Post Office moves; flood hazard sanctions; oldest house razed
From the Archives: Thursday, April 3, 2025
From the Archives: Thursday, April 3, 2025
‘Millerton Post Office Moved; New Location Said to be Temporary’;
With a crew of carpenters and cleaners working overtime since Saturday converting the erstwhile saloon of the late Charles A. Corey into a semblance of quarters suitable for the temporary installation of the Millerton post office, sufficient progress was reported Tuesday morning to warrant the immediate removal of mail and equipment from the Shufelt building where the post office has been situated for the past twenty years.
While admitting that the new location was in no way suitable for post office occupancy, the post office inspector supervising the work Tuesday morning pointed out that it was merely temporary, and that a new brick building yet to be erected has been leased by the United States government for five years on the condition that it be ready for occupation by June 1, 1934.
As far as could be learned such arbitrary action by any government department is unprecedented in the history of the United States with the possible exception of a time of national emergency which no one has felt adequately describes the present situation, and the legality of the department’s action as well as the ethics of the case constituted the chief topic of discussion throughout the Village over the week-end.
‘About Millerton’; Mrs. Willard S. Vail was able to sit up Monday for a few minutes for the first time since Wednesday when she contracted a severe bronchial cold that for a time threatened to develop into pneumonia. Mrs. Vail is compelled to use a cane in moving about because of the bad sprain she suffered about two weeks ago when she fell part way down a flight of stairs.
William Masten has moved from the Hoysradt house in Railroad Street to the Clement Wiltsie place in Mill Street.
‘Former Millertonian In Match’; Pocket billiard enthusiasts will have an opportunity to witness an interesting contest Saturday night when William Rathbun, former Millertonian, will play an exhibition match with Frank Taberski, of Schenectady, veteran cue artist and former world’s champion, in the Masonic Temple in Poughkeepsie.
‘Flood Hazard Areas Face Federal Economic Sanctions’; State Environmental Conservation Regional Director Warren H. McKeon said this week that Millerton, Millbrook and other Dutchess County communities with flood hazard areas may shortly face Federal economic sanctions under provisions of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973.
These communities are threatened with a loss of Federal aid for a wide variety of projects and activities in areas subject to flooding. Mortgage money for homes and business properties in these areas is also scheduled for termination if the communities do not join the National Flood Insurance Program before July 1 of this year.
‘Day Care Holds Raffle’; The Millerton Day Care Center is sponsoring a raffle, with the drawing for three prizes - a picnic basket, hibachi and an iron — set for Tuesday, April 22.
Tickets costing 25 cents per chance or $1 for a book of five, are being sold by parents of children enrolled in the Day Care Center.
‘Trap Shoot To Benefit Ambulance Fund’; The Millerton Gun Club will sponsor a trap shoot on Sunday, April 13, with all proceeds earmarked for the Millerton Ambulance fund. Grounds will open at noon, and refreshments and food, including barbecued chicken, will be available.
All “hot shots” are welcome, stresses Gun Club member Charlene Ahearn. Persons with questions are invited to contact Mrs. Ahearn at….
‘Grange Week Proclaimed’; Mayor-elect John L. Hermans Tuesday proclaimed the week of April 6-12 as “Grange Week” in Millerton, and urged all citizens to join him in honoring this worthy organization.
‘March Colder, Less Snowy’; Frank Paar, Millerton’s “weatherman,” has announced that March this year was colder and less snowy than the same period last year.
According to Mr. Paar, the temperature this March averaged 31.61 degrees, with only 2 inches of snow recorded, while March 1974 experienced a 33.74-degree average, with 6 inches of snow. The year 1972 saw the wintriest March: 10.5 inches of snow fell and the mercury averaged 31.16 degrees.
‘Sheriff’s Report’; Millerton Burglaries
The Sheriff’s office is currently investigating a burglary at the home of Donald Ezzo on Gun Club Road, Millerton. During the night of March 22 the hinge pins of the front door were removed, allowing entry via the door, and a 22 Winchester rifle, tools and a tent were stolen. The garage also was entered and tools pilfered.
Corporal Bedell and Officer Decker, while investigating this burglary, discovered that the home of another Gun Club Road resident, Arnaldo Gallardo, had been partially ransacked sometime between March 18 and 21. The house had been forcibly entered through the front door. Gallardo was out of town during this period.
‘NE’s Oldest House Coming Down’; NORTH EAST — A house near Spencer’s Corners that dates to the mid-18th century is coming down, a North East landowner confirmed last week.
