Winter/Spring 1999 A Walk Along Georgetown Road by Lynne Barrelle & Karin Giannitti Mrs. Gertrude Johnson was born on January 2, 1911, at Jaderlund Corners in "Swedetown." In 1911 this was in the Georgetown section of Weston at the corner of what is now Georgetown and Old Georgetown Roads. Mrs. Johnson was born to Martin Peterson and Julia Kennel of Weston. Mr. Peterson's parents had come to the Georgetown area of Weston from Sweden in the latter part of the 19th century, and Martin's father, August Peterson, worked in the Gilbert and Bennett wire mill. His mother, Sophia Mansfield Peterson, was, as were most women in that time, a housewife. Martin Peterson, born in Brooklyn in 1883, was one of several children (including Frank, Albin and Ella) who grew up, married and raised families in the area of Weston, Wilton, and Georgetown. Martin married a Weston girl, Julia Kennel, the daughter of Charles and Mary Hayden Kennel. Julia had been born during the Great Blizzard of 1888 in the house now known as "Old Windways Farm" located on Georgetown Road. When Gertrude Peterson Johnson was born she was christened "Dorothy Elizabeth," but her mother, Julia, soon changed this name when it was discovered that a neighbor objected to Julia using the same name that she had already used for her own daughter. Ever since that time Mrs. Johnson has been "Gertrude," although her birth certificate was never changed, leading to some numerous clerical problems over the years. When Gertrude was age one her parents moved to the house now known as 124 Georgetown Road. This house had been built by her great-uncle Adam Kennel. It is from this house that Mrs. Johnson walked to the Upper Parish School located at 47 Godfrey Road (now a private residence). Her memories of these walks and the people and places along the route have made for an interesting walk in history. Gertrude's first stop along the way was the spring located at now 202 Georgetown Road. Many of the local farmers would put their milk cans in this spring to keep them cold until they were sold or shipped out from the Cannondale railroad station. One of the farmers who used this spring was Mr. Corsa. His farm was directly across from Cannondale Road. He had a large dairy farm on the property. On Cannondale, Mrs. Johnson recalls that up the first small hill (now #7 Cannondale) was a farm belonging to "Will Plum" Lockwood. Everyone called him Will Plumb possibly to distinguish him from his father whose name was also William. There was a huge windmill on the property which, like so many things in the early 1900s, was lost to fire. The next farm belonged to Ira Andrews who owned the property later known as the Snaith property. Currently the property encompasses Trail's End and Shinecock Roads. The last farm where Gertrude would occasionally go was Irving Lockwood’s, (Ruth Lockwood's Uncle) now 295 Georgetown Road. Ruth's father, Leroy lived in the house across the street, #304. She remembers that there was a well in the middle of the kitchen so you didn't have to go outside to fetch water in all sorts of weather. Ruth Lockwood went to school with Gertrude and she remembers that one day everyone was talking about the world coming to an end. Gertrude's mother told her that there was no truth to the story and sent her off to school. When school was over for the day, Ruth Lockwood was so frightened to walk home because she thought the world was going to end that she was crying her heart out. Gertrude told Ruth that the whole story was untrue and offered to walk her home, giving up her cross country trek with the Samuelson boys. Ruth still remembers the kindness show to her that day. Going up Georgetown Road from her home at # 124, Gertrude remembers sometimes having to walk along the stonewalls because the mud was so deep on the road. She would come to "Ring's Hill" so named for John Ring who lived at 95 Georgetown Road, the second house up from what is now Midtown Service Center. This hill has also been call "Bull Punk" hill by old-time residents. At the top of the hill at #61 Georgetown Road lived the Kramers who owned the white house across from Kramer Lane as well as the land which is now Kramer Lane. The house, at that time, was not as large as it appears now. At one time Gertrude worked for the Kramers for $1 a day. She would wash the floors and the windows with kerosene. Her worst memory of this job, other that the smell, was the day that one of the Kramer children took dirt out of the flower pot and threw it on the floor that she had just finished washing. Other than that most of her childhood memories are of happy times. She tells of playing "duck on the rock," tag, prisoner's base, kick the can, etc. There were boys in the neighborhood that she walked to and from school and there were always chores to do. One thing they loved to do was make root beer. They