Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 35 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

November 20, 2011

From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: G. Fox in the 1950′s
The Rocky Hill Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) are teaming up to bring you: “From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: G. Fox in the 1950′s”, on Sunday, November 20, 2011, in Chapin Hall, at the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, 805 Old Main St., Rocky Hill, from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

Elizabeth Abbe, director of public outreach at the Connecticut Historical Society, will lead you down memory lane with a look at Connecticut’s favorite department store.  She will take you back, floor by floor, to the days when G. Fox was the largest privately-owned department store in the U.S.

For most Connecticut residents the words “G. Fox” hold powerful associations.  They remember a tall department store on Main Street in Hartford filled with every imaginable garment, home furnishing or domestic necessity.  They recall the broad front windows decorated for Christmas or shopping trips for back-to-school clothes.  They remember cream cheese on date-nut bread with mother in the Connecticut Room.  Elizabeth herself, who grew up in Wethersfield, says she remembers how special it was to take the bus “uptown” to spend the day shopping with her mother at Fox’s.

Elizabeth will also give you some insight into the woman who made every shopping experience a joy – Beatrice Fox Auerbach.  In addition to a substantial collection of clothing, furniture, and photographs tied to the story of G. Fox, the Connecticut Historical Society houses some of Mrs. Auerbach’s personal records including correspondence between the G. Fox President and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

So revisit G. Fox, where the customer was always right!  Bring your memories along with your favorite purchases from G. Fox.  We’ll have some tables for display of G. Fox treasures and time for you to share a favorite G. Fox story.

There is no charge for this program but freewill donations will be gratefully accepted.  For more information please call (860) 563-6704.

Interesting history of G. Fox & Co. click here

REVILL, Peter John 

Peter John Revill died on September 18. He was born in Wallington, Surrey, England on June 2, 1923, the son of Marion Peacock and John Stanley Revill. The family lived in Geneva, Switzerland for several years of his boyhood. They returned to England when he was 12 and made their home in London. Peter attended Raines Park County School, then received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Battersea Polytechnic Institute. He was employed by the Wandsworth Borough Council until he went to work as a civilian for the British Admiralty during World War II.

The Admiralty sent him to Arbroath, Scotland and to His Majesty’s Dockyard in Bermuda. In Bermuda, he met his future wife who was traveling on terminal leave from the U.S. Navy (WAVES). They spent the first year of their 64 year marriage in Bermuda.

When Peter’s term of service with the Admiralty was up, they moved to CT and Peter went to work for the Metropolitan District Commission in Hartford. There he worked in the Design division of the Water Bureau for 37 years, becoming Chief Design Engineer, until his retirement. The Revills lived in Newington and West Hartford before moving to Rocky Hill in 1959.

Peter took great pleasure in restoring and improving his home. The Revills had a vacation home in Rensselaerville, NY. Peter took a great interest in local history and land conservation. He was active in the Rocky Hill Historical Society for many years, serving as president and chairman of the restoration committee of Academy Hall. He served as chairman of the Land Management Committee of the Great Meadows Conservation Trust for several years, and he was an active member of the Building and Grounds Committee of the Unitarian Society of Hartford. In Rensselaerville, he worked in the Historic District Association.

Peter was predeceased by his twin brother Michael who died in infancy. He is survived by his wife Eleanor; daughter Barbara Lund of Bloomington IN; son Bill and his wife Carol of Meriden, CT; son Gregory of Salem, MA; grandchildren Sara Lund and her husband Aaron Beam of Portland, OR, Anders Lund and his wife Rana de Bey of Portland OR, Aaron Revill and his wife Heather of Middletown, Christopher Revill of Providence, RI and Madeleine Revill of Middleton, MA; and two great grandchildren, Niko Beam and Maianna Lund of Portland, OR.

There will be a memorial service at the Unitarian Society of Hartford, 50 Bloomfield Ave., Hartford on Friday, October 7 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Peter’s memory may be made to the Betty Larus Adult Day Care Center, 705A New Britain Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106.

An online guest book has been established where you may leave remembrances about Peter Revill and convey your condolences to the family.

October 9, (Sunday) 2011

The Rocky Hill Historical Society is sponsoring a program on local farm implements on Sunday, October
9, 2011, at the Town Hall Fountain on Old Main St. in Rocky Hill…(complete details click here)

October 29, 2011
Tag Sale

The Rocky Hill Historical Society will be holding a tag sale on Saturday, October 29, 2011, at the
Academy Hall Museum at 785 Old Main St., in Rocky Hill, from 9:00am to 2:00 pm…(complete details click here)

October 30, 2011

From Hula Hoops to High Fashion: Hartford’s iconic G. Fox in the 1950′s…(complete details click here)

Chris M. from Indiana writes:

I am a graduate student at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. As part of my Master’s thesis, I am researching objects deliberately concealed in buildings for good luck. I am particularly interested in the practice of concealing old shoes or boots in buildings, which seems to have been brought to the U.S. from Great Britain.