Christof Hamm, who has recently purchased and built on farmland near the house, said, “The house is in bad condition and not worth saving,” citing the need for extensive asbestos removal from the site.
A “center-hall colonial,” the house is commonly known as the Merwin House and is located on Merwin-Clark Road near Spencer’s Corners.
Merwin House is thought to be the original structure from the 18th century, though there have been additions and changes over the years. The house was built in the mid- to- late-1700’s by Uriah Lawrence, Esq., a native of England, on a road that became an iron-ore trade route running from Salisbury, Conn., to Rhinebeck.
‘Village Budget Rises, 10% Raises Proposed for Mayor, Trustees’; MILLERTON — The Village Board got right down to work on the 2000-2001 budget and swore in new trustees John Scutieri and Beverly Gordon during meetings March 30 and April 3, while Michelle Haab announced her resignation as village attorney.
‘HV Rail Trail Seeks More volunteers’; MILLERTON - The Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association (HVRTA) will hold two meetings in April for trail volunteers.
CORNWALL — Clyde Perham Weed, 74, passed away peacefully at his home in West Cornwall, Connecticut on Sunday, August 17.
Clyde was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Jeanne and Herbert Weed. He was the grandson and namesake of Clyde E. Weed, Chairman of the board of Anaconda Copper.
Clyde was a gifted scholar. He did his undergraduate work at Vassar College, his Master’s and PhD at Columbia University. He was a wonderful Professor of Political Science and taught at Colgate University, Baruch College and spent the last 20 years of his career as a tenured Professor of Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University.
Clyde had remarkable energy and a vivacity that is hard to explain! Through his teaching, kindness and mentorship he touched so many lives.
He also wrote two important works on political realignment theory, “The Nemesis of Reform: The Republican Party during the New Deal,” published by Columbia University Press; and “The Transformation of the Republican Party 1912-1936 from Reform to Resistance”. At the time of his death, he was completing a manuscript on the political thought of Walter Lippmann during the New Deal.
Clyde loved nature and all animals. He spent many happy years walking and loving the natural beauty in West Cornwall.
Clyde leaves behind his wife of 24 years, Amy Weed, and brother Michael Weed of Los Altos, California, sister- in-law, Patricia Hurley, nieces, Emily and Maggie Weed, Brielle Cleary and nephews Jesse Weed, Daniel and Teagen Cleary. He also leaves behind his beloved Scottish Terrier “Hoover.”
Calling hours will be at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main Street, Sharon, CT 06069 on Wednesday, Aug. 27 from 5 p.m. to 7.p.m.
In lieu of flowers please consider sending contributions to The Little Guild of St. Francis, an animal shelter, 285 Sharon Goshen Tpke, West Cornwall, CT 06796.
Clyde was much loved and will be truly missed by all who knew and loved him.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
AMENIA — Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44.
On Wednesday, August 20, the crew was checking excavation lines.
Work is expected to continue for the next three to four weeks. Residents should anticipate minor traffic delays.
Sidewalk construction that will extend the town sidewalk to Beekman Park got underway this week along Route 44. On Wednesday, August 20, excavation began. Project Manager Don D. was at the controls of the excavation equipment.Photo by Leila Hawken
In light of rising local interest in the centuries-old game of Backgammon, Wednesday afternoon backgammon instruction and play sessions are being offered at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. The first such session was held on Wednesday, Aug. 13, attracting two enthusiastic participants, both of whom resolved to return for the weekly sessions.
Expert player and instructor Roger Lourie of Sharon, along with his equally expert wife, Claude, led the session, jumping right into the action of playing the game. Claude chose to pair with Janet Kaufman of Salisbury, a moderately experienced player looking to improve her skills, while Lourie teamed himself with Pam Jarvis of Sharon, who was new to the game.
In 2023, Lourie formed Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut with two objectives: to promote the game in the northwest corner of the state and to teach it to children and adults interested in learning. In addition to the Wednesday sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, an informal, casual group meets at Le Gamin in Sharon every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon.
Acting as co-chairman is Ed Corey who leads the Le Gamin sessions, offering advice and instruction. Both Corey and Lourie play competitively and have distinguished themselves by winning tournaments. There are no fees for participation at either Hotchkiss or Le Gamin. Children, ages 8 and up, are welcome to come and learn the game, along with adults of any experience level.
Lourie says that he can teach a person to play competitively in three lessons.
