March 2012 SBHS Newletter

March, 2012

Hear the Historical Styling of Noted Connecticut Singer/Songwriter Rick Spencer Annual Dinner & Meeting, April 25 Make your reservations today!

This year’s Annual Dinner and Meeting will be held Wednesday, April 25 at the West Granby United Methodist Church, 87 Simsbury Road, West Granby – right next to Holcomb Farm.

A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. in the Ross Room. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. in the Dining Room. Our annual business meeting will follow, including election of officers and presentation of the annual Linnell Award honoring extraordinary volunteer service to the society.

This year, three officers and four board members chosen by the nominating committee and approved by the society’s board of directors will be presented for election by the membership. See page 9 for the list of nominees.

At 8:30 p.m. well-known musician Rick Spencer will entertain and teach us by presenting a program called “A Songwriter from Connecticut: The Civil War Era Music of Henry Clay Work” in the church sanctuary.

Admission is $20.

Payment with the coupon on page 9 should be sent to Patty Sansone, 65-R Mountain Rd., North Granby, CT, 06060 by April 16

In Memoriam Ronald Robinson Bruce Porter Bud Murtha

Spring Flea Market May 15, 2012 (see page 5)

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Archivist and Curator Report

by Carol Laun

If you forgot to buy items from Granby’s 225th celebration, they are now available in our Museum Store. In return for creating the DVD Historical Tour of Granby, the Society was to receive all unsold copies to sell. The 225th committee also generously donated the rest of the commemorative items to us. We are selling mugs, puzzles, aprons, ornaments, stuffed bears and T shirts at reduced prices. The DVD will continue to sell for $10.

The Society recently bought a new computer and will soon buy an updated version of Past Perfect, our museum accession program. Roxanne Rosano and Rich Zlotnik have given many hours to researching this project.

Several people from the Southwick Historical Society recently visited our Society to study our accession procedure. The accession team of Melba Griffin, Sally Markey and Roxanne Rosano were very helpful with their suggestions and advice.

The historical organizations in the area all work together. We help each other with research and share our knowledge. When I heard that the Simsbury Genealogical Library was disposing of second copies of their books, I asked if I could have some of them and they were happy to let me go through the boxes looking for books to improve our library.

Karin Peterson from Newgate Prison visited to look at our Newgate photos and archival items.

Peter Dinella scanned and emailed some photos to share with Newgate and Karin presented the Society with a variety of original paper items from Newgate’s past. Karin was very impressed with our archives and photographs and said we had treasures.

The month of April has five major Society activities scheduled (see other articles in the newsletter). The textile volunteers are having another quilt turning, also a visit by the Embroidery Guild and we are part of the Farmington Valley Barn tour. Our first Civil War program and our Annual Dinner are also in April. This indicates what an active, vibrant Society we are and the many exciting items we have in our collections.

The genealogy work I do for researchers and the photography work done by Peter Dinella (aka The Wizard) continues to bring money to the archival fund. I have also been writing the script for our May Civil War program, using original letters and diaries in our files.

The Tuesday volunteers have completed making shelf lists of the books in the archival room and are now organizing our collection of diaries. They will soon be helping Ruth Robinson price items for our May flea market.

We are looking for an assistant curator who will eventually become the curator. If you are interested, please call Ken Kuhl or Carol Laun.

From The Archives This is a letter written by a Civil War soldier from Simsbury, who is very young, very scared and a very poor speller who rarely uses punctuation. He did survive the war.

Near falls Church, VA Jan. 27th 1863 Dear Father and Mother I have just written to Emily and I thoug that you would like to hear from me so I will rit a few lines hoping they will find you all well as I have not seen a well day for the past 18 week I have got the Chronic dirhea som days . . . (continued on next page)

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Recent Acquisitions to the Society

by Carol Laun, Archivist and Acting Curator Library - Jerry Hutt, a Shattuck descendant, sent three carefully wrapped packages of glass plate negatives of photos taken by Granby artist, Aaron Draper Shattuck. We received three photos of the North Granby General Store and the Goldschmidt family from Larry Krasner, a grandson. The Granby Artists Association donated about 400 delightful postcards showing what Granby means to the people who live here. They were created for Granby’s 225th celebration.

