Selected from the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal and lightly annotated by Wendy Taylor, Kent Memorial Library.
April 4
A special meeting of the Village of Suffield was held in the Town hall…with a large attendance…It was voted that the village expend $1,000 for the construction of a sidewalk from the town bridge to the Sacred Heart church… Northern Connecticut Light & Power company was present at the meeting by request, placing before the meeting the plans and terms of installing gas service in the village… A canvass will be made of the residents of the village to see if enough contracts can be obtained to bring the gas to the village.
There was a good attendance…at the meeting held in the Town hall to discuss plans for forming a Parent-Teacher Association in this town.
A special meeting of the Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Co. was held Monday afternoon to elect a secretary and treasurer to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David L. Brockett, who held this office for many years. Mrs. David L. Brockett was chosen to fill this vacancy as she had been familiar with the work, having assisted Mr. Brockett.
FOR SALE: Small farm in West Suffield, known as, the Seth Viets farm; 6 acres of excellent tobacco land, with shed room, good barns, and fine 10-room house with furnace heat, electric lights.
April 11
The heavy rain of Sunday night and Monday brought the brooks over their banks and considerable damage resulted. A small bridge below the fish & Kent farm on Taintor hill was washed away by the high water, stopping travel on that street until the bridge could be repaired. At Stony Brook camp, Boston Neck, the water came up to the windows in the cook house; an abutment on the west side of the dam will have to be repaired. The temporary ice house erected near the camp by Greer Bros., was undermined by the freshet and several hundred tons of ice were washed out and down stream.
Five bids submitted for the construction of the new schoolhouse on Bridge street were opened… All the bids were rejected as they were above the appropriation set apart of the building. The plans will be revised and bids will be asked for at a later date. Work has been started moving the Hiram Jones house to a point about 600 feet from its present location.
April 18
A set of tools to standardize all the fire hose and hydrant fittings in town has been secured by Assistant Fire Chief Frank T. Smith. The tools are loaned by the National Board of Fire Underwriters and by their use all the local connections can be made to conform to the national standard, which is in use in Springfield and which the Hartford fire department is going to adopt shortly. It is expected that all the departments between Springfield and Hartford will standardize this spring and so be able to co-operate at any fire.
The tobacco growers are making preparations for the coming season and many have already planted their seed beds. The acreage this year will be fully as large as usual. The growers as a whole seem pretty well satisfied with the returns from last season’s crop and are willing to take another chance.
The Suffield School has purchased the Smith Hotel on Depot street, which will be used for school purposes. While plans are not fully completed it is expected that the building will be removed to the school grounds and used for the “preps” dormitory.
April 25
A broiled shad supper will be served under the auspices of the Mapleton Hall Association at Mapleton hall… This supper will take the place of the regular May breakfast, which had been given in Mapleton for so many years.