Sessions at The Hotchkiss Library will continue until the end of the year and perhaps beyond, depending on interest. Lourie will be the instructor until mid-November, when expert player Ed Corey will assume responsibility for the sessions at the Hotchkiss Library.
“We’re hoping for more people and also to see youngsters participating and learning the game,” Lourie said.
“The beginner can be the expert with the right dice,” said Lourie, explaining that it is a game combining chance and strategy. An understanding of mathematics and probability can be helpful.
Lourie summarized the randomness of dice and the strategy of poker. “I want to know the proper etiquette,” Kaufman offered, intent on knowing more about the proper moves, although her play indicated a credible level of skill.
Stopping in to observe the Hotchkiss session, executive director of the library, Gretchen Hachmeister said, “We know that people come to library game sessions. People love games, getting together to learn something new.”
Lourie learned the game under extremely unusual circumstances — as a detainee in a Soviet prison during the1960s missile crisis, while working in Naval Engineering to decipher code for the U.S. Office of Technological Security.
Imprisonment was not terrible, he said. There was predictable questioning by day when he repeated daily the details of his cover story. But at night, the guards — many the same age as the detainees — had finished their shifts and of interrogation.They unplugged the cameras to brew tea and the backgammon games would begin. That was how Lourie learned the game and became an expert.
Board games date back 5,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. Modern backgammon goes back to 17th-century England, having evolved from a 16th-century game called “Irish.”It grew in popularity in the 1960s, leading to formation of a World Backgammon Club in Manhattan. And then in 2023, Backgammon of Northwestern Connecticut came to be.
To learn more about the Backgammon sessions at The Hotchkiss Library, visit: www.hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org or contact Lourie directly at Rlourie@gmail.com.
Pantry essentials at Dugazon
You are invited to celebrate the opening of Dugazon, a home and lifestyle shop located in a clapboard cottage at 19 West Main Street, the former site of The Edward in Sharon. The opening is Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.
After careers in the world of fashion, Salisbury residents Bobby Graham and his husband, Matt Marden, have curated a collection of beautiful items that reflect their sense of design, love of hospitality, and Graham’s deep Southern roots. Dugazon is his maternal family name.
“My Louisiana roots come from my mother’s family in Baton Rouge via New Orleans where many of my memories of cooking, food, antiquing, flea markets, hospitality, entertaining, originate,” Graham said.“Being raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, enhanced the importance of community, family, friends and regional cultures, forming the essence of Dugazon.”
Graham and Marden sat on the front porch telling the story of their shop’s evolution. With its wicker loveseats and geraniums in bloom, the old porch invites visitors to linger.
Matt Marden and Bobby Graham open Dugazonat 19 West Main St.in Sharon on Aug 27. Jennifer Almquist
“Bobby has been talking about Dugazon ever since our first date 21 years ago,” Marden said smiling. “I could not be more thrilled that his dream has finally become our reality.”
Graham laughed, then shared their hope that Dugazon embodies the spirit of lagniappe, a French concept of “adding a little extra to bring unexpected kindness, generosity and delight into everyday life.”
Marden worked at Staley-Wise Gallery in New York City. “Town & Country” recruited him to cover men’s fashion. He became fashion director of “Details” magazine and later style director for “Esquire” magazine.
Graham spent 24 years at Condé Nast as a Fashion and luxury advertising sales executive for “Vogue,” “GQ,” “Vanity Fair,” “AD,” and “The New Yorker.”
Within their light-filled shop, unique antiques and vintage cookbooks mix with kitchen necessities such as wooden spoons and cutting boards. Dugazon is bursting with elegant and functional items ranging from designer John Derian treasures to Louisiana hot sauce, luxurious table linens from Milan-based La Double J, and pantry essentials including Café Du Monde beignet mix, Mam Papaul’s jambalaya fixings, and various jams.
Scandinavian 19-inch tapered candles from creators ester & erik are available in 30 colors. Other offerings include vivid naïve paintings by New Orleans-born artist Alvin Batiste, who now works out of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, and paper goods designed by Marden’s first cousin, Carey Marden Shaulus.
Alvin Batiste paintings and ester& erik candles on display at Dugazon.Jeff Holt
“Dugazon becoming a reality has been a lifelong dream that comes from deep in my creative soul,” Graham said.“My experiences and memories from my roots, family and friends is what Dugazon is all about. Being able to share this with the world means everything to us.”
Dugazon opens Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 11 a.m.and will be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Phone: 860-397-5196
Instagram:@dugazonshop
Website:www.dugazonshop.com