Christmas is Coming! Trans-Atlantic Radio, "Too Much Whoopee" in Cos Cob, Joseph Christiano Remembered and More!

 

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Welcome to the Thursday, December 9, 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with Jeffrey Bingham Mead. On this show we delve into the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut in the USA -one of the nation's premier communities. 

If you are a seasoned listener, then you are already feeling bouts of joy and delight -knowing that there are people like you all over the USA, and even around the world, who share a special connection to this place we call home. 

Besides lots of fascinating, entertaining history to share, I'll have news of opportunities and public events you can enjoy!

One hundred years ago this week, on December 11, 1921, an amateur radio station housed in a converted chicken coop and operated by the Radio Club of America sent the first short wave message across the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland. 

A granite monument at the intersection of North Street and Clapboard Ridge Road marks the occasion. 

I'll share with you a Christmas editorial published a century ago today that was published in the Greenwich News and Graphic. 

Two shows ago I shared a published conversation with Greenwich builder and contractor Joseph Christiano. He died on his 64th birthday in 1929. His obituary -published on the first page of the local papers- was quite revealing. It turns out this successful businessman was responsible for constructing many of the palatial homes associated with the Greenwich "Great Estates," and those in localities in nearby communities. He was also responsible for constructing St. Mary's Church on Greenwich Avenue, and St. Roch's Church in Chickahominy. 

A Mrs. John Fry, who was evicted from her home in Cos Cob, was fit to be tied and decided to sue a number of parties and the Town of Greenwich.

In 1929, during Prohibition, "too much whoopee" was all the rage at dances held at Cos Cob School. It was all quite scandalous with the Cos Cob Community Association and the Cos Cob Mothers' Social Club highly unamused -and you'll hear why. 

In November 1895 an attempt was made to burglarize the Round Hill Store. While running away, one of the burglars took a shot with a pistol at Lewis June, who was standing at an upstairs window above the store. What happened? 

This week I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Coffee For Good, located on the ground floor of Mead House -the 1856 Solomon Mead House, 48 Maple Avenue, on the campus of the Second Congregational Church. 

One of the more colorful residents of this mansion was Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks. She was the daughter of tycoon Hetty Green, also known as "The Witch of Wall Street," the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age. I'll share an insightful essay about Sylvia Wilks by Lisa Albamonte published by the Greenwich Historical Society on its web site. 

We'll have all this, news of public events, and more as the show unfolds! 

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), and the Ambassador Museum United States of America. 

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! 

Let's Talk About Greenwich, Connecticut History and More! It's Time for the December 2, 2021 Show!

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Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah is a very special annual festival, one of the most important and anticipated holy days in the Jewish faith. This eight-day celebration traces its history to a miracle that took place around 200 B.C. 

As our days become shorter, what a delight it is to see the lighting of menorah candles, and to spend time with loved ones and friends. 

May God bless you and give you all the happiness in this world. I wish you a festive season filled with an abundance of joy, happy moments, good health and prosperity. May these eight days be your best days, and many more to come! 

What's On Today's Show? 

My guest on Talk of the Town is author Jack T. Scully. We’ll be discussing his new book, Mianus Village.

Having won the war in 1945, millions of “Greatest Generation” GIs came marching home. Of immediate concern: education, jobs, and shelter. The GI Bill helped meet those challenges with free tuition, business loans, and affordable housing. 

In Riverside Connecticut, the government built 40 matchbox houses beside the Mianus River for veterans and their families. 

Author Jack T. Scully and more than a hundred “Baby Boomer” kids soon called the village and its ‘tinsel-glistening river’ home. It is the setting for this loosely autobiographical tale of self-discovery in an era of simplicity and peace.

“The poetry here is lucid and straightforward, and the spirit of the book is that of recalling the "forgotten debris of forgotten years,” says David Huddle, emeritus professor, University of Vermont.  “A reader feels refreshed and grateful for what Jack Scully has accomplished in these pages.”

Great news from the Friends of the Old Burying Ground at Byram Shore Road! At last, as reported by Greenwich Time’s Robert Marchant, Greenwich’s African American burial ground is getting the restoration and attention it deserves. 

