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Box 212 Monroe, CT 06468
May, 2002 Reverse Glass Painting Workshop We had a very successful workshop on March 18 for for Reverse Glass Painting. Nancy Zorena instructed those attending on how to transfer a printed pattern to glass and then how to paint it. This craft was very popular during the colonial era and was used as decoration on many functional objects, such as clocks and mirrors. There was no charge for this workshop. Donations received during the afternoon totaled $70.00. Open House The Beardsley Homestead was open to the public on April 21 from 13 p.m. Many people came to watch demonstrations in colonial cooking and in colonial crafts. Nancy Zorena, Chris Ehlers, Rosemary Wishneski, and Barbara Waite greeted people at the house, where Nancy was baking cookies and apples on the hearth in the kitchen. Carly Wolfe, Ali Fernandez, and Abigail Schultz demonstrated reverse glass painting on the back porch. In the barn, Brenda and Amanda Schultz and Judy Standerford demonstrated drop spindle spinning and weaving. The Bicentennial Quilt, made by members of the Historical Society for the nations bicentennial in 1976, and a recent donation, a quilt made by Mrs. Burr and her daughters, Fanny, Jenny and Elnora in 1882 were on display in the barn. Hands-on-History Our Hands-on-History workshop will be held June 18, 19 and 20th this year on the grounds of the Beardsley Homestead. We have had an excellent response this year and our session is full. If you would like to volunteer your time to help, please call Judy Standerford, 268-5511. All of our activities are hands-on and we can always use an extra pair of hands to help pass out supplies, thread needles, mix paints, etc. We also could use craft supplies, especially 5 x 7 frames (or a similar size) for reverse glass painting. Please call Judy if you have any supplies you can donate. Cleanup at the Schoolhouse Several members of the Society spent Saturday, April 6 cleaning up the grounds of the Old Schoolhouse. Overgrown forsythia bushes were trimmed and cleared away. Thanks to Nancy and Brian Zorena, Bob Tranzillo, and Ed Coffey and his son-in-law, Todd Trautz for their time and effort. And thanks to Hav Tweedy for coming in later and cleaning up all the roots with his backhoe. The Schoolhouse is now ready for the many school groups that visit in the spring and early summer. May 19 Program Joyce Baran, a former Monroe resident and Vice President of Merchandising and Design for Liz Claiborne Intimates, will present "From Corsets to Consciousness", Sunday, May 19th at 2 p.m. at the East Village Meeting House. Learn how women's fashions have been affected by history. Library Plans are underway to build a new library in Monroe. The following information was submitted by William Ehlers, Chairman of the Library Board. "The first tax-supported public library in the United States was the Peterborough (NH) Public Library, founded in 1833. Monroe established its tax-supported public library in 1954 and opened its first library building in 1958. The present library, part of the municipal complex on Fan Hill Road, was dedicated in 1972. In the ensuing 30 years, the town's population has grown from 12,000 to 19,000 - 60%. Likewise grown dramatically are the library's collections, services, and programs. For example, checkouts of books and audiovisual items have increased 100% just in the last 10 years. Not expanded, however, is the library's space. Today, our building is simply too small. Every year, the Connecticut State Library publishes statistical information, including square feet of space in each library per population served - this is considered the single best measurement of space. With 164 communities reporting, the Monroe Public Librarys space ranks in the lowest 5% of all public libraries. There are 157 communities in Connecticut with larger libraries on a per capita basis. And size is important - with larger quarters comes expanded services: more programs, more space to shelve collection items, and a community room that often functions as a hub of town activities. The new public library will accommodate each of those needs. The building will be erected next to the Town Hall and feature a compatible style: a brick exterior with limestone-appearing trim and a cupola that functions as a skylight to the interior. The preliminary floor plan provides excellent sight lines, thereby maximizing staff efficiency. The library will have a 26,400 square foot footprint, including 2,000 square feet for a meeting room and a Historical Society Room - a room for the display of documents and other artifacts telling our town's history but never before made available to townspeople. . The Children's Department will open out onto a walled patio overlooking the town Green. Other features include a separate Young Adult section and two small rooms for quiet study, one of which can be used for small town government functions. The 150-seat community meeting room will contain kitchen and storage facilities and can be used by non-profit organizations. The building will be wired for modern technology and include stack areas sufficient to meet collection and equipment needs for the next 20 years. We see ourselves as creating a center for the town, a place to meet, a facility that will add to the quality of life in our community. But it will not happen without the support of everyone.   