Ann Picard gave the library a WWII magazine for women and three envelopes with local postmarks. Kathy Morgan had a 1936 aerial view of Granby enlarged and mounted on foam core and gave it for display. Bill Hart donated two CDs with photos of the Enders House in its original location and photos of the 1955 flood in Granby. Peter Dinella gave copies of three old Granby photos in a frame, now in the Preservation Barn entry. Also in the entry is a frame with eight 1914 Granby postcards, a gift from Bill Haslun.

The Simsbury Genealogical Library was disposing of second copies of books and I was able to select 15 genealogy and history books to add to our library. We now have books on Suffield, Sherman, Lebanon, New Hartford and family genealogies from Wallingford, Hartford, Fairfield, Guilford, CT and RI , along with Wilcox and Hale genealogy books. Jean Potetz added a book on American Patchwork Quilts to our textile library.

Member Sue Heller donated several Granby treasures – a 1929 cook book from South Congregational Church, an 1895 book on Newgate Prison with wonderful photos, a picture of an unidentified house and best of all, an album of Cartes de Visite photos.

The 25 people were partially identified (Mother, Aunt Laura, brother Allen etc.) but there were a few last names which enabled me to identify almost all of these Alderman and Holcomb family photos.

Collections - Ann Picard donated many treasures from the Buttolph and Segar families: a beautiful blue and white linsey woolsey coverlet, two box cameras, six colorful tin boxes, a folding lunch box, food chopper, pincushion, pewter cup and spoon, several wood boxes, a pocket watch, WWII aviator glasses, and many delightful toys including an iron zeppelin, an Uncle Wiggly game, a variety of puzzles and nesting blocks.

The Griffin family gave the Society an old varnish can, a WWII banner, Nixon hat, an inkwell, lace scarf, WWII bandages, tobacco can and a 1938 hurricane souvenir. A butter mold and paddle came from Polly Hall and Dave Laun donated a Granby label gin bottle. We received the special 225th cancellation stamp from the Granby Post Office. A glass lamp beautifully etched with the Granby Oak by Myron Sharp was donated by Bill Lanigan.

Many of our recent acquisitions will be displayed for the special exhibit in the Preservation Barn during our summer tours from June through September.

. . . (Continued from previous page) I have to go as much as a dozen time nights just as bad and what to do I do not know I have tried everything and it does do me no good the doctor told me that I ought to be where it is warm he said I must be careful and not take cold if I did it would be hard for me if I had some body to help me I could get my discharg very quick for Soldiering is to much for me it is worce than I thought for I was sick and left behind and then I was sent to the Convalescent Camp and they stole most all the things that you sent to me and I got just as many body lice on me as could be and so I runaway and had to throw away a good suit of clothes and then I found where ash was and so I have been with him ever since and I would desert befor I would stay ther I have seen men set and pick off lice many times and I know that you do not want me to stay in such a place as that. it has been bad weather here for the past week and is still raining and the mud is very deep it is a bad time for the army but you do not know how to pity the poor soldier out in the rain standing guard I have not done any duty for the last 18 week it is 7 months and over since I had seen your face but I hope it will not be 7 mo untill I do again for you know how to make the money the government owes me 88 dollars but I do not know when they are going to pay off they are not very prompt to pay the soldiers they kneed money for when they are on the march they do not get much to eat but pork and hard bread and not half enough of that I have been to bed or call it a bed ly right on the ground and you would call that rather hard if you had to ly on the ground after you had ben hunting all day and no supper what I have done many a time in those 7 months but I shant any more, you want to see the country and you better come and see me for I want to see you all I know that I am ugly as the devil will let me be but if I get hom I shall be a better Boy the rest of my life for when I was well off I did not know enoug to know it but if I get home again I think I should apreciate it but I never see anything till its to late. I must close hoping to here from you your dear Son Geo. L. Minor

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Barn Tour on April 28th Granby/East Granby Heather Tomasetti

Come spend a day getting an inside peek into some of our town’s historic barns and hear their stories!

We’ve partnered with the East Granby Historical Society and the Farmington Valley Visitors Association (FVVA) to bring together an all day tour covering 5 local barns. The day starts at our Society where we board the bus. At 9:30 a.m. we venture off to East Granby for a visit to a private barn, then travel to East Granby’s Historical Society located on the former Viets farm.

