1. Robert May, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, built several houses in Suffield in 1947. The first house he built clearly evokes Wright’s aesthetics and is still standing. Where is it located?
a. Copper Hill Road
b. Taintor Street
c. Thrall Avenue
2. When the Connecticut’s Royal Charter was granted by King William II in 1662, what was Connecticut’s western boundary?
a. New York
b. Undefined
c. Pennsylvania
3. What were the Yankee-Pennamite Wars?
a. Connecticut people sought to establish a permanent settlement in Pennsylvania’s northeastern corner.
b. People from the Pennsylvania colony attempted to expand their colony’s eastern border by founding a town in Connecticut called Eastmoreland.
c. A fashion war in the mid-1700s took place between Connecticut Yankees and Pennamites (Pennsylvania colonists) on whether the tri-corner hat or the broad brimmed hat was the more fashionable.
4. Suffield has a connection to one of 2024’s list of the most endangered historic places. What is the site?
a. The Old State House in Hartford
b. Newgate Prison in East Granby
c. Minute Man National Historic Park located in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord, Mass.
5. The first soldier to receive the medal now known as “Purple Heart” lived in
a. Suffield
b. Granby
c. Enfield
6. In a current exhibit, The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History claims that Connecticut is the birthplace of a number of things relating to books. Which two of the following are correct?
a. Connecticut is the birthplace of copyright law.
b. The first American cookbook was published in Connecticut.
c. The first book banning in America took place in Connecticut.
7. On February 8, 1944, a popular actress led a very successful war bond drive in Suffield. Who was the actress?
a. Bette Davis
b. Loretta Young
c. Joan Fontaine
8. There is an excellent example of a “Foursquare” house at 946 Thompsonville Road. Which two of the following are characteristics of Foursquare houses?
a. It was a post-Victorian architectural style.
b. It had a plain interior featuring four boxy rooms on each floor but ornate embellishments on the outside of the house.
c. It featured four boxy rooms on each floor, arched entries between common rooms, built-in cabinetry, a large front porch and a central dormer.
9. The house located at 893 Burbank Avenue is indicative of the Old Thompsonville Bridge neighborhood. Why?
a. It was originally built as a duplex, a style which is commonly found in urban and industrial areas.
b. It has no foundation and is raised up on pillars in case of flooding.
c. It was built as a rooming house.
10. John Trumbull is known for his paintings of the leaders and events of the American Revolutionary War. Although born in Lebanon, Conn., he has a connection to Suffield. What is it?
a. He cut down the Trumble Oak (an early spelling of Trumbull) which was located on River Boulevard, a site where an earlier branch of the artist’s family lived.
b. In infancy, the artist suffered from convulsions because the bones of his skull had misaligned, giving his brain no room to grow. Dr. Terry a Suffield doctor and friend of the family, advised Trumbull’s mother how to draw the bones apart to save her child’s life.
c. The artist often came to Suffield to paint.
Answers
1. c. Thrall Avenue
2. b. Undefined
3. a. Connecticut people sought to establish a permanent settlement in Pennsylvania’s northeastern corner. The Connecticut Colony and William Penn had been granted the same land by King Charles II of England, resulting in a decades-long conflict (1769-1784).
4. c. Minute Man National Historic Park. A proposed major expansion of Hanscom Field Airport, which directly abuts the park, could significantly increase aviation activity leading to increased noise disruption, increased vehicular traffic and negative environmental and climate impacts. 111 men from Suffield responded to the Lexington Alarm within two days of the battle.
5. c. Enfield. The medal was awarded to Sgt. Elijah Churchill. George Washington designed the medal in 1782 calling it the Badge of Military Merit. Only three medals were given, all to Connecticut natives. The third was to Sgt. Daniel Bissell of East Windsor who was related to the Bissell family in Suffield. In 1932, President Herbert Hoover redesigned and reissued the Purple Heart medal.
6. a. and b. are correct. Noah Webster was instrumental in getting Connecticut to pass the first copyright statute in 1783. Amelia Simmons American Cookery was the first American cookbook published in Hartford in 1796. In 1637, the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony banned New English Canaan written by Thomas Morton which was a harsh (and thus heretical) critique of Puritanism.
7. c. Joan Fontaine. She rented a house on South Main Street.
8. Answers a. and c. describe the characteristics of a Foursquare house. The Foursquare was a Craftsmen-style house which was a reaction against the ornate elements of the Victorian style. It was very plain but its interiors featured handcrafted woodwork and built-in cabinets. The boxy rooms provided the maximum amount of interior space and its compact shape was suitable for small lots.
9. a. It was originally built as a duplex, a style which is commonly found in industrial and urban areas. It was built circa 1925 when many of the residents of the neighborhood were employed at the carpet mill across the river. Approximately half the homes in this area were rented, perhaps to newly arrived immigrants looking for work in the factories and farms.
10. b. Dr. Terry advised John Trumbull’s mother how to stop her child’s convulsions, which saved his life.