1. In November 1927, Hartford residents witnessed a spectacular funeral procession to Zion Hill Cemetery here. The Governor’s Foot Guard Band played Haydn’s funeral march and was followed by 70 Chinese. Both Catholic and ancient Chinese rituals were performed at the graveside, with offerings of food, tea and flowers. What was their connection to Suffield?
a. Ching Lung was a prominent tobacco farmer who lived in Suffield.
b. Two Chinese gunmen who were prosecuted by Hugh Alcorn, the Connecticut State’s Attorney and Suffield resident, were sentenced to death for a murder in a tong feud that was carried out in Manchester. It was their funeral procession and burial.
c. The elaborate funeral honored Jesse Fowler Smith upon his death. He left Suffield when he was appointed to missionary service in China, where he was much loved.
2. How did the western part of Agawam come to be called “Feeding Hills?”
a. The western part of the town had rich meadows so the horses and cattle owned by people east of the Connecticut River were ferried across to graze there from spring until November.
b. That part of town was perfect for wheat-growing, unlike Suffield with its clay soil. It was considered the “breadbasket” or the “feeding hills” of the region.
c. The Indians of the area named this area because the surrounding hills “fed” the brooks with clear, fresh water.
3. In this part of Connecticut, do people have an accent? Yes or no.
4. Suffield was on one of the 26 stagecoach routes in Connecticut. About how far did stagecoaches go before changing horses?
a. 20 miles
b. 10 miles
c. 30 miles
5. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s, there were 12 Nike nuclear missile sites in Connecticut ready to launch at a moment’s notice. Select the town listed below which was not a site.
a. East Windsor
b. Somers
c. Avon
6. In 1961, a bunker was built in Stafford. What was it for?
a. It was a fallout shelter
b. It was one of several secret locations for the President of the United States, members of the Administration and their families in case of nuclear attack.
c. It was meant to store and protect insurance and bank documents in case of a nuclear attack.
7. In Connecticut, is it illegal to sell a pickle that doesn’t bounce? Yes or no.
8. In the next 30 years, what is Suffield’s risk of flooding?
a. Major
b. Minor
c. Medium
9. In early 1912, the Connecticut Company which operated trolleys on 800 miles of track within the state, including near Suffield, served as the campaign vehicle for whom or what?
a. William Howard Taft
b. The temperance movement
c. The Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association.
10. An influential furniture maker opened his East Windsor shop in 1771, introducing a new style of furniture to the area, some of which can be viewed at the Phelps Hatheway House and the Alexander King House. Although born in Connecticut, he fled to Philadelphia to avoid a paternity suit. Upon his return, four years later, he incorporated a more subdued Philadelphian design into his work. It included elaborate chair backs, ball-and-claw feet, carved decorative shells, and often no stretchers between the legs, but he used locally available cherry and white pine in place of the mahogany preferred in Philadelphia. What was his name?
a. Lemuel Adams
b. Lambert Hitchcock
c. Eliphalet Chapin
Answers:
1. b. The funeral procession and burial were for the two Chinese gunmen who were honored by members of their tong.
2. a. The western part of the town had rich meadows for grazing cattle and horses.
3. Yes, according to some, people from this area have a Central Connecticut accent. Supposedly, in this accent, a “t” often is not voiced at the end or middle of a word. For instance, the final “t” in Connecticut or the first and second “t” in important is not enunciated, among other idiosyncrasies.
4. b. 10 miles
5. b. Somers. In addition to East Windsor and Avon, the Nike sites were Manchester, Portland, Cromwell, New Britain, Plainville, Ansonia, West Haven, Milford, Fairfield and Westport.
6. c. The official purpose of the bunker was to store and protect insurance and bank documents. It also may have been designed as a fallout shelter, perhaps for insurance and bank VIPs and their families.
7. No. In 1948, two men were selling pickles in Connecticut that were unfit for human consumption. The pair were charged with violating the statute “concerning adulteration and misrepresentation of food products” which is in section 21a-93 of the current Uniform Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. They were fined $500 and their pickles were destroyed. However, the Connecticut Food and Drug Commissioner added that a good test to determine if something is a “good pickle” is to drop it one foot and see if it bounces; in this case, the pickles splattered. But this particular test didn’t make it into the law.
8. b Minor. There are 17 properties that have a greater than a 26% chance of being severely affected by flooding over the next 30 years. This represents 6% of all properties in Suffield.
9. c. The Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association. The trolley crusade proved tremendously successful with over 23,400 people addressed and 2,320 new supporters.
10. c. Eliphalet Chapin.