Vol. 45 No. 3 *A Publication of the New Canaan Historical Society* March 2018

1889

Tydings of Canaan Parish

The Battle of Ridgefield

Want to know more about New Canaan’s (Canaan Parish) beginnings when our nation first came to be back in 1776? Well, if so, put our Quarterly Meeting on your calen-dar—March 10th at three o’clock at the Historical Society. Amateur local historian, Jim Bach will give his annual half-hour talk on the closest Revolutionary War battle to our sleepy town-ship of 900. This was the April 1775 incursion of Connecticut by the British army to destroy George Washington’s valuable medical and military sup-plies in Danbury. The Brits succeeded but our boys caught up with the redcoats in Ridgefield—10 miles from New Canaan—on their return trip to their boats in Norwalk. It was a real authentic “rhubarb” between King George III’s finest (Napoleonic veterans) and our largely rookie farmers. Jim’s PowerPoint presentation covers Canaan Parish boys and the early heroics of General Benedict Arnold at a time when Arnold was first on our side and before his ultimate treachery. You should come away with much to share with your friends about New Canaan’s “closest encounter.” Jim Bach was born and raised in New Canaan. His family dates back in town three generations to 1917. Jim serves on the Historical Society’s Board of Governors. He is a frequent lecturer on town history.

Map courtesy of The Ridgefield Historical Society.

Refreshments will be served following the meeting.

Presented by James Bach Saturday, March 10th 3:00 p.m. Lindstrom Room

Restoration of the Historical Society’s Costume Collection Is Underway

The Historical Society has the second largest collection of costumes in Connecticut – losing the title only to the Connecticut Historical Society. Upstairs in a maze of adjoining rooms are thousands of pieces of clothing, hats, shoes, and accesso-ries belonging to New Canaan’s men, women and children from 1775-1950. While few of us has a sixteen-inch waist or a shoe that can fit in the tiniest of beaded slippers, all of us can enjoy this rich and varied collection. Unfortunately, however, not all the donations over the years were properly stored or catalogued. A collection stashed in the attic fell victim to extreme temperature fluctuations, bug infestations and dirt. Penny Havard, an expert in costume preservation and restora-tion, began work last October to examine, prioritize and restore the attic treasures. Some dresses were beyond repair. But assisted by volunteers Nancy Stass, Zoe Kirby and Pamela Huth, she is salvaging some of these textile wonders. The process is laborious. Clothing sits in the freezer for six weeks to kill bugs and larvae. Then the pieces are archivally cleaned. Then comes her magic as she and Nancy stitch, sew, re-bead, repair, and weave. The results have been tremendous. Penny is a wonderful teacher. She patiently points out the detail, the fabric, the embroi-dery, and the artistry in each piece. As she says with a smile, “Costumes are my catnip.” The Historical Society is lucky to have her now as the Costume Curator. Although only here two days a month, her presence is already felt. Pictured here are 1920s dresses saved from ruin.

Volunteer Nancy Stass repairs a garment.

The New Canaan Historical Society’s

1st Annual Art, Antiques and Jewelry Show Saturday March 3rd 10 am—4pm Sunday March 4th 11 am—4pm

A select group of antiques dealers will offer a wide array of items from the 18th century though mid-century, including vintage and antique jewelry, rare books, prints, paintings, art pottery, silver and much more. Rare book dealer, Gil Rodriquez, will bring a spe-cial display of Bliss Carman memorabilia. Carman, a well-known Canadian poet, did most of his writing in New Canaan up to the 1920s. Admission is $5 per person and good for both days.