would take root beer extract and put it in a bottle with yeast and sugar and lay it out in the sun. Best taste in the world. Gertrude also recalls some of her relatives had a huge copper kettle they used to make a home brew. At the time the house had walls and ceiling made of tin, and when the top exploded off the kettle it made not only a mess, but put many dents in the house. In 1929 Gertrude married Vernon Johnson, a young man whose family had come to this area from Kansas, and who spent many years working at the Gilbert and Bennett wire mill. Gertrude and Vernon lived with her parents, caring for both her invalid mother and younger brother Frank, as well as their own family. In 1938 Vernon and Gertrude purchased several acres of land not too far from the Peterson home. They spent several years constructing their house, as they both had outside jobs, and were continuing to take care of the Peterson household. After the marriage of her brother Frank, Gertrude and Vernon were finally able to move into their new home on Wilson Road. Gertrude tells a wonderful story of one evening when they had had a large snowstorm. Vernon wanted to go sleigh riding. He and Gertrude took a flexible flyer and walked to the top of "Bull Punk Hill." Vernon laid down on the sled and Gertrude had to sit towards the back and hang on. They started off and ended up almost where they had lived at 124 Georgetown Road. When Vernon asked if she wanted to go again, she said breathlessly that she didn't care to. She said she was scared to death and had no intentions of cheating fate again. Gertrude (or Gram as everyone now calls her) has five grandchildren and five great- grandchildren, and has recently become a great-great grandmother. Lynn writes that she is a wonderful cook and keeps a spotless house, in which at any time of day or night you are likely to find not only her immediate family and/or their offspring, but also various relatives from different branches of the family (and their friends and acquaintances) as well as at least two generations of her neighbors, who persist in considering Gertrude Johnson as their own special "Gram."" (I want to thank Lynn Barrelle for introducing me to Mrs. Johnson. I only wish that I had more time to sit and listen to stories of Weston years ago. I also wish that I could someday partake of her hot chocolate and baked apples for which she is well known in the family. Thanks again to "Gram" for a wonderful morning.) Back to contents.

ONE ROOM WITH A COLORFUL HISTORY The little one-room schoolhouse located on Godfrey Road West has had a long and colorful history. According to research done on the property by Lynne Barrelle, she believes that in 1880 George Sturges and Abby Morehouse (who owned property at 68 Godfrey Road) sold 1/4 acre of land on the south side of Godfrey Road to the Upper Parish School District for $40.00. Ruth Lockwood, who attended the Upper Parish School house, remembers her grandfather told her the schoolhouse had originally been on the other side of the street from its current location, but she did not know if the building had been moved or if a new one had been built. The schoolhouse served many of the children in the area including Gertrude Johnson (see article "A Walk Along Georgetown Road"), and Ruth Lockwood. When Weston built its first centrally located school (Hurlbutt) for all the children in town, the Upper Parish School District sold 1/4 acre and the little schoolhouse to the new Weston Volunteer Fire Department. It was voted on December 12, 1933 that "the land, buildings and premises of the Upper Parish School District be sold to the Weston Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated, for the sum of One Dollar. The proceeds of any sale of said premises by said Fire Department shall be used only for the purchase of fire apparatus." In 1935, Wood Cowan (famous cartoonist and one-time First Selectman of Weston), purchased the land and building from the Fire Department for $700. In speaking to various members of the Fire Department, we have been unable to determine if this money was indeed put toward fire apparatus. Wood Cowan purchased land around the location of the schoolhouse, so that in June of 1944, when Wood sold the property to George and Carolyn Erban, it had become 3 acres. The Erbans lived there a short time, selling to Ross Worsley of California in September of 1947. The price at that time had climbed to $8,000. Then in 1952 Mrs. Virginia Wright purchased the property for an amazing $14,000 and lived there for many years. It is unclear as to which of the first owners made renovations to the house. Ruth Lockwood remembers the wood stove that was used for heat was in the comer of the room with a grate all around it so that the children would not be burned. She remembers there was space above the ceiling (possibly used for storage), but