October 1, 2009

Vol.  III Issue 3

 

Spring-Fall Lecture Series for 2009-2010

 

October 21, 7:00 P. M., East Lyme High School-Slides of East Lyme, Niantic, and Flanders.  Presented by Wilbur Beckwith, East Lyme Town Historian.  This will be a very informative program for both student and the general public.  No matter where you live in town, you will not want to miss seeing East Lyme as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries.

 

December 9, 7:00 P. M., East Lyme High School-The “East Lyme Antique Road Show.”  Bring an antique or very old item.  Students, learn from long time residents the history of where you live.  This will be an interactive program.  It will be fun for everyone!

 

March 3, 7:00 P. M., East Lyme High School-Speaker, Jim Streeter, President of the Groton Historical Society, will present a lecture about Morton Plant, a philanthropist who donated much land for Avery Point, Stones Ranch, Fort Trumbull, and built the trolley system.

 

April 28, 7:00 P. M., East Lyme High School-This program will be announced at a later date.

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Books Worth Reading

By Russell DeGrafft

 

    The following books are highly recommended for lovers of historical writings.  You may want to stop a moment and pick up these two very diverse books and spend winter months reflecting on our country and its origins.

    The first book I recommend is a soft covered book of 168 pages of Connecticut names, places, and fascinating events.  It Happened in Connecticut, by Diana Ross McCain is a delightful book, composed of twenty-five charming stories about happenings in our state.  The photograph on the cover of the book sets the mood of the book as it portrays Temple Street in Hartford after the 1888 blizzard.  For historians who revel in the opportunity to garner more information about the state it is “a must have” book for their collection.

    Anyone who wishes to broaden their knowledge about many of those famous and infamous stories that shaped this state will enjoy this offering of anecdotes.  It is also an arm chair resource for any story teller or person relating stories of this state.

    The book is published by the Globe Pequot Press, P.O. Box 480 Guilford Connecticut, 06437.  It will cost you $12.95 plus shipping and handling.  Or call Borders Books and they will get it for you.

    The second book I recommend is also a soft cover book of approximately 525 pages.  The Whiskey Rebels, by David Liss recently appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers List as a special read.  This story is an excellent portrayal of the early formative days of our country.  It is a wondrous weaving of fact with imagination, projecting the reader back to a time when America was young.  The book is a breathtaking breakneck qale from the interwoven viewpoints of a top Revolutionary spy and a brilliant and cunning woman who becomes both his ally and his nemesis.  The author is clearly a master of historical fiction.

    The book is published by Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Editions, and costs $15.  Once again you can order this book from Borders Books.

“It’s So Old”

LEE HOUSE 2009 TOURS

By Luane Lange

    Several times this summer, the comment “It’s So Old” was expressed by Lee House visitors.  Visitors enjoyed hearing the history of the house, the Lee Family, the region and the ties to the American Revolution.  Each year we are grateful to the ladies who started the journey in 1914.

    Twenty dedicated guides, several who volunteered for extra hours, provided the tours of the Lee House.  The website brought more special appointment requests.  We give many thanks to the guides who answered the needs this summer brought.

    Even with fewer hours, averaging 4.5 days a week, this year’s tour total of over 260 visitors surpassed 2007 when the Lee House was open six days a week.  The June Open House and the two flea markets on the site again attracted many visitors to tour the house.

    The “companion” site, the Information Center, provided company for volunteers and some marketing for the Lee House.

    This summer there were 70 visitors from East Lyme/Niantic, 114 visitors from other Connecticut towns, and 61 guests from twenty states.  As might be expected, Massachusetts and New York were represented by fifteen visitors each.  Other guests were from the far off states of California, Oregon, Texas, and Colorado.  Also visitors from Alabama, Georgia, both Carolina’s, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, Ohio, and of course Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Maine and Rhode Island.  The international visitors were from France, Guatemala, Luxemburg, Norway and Russia.

Thomas Lee House c. 1660

East Lyme Historical Society

Founded 1897

Newsletter

Lee Family 350 Anniversary

September 11-12, 2010

By Luane Lange

 

    Plans continue to be made to celebrate the Lee Family and descendents in September 2010.  Responses to the first letter, seeking confirmation of addresses and link to additional family members, have come from all over the country.

