100 Years Ago in Suffield

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Selected from the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal and lightly annotated by Wendy Taylor of Kent Memorial Library.

July 2

The Suffield Chautauqua will open on the Bridge street grounds to-morrow. In the morning at 9 o’clock there will be a parade of the children. There will be afternoon and evening entertainments each of the five days that the Chautauqua is here with a special free entertainment for Sunday. The people of the town have not given the support they should to the Chautauqua so far and the guarantors feel they should do better. All the guarantors get out of it is a lot of work and the privilege of making up any deficit, but feel willing to do all this and more for the benefit of the town if the people are willing to take hold and help.

Last Friday night the driver of a heavy touring car made the turn at Spencer’s corner at too great a rate of speed and crashed into the heavy fence, smashing down a couple of lengths and going onto Mr. Spencer’s lawn. This is the first accident on this corner for several weeks…The fence will be replaced before the heavy travel over the Fourth.

Sumner Fuller was thrown from the observation train while watching the boat races at New London last week Friday and his leg was badly bruised. No bones were broken but a large blood clot was discovered which must be absorbed before he can get around much.

Price G. Jones was thrown from his wagon last Saturday afternoon and the wagon ran over his foot, breaking several small bones and tearing the ligaments of the foot. The horses which Mr. Jones were driving became frightened at an automobile and started to run, throwing him out.

Rhubarb has the peculiar quality of increasing the bulk of jam or marmalade without very materially changing the flavor. Since rhubarb is cheap and may be had from H. L. Oppenheimer, West Suffield, for 2c a lb., it will be a matter of thrift to increase your supply of preserves.

Frank W. Orr was pleasantly surprised…on Monday evening, the occasion being his twenty-ninth birthday. Twenty-two members of the family were present… Mr. Orr was presented with a massive leather chair by his relatives.

July 9

While scooping up a quart or so of loose powder, which was ignited by a lighted cigarette held in his hand, Willy Prestoff, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Prestoff of Boston Neck, and one or two of his companions were badly burned.

July 16

Tobacco and other growing crops have suffered severely from the continued wet weather, and the cool weather that has prevailed until a few days ago. The tent tobacco has suffered the worst as that needs plenty of warm sunshine to keep the crop hustling.

July 23

The fire siren voted by the Village of Suffield…has arrived and will be installed as soon as the best location is determined… Chief L[ouis] G. Allen has arranged the following signals to be used for notifying the firemen in what direction the fire is located. Two long whistles, fire is in the direction of North Main street, or north of the Town hall; three long whistles, South Main street, or Boston Neck street, south of the Town hall; four long whistles, Depot street and west of the Town hall; five long whistles, Bridge street and east of the Town hall building.

July 30

 The old watering tank that has stood between the parks on the Depot hill road [the start of Mountain Road] has been removed, and will be replaced with a faucet. There has been a quarantine on watering tanks in this section on account of the prevalence of glanders [a horse disease], but the selectmen feel that there should be a public place where both man and beast could be watered, and automobile radiators replenished.


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