Frightened Horses on Greenwich Avenue, Fundraising for Teddy Roosevelt's Birthplace, St. Roch's Feast in 1921, Greenwich's First Woman Real Estate Developer and More!

 

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Well, it is August -and many people I know are away on vacation. Are you one of them? Safe travels and good health to you wherever you are.

On the August 16, 2021 show, we’ll have news of upcoming events and happenings at the Greenwich Historical Society and elsewhere. 

Greenwich Avenue has been the heart of the town’s shopping, dining and business district for generations. In May, 1907, a prized horse belonging to William G. Rockefeller was startled, causing quite an exciting scene that made headlines in the local press.

Were you at St. Roch’s Festival in Chickahominy this years? I hope so! One hundred years ago what was then called ‘The Feast of St. Rocco” was held at what is now St. Roch’s Church on what was then Grigg Avenue -now St. Roch’s Avenue near Hamilton Avenue School. 

We’ll send a shout-out and congratulations to the Byram Fire Department as it celebrates both its 130 years and the reopening of its firehouse. 

Have you ever been consumed by a project, one that turned out to be more then you thought it was when you started it? I can certainly attest to that. I’ll share some family history about the creation of the Caroline Mills Smith Mead Memorial Garden in Cos Cob -a great-great grand aunt of mine who turned out to be Greenwich’s first woman real estate developer. 

Did you read about an initiative I launched in March of this year to acquire, restore, preserve and open to the public one of my family’s ancestral farms in the backcountry -the Benjamin Mead II farmstead dating from Year 1728? I’ll share an update. 

For generations the people of Greenwich, Connecticut have successfully embraced a cornucopia of worthy causes, raising generous sums of money and resources. It was one-hundred years ago in 1921 this month when over 500 area residents gathered at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. George Griswold off Lake Avenue (at the Lake Avenue Circle) in Rock Ridge. 

On the night of this party with brass bands, movies, swimming demonstrations  and more, Greenwich society and World War I veterans raised funds for the restoration of the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City through the Woman’s Roosevelt Memorial Association. 

We once again send our thanks to Mr. Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates for title sponsoring the show. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association. He is the principal of Peter F. Landscape Architects since 1979. Learn more about Peter F. Alexander at SiteDesignAssociates.com, or call (203) 869-8632. 

We also welcome the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI). At Long Island Sound Institute, maintaining Long Island Sound is its goal. Join LISI as it reaches out to students and professors whose studies have to do with water bodies of Long Island Sound. The maintenance and research of our national parks are subjected to budgetary uncertainty year after year. LISI aims to bring long-term stability and avoid the uncertainty inherent to budgets and the political process. Learn more at LISIStudy.info or call (475) 897-5444. 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. Contact us at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! Go through our GoFundMe site or email us for rates. 

Greenwich's 381st Founder's Day! Welcoming Maggie Dimock, Greenwich Historical Society Curator: Beautiful Work: The Art of Greenwich Gardens and Landscapes

 

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The Greenwich Founder's Day show was made possible by the generous support of Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates. Thank you!

July 18 is a special day in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was on that day in Year 1640 that the town was founded. 

Year 2021 marks Greenwich's 381st year -and we anticipate much more history to unfold.

Talk of the Town is where we engage in intimate conversations and commentary with Greenwich's movers and shakers in the areas of history, education and preservation. 

On the Founder's Day 2021 show, we had the pleasure of welcoming Maggie Dimock, curator of the Greenwich Historical Society. Beautiful Work: The Art of Greenwich Gardens and Landscapes is now on view in the Frank Family Foundation Gallery. 

The exhibit examines the fruitful and fascinating history of gardens and landscapes in Greenwich, from backyard vegetable gardens that fed for the artists of the Cos Cob art colony to grand formal gardens designed by leading landscape architects of the 20th century. 

Original design drawings, striking photographs and preserved botanical specimens are included in this exhibition celebrating the legacy of cultivating the land in Greenwich. 

You'll also hear about how the people of Greenwich, Connecticut celebrated the nation's birth and independence one hundred years ago on July 4, 1921. 

Have you been good lately? I hope so! Did you know that 125 years ago the Greenwich Police Department was formed? 

Though we ran out of time on today's show, we're featuring a segment on each show wth factoids about law enforcement in the town -including an historical police blotter! Some not-so-upright-things happened -so be good! We don't want to be talking about you on this segment 100 years from now. 