that there was no second floor at the time. At the entryway there was a pail of water with a ladle that had been brought in from the well out in back of the building. There was also an outhouse at that time. The little entryway still remains, but there is now a large fireplace in the main room. We spoke to Thomas Wright, son of Virginia Wright, who remembers a small staircase which led to a bathroom and two tiny bedrooms, left and right of the stairs. Mr. Wright, however, who is 6' tall, could not stand totally upright in the two bedrooms. He recalls there was a small kitchen and dining room off the main room and a large pantry which has been converted into a bathroom. In 1990, Ms. Dorothy Kyle purchased the house and made some major renovations to the structure. She added a sizable dining room to the back of the house and a large sun room next to that. It is reported she also raised the roof to add headroom to the upstairs and while the structure was open, she had her mattress and box springs placed in the bedroom. When Janet Sage purchased the house in 1993 she had to also purchase the box springs as they were unable to get them back down the windy small staircase. Janet has lived in the house for six years now and loves being a part of the history. She has lovingly decorated the house with a mixture of old New England and Southwest United States. Along with her two dogs, seven cats, and a few relatives thrown in for good measure, Janet has kept the feel of the schoolroom of long ago, adding her own personal touches to the rest of the house. We are most grateful to Janet for letting us photograph one of Weston's oldest standing historical sites. (My thanks to Lynne Barrelle, Bob Studwell, Thomas Wright, Janet Sage, Roger and Tad for their help in putting this article together.) Back to contents.

Keeper Of The Grounds Jim Schaper All of us at the Historical Society have noticed the wonderful changes that have occurred to the house and grounds over the past several years. Some of the more recent changes have been overseen by one of our newer trustees, Jim Schaper. Jim has jumped in with both feet and has not stopped swimming since. Not only has he taken on the regular projects such as cleaning up each spring, feeding the elm tree, and generally overseeing the maintenance of the house and grounds, but Jim has found himself in the middle of a string of unusual projects which he has handled very well. Jim was born and bred in Milwaukee where he attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a bachelor of business administration. He also did some graduate work at ITT and began a 37-year career with Joseph Ryerson Steel where he was product manager. He worked in Chicago and Milwaukee, and was finally transferred to a plant in Wallingford, Conn. There Jim met his future wife, Adele. They were married in 1959 and moved to Westport for a short time, then to Weston. Jim retired in 1989, but does not stay still for a minute. Jim was the driving force behind collecting cans for the Booster Club at the Onion Barn. Two of Jim's four children were tennis players at Weston High School. They needed windscreens and ball hoppers, but the teams did not have any readily available money. Jim came up with the idea of a can and bottle collection and presented it to the Booster Club. On October 17, 1981, a tradition began. It has raised thousands of dollars over the years and is a project Jim is proud of. Another project of which Jim should be proud are his signs. As a member of the Kiwanis Club, which he joined a few years ago, Jim got involved in making signs for the Nature Conservancy here in town. He started with an idea and ended up with more than 100 signs now on all the trails, making our treks through the beautiful woods much easier. Jim has also made signs (hand routed on cedar) for many of his neighbors and has now gone into street signs, some of which can be seen along the streets of Weston (Cricket Lane being one example). Jim hopes everyone in Weston will eventually have one of his signs. If you are interested, please contact him at 227-1701. As well as his other projects, Jim has taken on many at the Coley House. He has overseen the updating of our antiquated heating system, and had a new electrical panel with circuit breakers installed in the basement of the house. Jim hired Roger Knoop of Shade Trees to cut down five dead trees, and clear the grounds, leaving us with loads of wood chips. Roger did all of this work and donated 50% of his time to the project. Jim has cleared the pipes that were stopped up after our driveway repaving project. He also hired Doug DeBarger of "House Werks" to rebuild our entire front porch which was rotting off the house. In the middle of all these projects, our septic system backed up and Jim found Paul Scribner to dig up the system, replace pipes, pump