Looking at the latest work ongoing on the Old Byram cemetery and the old African American burying ground, Alex Popp -who has led efforts to have it restored,  said, “It’s good to see.”

Christmas is coming! You’ll hear about the singing of Christmas carol in the Franklin Simon department store on West Putnam Avenue -now the home of Greenwich Library. The year? 1940.

The town’s first community Christmas tree was made possible by the Boy Scouts of Greenwich in 1914. 

A century ago in 1921, several Byram boys were in rowboats, ending up being caught in a heavy gale storm resulting in being stranded on Calves Island.

Has your chauffeur ever told you to go to Hell? Me, either, but in 1919 one driving on Mason Street allegedly told a highway improvement superintendent to go to the hottest of hot places. Yes, the matter went to court and you’ll learn what happened.

In 1945, a World War I veteran in Byram Hill thought he was under attack, not taking any chances during an alleged air raid that did not quite turn out what it was thought to be. 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls around the world! Stay where you are! We’ll have all this, news of public events and lots more as today’s show unfolds. 

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. 

Happy Thanksgiving 2021! Come on in!

 

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Happy Thanksgiving! 

Let me be honest and say that I've lost count of the number of blessings I am thankful for this year. 

One blessing I am grateful for is you! Thank you, as always, for tuning in to this show.

The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast is about the history and culture of Greenwich, Connecticut USA. 

Through it all this show is for you and all who appreciate and cherish this community's many blessings.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2021, I decided to do something a little different. A few of us gathered by the Greenwich shore for an early morning outdoor Thanksgiving breakfast. 

With not a cloud above us, the warm glow of the autumn morning sun filled our hearts with joy and gratitude.

My friends, whatever you do today my hope for you is that Thanksgiving brings you an abundance of delight and smiles from morning until evening. 

Here's what is coming up on today's show:

-I'll share with you a sampling of how the people of Greenwich observed the Thanksgiving holiday. 

-One hundred years ago this month, what was then the "new" Glenville School opened.

-Joseph Guiseppe Christiano was one of Greenwich's early 20th century success stories. He was profiled in the town's local press a century ago. You'll hear how.

-Also one hundred years ago, a New Jersey party returning from the Yale-Princeton football game narrowly ran his car off the stone pier at the terminus of Steamboat Road near the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. (see above)

-A swindler from New York City tried to pass a bogus check at a Greenwich leather goods store. It did not end well for him.

-You'll hear about a source of "keen delight in winter" in Greenwich: the moonlight sleigh ride party.

-Uh oh! A pastor of the Second Congregational Church resigned in 1897, calling the people of Greenwich "incorrigible." 

We'll have all this, news of events, and more as the show unfolds! 

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI); the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and Kevin M.J. O'Connor of the Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group. Thank you! 

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. 

It's Time! The Friday, November 12, 2021 Show is Here! Your History Will Never be the Same!

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Welcome to the Friday, November 12, 2021 edition of the one and only Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendant of the 17th century founders of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut USA. 

Today's show will be coming from various locations, all thanks to the miracles of 21st century modern technology. 

Listening to today's show just might change the course of your life into something riveting and sensational! Your history will never be the same! 

We'll take you back in time to 1921 when the people of Greenwich paused to commemorate Armistice Day. The first Veterans Day was held in 1954, and you'll learn about how Greenwich observed the occasion.  

Last week you heard the news from 1931 that the attempt was made to rename Lake Avenue to Horseneck Road. A newspaper on Waterbury disagreed with Judge Frederick Hubbard's stance, supporting Julian Curtiss instead.

Headlines proclaimed their marriage "a farce," and no doubt tongues wagged when Mrs. John Piagalou -better known as Hollywood screen star Constance Talmadge- separated, just a year after being married by a Greenwich justice of the peace. 

It's autumn in Greenwich -and chrysanthemums are everywhere. One of Greenwich's "Great Estates" was Milbank. I'll take you back in time to 1893 when the Milbank estate's greenhouses were thrown open to the public for a chrysanthemum show. 