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Lee Family Anniversary

Continued

 

Eighty living descendents have been identified, with more coming in weekly from the website.

    Currently, plans for the reunion include groups sharing of genealogy by individuals, the Lee House, cemetery tours, period music, period history, and a gala reunion dinner.  Planners are investigating the potential for re-enactor camps for the period.

Our special thanks go to Dick Waterman, who writes, publishes, and distributes our newsletter every quarter.

White House Cookbook

By Russell DeGrafft

 

    This is the first in a two-part series of recipes from The Original White House Cook Book dated 1887.  The book, which was authored by Mrs. F. L. Gillette and Hugo Zieman, Steward of the White House is part of what the authoress called a comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information for the home.

    I have decided to start with soups and hope you will find the contents will be easily available for you to locate and will become enticing to try.

Tomato Soup

    Place over a fire a quart of peeled tomatoes, stew them soft with a pinch of soda.  Strain it so that no seeds remain, set over the fire again, and add a quart of hot boiled milk, season with salt and pepper, a piece of butter the size of an egg, and add 3 tablespoons of rolled cracker, and serve hot.  Canned tomatoes can be used in place of fresh ones.

Cream of Spinach

    Pick, wash and boil enough spinach to measure a pint, when cooked, chopped and pounded into a soft paste.  Put it into a stew pan with 4 ounces of fresh butter, a little grated nutmeg, and a teaspoon of salt.  Cook and stir it about 10 minutes.  Add to this 2 quarts of strong stock* and let it boil up.  Rub through a strainer.  Set it over the fire again, and, when on the point of boiling, mix it with a tablespoon of butter, and teaspoon of granulated sugar.

Clam Soup

    Twenty-five clams chopped fine.  Put over a fire the liquid that was drained from them, and a cup of water, add the chopped clams, and boil for half an hour; then season to taste with pepper and salt, and a piece of butter the size of an egg; boil again and add one quart of milk boiling hot, stir in a tablespoon of flour made to a cream with a little cold milk or two crackers rolled fine.  Some like a little mace and lemon juice in the seasoning.

*Stock is the basis of many mentioned soups.  Fresh uncooked beef makes the best stock along with any bones which will add strength and thickness to the soup.

East Lyme Historical Society

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2009

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Pot Luck Supper October 16

 

    The fall pot luck supper will be held at the Niantic Bay Yacht Club.  The Social will begin at 6 P. M.  BYOB.  This will be followed by the supper.  Please bring a salad, main dish, or dessert along with serving utensils.  The program for the evening will be a special slide show of southeastern Connecticut from Groton to Old Saybrook presented by Wilbur Beckwith.

 

The Animal Pen

    The newest addition to the grounds is the animal pen which is to the right of the barn.  It was built by the men from the Gates Correctional Institution.  It is 22 feet square, four feet high with an eleven foot gate.  This has been built to use when we have animals on the grounds for various programs.  This is especially important for the sheep and smaller animals.  It will be of great use during our fourth grade colonial program and open house.  It will be a good place to keep the oxen.  This will allow us to present more interesting programs in the future.  We want to thank Nancy and Tom Kalal (who supervised the building of the fence) for their contribution.  Great job!  Stop by and see it.

East Lyme Historical Properties

Commission

By Luane Lange & John O’Neill

 

    After four years of study by a town appointed committee, on September 2, the East Lyme Board of Selectmen passed an Ordinance Designating the Lee House and surrounding buildings and property as an Historic Property and established a Historic Properties Commission.  A draft list of interested parties has been submitted and the appointments to that commission are in process.  The work of such a commission is outlined in the Connecticut General Statutes and the local commission will develop local procedures in the next year.

    Creation of the ELHP Commission does two important things.  First, it brings EL history and the places (not just buildings necessarily) associated with that history to the board and commission level of town government.  Preservation will have a voice in the future.  Second, looking out for those interests on a town wide level it can also take advantage of many state and federal programs.  Once this commission becomes part of the Certified Local Government Program, it can receive funding from an assortment of different grant sources.  The Waterford Historic Properties Commission has used this funding to create seven National Register Districts, hired professionals for building assessments, held a workshop on cemetery preservation, provided fees for lectures and created a website among other projects.