After spending time hearing about the history of the farm land and exploring the East Granby Historical Society’s collections, we head off for North Granby. Lunch will be enjoyed, along with some history, at the Lost Acres Orchard. Next we’ll visit the Allen Cider Mill/Allenhurst property filled with more stories of early days in Granby. Following that, we all board the bus to end up back at the Society at 5:00 p.m. for a tour of the Colton-Hayes Tobacco Barn.

You don’t want to miss this chance to see these barns – each one a piece of our Granby roots.

The all day bus tour (9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), lunch included, is only $40 per person.

Reservations can be made through the Farmington Valley Visitors Association, PO Box 1491, Avon, CT 06001. Contact Nancy Anstey at 860-676-8878.

See you 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 for the calendar year 2012?

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

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Spring Flea Market Sat, May 12, 2012 (NO RAIN DATE) Salmon Brook Historical Society 208 Salmon Brook St.(Rte. 10&202), Granby, CT Hours: Setup 7:00 am ~ Open 9:00 am → 4:00 pm Cost: $25 per 20’x20’ space, if received by May 5th $35 after May 5th Make check payable to: Salmon Brook Historical Society (Include: name, phone no., and return address) Send to: David Laun 16 Hummingbird Lane Granby, CT 06035 Any questions call: David Laun @ (860) 653-3965 (leave message) or Todd Vibert @ (860) 653-9506

Saturday, May 12th, is the Salmon Brook Historical Society’s annual spring Flea

Market. This is one of our major fund raisers each year. A main reason the Flea Market has been so successful is the large number of members who have volunteered to help. We appreciate your efforts, volunteers, and hope to see you again this spring. For those members who have not volunteered, but would like to, call Todd Vibert at 860-653-9506. There are many jobs that require as little as two hours of your time and it is lots of fun. We have shifts that begin at 6 a.m. and the last shift begins at 2 in the afternoon.

Spring is just around the corner, which means we are cleaning our houses and going through basements, attics and garages. If you have any items you would like to donate for the Society’s tag sale, you can drop them off at the Preservation Barn on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 9 a.m. and noon. Or you can call Ruth Robinson at 860-653-3918. Ruth does an extraordinary job of pricing our goods.

Also, if anyone wants to help Ruth, just call her. If any members have items they would like to sell themselves by buying a dealer space at the flea market, you can contact Dave Laun at 860-653-3965 or Todd Vibert. Please volunteer to help or donate an item to the Society and come join the fun on May 12!

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While Remembering the 150th Anniversary of the Start of the Civil War . . .

Quilt Airing, House Tour & Tea to be Held Saturday, April 14 1876-1936: Sixty Years of Quilts – From the United States Centennial to the Great Depression

by Jean Potetz On Saturday, April 14, the Salmon Brook Historical Society will once again open its doors for an airing of fifteen quilts from our collection.

From the 1876 Centennial Exposition to the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair, quilts across America changed as quilt patterns, fabrics, designs and fashionable colors evolved to reflect the times they were made in – to cover the history of our nation as well as our nation’s beds.

To represent these past decades, we’ve chosen quilts from our collection that span these years, including a wool and cotton 38-star American flag quilted banner, a silk fan quilt and a redwork penny square coverlet.

As the vintage gown display at last year’s Quilt Airing generated considerable interest, this year’s event will feature a trio of gowns including the exquisite lace wedding gown worn by Lois Wilcox of West Granby for her 1936 marriage to Ralph Hastings.

The Quilt Airing and its commentary will be held in the South Parlor of the Abijah Rowe House on Salmon Brook Street. Included in the admission is a tour of the Abijah Rowe House and the Cooley Schoolhouse, and a Tea held in the Victorian Parlor. Admission is $20.

The Airing is comprised of two sessions — one at 10:00 a.m. and another at 1:00 p.m. Due to space constraints, a limited number of tickets are available. Please contact Ginny Wutka at 860-653-6897 or ginny@lostacres.com for reservations. All money from ticket sales is used for the ongoing expenses of the Society.

Many hands are needed to put on this event. If you’re interested in helping either behind the scenes, in setting up or on the actual day of the event, please call Ginny Wutka and volunteer. Your help is definitely needed and will be very much appreciated.

