Straight from the digital files of The Evening Sentinel, courtesy of The Lower Naugatuck Valley History Archives, it’s ‘This Week In Valley History!’
This week we take a trip back to 1935, the year the Social Security Act was signed, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded and the Hoover Dam opened.
Here is what was happening in our Valley!
Saturday, July 20, 1935
Condition Of Elm Trees In Ansonia Is Causing Anxiety
ANSONIA – The condition of elm trees about the city that have been attacked by the elm leaf beetle is attracting attention and many inquiries are being made regarding methods of control.
The damage to the leaves of the trees seems to have been already done, but the beetles are now reaching the pupae stage and may be seen in the form of yellow pupae on the surface of the ground around the base of the tree, or in the crevices of the rough bark. Later, the adult beetles emerge and fly into the treetops.
St. Mary Festival Resumes Tonight
DERBY – The St. Mary’s parish festival was rained out in last evening’s thunderstorm but will resume tonight the program intended for last evening, according to a statement by the general chairman, William J. Hickey.
All stock and prizes will be disposed of at tonight’s gala windup of the annual affair, and it is expected that the largest crowd of the three-day carnival will be in attendance.
Seymour Boy Wins Honor At Devens C.M.T.C. Camp
SEYMOUR – Donald O’Neil, of Derby Avenue, Seymour, was selected at the Fort Devens C.M.T.C. as the neatest, most soldierly and alert in hearing and appearance of the entire group detailed for guard. Each day an officer inspecting the new detail for guard duty picks the best two of the lot to be commanding officers’ orderlies. Those picked sleep in quarters instead of the guard house and enjoy the privilege of seeing the sunset parade from the vantage point of the official reviewing stand.
Local Tavern Owners Get More Business On Sunday Than Usual
SHELTON – Shelton tavern owners are in a gleeful mood because of the large number of Derby residents who are patronizing their places of business Sundays since Derby officials have passed a local option ordinance for a Sunday closing liquor law which is being rigidly enforced. Derby members of the Beer, Wine and Liquor Dealers’ Association are attempting to curb what they term “unfair competition.”
Sunday, July 21, 1935
The Evening Sentinel didn’t publish on Sunday.
Monday, July 22, 1935
Colonial Guards Will Get New Machine Guns
ANSONIA – Company M 102nd regiment, Connecticut’s National Guard, with headquarters at the Ansonia State Armory, is due to receive an assignment of new machine guns. The guns are of the same construction as the old ones but are of .22 caliber instead of .30 and will be suitable for indoor range practice.
Sons Of Italy Win Chicken Dinner From East Side
DERBY – After the regular scheduled game of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Bocci League yesterday morning, the Sons of Italy bocci team accepted a challenge from the East Side Club to play a series of three games in the afternoon for a chicken dinner and a half a barrel of beer. The Sons of Italy won two games 16 to 2 and 16 to 5. Later in the afternoon, both teams went to Sullivan’s Farm on the Housatonic River and had their dinner and beer. The members of both teams, winners and losers, had a grand time.
65 Telephones Out Of Order After Storm
SEYMOUR – Although Seymour escaped all but negligible damage in the Friday night storm, that of Saturday afternoon made up for its in severity. Suffering most were the telephone and other electrical lines in town, although the usual washouts of dirt roads, gutters, etc., called for special attention from town employees until 7:30 o’clock at night.
Forty telephone lines were disrupted in Seymour Saturday, and 65 telephones were put out of commission, and there were several cases of cable trouble, caused by being struck by lightning.
Shelton Couple Married 40 Years
SHELTON – Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith, Sr., of Howe Avenue, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary yesterday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles McCarthy of Howe Avenue. The McCarthy home was tastefully decorated for the occasion with light green and pink streamers.
The festivities included music and dancing and later in the evening a turkey dinner was served, which was prepared by the daughters of the happy couple. A large wedding cake was featured at the party.
Tuesday, July 23, 1935
Haberdashery Is Gutted By Flames
ANSONIA – Damage estimated by Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Bennett between $4,000 and $5,000 resulted from a fire which followed the explosion of cleaning fluid in the haberdashery store of Daniel King at 105 Main Street at 6:15 o’clock last evening. The loss to the stock, fire officials said, was partially covered by insurance. There was no insurance on the building, which is owned by Dr. C.H. Pinney.
Mr. King was waiting to board a Waterbury trolley, and his son Leo was in the store preparing to close up the establishment when a jug of cleaning fluid on the pressing bench in the rear of the store exploded, spreading flames in all directions. Leo seized a fire extinguisher in a vain effort to check the quickly spreading flames.
