The Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show with Jeffrey Bingham Mead

This podcast is made possible by Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, Kevin M. J. O'Connor of Jeffrey Matthews Wealth Management, and listeners like you everywhere on the Atlantic Learning Consortium Network!

Aloha from my home in Honolulu, Hawaii! I hope you enjoyed your President’s Day holiday. 

Here’s a salute to all of our great, elected leaders of our nation. While it first marked George Washington’s birthday, it’s now a holiday honoring the achievements of all American presidents, past and present. 

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to Ream Chateau, thanks to the Junior League of Greenwich through its book, The Great Estates: Greenwich, Connecticut 1880-1930. Constructed from 1924 to 1927 in the French Chateau style in backcountry Greenwich for Norman Putnam Ream and his family, “the Reams’ desire to create such an unusual home reflects the legacy of culture and wealth left to them by their unusual fathers.” 

On Greenwich Before 2000, we’ll travel back in history to the year 1928.

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard reminisced in 1926 about the history of the postal service in Greenwich, Connecticut following the re-appointment of Joseph Brush as the town’s postmaster. 

Greenwich, Connecticut’s own George Herbert Walker Bush went from pilot seat to the Oval Office in the White House as truly one of America’s ‘Greatest Generation’ heroes. 

Near my home in Hawaii is one of my favorite places, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. 

On today’s show, I’ll share an encore broadcast of a conversation I had several years ago with Rod Bengston of the museum. 

You’ll hear about two special aircraft honoring Bush’s heroic legacy -the ‘Bush Stearman’ that flew him on training missions, along with a TBM Avenger, the type of aircraft Bush flew in combat.

On Crimes and Misdemeanors, you’ll hear about three cases of truancy from 1908. Also from 1908, John Quinn, “the genial driver at Rock Ridge” was taken by the police after members of Everett Blanke’s home on Woodland Drive mistook him for being a burglar.

‘The Charm of Greenwich’ was a wonderful piece published in the Greenwich Press by Rev. Oliver Huckel of the Second Congregational Church. What did he have to say? We’ll share details. 

Prenuptial agreements are a mainstay in the 21st century. I’ll share a rare example of such an agreement found in the Town Clerk’s records dating back to 1787.

An architectural wonder once appeared on Milbank Avenue -an octagon-shaped home, where Brunswick School’s first classes were held. 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars. The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 28th of February, 2023. 

Aloha Kakahiaka! E Komo Mai from Honolulu, Hawaii USA

Happy Valentine’s Day! Wishing you a beautiful day filled with an ocean of smiles filled with all the love and happiness you deserve. We’ll feature some stories on how the people of Greenwich celebrated this special day. 

This podcast is made possible by Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, Kevin M. J. O'Connor of Jeffrey Matthews Wealth Management, and listeners like you everywhere on the Atlantic Learning Consortium Network!

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to the Belle Haven Casino -today’s Belle Haven Club, thanks to Matt Bernard’s stunning book Victorian Summer: The Historic Houses of Belle Haven Park, Greenwich, Connecticut. 

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard penned a piece published in 1930, Old-time Railroading Days Recalled by Return of william L. Leland of California who Left Greenwich 46 Years Ago-Started as Water Boy on New Haven. 

On Greenwich Before 2000, we’ll travel back in history to the year 1926.

You’ll also hear members of the Daughters of the American Revolution entertaining veterans in Putnam Cottage, a letter writer who saw the study of Greenwich, Connecticut’s history as a starting point, African American families in Greenwich for over 200 years, a “walking match” in Port Chester, NY, some complaints about the midwinter season in New York City and more! 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars. The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 21st of February, 2023 from my home in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

A hui hou! As we say in the Land of Aloha, until we meet again. 

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to Fort Hills Farm, “a show place in the Round Hill section” of Greenwich, owned by Reinhard Siedenburg. It was designed by William F. Dominick, who also designed Christ Church Greenwich, Riverside School and St. James Episcopal Church in New York City. 

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard reminisced in 1932 about the west side of Greenwich Avenue, a disastrous fire, a kidnapping case in 1874, a fish market and ice cream saloon and more. 

On Greenwich Life As It Is -And Was, Erwin Edwards wrote in 1919 about Greenwich’s rivers and brooks. After asking why Native Americans, European colonists and the wealthy owners of beautiful estates came to Greenwich, Edwards pointed out that, “All came here for the same reasons, because of its location, its hills and vales, its woods, its brooks and rivers and its harbor.”

On Crimes and Misdemeanors, in 1908 Michael Donahue was held in $1000 bonds for burglarizing Saint Mary’s parochial school and Dr. Piatti’s stable. Even several teacher’s desks were broken open with money allegedly taken. 

On Greenwich Before 2000, we’ll travel back in history to the years 1890 through 1893.

From All Around the Town, William Mead Keeler, editor of the Greenwich Observer took issue in 1879 with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in an editorial. There’s fantastic things happening at Greenwich’s Bruce Museum in the early 21st century. It was announced to the public on January 5, 1912 that Robert M. Bruce’s home would be used as an art museum. In February, 1908, intrepid explorer Robert E. Peary lectured at Fehr’s Opera House in neighboring Port Chester, New York about his search for the North Pole. Many Greenwich residents attended. In 1908, Greenwich Dog Warden Barrett Jones was in Byram attempting to catch Mrs. John Gotschalk’s St. Bernard, for it was untagged and unlicensed. 