Finally, we'll have news about projects that involve the history and culture of Greenwich, news of exhibits, events and happenings you can partake in -and a whole lot more! Click the links above and stay tuned. 

You are invited to contact Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead by emailing him at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Greenwich Historical Society’s Annual Chocolate Sundae Celebration

Greenwich Press: February 13, 1908

 

The Greenwich Historical Society’s 

Annual Chocolate Sundae Celebration 

takes a new delicious twist this year with a special take–home package to share with your Valentines! 

Enjoy a specially wrapped package of hot chocolate, sweets and chocolate treats with two Valentine mugs. 

Curators and education staff at the Greenwich Historical Society have created a Valentine–inspired craft kit based on historic designs in the Society’s collections. 

A perfect way to sip, celebrate and create together at home!

Pre-order is recommended, or purchase at our Museum Store by February 10 that’s today! 

Pick up now until Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Members $45

NonMembers $50

The Greenwich Historical Society is located at 47 Strickland Road in Cos Cob. 

The Museum Store  is open Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM and Saturday and Sunday 12:00PM-4:00PM. 

Prior reservations are not necessary to visit the Museum Store. 

Curbside pickup is available for all items purchased from the Historical Society’s online store.

Call 203-869-6899. 

Learn more at GreenwichHistory.org

Greenwich Time: February 14, 1931.

We're Back! The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show with Jeffrey Bingham Mead Tuesday, January 26, 2021

 

Dawn at Byram Shore on January 11, 2021. Shell Island with the Shell Island Tower -owned by the Greenwich Land Trust- is on the right, with Island Beach center-left on the horizon. 

Happy New Year! We're back! 

Today's debut podcast has been made possible by an anonymous sponsor. Thank you!

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On the Tuesday, January 26, 2021 debut podcast of The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show:

-It was just over a century ago that the campaign to grant American women the right to vote culminated with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. You’ll hear about one result that manifested itself in November, 1920: the election for the first time in history of women Justices of the Peace in Greenwich. 

-It’s made of bronze, standing over seven feet tall, and it was installed just over a century ago. You’ve no doubt passed by this imposing figure at least once in your lifetime if you’ve driven or walked along Greenwich Avenue in front of the Havemeyer Building, headquarters of the Greenwich Public Schools and Board of Education. We are referring, of course, to the illustrious statue memorializing Col. Raynal C. Bolling of Greenwich, who was killed during the First World War. 

-Greenwich’s renowned Bruce Museum was originally built as a private home in 1853. Robert Moffat Bruce -a wealthy textile merchant and member of the New York Cotton Exchange- bought the house and property in 1858. In succeeding years it was the scene of many high society events. You’ll hear about one such party that was held in 1890. As promised on the show, here is the guest list:

-In November 1920, two thousand people gathered in the Chickahominy neighborhood of Greenwich to witness the laying of a cornerstone for a then-new Catholic church we know today as St. Roch near Hamilton Avenue Elementary School. 

-We pause to remember the death a century ago of one of Greenwich’s most famous citizens -Commodore E.C. Benedict. His mansion, Indian Harbor, still stands, plainly visible from the pier at the terminus of Steamboat Road. You'll learn details of his extraordinary life and how he was remembered. 

-You'll learn of an intimate focus exhibition you’re invited to attend. This one celebrates the Greenwich Historical Society’s recent acquisition of a luminous 1896 canvas by American impressionist artist Childe Hassam, titled The Red Mill, Cos Cob. The Historical Society’s exhibit offers a view into Cos Cob at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and the role this town played in the development of American Art. Lost Landscape Revealed explores how Hassam, one of America’s foremost Impressionists, and fellow artists, including Elmer MacRae and Kerr Eby, captured the appearance of the waterfront community known as Cos Cob’s Lower Landing.

