Suffield Trivia

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1. Why did the schedule of the trolley that ran from Springfield to Suffield change from a half hourly service to an hour in 1903?

a. It was difficult to find employees to work on the trolley.
b. The service was less in demand.
c. The high price of coal.

2. In January 1929, the United States Supreme court decided for Massachusetts on the legal case Connecticut v. Massachusetts. What was the case?

a. A border dispute involving Agawam and Suffield.
b. Massachusetts wanted to divert water from the Connecticut River.
c. Liquor laws on the borders of the two states.

3. The “Great Blizzard” endured for three days, paralyzing Connecticut and the Northeast. Gale force winds and snowfall amounted to 50 inches in some towns with drifts up to the second floor of most houses and extremely cold weather. Locomotives toppled over, telephone lines snapped and roads were impassable. In what year was this storm?

a. 1975
b. 1888
c. 1927

4. The Wide-Awakes became an influential political group, almost overnight. Many towns in Connecticut, including Suffield, had men affiliated with the group. The Wide-Awake uniform consisted of black capes, black hats and the symbol of an open eye. The Suffield contingent may have marched in Hartford in July 1860. What was their platform?

a. Anti-immigrant and anti-Roman Catholic
b. Anti-slavery and pro-Lincoln
c. They supported the Union and the Constitution but were neutral on the slavery question.

5. The Hazard Powder Company located in Hazardville, Conn. was founded in 1836. Its best financial years were during the Civil War when it produced 12,500 pounds of gunpowder per day. During the peace following the war and the death in 1868 of Augustus Hazard, owner of the company, it was sold to a large company. What was the name of this company?

a. DuPont
b. Standard Oil
c. The Hartford

6. Mayawaug is a Pocomtuc Indian name. What does it refer to?

a. The Connecticut River
b. A Pocomtoc village located in the area of West Suffield
c. Muddy Brook

7. Newgate Prison was notorious for the poor accommodations of prisoners. The prisoners referred to it as “Hell” because of the numerous lice and bedbugs, slimy surface and foul smell. It was also notorious for the number of escapes which occurred in the 50 years Newgate operated as a prison. What was the percentage of prisoners who escaped?

a. Nearly 10%
b. Nearly 20%
c. Nearly 15%

8. The Connecticut Constitution of 1818 was ratified with a very slim margin which was upsetting to many because it brought radical change to Connecticut. Two of the following statements are some of the changes the new constitution brought to the state.

a. It abolished the state church which was the Congregational Church.
b. It gave black men with property the right to vote.
c. It gave the governor more power.

9. On September 14, 1920, the Connecticut General Assembly finally ratified the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. Usually seen as a moot point since three weeks before Connecticut’s ratification Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment which was all that was needed to make the amendment law. But recent research shows that Connecticut’s ratification was necessary. Why?

a. One of the states which ratified the amendment was still considered a territory and the vote could not be counted.
b. The number of states counted was wrong.
c. After Tennessee passed the amendment, a motion to reconsider the vote was allowed, and the legislature ultimately rejected it.

10. In May 1901, Connecticut became the first state to enact a law regarding automobiles. What was the law?

a. It governed the speed of automobiles.
b. It required automobile drivers to have licenses and register their cars.
c. It required windshield wipers on the front window.

Answers

1. c. The high price of coal.
2. b. Massachusetts wanted to divert water from the Connecticut River. The Supreme Court settled the dispute by allowing Massachusetts to divert a strictly limited amount of water from the Connecticut River watershed to Quabbin Reservoir to supply water to the Boston metropolitan area.
3. b. 1888
4. b. The Hartford area Wide-Awakes’ platform was anti-slavery and pro-Lincoln. They were also widely responsible for re-electing Connecticut’s Republican governor William Buckingham.
5. a. DuPont. The French-American company founded in 1802 in Wilmington, Delaware began as a manufacturer of gunpowder, becoming the nation’s largest supplier of it in the mid-1850s.
6. b. A Pocomtoc village located in the area of West Suffield
7. a. Nearly 10%
8. Statements a. and c.
9. c. Tennessee ultimately rejected the amendment after a motion to reconsider was allowed.
10. a. It governed the speed of the automobiles. Cars could not exceed 12 miles per hour in city limits and 15 miles per hour on rural or suburban roads.

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