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Lecture Series The Civil War: the History, the Living Stories, and the Objects Left Behind The Society is pleased to announce our 2012 Lecture Series. As our country continues to honor the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we'd like to share with you the story of some Granby citizens during that conflict and the impact of the war on our town.

We have put together three lectures, each one held on the second Wednesday of the month for April, May and June. We’ve partnered with Holcomb Farm, which has graciously offered us the use of their Workshop building.

APRIL 11th: WHY THE CIVIL WAR? Presentation by historian and author Richard Meyer In his lecture, Mr. Meyer will discuss the Missouri Compromise, the Lecompton Constitution, and the Dred Scott case. Mr. Meyer said, ‘The Civil War was not caused by slavery, as some historians assert. The preamble to the War goes back many years before 1861, and when we look at all those factors, we have a much better understanding of our country’s history and the War itself.

MAY 9th: THE WORDS OF GRANBY’S CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES Local residents will bring to life original letters and diaries written by Granby soldiers and their families. You will meet a very interesting group of people. Col. Richard E. Holcomb was a self-taught engineer, a strict, demanding officer and a loving father. His daughter, Mary Holcomb Loomis will talk about her heroic father. Hear excerpts from Addie Holcomb’s diary and letters she saved from her cousin Sgt. Richard Henry Lee. As we share the letters from Pvt. Lewis Holcomb, they will reveal a delightful sense of humor and his desire to learn about the strange Southland he was in. The diaries of Cpl. Leland Barlow were also saved and as we read his words aloud you will share in this portrayal of the misery, hunger, filth and despair of Andersonville Prison.

JUNE 13th: GRANBY IN THE CIVIL WAR The society will share extraordinary objects – a quilt, a tree, a book, a monument – that all play a role in the war. * Jean Potetz will display and discuss a Civil War quilt made by a young West Granby woman. Jean's research on the pattern reveals a fascinating history. * A Civil War carving tree originally in West Granby (now in the Society's Tobacco Barn Museum) has been researched by Carol Laun. Photographs of the tree will be shown and described. * Ginny Wutka will talk about Elizabeth Clemons, a little-known author of anti-slavery books published before "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Elizabeth grew up in the present Wutka home on Lost Acres Road. * Granby's very early (1868) Civil War Monument will be discussed by Carol Laun. Granby had the first figural monument in Connecticut and the only one with a soldier who looked like someone who had been through the horror of that war.

The doors of the Workshop building, at Holcomb Farm, 113 Simsbury Road, West Granby will open at 6:45pm, the lectures will begin at 7pm and will run approximately 1½ hours. Admission at the door is $5, FREE for Society members. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Granby's Early Postal Service

By Ken Kuhl

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night . . .

For many years the early settlers of Simsbury and the Salmon

Brook Parish had to depend on a visit to Hartford by friends or relatives for their mail.

The United States Postal Service traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, where Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. The cabinet-level Post Office Department was created in 1792 from Franklin's operation and is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.

It was not until 1798 that the first post office was established in Simsbury, in a section known then as Suffrage. Suffrage was located in what we now know as the Canton Village section of Route 44. In 1802, this post office was moved to Weatogue and most historians believe it was set up in a section of Pettibone's Tavern. More than likely, the residents of Salmon Brook got their mail there. In April of 1805, Hezekiah Goodrich was appointed the first postmaster of Granby. His house, located just north of the First Congregational Church at 235 North Granby Road, became the location that mail was handled. No record has ever been found as to how mail got to Granby at that time, but in 1806, Enos Boide of Blandford, Massachusetts, had a contract to carry mail from Hartford to Stockbridge Massachusetts, by way of Simsbury, Granby and Granville on his stagecoach.

How many times a week this route was run is hard to determine, but by 1820, a contract shows only one trip a week. In this old contract his itinerary was something like this: Hartford Ct. by Wintonbury, Simsbury, Granby, Granville, Middle Granville, Blandford, Fallys X Roads, Chester, and Middlefield to Hinsdale once a week and back at the rate of sixty-eight dollars and seventy-five cents for every quarter of a year.

By 1832, there were two trips a week being made.

