Colonial Bartering: From Wampum to Wheat Workshop for Kids

The Wilton Historical Society is hosting a workshop for kids on colonial bartering on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. 

This fun and educational program that shows that like today,  for a variety of reasons, money was almost always in short supply during the early Colonial period, which forced the colonists to barter. Wampum was introduced to New England in 1627 by Dutch settlers in New York who traded with Native Americans. Wampum was made of sea shells, primarily quahog shells, and proved successful in trading between indigenous peoples and colonists.  In 1637, wampum was made legal tender - accepted as payment for taxes - in Massachusetts.  

At this Colonial Bartering Workshop for Kids at the Wilton Historical Society on Saturday, February 3 from 11:00 – 12:30, Museum Educator Lola Chen will be discussing how bartering and trading works, and the kinds of items that were exchanged, such as wampum for wheat.  The kids have workshop project – making wampum beads from  recycled paper, and will help make their own snack.

Suggested for ages 6 – 12. Wilton Historical Society Members $10 per child, maximum $25 per family; Non-members $15 per child, maximum $35 per family.  Please register: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257. 

Did You Know?

According to PBS’s website Nova, “The earliest known use of wampum, which are strings of beads made from clam shells, was by North American Indians in 1535. Most likely, this monetary medium existed well before this date. The Indian word "wampum" means white, which was the color of the beads.”

THRILLS AWAIT AT SALISBURY JUMPFEST IN CONNECTICUT’S LITCHFIELD HILLS

Oohs and ahs and gasps of disbelief are guaranteed when the best young ski jumpers in the Northeast compete, sailing through the air in the 92nd Annual Eastern National Ski Jumping Championships Sunday, February 11.

The event takes place at Satre Hill in Salisbury, a classic New England village in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills. The masters of this challenging sport will show the amazing coordination and grace needed to fly some 200 feet in the air with a happy landing, a feat that always brings admiring cheers from the crowd. The jumpers you watch at Satre Hill are Junior National hopefuls, and some will go on to represent the US in the Olympics!

The championships are the highlight of a gala three-day Jumpfest, which features night time target jumping, human dog sled racing, ice carving, a chili cook off, a pancake breakfast, a bourbon tasting and a Snow Ball dance in addition to ski jumping contests. 

Friday, Feb. 9 
The fun begins on Friday, Feb. 9 with target jumping under the lights beginning at 7 p.m. with jumpers flying under the lights, unfettered by judges points- their only goal is to land on a bulls eye target for big prizes- and big fun! When the target jumping ends, the real zaniness ensues with the Human Dog Sled Races. These are teams of six slightly crazy folks, five pulling and one riding on a sled of the group's own design. They careen around a .3 mile course, and, well, accidents do happen. Crazy fun to watch! Friday Night Lights admission is $15.

Saturday, Feb. 10

The fun continues on Saturday, February 10 with the Salisbury Invitational Ski Jumping Competition when jumpers compete for prestigious SWSA trophies! The fun warms up with practice from 11 a.m. to noon; withe the competition beginning at 1 p.m. Spectators on Saturday can also watch Junior 20 and 30 meter jumping at 9 a.m.

Saturday events also include an ice carving demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the White Hart Green featuring two nationally recognized carvers and the Snow Ball Dace at the Lakeville Firehouse Annex from 8 p.m. to midnight. Admission for the Salisbury Invitational Ski Jumping Competition is $15 and admission to the Snow Ball Dance is $15.

Sunday, Feb. 11
The Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships takes place on Sunday, February 11. This is the big one. Jumpers vie not only for trophies but also a spot on the Junior National Team!  Practice and warm ups for this event is held from 11 a.m. to noon with the competition beginning at 1 p.m. Admission for this event is $15. 

If you have never seen ski jumping live, you have never truly witnessed the sport. Standing amidst the ringing cowbells, with crowds cheering on their favorites, hearing skis slapping against the landing hill as these brave jumpers soar up to 200 feet through the air at speeds up to 50 miles an hour, is something you will never forget.  Even if the winter looks brown outside your window, it's white over at Satre Hill thanks to state-of-the-art snow guns.