the tank, etc. for an incredibly fair price. Paul also made and installed a new well cover. Jim was able to find George Schneider who dug out our old tar walkway up to the front porch. George then found field stones that someone from Lyons Plain Rd. was willing to donate to us, and he built a gorgeous new fieldstone walkway with 10,000 lbs. of stone dust donated by Jimmy Donaher of L. H. Gault & Son. Last summer Jim hired two high school students to work 26 hours on the grounds doing various projects. This past fall, Jim, with the help of Jack Light, planted 500 daffodil bulbs. We can't wait to see that pretty sight! Jim has also set up a dehumidifier in the basement and has built bookcases and shelves in the archive room at the Coley House. Jim wanted to burn the huge pile of brush in the parking lot so he decided to go ahead one morning. The neighbors called the Fire Department and with their help Jim was able to burn the pile. He also enlisted Steve Koch of Merry Lane to clear, dig up, rototill and plant three perennial gardens next to the house and out to the parking lot. Steve has donated dozens of hours to us. Jim has asked Jeff Moore of Weston Arborists to repair our falling off chimney cap and bricks using his "skyworker." With all these accomplishments, Jim is still proudest when he speaks of his four children and his wife, Adele, who makes beautiful baskets and does caning of chair seats. He can be seen at almost any time of the day at the Coley Homestead with his dog, Chester. We can't thank Jim enough for all he has done. If you would be willing to help on the grounds, refurbish some antiques, trim trees, do miscellaneous painting, or help remodel two bedrooms and a bathroom, please call Jim! We need your help! Back to contents.

Thank You! Helene Weatherill For anyone who has received a thank you note from the Society's Corresponding Secretary, Helene Weatherill, you know what kind of person she is. She makes you feel no matter what you have done, from making cookies to working shifts at the Scare Fair, or Christmas at the Coley House, you have truly made a difference in our Society. Each note is specially written for every event and always has a personal note making us all feel our efforts are so much appreciated. Helene was born in Massachusetts and went to college in Amherst. Upon graduation she convinced her family, which was no easy task in those days, she should move to the "big city" of New York. She landed a job with a major law firm and rode the subway (a nickel charge) wearing her white gloves, hat, and heels every day. She worked downtown on Wall Street for lawyers who were only hired if they were Ivy League. In 1956 Helene came to Weston as a bride and moved into her current house which was built in 1955. Unfortunately, Helene's dreams were dashed when her husband passed away shortly after moving to Weston, but Helene prevailed and continued to commute to New York each day from Cannondale station. She retired in 1989 and has become a very active member of our Society and in the Town of Weston. In 1998, as our Corresponding Secretary, she mailed out approximately 1,000 notes to members and those who helped us in some way. She has planted bulbs at the homestead, cleaned the yard and the house, helped Pat McLaughlin with the redecorating -- even taking on the job of washing windows. She said she "loved every minute of it." Helene also became our chief seller of calendars and books over the past several years. If there is an event going on in town you can rest assured Helene will be there selling our books. She has done a fabulous job keeping us out there in the public. In addition to her duties at the Historical Society, Helene also volunteers on the Library Board, and she spends a great deal of time helping at Devil's Den. She gives tours for adults and first graders, helps with mailings and cleaning trails. She gives a very lovely and educational tour of the Katherine Ordway Preserve located off Good Hill Road. She was also a clerk for Norfield Church for 17 years, and was co-leader of the Norfield Church Program for the soup kitchen in Norwalk. She somehow finds time to help out at the Nature Center in Westport and spend time in her own yard as well. Helene still enjoys still going into New York City to visit with friends for lunch and a museum tour, as well as attending Carnegie Hall and the ballet whenever possible. She drives to Maine to visit her brother, and recently enjoyed a cruise on the Rotterdam which took her to Aruba, through the Panama Canal, Guatemala and three places in Mexico, Acapulco being the last stop. We are so grateful to Helene not only for her hawking our wares, but also for the beautiful and thoughtful notes she finds the time to write. Helene is always there to volunteer no matter what job it is. Thank you, Helene Weatherill. Back to contents.