-Protect Historic Properties and Enjoy the Economic and Environmental Benefits for Greenwich Homeowners and Realtors is a Zoom-based online panel discussion scheduled for Wednesday, January 27, 2021 starting 6:00 p.m. With the escalation in homes being demolished for more contemporary structures, the need for saving Greenwich’s classic New England heritage is greater than ever. The permanent protection of our historic homes is the driver of a strategic alliance between Greenwich Historical Society and the recently formed Historic Properties of Greenwich. Join the discussion with preservation leaders Jane Montanaro, Executive Director, Connecticut Preservation, Elise Hillman Green, Russell S. Reynolds and Anne Young, Co-Founders, Historic Properties of Greenwich as they share research on the economic and environmental benefits of local property historic designation and outline practical steps homeowners can take to save our community history. Co-sponsored by Greenwich Historical Society, Historic Properties of Greenwich, Preservation Connecticut and Greenwich Association of Realtors. Members Free/Non-members $10 To register, call 203-869-6899, or register at GreenwichHistory.org. 

-Show Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead -a descendant of the 17th-century founders of Greenwich, Connecticut- will share news of events, happenings and more as today’s debut excursion into Greenwich's history unfolds.

The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, Host

P.O. Box 184

Greenwich CT 06836

Email: GreenwichATownForAllSeasons@gmail.com

Phone: 808.721.0306

UPDATE: Zebediah Mead House (Circa 1746), Greenwich Audubon Nature Center

 

I'm smiling right now. If you've been following me you may recall that last year I hosted a conversation on my then-radio show with Center Director Eli Schaffer of the Greenwich Audubon Center.

I was initially contacted regarding this 18th century house. Zebediah Mead built this gem in circa 1746. Our conversations included interest in a full restoration of the house as well as opening it up to the public.

We were stymied by the pandemic and the lockdown in Spring, 2020.

Well, we are getting the ball rolling again, so to speak. Anne Young, former chair of the Greenwich Historic District Commission and a member of the executive board of Greenwich Preservation Trust has come onboard. I'm delighted.

A "needs assessment" was performed on the house a few years ago through a grant received from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. A review of that document should help provide some initial direction with the goal of the house's restoration.

The Greenwich Audubon Center was one of our ancestral family farms. When the Audubon Society acquired the place it was the first nature center in the entire USA.

We're excited about the future of this house, and I hope that you will be, too. You'll be updated as the process unfolds.

Happy New Year from Standard Market (January 7, 1921)

 

Wishing You a Happy New Year (100 Year Ago)

 

Don't Give Up on the New Year (January 7, 1921)

 

Don't Give Up on the New Year

by Frank L. Lent

Greenwich News & Graphic

January 7, 1921

Don't give up on the New Year,

Or get discouraged, friend;

Clean off the slate and start the date,

Why wait for times to mend?

Skies may be bright tomorrow,

Though clouds obscure today,

Make dreams come true, it beckons you,

For that's the only way.

Resolve to strive to conquer;

There's no such word as fail.

With faith to guide and manly pride,

Hard though the woes assail.

Don't give up like a weakling,

Or whine at follies past,

Nor loosen hold ere life is cold,

But grip it firm and fast.

What if the gossips babble,

Or cast a slurring sneer,

Or fortune's smile is hid a while,

And sore disaster's near.

Let love, not malice, waken,

And cease to constant sign,

Each kindly deed is like a seed,

That ripens by and by.

Learn thus to do our duty,

And never lag behind;

Lose sight of self, all lustful pell,

And boundless wealth you'll find.

Don't give up on the New Year,

Just when the daylight dawns,

And lifts the pall of night for all,

And cheers the heart that mourns.

World War II Letters Collection at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich

World War II Letters Collection

at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich

by Pat Larrabee, Historian

The First Congregational Church of Greenwich

A recent rediscovery of some wonderful letters is now available to the public to honor our veterans on Memorial Day.  

The archives of The First Congregational Church of Greenwich contains 194 World War II era (1942 - mid 1944) letters that the church Historical Committee sorted and indexed in preparation for the church’s 350^th anniversary in 2015. 

These letters were from Greenwich service people to Mrs. Ethel Parry Fish, office Associate and former Youth Director at First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich.  

I have scanned them for easy access and indexed them by the letter writer’s name, rank, location/APO and date, along with a short summary.  I also scanned and retyped the 11 remaining monthly newsletters that Mrs. Fish mailed to about 500 service people from the whole town of Greenwich, no matter to what church they went. The newsletters and Index are searchable. 

In addition, there is a wonderful New York Times article from April 27, 2003 about Rev. Sally Colegrove saving these letters from the dumpster when they were cleaning out the attics of the church. It has some interesting perspectives and excerpts.