For happy viewing, fans are advised to dress warmly in lots of layers and to bring a cowbell, the traditional way to cheer on the jumpers.  Hot food and beverages are available to help watchers keep warm. Limited bleacher seating is provided or guests can bring their own lawn chairs.

Proceeds help fund the all-volunteer, non-profit Salisbury Winter Sports Association, host of the annual event. SWSA provides cross-country and jumping equipment and training for area children. For a full schedule and complete information, see www.jumpfest.org.

For more area information on what to see and do in the Litchfield Hills and to sign up for a monthly newsletter visit www.litchfieldhills.com

The Mysterious Blue Moon @ Institute for American Indian Studies

​A "Blue Moon" is a fairly infrequent phenomenon involving the appearance of an additional full moon within one month and the next one is on January 31.  To celebrate the blue moon the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington is hosting a blue moon hike on the 31st @ 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.  Native Americans followed the cycles of the moon and every month the full moon had a different name. 

The Algonquin tribes  called January the full wolf moon because when this full moon appeared wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. Traditionally, the January Moon is also known as the Old Moon.  The hike concludes at the replicated Algonkian village for  hot cocoa around the campfire.

Native Americans drew constellations, created a mythology around the stars and built structures in alignment with the sky long before Europeans arrived on American shores.
Like other groups, they tracked the motions of the Sun to help them decide when to plant crops, move their camps, or stage sacred rituals.

Their stories contained explanations of the constellations they saw as patterns of bright stars, meteor showers, the Northern Lights, and saw in what we call the Milky Way a pathway to the afterlife.

Some tribes built great circles of stones to help them predict the changing seasons, or ceremonial sites and mounds of earth in alignment with the Sun and stars and to reflect the patterns they saw in the heavens.

Participants on this hike through the Native American Village and surrounding woodland trails will learn about the beliefs and folklore of the Eastern Woodland Indians that made Connecticut their home.

For information about additional programs visit the website​ and facebook page​.

The "reel" story about P.T. Barnum - Fact vs Fiction!

On Sunday, January 28th, 2:00 PM at The Barnum Museum  Executive Director, Kathleen Maher will host a fun-filled talk; Fiction vs Fact! The Real story behind the Reel story! 

Have you seen the 20th Century film The Greatest Showman yet?  If you haven’t, go and enjoy!  If you have already seen it, we are sure you have a lot of questions about the accuracy of P.T. Barnum’s life and times.  Kathy has the answers and will share numerous bits and pieces of history that will set the record straight.

All in the spirit of fun, Kathy’s talk will illuminate guests with an engaging journey through many key elements of the movie.  From the depiction of Barnum’s childhood to his final bow with the Greatest Show On Earth, the talk will expand the screenplay and reveal even more fantastic storys of struggles and triumphs!

Consider this a Spoiler Alert. As portrayed in the movie, Barnum had a hard childhood.  Kathy is happy to say he (Barnum) “actually had a very pleasant childhood growing up in Bethel, CT. and recounts many happy moment of his youth in his autobiography. And as many folks in Connecticut know, there is no ‘beach’ in Bethel! So there are all kinds of liberties taken with the screenplay. 

Many, many plots are an entanglement of truths and moments throughout his life.  The hour and forty-five minute movie is really about 50 years of his long and busy life!…And his daughters don’t age.”

Come see Tom Thumb’s actual Napoleon costume, Jenny Lind’s piano and a gold medal presented to P.T. Barnum for his dedication to the Temperance movement…that’s right…Barnum was one of the leading champions of liquor reform and legislation!

If you are curious about P.T. Barnum, excited about the movie, or just want to learn more about how the Museum was involved, come and enjoy a fun afternoon that will surely have you leaving with a new and refreshed perspective.  You’ll never look at Hollywood the same way!  Bring your own questions!  It will be fun to have your thoughts be a part of the conversation.

No Registration Required; $5.00 Suggested Donation

Black History Month Celebration @ Mattatuck Museum

Waterbury's Mattatuck Museum is hosting a family day on Jan. 27 from 10 am  to 5 pm to celebrate  Black History Month. 

Celebrate African & African-American history with guided and self-guided activities available throughout the day that celebrate Black History Month.