Save Our Stepney (SOS) Task Force Nears One-Year Anniversary Save Our Stepney (SOS) Task Force was established on May 24, 2001. What a year! In little over six months, we hosted three community events on the Stepney Green. The first Stepney Harvest Day was held in October. Old-timers delighted in the fact that the Stepney Green was once again a meeting place in town. On November 11, 2001, a Veterans Day Ceremony featured the Monroe American Legion and Women's Auxiliary. At the request of Bishop McKenna from Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, Father Bernard Champagne, of Milford, set the mood with a prayer. "Flags Over Stepney," a community spirit event to celebrate the five national holidays was launched and funded.> A glorious tree-lighting event took place in early December. Children from the community read passages from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Stepney Baptist Church contributed carolers and refreshments. The Stepney Volunteer Fire Department made certain the green was well-strung with holiday lights.> Currently, a Stepney flag design is being formulated to incorporate the past, present and future of Stepney. Sue Bannay and Stepney Elementary School principal Mr. Ron Gustaitis, will present a contest that the children of Stepney Elementary School may enter to design the flag. We expect a new flag by the end of the school year. > The Historic Site Committee has identified 20 areas in town for historic marker consideration. Funding to support this effort is being investigated. We have also researched and drafted a Demolition Delay ordinance, which was submitted to town government on December 10, 2001. Currently, the discussion in town government continues over the matter. Specifics include whether to write the delay into policy through the efforts of the Monroe Historic Commission and Keith Gallagher, in addition to the office of Andy Nunn. Our initial choice was to establish an ordinance. We hope to have the matter resolved as soon as possible. We strongly feel the urgency to have a vehicle in place as a means to halt, at least for 90 days, the further loss of historical buildings and artifacts in Stepney and the whole of Monroe.> Plans continue as we address our task force goals, and we welcome everyone in this effort. Save Our Stepney Task Force will meet every third Tuesday, at 8:00 p.m. at Robertos Restaurant on Main Street. SOS Task Force will continue in its effort to take action to preserve the character of our community. The following pieces were written by Marjorie J. Keller, a former resident of Monroe, who now resides in Lexington, Kentucky. Edits by Ed Coffey are in italics. It all started when I was asked to arrange a visit to Kentucky for four professionals from Ecuador to be trained to work collaboratively on the prevention of and treatment for child abuse. In an effort to get help with the endeavor, I contacted Sister Cities in Louisville (Louisville and Quito are sister cities). While talking with Kevin Stokes, co-president of Sister Cities, out of the blue he asked, Are you from New England? I said I was and had grown up in Connecticut. He said that he had grown up in Monroe, Connecticut; I told him I had lived in Monroe for my first thirteen years. Then the real conversation started! We shared our recollections of places and some experiences. Kevin is a generation behind me, so it made for some interesting comments. In the course of the discussion, he mentioned that Monroe has a web site; naturally I looked at it right away. There I found some history of the town, much of which I remembered. There was also a request for comments from the readers and I sent a few comments remarking a bit about having lived there ant that my picture in in A Glimpse of Old Monroe, published in 1974. Indeed, my picture is on page 69 in a reproduced snapshot entitled, Miss Smicks class on the last day at Centre School June 1935. (The name of the school is written Centre and Center in the book I dont recall the spelling.) My mother had sent me a copy of the book when it was published. I dropped everything and immediately looked through the book for people and places I recognized. There I was with my huge hair bow in the back row of the snapshot. I was so excited! It is an exhilarating experience to realize that one made the history book! But back to the present. I received a reply to my comments from the Monroe Historical Society they indicated pleasure at hearing from me. Later in the week, I recalled that I had written a little piece for a writing class I was taking at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington about my first school. I boldly sent a copy to the historical society. The reply said that they were sharing it with some of the members and wished to publish it in their newsletter if I was willing. Of course I was wiling. The little story follows. My claim to fame is that I started school in a