On the October 5, 2021 Show: Air Truck Delivery Comes to Greenwich in 1927, Striking Drivers Dump Milk in the Byram River, 'Mental Butterflies," Grass Island, Burying Hill and More!

 

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Look up in the sky! Was it a bird? Was it a plane? The world inauguration of what was called ‘air truck delivery’ arrived in Greenwich skies on the 1st of November, 1927. You’ll hear about the cargo that was dropped, where it happened and about the crowd of onlookers who witnessed it all. 

Striking drivers believed to be from the Borden Milk Company stopped a truck driver and dumped 300 quarts of milk into the Byram River.

Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead will have some words of celebration to share about Coffee for Good, the newest destination for your coffee fix and more in the historic Mead House -newly renovated and restored- on the campus of the Second Congregational Church.

You have an assignment! Your help is needed in locating ‘Piping Book Farm,’ most likely located in the Banksville or Stanwich areas of northeastern Greenwich. 

You’re laying in bed late at night in 1921 experiencing bouts of “mental butterflying.” What do you do?

A group of investors came together in 1914 with a “splendid plan for civic improvement” for the “unsightly” Greenwich Harbor, making is available for pleasure and commercial craft. Hint: Grass Island.

October is here, Halloween is getting closer on the calendar. We’ll feature a preview about historic cemeteries in Greenwich, with a particular focus on Burying Hill in Round Hill. 

There's always something happening in Greenwich, Connecticut. We'll share news of events you and other members of the public can attend. 

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. 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. 

We're Back! On the September 29, 2021 Show: The Pryory, Shoe Banks, Island Beach Welcomed 80,000 in 1921, Ogilvy Tribute and More!

 

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We are back -and glad to be here! 

On the September 29, 2021 show we will take our listeners on an excursion into Greenwich, Connecticut history like none you've experienced before. 

What's in store?

The Pryory in Field Point Circle is a one-of-a-kind 'Great Estate' mansion with a fascinating reputation and remarkable history. This 12,000 square foot home was designed in circa 1916 by the renowned architectural firm Cross & Cross in the spirit of an English countryside estate. You'll hear about those who lived here -including one who welcomed the likes of Charles Lindbergh and other aviators who flew their seaplane in and out of Greenwich Harbor.

A century ago, an inspector of the Connecticut Police department single-handedly prevented a catastrophic accident involving a team of agitated runaway horses.

On the evening of September 30, 2021, the Greenwich Historical Society will be convening its 90th annual meeting at the Belle Haven Club. David Ogilvy will be granted posthumously the Greenwich Historical Society's first David Ogilvy Preservation Award, recognizing his contributions to historic preservation in Greenwich. We'll share a special tribute.

Colonel Raynal Bolling's memorial near the Havemeyer Building on Greenwich Avenue is known to many. But did you know that another, unique memorial to Col. Bolling is in California? 

A gasoline advertisement reminds us in the 21st century that there were those one hundred years ago who were preoccupied with "carbon." 

David Boles -a Greenwich cafe owner on Lewis Street took his shoes a century ago in 1921 to be cleaned and shined -forgetting that he left $2000 in large denominations inside. What happened? 

There's always something happening in Greenwich, Connecticut. We'll share news of events you and other members of the public can attend. 

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. 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. 

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

 

Click here for the Founder's Day Podcast on Podcasts.com

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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.