As we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Greenwich Police Department, I'll share with on today's police blotter at a story from the Port Chester NY Journal dated 1906 of the arrest of John Bell. According to the story, Bell built the Indian Harbor Yacht Club at the end of Steamboat Road. The complaint to the police leading to Bell's arrest came from Percy Rockefeller, son of William Rockefeller. 

Constructed in 1916, The Pryory is a noted 'Great Estate' in Greenwich, Connecticut's history. It is one of a number of exclusive mansions on Field Point Circle. 

Sold for over $25 million in the summer of 2020 during the global pandemic, it was hoped that this recognized historic landmark would continue to be admired from the waters of Greenwich Harbor. Sadly, the sun will be setting forever on this iconic, historical mansion. 

I'll have news of happenings, public events and more as today's show unfolds.  Stick around! 

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI); the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and Kevin M.J. O'Connor of the Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group. Thank you! 

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. 

It's Time for the Friday, November 5 Show -An Experience Truly Unparalleled!

 

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This is the Friday, 5th of November 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with your host, Jeffrey Bingham Mead!

Welcome to an experience truly unparalleled in the 381 years of Greenwich, Connecticut’s history. Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place. 

By golly, you’re on-time, too! I hope you are as happy as I am to be here with you on this brisk, early November autumn day. 

The local elections are over! Congratulations to all candidates who threw their hats into the ring. 

Did you know that Greenwich drivers were being admonished about leaving their car keys in the ignition as early as 1945? 

That Conyers Farm almost became a bird sanctuary in 1915? 

That an effort to rename Lake Avenue to ‘Horseneck Road’ was stopped by Judge Frederick Hubbard? How? Why?

How much fun it must have been in 1904 when the congregation of Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church burned its mortgage? 

That Italian workers used dynamite cartridges to catch fish in Dumpling Pond in 1884? Not everyone was pleased.

Have you ever experienced a nightmare in which you fell into a tank full of apple cider? That happened to a man in Round Hill in 1891. 

We’ll have all this and lots more fun stuff on today’s weekly voyage into Greenwich, Connecticut’s fascinating history. It doesn’t get better than this.

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI); the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and Kevin M.J. O'Connor of the Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group. Thank you! 

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. 

Trick Or Treat! First-Ever Annual Greenwich History Halloween Special!

 

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Happy Halloween! We're featuring our first-ever Halloween Special, focusing as always on the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut USA! 

From Host Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead:

Located next to the Second Congregational Church on East Putnam Avenue, the New Burial Grounds Association Cemetery (pictured above) was founded in July, 1833 as an independent burial ground association. Easily accessible to visitors, a stroll among its numerous gravestones will take you back in time and history -and I'll share some details with you.

Pranksters were out and about in 1905, greasing trolley tracks at Chickahominy while another group came close to setting a dump-cart on a runaway journey down Greenwich Avenue.

A home on North Water Street, Byram.

Not everyone was on-board with the town's Halloween mischief-makers. I'll share with you a letter penned and published in 1931 lamenting what was called Halloween rowdyism that year. 

Public Halloween celebrations were well-attended and held at various locations. You'll hear about public celebrations held at the YMCA and other locations -including the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the early 20th century what was then the Holley Inn -and today the Bush Holley House National Historic Site in Cos Cob, headquarters of the Greenwich Historical Society -was transformed one Halloween night into a haven for freaks, spirits, demons and poltergeists.

Carl White -retired local history librarian at the Greenwich Library- authored a fascinating piece in 2015 you can find on the library's blog site titled 'Ghost Stories of Greenwich.' I'll share that with you.

Inscribed on gravestones, epitaphs are phrases, poems or other texts honoring the deceased. They are found throughout Greenwich's cemeteries,  and I'll read a sampling of those for you.

We'll feature two public service announcements. One for Halloween safety, and the other for Election Day! Scary thoughts indeed! 

We'll also feature news of events at the Greenwich Historical Society.

Come savor the flavors and aromas of coffee at Coffee For Good, located in the 1858 Solomon Mead House on the campus of Second Congregational Church. 

My friends, don't let the vampire's scare you away! I'll have all this and more as our adventure into Greenwich, Connecticut's Halloween bygone times unfolds. 

This special podcast was made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI); the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and Kevin M.J. O'Connor of the Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group. Thank you! 

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.