one-room schoolhouse! When I was about three years old, my family moved to Schoolhouse Road (now Wheeler Road) in Monroe, Connecticut. The house was quite large with a porch all around the building and it was the only house on a large triangular piece of land, which was appropriately named Road Island. We owned the entire triangle. The two long sides of the triangle were busy roads, that is busy for the 1930s, and the base of the triangle was along an undeveloped stretch of land. Along this base was a wonderful stone wall where I spent hours and hours playing house. My friends and I actually identified rooms, such as living room and kitchen, from the configuration of the rocks. At the apex of the triangle was Center School, a one-room school built around 1830, which I could see very clearly from our house. The school was small, had desks screwed into the floor, and was heated by a wood burning stove at the back of the room which the teacher, Miss Smick, and to re-light every day. Blackboards were attached to the walls around the room. The privies were outside behind the building. At the outside entrance to the school were three steps, one a very large flat stone. Windows were along the sides of the building. My family was well known in the small community of about 1200 people; so it was quite acceptable for me to come into the school with children of family friends. I dont recall what I did the days that I went before I started school formally at age 6, but I do remember sitting with other pupils on the bench for a desk in front of us. I expect I felt important and much older while there. Our family had a very friendly dog, a genuine mutt, who seemed to think that the school was an extension of our house and would wander in at will. He also thought St. Peters Episcopal Church was such an extension and would wander into the church, walk down the middle aisle up to the altar to sit. As I recall, he would sit looking out at the congregation; whether he took a nap or even scratched his fleas, I dont know. People seemed to think that such a presence was acceptable. The minister, Mr. Habersham, did not seem disturbed. When I finally reached the age of six, I and about fifteen others of the same age started school. Our parents, usually mothers, brought us to school the first day. I remember that many of us cried, but I dont remember crying, probably because I was accustomed to coming to the school. I can recall hearing the story about one of the boys who sobbed so much that he had to be taken home for the day. That boy grew up to be a very successful farmer. Many of the other pupils came several miles, but I cant recall how they came to school. There were a few cars and very few buses in the community. It was probably the usual traumatic first day of school but I have no specific memories of any events. First and second grade were taught in the school by Miss Smick, the same teacher I later had in second and sixth grade. I expect she worked hard to teach us to read, write and do simple arithmetic. I could already tell time when I started school and had been read to by my parents for years. Even then I loved books and reading. On holidays Miss Smick entered the spirit of the occasion and arranged for appropriate celebrations. The only memory I have of a celebration was on Halloween when she toasted pumpkin seeds on the wood stove; they were delicious. About two years ago I thought about toasted pumpkin seeds and bought a pumpkin and made some. They tasted just as I remembered them. Lists of words were on the blackboard, some for first grade and some for second. I learned all the first grade words quite quickly and started learning the second grade lists. One of the second grade words was rooster. That was a hard one to learn, especially to spell. At the school there were a few pupils from the houses in the immediate area. We showed the others our wonderful places to play in the neighborhood. There was a large field with a big swampy area where we gathered polliwog eggs both for home and for the school. Such attention those eggs received while they were developing into frogs. Our parents made sure that once the eggs developed tails that the bowl was emptied back in the swamp. My mother hurried things along by stirring the bowl with a coat hanger. I wore pretty dresses that my mother made for me. I also wore a very large hair bow on the right side of my straight hair. The ribbon used for the bows was beautiful and matched each dress. My mother was very particular about the quality of the ribbon and the match to my dress. Big bows were the style at the time. I went home for lunch every day because my house was just across the road. How I envied the other pupils who brought their lunch in a brown paper bag and the few who had real lunch boxes! Occasionally, if my mother was to be away at lunchtime, I brought my lunch in a lunch box. I really wanted to have a brown paper bag. All during my first year at the one-room school there was excitement about the new school being built so that all the pupils from the scattered one-room school houses, each with two grades, would be under one roof. Two grades, maybe seventh and