The Taggart Collection Opening Reception May 4th at 6 pm

As you may recall from the September, 2017, Tydings, Bill Taggart and Alison Barrone-Taggart made an extraordinary gift to the Historical Society of their complete family records. Descendants of the Taggart family have lived in New Canaan for more than 100 years, and had owned a 95-acre dairy farm on Oenoke Ridge. Bill Taggart, who serves on the Historical Society’s Board of Governors, grew up in the home that was later sold to the Mayor of Mexico. On May 4, we will celebrate the opening of an exhibit from this extensive collection. The Silvermine Gallery will be filled with documents, photo-graphs and memorabilia, as well as a family tree created by summer in-terns, Amanda Guarino and Madeleine Culpepper. Mr. Taggart will speak about his family’s history and his reasons for archiving the materials at the Historical Society. You won’t want to miss this wonderful

show, which runs through July 3. The reception on May 4th at 6 pm is free to members. In addition, Nora Galvin, a certified genealogist, will do a presentation “ How to Get Start-ed: Principles of Genealogical Research, including DNA Evidence,” on May 20th at 3 pm. Watch the newsletter for further details.

Mar. 05 Mon. Board of Governors Meeting 7:00 pm 10 Sat. Quarterly Meeting followed by a presentation by James Bach 3:00 pm Apr. 02 Mon. Board of Governors Meeting 7:00 pm 04 Wed. Weekly Introductory Tours Resume 3:30 pm 24 Thurs. Volunteer Luncheon 12:00 pm Apr.-Jun. School Tours: April 17—June 2 May 07 Mon. Board of Governors 7:00 pm 04 Fri. Taggart Collection Opening 6:00 pm 04 Fri. Gores Pavilion Opens 11:00 am 20 Wed. Speaker Nora Galvin, “How to Get Started: Principles of Genealogical Research, including DNA Evidence.” 3:00 pm

Spring Calendar of Events

Mad For Modern! A Gala in Honor of Susan and Robert Bishop.

Save the date to rock the 50’s and 60s. The events committee has been hard at work planning a fabulous celebration fundraiser. Interested sponsors please contact Nancy Geary, 203-966-1776 x 2, or email ngeary@nchistory.org. For full

details, keep checking our website, www.nchistory.org.

New Members from November 15, 2017—February 15, 2018

Annette Aspillaga Nancy Bemis Susan and Peter Bergen William Besgen, Jr. Betsy and Ben Bilus Michael Carusi Kathy and Richard Collins Dan Covell Lucy Dathan Janet and Roger DeBard

Farrokh Deboo Kelly DeFrancesco Christina and Daniel Eng Robert Ericson Cornelia and Robert Fairty Joan Feick Amy and Robert Fields Claire and Alex Foster Erik Hogstedt Vickie O’Neill and Tom Kelly

Benjamin C. Kirschenbaum Patricia and Paul Kuehner Janet and Peter Lebovitz Ali and Michael Luddy Thomas McCaughey Robin and Bob Miner Janet and Mark Mitchell Mary and Brian Moran Rand Insurance Keith Richie

Patricia Schubert Lise Shonfield Amy and Andy Silberfein Jodi and Robert Stiffleman Sharon and Tom Teles Jennifer Thompson Peter Toal Margien and Adrian Tolson Jennifer and Peter Walsh Mr. and Mrs. Thomas White,III

In Memorium It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to the following members:

Joan Meeske Feick David Ruksznis

Orientalism In American Art and the Silvermine Art Colony Exhibit runs through March 31st

There have been many great Orientalism related events over the past couple of months. Make sure to stop by and see this unique, inspiring exhibit.

Co-Curators Susan Gunn Bromley and Ed Vollmer.

Co-Curator Tom Davies. Zuhair Suidan lecturing on the Arab world.

THE SOCIETY FOLLOWS SCHOOL CLOSING ON SNOW DAYS The SOCIETY IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC ON MONDAYS

Town House and Library Hours are: Tuesday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Historic houses open by appointment

nchistory.org info@nchistory.org Call: 203.966.1776 Fax: 203.972.5917

NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 13 Oenoke Ridge New Canaan, CT 06840-4193 Address Correction Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Westport, CT

Permit No. 4024

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LOOKING AHEAD TO JUNE

June 02 Sat. Mad For Modern! 6:30 pm 03 Sun. Ice Cream Social 1:00—4:00 pm 04 Mon. Annual Membership Meeting, Speaker Penny Havard, Costume Curator 6:30 pm 11 Mon. Board of Governors Meeting 7:00 pm