Volume 13, Number 30
Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Local men fought for the soul of the country By Adam Stuhlman The Plainville Citizen
Robert C. Usher. Henry Dwight Stanley. Walter E. Cadwell. Augustus Hitchcock. These men are a handful of the 58 from Plainville who answered the call to reunite the nation during the Civil War as part of the 20th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. These are the times that try men’s souls. Thomas Paine’s famous quote could serve to remind us of the immense hardships faced by men of both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. At the center of the war for the soul of the country stood Gettysburg. And at the center of Gettysburg stood the 20th Regiment.
According to records obtained from the Plainville Historical Society, the 20th fought at Chancellorsville, Virginia, again, at Gettysburg, and took part in eight other battles, including the siege of Atlanta in 1864. The battle of Culp’s Hill was the major point of the war for many Plainville veterans. According to Plainville Historical Society President Nancy Eberhardt, the 12th Corps, commanded by General Alpheaus Williams, was comprised of the 5th and 20th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, and served at Culp’s Hill. “The 12th Corps arrived July 1 with General Williams See Soldiers / Page 4
Left: Civil War veteran Robert Usher. Right: Usher’s final resting place, West Cemetery in Plainville. | Adam Stuhlman / The Plainville Citizen
Funds secured for artificial turf field at high school According to a press release from State Rep. Betty Boukus’ Hartford office, Plainville will receive $950,000 to construct a new synthetic turf field at Plainville High School. The state grant will fund the replacement of the
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natural grass field within the high school football stadium with a safer and more durable synthetic turf field, the release stated. Plainville Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Kitching said that while Boukus, who represents the 22nd District, received approval from the State Bond Commission on
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July 25, the Board of Education would still have to vote on the matter. “If and how we do this, I don’t think this would require a vote from the citizens, but it would require a vote from the Board of Education,” Kitching told The Citizen. “The board will need to take action around September, October,
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and the work would probably start late next spring.” Plainville Town Manager Robert E. Lee said he feels there is more than one benefit to switching to artificial turf. Both he and Kitching said that artificial turf is cost-effective. “Studies show that students are less likely to get injured on turf,” Lee said. “It
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would also increase the usage of the field for, not only the school, but recreational use as well.” Kitching said artificial turf would have less maintenance costs than grass. He cites irrigation and drainage of grass as ongoing expenses. ArtifiSee Turf / Page 6
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By Adam Stuhlman
The Plainville Citizen