Suffield Trivia

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1. The bandstand on the town green was a project of the Suffield PTO spearheaded by Virginia Dustin. Although some townspeople and organizations objected to it, it was dedicated in 1976 in time for?

a.  The first “Suffield on the Green”
b.  The American Bicentennial
c.  The first and only Suffield high school graduation held on the town green

2. Approximately, what percentage of Suffield’s residents went to fight in World War II?

a.  33.3%, about 1,490 residents
b.  25%, about 1,120 residents
c.  13.7%, about 612 residents

3. Bicycle racer George Hendee founded the Hendee Manufacturing Company which produced the Indian motorcycle. In 1923, the company’s name changed to

a. The Indian Motorcycle Company
b. The Indian Motocycle Company
c.   The Indian Company

  1. After the Revolutionary War, Connecticut’s General Assembly offered bounties to encourage the raising of silkworms and the cultivation of mulberry trees, the silkworm’s source of food. In Suffield, Isaac Pomeroy grew a three-acre mulberry orchard on Spruce Street. Silk mills were built throughout the state. In 1830, the Connecticut’s total production was a ton and a half of raw silk. What caused the downfall of the silk industry? Check all that apply.

a.  Because of an incentive to grow mulberry trees, demand for trees caused prices to soar.
b.  The “Panic of 1837” caused an economic depression.
c.  Mulberry trees suffered from a blight in 1846.

5. At one time there was a plan to make the Congamond Lakes “The Port of the World.” What was the plan?

a.  The Lakes were proposed to be part of a canal to provide a water route between the St. Lawrence River and Long Island Sound.
b.  An English firm proposed draining the Lakes and using the fertile soil to grow grapes to produce port wine.
c.  Congamond was to be the original airport site of Bradley Field, after the lakes were drained.

6. Are any of the following statements false?

a.  From 1900 to 1925, the largest ice source in New England was located at Congamond Lake.
b.  Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller played in the ballroom at Babb’s Beach. The ballroom later became a roller-skating rink.
c.  On the Farmington Canal, one could make a day and a half trip on a canal boat from Westfield, Mass. to New Haven by way of the Congamond Lakes.

7. Timothy Swan was an early American composer of secular and sacred music. However, music was not his main occupation. What was it?

a. Farmer
b. Flour mill owner
c. Hatter

8. In 1908, the St. Joseph’s Society petitioned the Bishop of Hartford to build a Polish church in Suffield. How many times did the Society have to petition the Bishop before he authorized the establishment of St. Joseph’s Church?

a.  Two
b.  Three
c.  Four

9. Samuel Higley (1653-1694), who eventually settled in East Granby, had many professions. He was a physician, blacksmith, teacher, copper miner, a steel manufacturer – the first person allowed to do so in America, and the country’s first minter of copper coins. He was also a violator of English law. Why?

a.  He boycotted English goods.
b.  No one was allowed to mint coins in America, but he did so illegally.
c.  He eventually settled west of the Appalachians, which was prohibited.

  1.  In 1886, a toll bridge was built over the Connecticut River, connecting Windsor Locks and Warehouse Point. A law in 1907 required that the State purchase all toll bridges and stop the tolls. What did the townspeople do when that act became official?

 a.  They blessed the bridge by throwing coins at the bridge and into the river.
 b.  They smashed a bottle of champagne on both ends of the bridge.
 c.  They decorated the bridge with lights and celebrated with a parade, band concerts, and fireworks.

Answers

1. b. The American Bicentennial
2. c. 13.7%, about 612 residents
3. b. The Indian Motocycle Company, no “r.”
4. All choices apply.
5. a. The Lakes were proposed to be part of a canal to provide a water route between the St. Lawrence River and Long Island Sound.
6. None are false.
7. c. Hatter. In addition to making hats, he always wore a hat, never taking one off except for rare occasions or to go to bed.
8. c. Four. In 1915, Father George Barlewski, an assistant priest at Sacred Heart Church, forwarded Polish census statistics to the Bishop which finally convinced him of the need for a Polish church here.
9. b. No one was allowed to mint coins in America. However, the Higley Coppers, as his coins came to be called, were manufactured from 1737 to 1739. They were used as an equivalent to 3-pence coins for many years. Higley never moved west. Unfortunately, he was declared dead in 1737 when his cargo ship, carrying copper ore to England, was lost at sea.
10. c. They decorated the bridge with lights and celebrated with a parade, band concerts, and fireworks.

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