Joseph Morris, who heard the explosion as he passed, rushed into Kennedy’s Cigar store nearby and he and Bert Jones carried vessels of water to the flaming store, but when they saw the magnitude of the blaze, they withdrew with the younger Mr. King.
K. Of C. Council Will Observe Golden Jubilee
DERBY – The 50th anniversary of the institution of Paugassett council, Knights of Columbus, will be observed by the council with appropriate festivities, the nature of which are in the hands of a committee, according to action taken at the July meeting of the council.
Paugassett council was organized September 27, 1885 as the 28th council of the order, which had its humble beginnings in New Haven and has since become one of the outstanding fraternal insurance organizations in the world.
Firemen’s Carnival Closed Last Night
SHELTON – The joint carnival of the Echo Hose, Hook and Ladder company and the Pine Rock Park Fire company was brought to a successful close last night at Pine Rock Park. The grand prize, an electric refrigerator, was awarded to Mrs. Albert Morrey of Ansonia. The master mixer was awarded to Louis Catlin of River Road, Shelton.
Wednesday, July 24, 1935
Bathing Suits Taken From Clothesline
ANSONIA – Clothesline thieves have been active in the vicinity of Holbrook and Jackson streets and a number of pieces of clothing have been stolen, including bathing suits. Residents have their suspicions of the identity of the thieves.
Storms Challenge Paugassett Nine
DERBY – The Storm Engine company baseball team have issued a challenge to the Paugassetts for a game or series of games in the near future. The Storms are bent on capturing the city title for the “Firemen’s League.” Next Monday night, the Storms will travel to Park Field in Seymour, where they will play the Citizens of that town. Their last game with the Citizens ended in a 5 to 5 draw, and the locals are determined to bring back the bacon Monday.
Fire Makes Furor At Camp Irving
DERBY – Last night shortly after “taps,” the boys at Camp Irving were awakened with the shrilling fire call blown over and over again on the bugle and the screams of “fire, fire.” They jumped out of bed, ran out of their tents and sure enough the kitchen was a mass of flames. Immediately the campus was alive with action. The Scouts grabbed shovels, brooms, fire extinguishers, pails and anything they could lay their hands on and rushed to help put the fire out.
When the boys arrived at the mess hall, excited and out of breath, they discovered that the roaring flames were nothing more than red flares. The boys certainly were relieved to find that the fire had only been a hoax. “Chef Clark” then served the campers hot cocoa and cookies and after singing a few appropriate songs, everyone returned to bed. Thus the 1935 campers were initiated into the Camp Irving Royal Order of Firefighters.
Cow Costs Owner Court Costs Here
SEYMOUR – The antics of a cow played an important part in a town court case heard before Deputy Judge Maynard M. Lund with Deputy Prosecutor J. N. Perelmutter acting for the state last night.
It seems the bovine of Max Urban of Walnut Street strayed into the yard of Eugene DuPaul, of Maple Street, causing some damage.
The case against the owner of the cow was nolled on actual payment of the costs of the court.
Thursday, July 25, 1935
Remus Scores Knockout
ANSONIA – At the White City stadium in Savin Rock last night, Pat Remus, local welterweight, scored a technical knockout against Steve Mitchell of New Haven. The bout was fairly even in the first round, but Remus in the second floored Mitchell thrice with powerful jabs to the body and head.
Paugies Will Parade Tonight
DERBY – A delegation of 40 members of the Paugassett Hook and Ladder company, headed by Captain Joseph Stankye, will go to Danbury tonight to take part in the street parade which will formally open the carnival and fair to be conducted for the coming week by the Danbury fire département.
A Bedarkened Library Now Greets Town
SEYMOUR – The Seymour Public Library on Broad Street, usually open on Thursday evenings, will be closed tonight. The reason is the underground electric light system has been put out of commission by a broken conductor tube believed to have been struck and cracked in two near the ground by some motorist, severing the connection.
Historical Old Barn Struck By Lightning Bolt
SHELTON – An historical old barn on the property of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Jones on Walnut Tree Hill, nearly 200 years old, was entirely consumed in flames yesterday afternoon after it had been struck by lightning and 15 tons of hay stored inside were lost.
The barn, highly valued by the Jones family, and well-known to visitors in that vicinity because of its historic features, was built by Jeremiah Shelton, son of Daniel Shelton, of the Saltbox house long before the Revolution. It had hand-hewn beams and hand-wrought nails and hardware.
Men who were working on the Monroe White Hills Road saw the blaze a mile and a half away and when they arrived found the barn and its contents consumed in flames.
The Jones family was away at the time.