eighth, were at East Village School, fifth and sixth at Elm Street School, and the third and fourth in a one-room school in another section of town. I have no idea what happened to pupils after eighth grade. Toward the end of the first year we were all moved to the new school . Even today, I think of it as the new school , although it was built in 1934. Moving to the large building with many, many more pupils was very difficult. After Center School closed, it was purchased by Monroe Congregational Church in the center of town, about two-tenths of a mile from the site of the school. To our amazement, the school was moved on huge rollers up a dirt side road,(Wheeler to Church Street) past the site which would eventually become the Monroe Historical Society, to the church where it became an addition to Beardsley Hall. My friends and I followed the school up the road for the several days the move took, Im sure to the concern of the movers. It was the first whole building we had ever seen moved. Interestingly, East Village School was also moved about 2 ½ miles to a location just a few yards from where Center School had been. It became the Monroe Historical Society. I dont know what happened to the other schools (Note: - All are still standing and primarily used as residences except Cutlers Farms which was moved to Old Tannery Road as a barn on the Kasperait Farm. It was torn down in the 1950s with the development of Williamsburg Drive.) Coincidentally, in the mid-1980s, although I was then living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, I was visiting my parents in Connecticut at Christmas. We no longer lived in the house on Schoolhouse Road. I was invited to a party in Monroe where I met two people who took me back in time. The first was the then-librarian at the new school , and when I remarked to her that I was one of the pupils in the first grade when the new school opened, she gave me a startled look. She told me that the school officials had been looking for my class for a reunion and could find very few of us. We as a class had not kept in touch. Over the years I occasionally heard about some of them. Some boys went into business, some girls became wives and mothers as was expected in those days, a couple died. I think that I was the only one to go on for my college education and move far away. I surely would like to know what happened to my grammar school friends. A second person at the party who took me back in time was a man who was very knowledgeable about the history of Monroe. As he and I were chatting about the past, he asked a bit about where I fit into the history of the town. I remarked that I had started school at Center School to which he responded with great certainty that Center School was not the Monroe Historical Society building. I knew that it was not and promptly said so. He disputed my word, however, when I said that I had witnessed the Center School building being moved up the road to the Congregational church, he had nothing more to say to me. On one of my visits to Connecticut late in the 1980s I drove out to Schoolhouse Road. The wonderful field and swamp where so many happy days had been spent was now a housing development. The site of Center School held a large house. I felt a sense of sadness that modern day progress had erased the sites of so many wonderful memories. Road Island , however, was still there as imposing as ever. Since those few inspiring days a few weeks ago, so many memories have bubbled up in my mind about the good old days . I have been remembering people, places, and experiences long since buried. I can recall some names, a few brief conversations, colors, games played, places visited, relationships with people. I reviewed the history book and that brought names and places to mind that I had not thought of in years. I could visualize the homes of the people, times I had visited in the home, and sometimes I could see the layout of the interior of the house, sometimes remember topics of conversations and some of the quirks of the inhabitants. Now I am feeling the need to return to Monroe for a visit. All my long lost and fairly recent friends there have died or moved on. Would I be disappointed and sorry I made the trip? Would there be so many changes now that the town is a suburb with malls, housing developments, and a greatly increased population, that I would be unable to relate to it? I think I would like to visit with people in the historical society and maybe learn what happened to friends of long ago. Ill see maybe one day I will visit my old haunts. I wont be able to play hop-scotch in the middle of Schoolhouse Road with a piece of carefully selected broken glass it had to be the right color. There will be no collecting polliwogs from the swamp. There will be no visits to neighbors homes with the certainty of a warm welcome. There will be no playing house in the little playhouse on the property of one of the neighbors. There will be no visit to Monroe General Store in the center where we did most of our shopping, especially purchases of ice cream on a stick. Well, Ill think it over for while.  . |
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