From 10:30-11:00 a.m. there will be a docent-guided tour of African-American history and the contributions made by African-Americans to the city of Waterbury.  Following the tour, from 11:00 a.m.-noon: there will be an educational family art activity with teaching artist Steve DiRenzio.

Musician Craig Norton will lead hands-on rhythmic games, multicultural songs and storytelling as he guides families in an exploration and celebration of African music and culture from noon to 1 pm.

Admission is $10. The Mattatuck Museum is located on 144 West Main Street in Waterbury. 

“KAYAKING IN AND AROUND THE NORWALK ISLANDS” GUIDEBOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE

The PDF file of the guidebook, "Kayaking in and around the Norwalk Islands" is available to individuals for personal use for free.

The book was written in 2009 by East Norwalk resident and avid kayaker David Park, and was updated three times to the final 2013 4th edition. The book is out-of-print and no longer available for sale at retailers or online.

The guidebook, complete with color photos, includes information on where to launch, navigation, kayaking the three local rivers, coastal and offshore kayaking, kayaking safety, island wildlife including osprey, and island history. It includes detailed descriptions of all the islands, including islands that are owned by the towns of Norwalk and Westport and open to the public for camping and day trips, islands that are private, and islands that are part of the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge. Kayaking in Westport and Darien is also included.

The Norwalk Islands are considered the jewel of Norwalk and has become a destination of out-of-area kayakers as well as local residents who have taken up the recreational sport. The islands sit about one mile offshore and stretch approximately four nautical miles from west to east into Westport, and is home to the Historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse, and the Greens Ledge and Peck Ledge lighthouses.

To receive your free PDF file of the guidebook, send an email with your full name and street address to davidpark66@att.net with the subject line, "KAYAKING NORWALK ISLANDS" and please note that the file is copyrighted and may not be sold to other parties over the internet, or printed and sold in any form to other parties. It is for your personal use only and may be shared with family and friends at no charge. For any further questions or requests on the use of the book (PDF file), please send an email to the same address.

Gerberich's Gadgets: Best of Springs, Sprockets & Pulleys @ Stamford Museum and Nature Center

The Stamford Nature Center and Museum located at 39 Scofieldtown Road has a new winter display that runs through February 3 that highlights Gerberich Gadgets: the Best of Springs, Sprockets, and Pulleys!

Remember those crazy contraptions that would spin, rock, and play music - and they were made from tag sale treasures and overlooked common objects?

Yes, the ingenious inventions of sculptor - and SM&NC favorite - Steve Gerberich will return to the Stamford Museum Galleries for a totally re-imagined Holiday Exhibition. Gerberich has gathered his most outstanding and outlandish large-scale kinetic sculptures and installations for a showing of the "Best of Springs, Sprockets & Pulleys."

Working with old machine parts, kitchen utensils, furniture scraps, lighting fixtures, medical supplies, toys, and carnival figurines, Gerberich mixes the aesthetics of contemporary sculpture with the scientific principles of simple mechanical motion. It's crazy fun!

Museum galleries are open Monday-Saturday, 9am - 5pm; Sunday 11am - 5pm.

Booked for Lunch in Wilton

Looking for a great read, something engaging and informative?  Go to “Booked for Lunch” A History Reading Group at the Wilton Historical Society on Jan. 26 from 12:30 -2 p.m. The book to be discussed is Angelic Music: Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica by Corey Mead.

A jewel of musical history—the story of Ben Franklin’s favorite invention, the glass armonica—including the composers who wrote for it (Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, among others); Dr. Mesmer who used it to hypnotize; Marie Antoinette and the women who popularized it; its decline and recent comeback.