The receipts at early post offices in Granby were, of course, small. The total for the year 1828 when Hezekiah Goodrich was postmaster was $64.22. Postmasters were paid based on the number of stamps they sold. In the early 1850s, this could be a raw deal for some because, although postage was based on the weight of the letter and the distance it was going to travel, not until 1855 did they have to be prepaid. Until then, senders had the option of making the recipients pay the postage, which kept that money out of the sending postmaster's pocket.

The postmaster had to buy his own "official" canceller because small towns seldom had one. The earliest letter with a Granby postmark so far seen was written by the fourth postmaster, Ardon B. Holcomb, sent “Free” on his signature. This has a manuscript Town and Date mark, Granby, Ct. Dec. 28, 1848.

The earliest postmark seen with a circular inked town mark is June 27, 1858; Jairus Case was postmaster. In 1860, the postmaster general ordered that the town mark was no longer to be used to cancel the stamp, so many postmasters made fancy cancellers or “killers” from cork or boxwood. The earliest of these seen from Granby cannot be dated, but is on a stamp issued in 1861. It is apparently just two cuts at right angles across a cork and is known as a “cross roads” cancel. This is the most common of this type of cancel.

Nothing has been determined as to where all the early post offices were located. However, from 1869, when Chester P. Loomis was first appointed postmaster, until 1914, the post office was in Loomis Brothers Store, until the death of Mr. Loomis.

In the early part of the 20th century the location of the post office was dependent on who was appointed postmaster, which was dependent of who was president of the United States. During the Taft administration, a Republican, the location in Granby was the Loomis Brothers general store. When Woodrow Wilson was elected the new postmaster was Harold Cotton who moved the post office to the Beman block. When Warren Harding was elected, Kenneth Avery was appointed in 1922; he moved the post office back to the Loomis Brothers store. When Avery opened his own general store on Park Place (where Tina’s Ice Cream is located) he moved the post office to his store.

In November of 1936, during the depths of the Great Depression, two men entered the Avery building by forcing a window and by the use of explosives, blew open the door of the safe. Although the home next door had a watch dog, which had a reputation for barking at the slightest sound, all slept right through it. The robbers escaped with $335.36 in money, stamps and money orders of which some was later recovered (although no one was ever arrested). The post office stayed at Avery’s General Store until the current building was erected in 1967.

Until 1903, all patrons had to go to the post office for their mail. At that time, Rural Free Delivery, which had been in existence in other towns for some time, was finally started here. On March 2nd, 1903, Edward Griffin was employed as rural carrier, covering a twenty-one mile route on his bicycle!

The next RFD man was Bertram Dewey who covered his route, summer and winter, by horse with either a buggy or a sleigh until 1917. After that time he began using his Model T Ford automobile in the summer. At this time in Granby, because there were very few paved roads and in winter the roads were not plowed, he continued to use his horse and cutter sleigh. Some postal carriers even employed the custom Model T "snowbird".

With our dependence today on immediate access to all known information, it is hard to imagine a time when it might take a week or more to hear from your closest friends and relatives.

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Proposed Officers, Board Members At the April 25 Annual Meeting, Society members will vote on the following names proposed by the nominating committee to be officers and board members:

Officers: Secretary - Bob Schrepf

Discretion of the board

Treasurer - Roger Hayes

Discretion of the board

Archivist /Curator - Carol Laun

Discretion of the board

Board Members: Phil Main

3 Year Term

Bill Pease

3 Year Term

Sansone 2nd Grade Patti Tour Kevin Harter

3 Year Term 3 Year Term

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Salmon Brook Historical Society Annual Dinner Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at West Granby Methodist Church.

Social Hour: 6 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m.

Please reserve ____ places at the Annual dinner at $20 per person.

I am enclosing $___ Name:____________________________Phone:________ Address:________________________________________

Please make checks payable to Salmon Brook Historical Society Send to: Patty Sansone, 65-R Mountain Rd., North Granby CT 06060 Deadline is April 16 9

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

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:

Calendar of Events  Civil War Lecture Series April 12  Quilt Airing, House Tour & Tea April 14  SBHS Annual Meeting – April 25, West Granby Methodist Church Civil War Lecture Series May 9 Spring Flea Market – May 12 Memorial Day Parade – May 28 Civil War Lecture Series June 13 March 2012 Issue •SBHS Newsletter Publishing Committee Leila Hawken and Bob Schrepf •Layout: Ken Kuhl •Photography & digital editing: Peter Dinella