Tireless Trustee Jacqui Schneider One of our newest trustees, Jacqui Schneider has certainly not waited long before being totally immersed in our activities. Jacqui was asked to be a trustee by Roger Core, our past president. Roger and Jacqui's husband, Lee, are Kiwanians, and have been friends since the Schneiders moved here 22 years ago. Jacqui hails from Pennsylvania where she did undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as in their Psychological Clinic. From there she took different positions in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As family pressures arose and home changes were necessary, she found the best paying positions (at the time) were with school systems. So she went to Lawrence, New York, leaving there 25 years later on early retirement. Feeling "too young" for this, and marrying in Connecticut, Jacqui took another school psychology position, this time in Darien, staying another 11 years. Along the way Jacqui became involved in a variety of psychological projects which meant working with people from infancy through their 80s. This last seems to have some tie-in to the Historical Society in that part of the work involved oral histories, sharing experiences and artifacts of much earlier decades. Historic matters have always been of interest to Jacqui. She has an aunt who purchased a house in Pennsylvania built in the mid-1700s, one with wide-planked floors, a walk-in (and baking) fireplace, as well as a circular staircase that led to the children's "dorm." Light at night depended on kerosene lamps and water had to be drawn from a hand pumped well. Her husband had long been a collector of Americana -- furnishings as well as paintings and artifacts, including early marine paintings. In addition, her son and his wife have not missed "the bug," moving to Dahlonega, GA -- the first gold rush town in the USA. Jacqui's first project was organizing scrapbooks for the Historical Society. From pictures and clippings saved by WHS members and friends over the years, there have evolved 4+ scrapbooks on the Society, 3+ on the Town of Weston, 1 on the double Bicentennial Celebrations a few years ago, and sundry small ones on such topics as the Onion Barn, the Old Post Office, the Historical Commission, etc. etc. While visiting a friend who had been a president of the Darien Kiwanis, Jacqui became interested in their use of an historical afghan as a fund raiser. She presented the idea to the WHS Board, and arranged for the specialty company to send a representative, explaining the process and displaying their productions. The Board was enthusiastic and chose the sites to be represented on our own afghan. Roger Core not only photographed these sites, but designed the afghan and worked together with Herb Day to produce an explanatory booklet to go with each afghan sale. One of Jacqui's other interests -- two garden clubs, a book club, knitting designs, collecting old and new recipes filling up several (30?) scrapbooks -- has been gardening with her husband who has extensive ideas. One was propagating boxwood, using a large, old boxwood on their property. They have been lucky and able to donate the stretch of medium sized boxwood fronting the Coley House. As you can see, Jacqui has jumped right in and has become an great asset to our Society. She would like to see us have more exhibits open for the town and put together the collections we have. With her energy, organization, and enthusiasm, we are sure that whatever project Jacqui takes on next, it will be done well. Thank you for all you have done. Back to contents.

Herb Garden In the last issue of the Chronicle we told you some of the history of the herb garden at the Coley Homestead. In talking with Adele Schaper, we found the history of the garden goes back many more years. We are sorry not to have known about this at the writing of our article, but we are pleased to tell you about it now. Approximately 25 years ago, a group of women from Weston formed the Norfield Garden Club. One of their projects had been to contact Mrs. Coley to help restore the herb garden on her property. Some of the members were Phyllis Palmieri, Nancy Ryll, Molly Byron, Virginia Lardner, Erna Vogel, and Adele Schaper. This group of women set up the garden and took care of it by weeding and watering. Unfortunately, many of the women started moving from the area and soon the Garden Club ceased to exist. The herb garden then went back to a rather wild stage when Bea Crane-Baker took it over in the 1980s. Adele told me the center of the garden had contained a large and beautiful sun dial which is no longer there. If anyone has information regarding that dial we would love to hear from you. It would certainly be a lovely addition to the garden as well as being a part of its history. Back to contents.