Benjamin Franklin is renowned for his landmark inventions, including bifocals, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod. Yet his own favorite invention—the one he said gave him the “greatest personal satisfaction”—is unknown to the general public. The glass armonica, the first musical instrument invented by an American, was constructed of stacked glass bowls and played by rubbing one’s fingers on the rims. It was so popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries that Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, and Strauss composed for it; Marie Antoinette and numerous monarchs played it; Goethe and Thomas Jefferson praised it; Dr. Franz Mesmer used it for his hypnotizing Mesmerism sessions. Franklin himself played it for George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

In Angelic Music, Corey Mead describes how Franklin’s instrument fell out of popular favor, partly due to claims that its haunting sounds could drive musicians out of their minds. Some players fell ill, complaining of nervousness, muscle spasms, and cramps. Audiences were susceptible; a child died during a performance in Germany. Some thought its ethereal tones summoned spirits or had magical powers. It was banned in some places. Yet in recent years, the armonica has enjoyed a revival.

Composers are writing pieces for it in genres ranging from chamber music and opera to electronic and pop music. Now Mead brings this instrument back to the public eye, telling the compelling, fascinating story of its origins.
Participants bring a brown bag lunch, the Society provides a beverage and dessert. There is no charge, but please register for this program. By email: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257.

And You Thought You Knew Classic Movies @ Palace Danbury

On January  21 @ 2 p.m. Danbury’s Palace Theatre presents film historian John DiLeo presents AND YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW CLASSIC MOVIES: A Film Journey Through Hollywood and America.

John DiLeo presents a fun, informative and idiosyncratic  history of Hollywood’s Golden Age, while telling a parallel story of America itself. From the Depression to World War II to the Cold War to the sexual revolution, DiLeo presents a vision of just how the movies traveled from 1930 to 1970.

During this multi-media presentation, DiLeo will spotlight film clips from movies featuring Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, James Cagney, Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, and Steve McQueen. After the presentation, he’ll be signing copies of his newest book, Ten Movies At A Time, the companion book to this presentation.

John DiLeo is the author of six books about classic movies: And You Thought You Knew Classic Movies, 100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember—But Probably Don’t, Screen Savers: 40 Remarkable Movies Awaiting Rediscovery, Tennessee Williams and Company: His Essential Screen Actors, Screen Savers II: My Grab Bag of Classic Movies, and Ten Movies at a Time: A 350-Film Journey Through Hollywood and America 1930-1970. John frequently hosts classic film series and conducts film history seminars.

Byrd’s Books will be on hand to assist in the purchase of signed copies of Ten Movies at a Time, DiLeo’s newest celebration of Hollywood. The book will also be available at the bookstore, located at 126 Greenwood Avenue, across from P.T. Barnum Square in Bethel.

For tickets visit the website.

Large Auction planned Jan. 31 by Schwenke Auctioneers

On Wednesday, January 31^st  Schwenke Auctioneers will hold its January Fine Estates Auction with an offering of over 400 lots of freshly consigned estate property from estates throughout Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. The auction features property from the estate of Mrs. George S. Franklin, Jr. (New York City and Oyster Bay, NY), and includes a broad selection of Asian decorative arts, American, English and Continental decorative arts, folk art and American country furniture, early English & other sterling silver, jewelry, fine art, miscellaneous decorative arts, and estate oriental rugs.

This auction is a live online sale with absentee and phone bidding, plus live internet bidding on multiple platforms. The auction begins at 6:00 pm on January 31^st. Preview times are Sunday, January 28th from noon to 6:00pm; Monday, January 29th, Tuesday January 30^th and Wednesday, January 31st from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Preview is also available at other times by appointment. The gallery is closed at 5pm on Wednesday, auction day.

The catalog for the sale is viewable at http://www.woodburyauction.com/. This sale is live online with absentee and phone bidding available by registering directly with Schwenke Auctioneers. Absentee bidding is available on the firm’s website, and the sale will be broadcast for live real-time internet bidding through Live Auctioneers, Invaluable and Hibid. For additional information please call the auction hall office at 203-266-0323.

Asian Items Offered

Mrs. George S. Franklin, Jr. (New York City and Oyster Bay, NY) is from one of the great collecting families in America. She was a granddaughter of Senator Nelson Aldrich of Rhode Island, and a niece of two well-known collectors, daughters of Nelson Aldrich, namely Lucy Aldrich, a notable collector of porcelain and Asian/Chinese art and antiquities, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, a co-founder of MOMA whose collection also formed the basis of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.  Many of the Asian items and ceramics in the collection are from these two ladies.

