Shirley Fisher donated a patchwork quilt (circa 1930-1940) made by her grandmother Charlena Barnes Holt of Granby.

Karen Antonucci donated a white cotton eyelet summer dress (circa 1915), a cotton camisole and cotton slip.

A black everyday mourning dress (circa 1900-1925) was donated by Anne Marie Dufrane.

4

These buyers had staying power

By Todd Vibert

Staying power was the theme for the 2014 Fall Flea Market. Nearly everyone who came to the show did not leave. The general public parked their cars, visited a few vendors, put the items they bought in their car and went back to the flea market to buy more goods. Some people stayed for hours, browsing and looking and buying more and more.

It was great for the vendors and the concession stand, but hard on the volunteers who were parking cars. There were stretches of ten to fifteen minutes when we could not park cars in the main lot and sent newcomers to the Firehouse.

George Bronsord and Bob Giles did a masterful job parking cars from 8:30 to 11 o’clock as often we were near capacity at the Firehouse. I want to thank our neighbors, the Lost Acres Fire Department, for allowing us to use the field behind the Firehouse.

The weather for the day was partly cloudy with temperatures in the 60’s and sprinkles off and on from 10 am to 2 pm. At 3:30 a ten-minute shower ended the show as the vendors packed up their goods and went home. The first dealer arrived at 4:45 am and the last to leave was at 5:25 pm.

Dave Laun’s Thursday crew, including Jim Allen, Jim Glenney, John Horr, Jim Rosano, and Howard Berg, did an outstanding job of setting up tents, lining vendor spaces, and bringing sale items down from the Preservation Barn. I thank Dave Laun for sending out post cards informing dealers of show particulars and receiving checks in return.

Images by Peter Dinella

More on the Flea Market (see page 8)

5

Lesley J. Gordon

Author of New Civil War Book To Speak In Granby In May Many of the young men of Granby enlisted in the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry to fight in the Civil War. Friends, neighbors and relatives all fought together and suffered in Andersonville Prison together.

Lesley J. Gordon, Professor of History at the University of Akron, has written a book about the 16th called “A Broken Regiment – The 16th Connecticut’s Civil War.” The information on the cover reveals that the book is “The product of over a decade of research – a fascinating and heartrending story of one regiment’s wartime and postwar struggles.”

The photo on the cover of the book is from the files of the Salmon Brook Historical Society and features a group of Granby soldiers. Through the years of research, archivist Carol Laun supplied the author with copies of letters written by local soldiers and also diary excerpts from Addie Holcomb of Granby.

Quotes from these sources are found throughout the book.

Professor Gordon will be in Connecticut in May 2015 and has offered to talk about her book at a program sponsored by the Society on May 20. There will be a book signing at that time. More details will be published next year. The soldiers of the 16th also came from East Granby, Simsbury, Hartland and other Valley towns.

We will invite all interested people in the area to attend the lecture.

One book reviewer said, “Lesley J. Gordon’s ‘micro history’ of the Sixteenth Connecticut Volunteers is as compelling as it is revealing. Not content merely to describe the wartime experiences of these men, Gordon proposes new ways to understand how Civil War soldiers first survived then relived the conflict, both collectively and individually, for decades thereafter. This is a unique work, brilliantly realized.”

6 (Daniel F. Sutherland, author) 16th

Our Thursday Morning Volunteers The Fall Flea Market may be over but the work continues, to store the unsold saleable items, to dispose of unwanted items, and return the Preservation Barn to a usable condition until next May 16 when we start all over again! For the Flea Market Volunteers, a one day sale requires at least two months of work from start to finish.

Give Granby History for Christmas The Salmon Brook Historical Society has a selection of unique gifts available for Christmas. If you are new to Granby, one of the Granby history books will tell you about your town. The Museum Store also has books on the town cemeteries, the Bicentennial Quilt, the history of Cossitt Library, notable Granby trees, a cookbook and more.

Tote bags, linen towels with Granby scenes, a Granby jigsaw puzzle, notecards, mugs, postcards (both reproduction and 1914 originals), tiles, bear ornaments and stuffed bears are other gift suggestions. For a really original gift, old Granby Town Reports are available from 1900 to the 1950s. The comments on schools and budgets are fascinating.

Items can be purchased Thursday mornings from 9 to 12. Also, we may be open for a few Sunday afternoons in December – watch for our OPEN sign and flag.

7

Fall Flea Market (from page 6)

The Salmon Brook Historical Society made $4,691 from the Fall Flea Market.

Estimated gross revenue from the vendors’ fees was over $1,900, the concession stand brought nearly $1,200 and the Preservation Barn raised $1,800. A week later Ellen Cuhna, Roxanne Rosano, Marilyn Nystrom and Ken Kuhl led a discount Flea Market out of the Preservation Barn and added another $300 for the Society.