These newsletters and letters are a real treasure trove of town, church and personal history of births, marriages and deaths as well as news from the service people. Some letters are amusing, sometimes with hand-drawn cartoons, and some poignant. 

The service people wrote from all over the world, like India, New Guinea and “Somewhere in the Pacific”.  Every one of them thanked Mrs. Fish for her wonderful long newsletters. It meant so much to them to not only hear the news but to know that everyone at home was thinking about and praying for them.  

The church Youth Group collected Readers Digests and other books to mail to them, which the service people often passed around the barracks.

The paper letters will remain in the church archives, but the whole scanned collection is now available for the public. If anyone is a close relative of one of the letter writers and asks to have the original letter(s) from their relative, we will be glad to send it to them.

The Center for American War Letters Archives at Chapman University in California collects letters from service people from any war, so if you have a collection in your family archive or want to explore what Chapman University's collection contains, please contact them at the link.  I am sending the War Letter Archives a link to the collection so they can add them to their expanding archive.

LETTERS HOME A Webinar with Catherine Ladnier and Mary Owen

You're invited to Letters Home on Thursday, May 21, 2020. 

This Zoom-webinar is hosted by Greenwich Playwright Catherine Ladnier and Mary Owen, the daughter of legendary actress Donna Reed. 

Join Catherine and Mary as they share the letters received by their mothers World War II soldiers "over there." Actress Donna Reed was America's sweetheart. Eva Lee Brown, Catherine's mother, was the devoted sister of a brave soldier. 

Donna and Eva saved and treasured their letters. Both Catherine and Mary discovered their mother's letters, deciding that the news of "the boys over there" should be shared. 

Register in advance for this webinar here. 

This webinar is presented in partnership with the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center Foundation -telling the Army story one soldier at a time. 

A New Future for The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show

Starting May 1, 2020 the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show I created, own, produce and host will no longer air on Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com per the decision of the station's owner. 

I ask you not to contact the station with angry phone calls or emails. This was strictly a business decision. 

When the inaugural broadcast of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show went live on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 it was an exciting time. We were on the eve of the re-opening of the re-imagined campus of the Greenwich Historical Society. There was an air of celebration as I am sure many of you fondly remember.

Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com operates under a for-profit business model that substantially relies on advertising and sponsorship revenue to underwrite its costs. We were not able to bring the level of revenue necessary to fully cover the costs of producing and broadcasting the show every-other Wednesday morning after the 9:00 a.m. top-of-the-hour news. 

From the very beginning of the show's run in 2018 I wanted to expand the show to once a week and to one-hour. This is something many in the listening audience had wanted and hoped for. WGCH and I  were unable to designate a suitable expanded time slot, leaving the show airing only every-other week for a half-hour. 

Needless to say, we are living in exceptionally historic times. It is a time of disruption, surprise and change. Our history is replete with times and circumstances characterized by seismic change. 

With seismic change comes opportunity. With blessings comes challenges -and vice-versa. 

So, I have some good news.

The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show will continue as an independent podcast available on the Internet. You can listen to all shows on Podcasts.com and SoundCloud Year 2018, Year 2019 and Year 2020. We welcome your support through the show's GoFundMe campaign. 

This provides an opportunity to expand the show to one hour, and for the show to be released on a different day and time. By going this route our audience members will be able to tune-in when they want to and from anywhere they want to online. 

This is just a beginning. 

There are more exciting changes in store. You'll hear from me from time to time as developments continue to unfold. 

I want to thank the staff and management of Radio 1490 WGCH and WGCH.com for providing me with the opportunity to make this show possible. We proved that a program focusing on the history and culture of Greenwich, Connecticut would be welcomed by the community. 

Is it possible that the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show will return to WGCH? You never know. Let's see what the future brings. 

Spread the word! The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show is here to stay. 

You are a part of Greenwich's history and you are welcomed to be a part of this program. I welcome your support as we embark on a new path and new avenues. There are many stories yet to be told about Greenwich's history. They will be told here. I also look forward to continued collaboration and partnerships with our local historical and cultural institutions. 

Thank you for your continued support, loyalty and interest. Stay in touch. Stay safe, smile and be well always. 

-- 

Best,

Jeffrey Bingham Mead

Host, Historian and Producer

The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show