Her husband, George S. Franklin, Jr., traveled widely during his tenure as Executive Director of the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC, and in the process pursued his own interest in collecting, particularly Asian and Georgian antiquities.  Franklin’s mother and her family were instrumental in the founding of Bennington College, which was built on the grounds of their family home in Vermont. Other family ancestors include Austin Corbin, developer of Coney Island and the LIRR, and Trenor W. Park, a Vermont statesman, businessman and philanthropist. Park’s family home, the Park-McCullough House in Bennington VT, is now on the National Register and open to the public. 

Several fine Asian lots are being offered, including a Chinese Export famille rose and grisaille porcelain circular dish from the Lee of Coton Hall service, circa 1735. This service is considered the finest armorial service ever ordered by an English family. The border shows early scenes of London viewed from the south bank of the Thames with London Bridge at the right and the dome of St. Paul's visible on the left, alternating with panels of Canton seen from the Pearl River with the city walls to one side and the Dutch folly fort to the other, both in soft grisaille. The arms are those of Lee quartering Astley, circa 1735, and an example is illustrated in Howard/Ayers "Masterpieces of Chinese Export Porcelain" and represented in the collections of the State Department, Victoria & Albert, The Metropolitan Museum, Winterthur and The Reeves Collection at Washington and Lee University. The motto, "Virtus vera est nobilitas" translates to “Virtue is the True Nobility”.  A dish from this service is also illustrated on the cover of "Oriental Export Market Porcelain" by Geoffrey A. Goddon. Literature: David Sanctuary Howard, "Chinese Armorial Porcelain" vol. 1, page 329.

Furniture -Queen Anne, Georgian, American and More

Many lots of early English Queen Anne and Georgian furniture are beings sold, many of very high quality although in estate condition having been in storage for many years. The top lots include a fine Queen Anne double dome top walnut and walnut veneer secretary; two George III mahogany butler secretaries, one with elaborate inlays; a rare Continental chinoiserie decorated pitch pediment secretary with slant lid and bracket feet; a rare Queen Anne figured walnut two part high chest; several period stands and tables; two sets of period George III dining chairs; a Regency two pedestal figured mahogany dining table; a fine pair of inlaid George III knife boxes; a rare W&TM Bardin "New British Terrestrial Globe" circa 1820, with cartouche dedication to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society. The 18" globe is mounted on a mahogany stand with turned standard and tripod base, and is in estate condition with considerable losses, cracking, wear, tears and discoloration as found, measuring 40" high, 28" diameter; and a rare pair of Chippendale carved mahogany side chairs in the French taste, with open carved splats and cabriole front legs, measuring 36 3/4" high, 24" wide, 20" deep.

Many lots of English and Continental decorations are selling on January 31^st. Among the featured lots are a Louis XVI painted three piece parlor suite; a pair of carved and gilded floral and foliate wall hangings; several pairs of carved and gilt wall brackets including a pair of 18^th century French painted wall brackets; several early Continental carved Santos figures; and a rare decorated Continental miniature bow front chest.

American furniture included in the sale ranges from a New York federal pembroke table to Philadelphia card table, Philadelphia Sheraton chest, and a Philadelphia carved Sheraton four post bed. American folk art items include a large portrait “Boy With Hoop”, oil on canvas signed, dated lower right "S. Perrett Pinxit 1855?" According to the Dictionary of Artists in America (Yale Univ. Press, 1957), there were Perretts working as engravers in Newark, NJ 1860 and after. The painting measures 40 3/4" high, 32 1/4" wide. Other folk art portraits include a portrait of a young girl; folk art portrait of a man; and a folk art portrait of a red haired gentleman.

Jewelry

A fine selection of Native American and Mexican sterling silver jewelry, including several Navajo silver cuffs, a Zuni carved fetish necklace, several Mexican sterling bracelets, and a vintage Zuni silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace will be offered. Native American decorations and rugs are also selling, including a very fine Northwest Coast lidded basket; a vintage Navajo silver and leather medicine bag; a Santa Clara Severa Tafoya collaborative avanyu pot; a large vintage Mexican Chimayo rug; a Navajo woven diamond pattern rug; and a vintage Navajo runner.