Mark your calendars for next year: the dates for the Flea Markets are Saturday, May 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17. Below is a quick comparison of last year’s Fall Flea Market to this year’s Fall Flea Market:

2013 Fall Flea Market

2014 Fall Flea Market

Hot Dogs sold

220 (approx.)

230 (approx.)

Mrs. Murphy Donuts

15 dozen (devoured by noon)

15 dozen (devoured by 11:30)

Water

26 bottles sold

25 bottles sold

Soda

87 cans sold

45 cans sold

Volunteers

50 (approx.)

50 (approx.)

Coffee

2 ½ pots made

3 to 4 pots made

Chili

2 crock pots consumed

3 crock pots consumed

Listed below are the volunteers who helped to make the Fall Flea Market a fun day and helped bring more money into the Salmon Brook Historical Society: Ellen Cuhna, Ruth Robinson, Marge Goslee, Melba Griffin, Bert Dinella, Shirley Davidson, Jean Potetz, Dick Potetz, Roxanne Rosano, Jim Rosano, Carol Laun, Dave Laun, Marilyn Nystrom, Tom Nystrom, Jim Allen, Jim Glenney, John Horr, Howard Berg, Vinnie Secord, Tom Wutka, Whitey Johnson, Bill Ross, Bob Schrepf, Mike Flynn, Diane Hernsdorf, Roger Hernsdorf, Kevin Harter, Ken Kuhl, Lisa Vibert, Heather Tomasetti, Peg Giles, Bob Giles, Kate Bernard, Pat Vibert, Roger Hayes, Anne St. John, Sandy Christensen, Lucy Holcombe, Karen McNey, Karen Antonucci, Mike Antonucci, Regina Landesberg, Paul Sawin, George Bronsord, Phil Main, Andrew Main, Paul Dewey, Eric Conroy, Rory Conroy, Taylorann Vibert, and Spencer Vibert.8

With sadness we note the loss in 2014 of the following members and friends of the Salmon Brook Historical Society. Individually, each contributed a large share of caring and friendship, along with talents to make the Society true to our mission to preserve local history for future generations.

In Memoriam Dot Mohrman Ted Maltbie Fred Griffin Nancy Oates Polly Covell Gail Kimball Fred Wilhelm

Newsletter Delivered By E-mail?

2nd Grade Tour

The Historical Society’s board wants to know if there is interest among members in receiving the quarterly SBHS News by e-mail instead of by snail mail.

The idea is to better serve members and save paper and postage costs. Members who are not online or who otherwise prefer to get the newsletter the old-fashioned way, through the post office, could still do so.

If you would be interested in receiving the Society’s newsletter by e-mail, reply to Ken Kuhl (kennykuhl @ gmail.com), Bob Schrepf (rschrepf70 @ gmail.com) or call the Society’s office at 860 653 9713. Leave a message with your name if no one’s there.

STUDENT $3.00 INDIVIDUAL $15.00 FAMILY/GROUP $20.00 SUSTAINING $30.00 LIFE MEMBERSHIP $300.00

Have you renewed your membership in the Salmon Brook Historical Society ?

We have attempted to keep the dues at a reasonable level. If you haven’t renewed for this year or owe back dues, please send us a check. Your continued support is welcome and appreciated. To those of you who have already paid your dues, many thanks.

Send your name and address with a check made payable to: Salmon Brook Historical Society and send to the society at 208 Salmon Brook Street, P.O. Box 840, Granby, CT. 06035

9

Salmon Brook Historical Society 208 Salmon Brook Street Granby, Connecticut 06035 860-653-9713 Or go to: www.salmonbrookhistorical.org Hours: Tuesday 9:00 to Noon Genealogical & Archival Research

Thursday 9:00 to Noon Thursday Morning Group Follow us on:

Granby, Connecticut 06035 PO Box 840 The Salmon Brook Historical Society

Calendar of Events Wassail Party Annual Meeting Author Lesley Gordon

Who We Are

Dec. 7 April 21 May 20

Board Members: Wayne Cahoon, Kevin Harter, Dave Laun, Lynn Lochhead, Phil Main, Karen McNey, John Morgan, Pat Sansone, Heather Tomasetti, Todd Vibert, Ginny Wutka, Rich Zlotnick

Officers: Bill Ross, President Ken Kuhl, Vice President Bob Schrepf, Secretary Roger Hayes, Treasurer Carol Laun, Archivist and acting curator

December 2014 Issue •SBHS Newsletter Publishing Committee Leila Hawken and Bob Schrepf •Layout: Ken Kuhl •Photography: Peter Dinella