It is my understanding that a shoe was found in a house in Rocky  Hill, CT. I am trying to find out more about the shoe, where exactly it was found in the building, when it might have been concealed and by whom. If you know anything about this object or any other unusual objects found in the walls, ceilings, floors, or chimneys of other historic buildings in the area (horseshoes, old garments, bottles with unusual contents, strange animal remains, iron tools, coins, etc.), I would greatly appreciate it if you would contact me or forward my email to someone who may be able to help.

I look forward to your reply.

We replied:

“You are in luck as I was one of the persons finding the old shoe hidden as a “concealment piece” (as such things were then known) in the Rocky Hill home where I lived until ten years ago. The shoe was found some 15 years or so ago and after examining, photographing, and exhibiting it to society members we replaced the shoe behind the panelling next the hall fireplace where we found it. (see attached photo 18C Parlor…) The room in the photograph is actually what is known as the hall and the shoe was found behind the panelling near the upper left side of the hearth. The date of the house is c 1750; here is a view from 2006.

The shoe may be viewed in this composite view made in 2009. Other, more detailed views (you can enlarge the images for greater detail) are here,here,and here. If you learned about this shoe from these photos on the web then  you may already have seen them. The shoe is made of leather and is fastened together with wooden pegs.”

…would it be possible to use the photos of the shoe and house in my thesis? If so, how would you like me to credit them?

“I also wanted to let you know that I sent the photos of the shoe to the cobbler at Colonial Williamsburg and he identified the shoe as a “man’s or boy’s, 1820s-40ish, round toed w/pegged repairs. Waxed-calf with “dog-leg” side seam.” Which is interesting because it post-dates the house, suggesting the shoe was concealed at a later date, perhaps during an episode of repair or remodeling.”

Please note: The location of the hearing in Rocky Hill will be posted as soon as we receive such information.

58th Annual Deep River Ancient Muster-Massed Fife and Drum Corps-July16, 2011

Everyone loves a parade and what can be more appropriate for a parade than a fife and drum corps marching smartly down the street, banners and flags  unfurled. Better yet, how about several hundred fifers and drummers in a mass parade through a sleepy Connecticut river town.

That is the scene on the third Saturday of every July when the annual Deep River Ancient Muster, a Connecticut tradition since 1885 convenes.  Of this massing of drum corps an excited  newspaper reporter, in a contemporary account, exclaimed;

“The noise shook green apples off the trees, moved a frog onto the railroad track, jolted nails out of the shingles in the roofs, and the hens in the poultry yards along the route laid premature eggs in fright.”

Read more of this interesting article from Time magazine: Time Aug 03, 1970

Video Credit: Footage by L.E. Agnelli/ haddam east haddam patch

The Middletown Press printed an article with video by Claire Michalewicz about the muster:

“DEEP RIVER – The sound of drums was hard to miss in Deep River on Saturday, as 60 fife and drum corps marched down Main Street to Devitt Field for the 58th Annual Deep River Ancient Muster. Once there, the corps performed one by one for hours into the evening…The festivities started with a “tattoo” on Friday night, with a smaller group of corps performing on the field. On Saturday morning, all the participating corps lined up on Main Street and marched down the street to Devitt Field. One by one, they participated in “jollification” – stepping out onto the baseball diamond and performing a few short pieces before the judges and audience…”

Video Credit: Claire Michalewicz, Middletown Press

A short 2009 video of the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry in operation

Reposted from Rocky Hill Patch:

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget balancing plan confirmed what many people already knew that the ferry services would be cut to help balance the $1.6 billion deficit.

In Malloy’s plan, all eight employees of the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury and Hadlyme-Chester ferries would be laid off and services would be eliminated. The plan said the seasonal ferry service is a “convenience for residents in these areas” and there are year round alternatives available.

By eliminating the employees and the service, the state would save $377,634 in 2012 and $473,627 in 2013.

The Rocky Hill Ferry was closed Friday, due to staffing issues, Department of Transportation Spokesman Kevin Nursick said. However, people still came to Ferry Park to see if they could take a ride across the river.

Sara Weeden was hoping to take her daughter, Gwendlyn, on the ferry for only the second time in her life when she found out the news.

“I’m just surprised that they would do that,” Sara Weeden said. She added that her daughter enjoyed riding the ferry.

“It is a nice treat,” Sara Weeden said.

She added that on Wednesday, the last day the ferry was open, there was a line of cars backed up on Great Meadow Road.

The Rocky Hill Ferry was the nation’s oldest continuously operating ferry service. It traveled the Connecticut River from Rocky Hill to Glastonbury and back. The original ferry, just a small raft pushed across the river with the help of long poles, dates back to 1655. Privately operated for 260 years, it became a state facility in 1915 and had been operating until now by the State Department of Transportation.

Credit: Sean Conor,Rocky Hill Patch - Rocky Hill Ferry Landmark

…John Serra, who works at the Rocky Hill Historical Society, said the ferry was once a financial lifeline for the town and has evolved into a social hub.”It was really the center of town,” Serra said.A stack of papers in a small library above the historical society includes a jumble of photos, newspaper clippings and historical documents chronicling the development of the ferry beginning in 1655, 121 years before the Declaration of Independence…