It’s Black History Month. You’ll hear about Hester Mead, an African American woman whose legacy is a unique painting she created of the Jabez Mead House that once stood on the corner of East Putnam Avenue and Indian Field Road. 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars. The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 14th of February, 2023. 

For your listening enjoyment! Here is the Tuesday, 31st of January, 2023 episode of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast.

This podcast is made possible by Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, Kevin M. J. O'Connor of Jeffrey Matthews Wealth Management, and listeners like you everywhere on the Atlantic Learning Consortium Network!

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to Old Orchard in Belle Haven. Built in 1890 and designed by the architectural firm Boring, Tilton & Mellen, its principal owner was Charles A. Moore. He was a prominent businessman whose form manufactured machinery used in the construction of railroads. 

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard penned ‘ a piece published in 1932 about the figurehead of the clipper ship Lancashire and its ties to Luke Vincent Lockwood of Greenwich.

On Greenwich Life As It Is -And Was, a century ago the columnist who penned so any stories about Greenwich’s history -Erwin Edwards- died. You’ll hear about how he was remembered. Rest assured, we will be featuring more of his columns in future shows. 

On Crimes and Misdemeanors, Elizabeth Gazso, the eight-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Gazco of Byram was struck and knocked down by a car driven by a young chauffeur, George W. Slater, on Delavan Avenue. What happened next? We’ll share that with you. 

The First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich invites you to enjoy two free self-guided online history tours. The church was founded in 1665. One tour is of the church cemetery located off Sound Beach Avenue. The other is a tour of the wonderful stained glass windows of the church. 

They tell quite a story about the influences that culminated in driving some people from Europe to America, and in the chapel, tell the story of the landing of the settlers here in 1640 and the development of the first church in Greenwich, Connecticut.

A century ago, Louis Victor Eytinge -pardoned from a prison in Arizona after serving sixteen years of a life sentence- was married to Pauline L. Diver. It was the culmination of an eight-year romance conducted by mail. Eating told a reporter, “I have accepted the verdict of fate, and I am very, very happy to have received another life sentence.” 

On Greenwich Before 2000, we’ll travel back in history to the years 1888 and 18189. 

You’ll also hear a follow-up to a story featured in last week’s show about the January 1923 controversial installation of a pole by the Connecticut Light & Power Company in the town’s second-oldest cemetery in Cos Cob. In 1927, five thousand dollars was raised for temporary new classrooms for the Edgewood School. 

In January, 1914, Mrs. Ernest Thompson Seton was asked to take charge of a committee “for the artistic arrangements if a women’s suffrage parade to be held in Hartford in May of that year”. 

Our listeners in Byram are no doubt very familiar with the Metro-North Railroad bridge that passes over North Water Street. Even one hundred years ago, calls were made for a “light should be suspended on either side of the railroad bridge” since trucks and other vehicles would occasionally “come to grief.” 

World War One veteran William H. Trefry told the story of a “ragged hole through the center of a mirror” in his possession. 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars. The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 7th of February, 2023. 

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to The Castle, thanks to the Junior League of Greenwich and The Great Estates, Greenwich, Connecticut: 1880-1930. This in-town great estate dates from 1903. It was designed by its first owner, recently changing hands in 2022 for $10.4 Million, according to MansionGlobal. 

On Greenwich Before 2000, you’ll hear about what happened in Greenwich in the years 1886-1887 from the book available for you from Greenwich Library.

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard penned Port Chester’s Acquisition of Some Honors That Belong to Greenwich-The Town’s First Planning Commission-A New Type of Laborer-The Approaching Political Campaign, published in February, 1932. 

On Greenwich Life As It Is -And Was, Erwin Edwards wrote about attempts to change the names of Cos Cob and East Port Chester -now called Byram. 

Did you know that Greenwich, Connecticut has been a favored wedding destination for over a century? We’ll travel back in the town’s history to April 30, 1900. 

At the Second Congregational Church, Helen Ripley Benedict -the younger of two daughters of Commodore E.C. Benedict -one of America’s wealthiest men from the Gilded Age- married noted architect Thomas Hastings of the firm Carrere and Hastings, designers of  the New York Public Library and other significant landmarks. 

On Crimes and Misdemeanors, Araminta Sweeney, who was suspected of setting fire to a barn near the residence of E.C. Converse on Conyers Manor, was committed to a sanitarium after writing and sending threatening letters to the Converse family. 

In 1910, Cos Cob residents objected to the placing of a pole by the Connecticut Light & Power Company in the public cemetery on Strickland Road; in January, 1927, $5000 was raised for new classrooms after a fire at the Edgewood School; in January, 1888, Greenwich residents were voting to try “the Edison System” for illuminating the streets of central Greenwich via electricity; Connecticut was in a quandary about Daylight Savings Time in 1920, and the people of Greenwich learned that the Thomas Lyon House on the New York/Connecticut state line was moved in January, 1927. 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars! The next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 31st of January 2023.

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich. 

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Mark your calendars; our next show is scheduled for Tuesday, the 24th of January. 

The best-kept secret in historic Greenwich, Connecticut is a marvelous destination with an even more extraordinary mission.

Voted Best Coffee Shop in Greenwich by the readers of Greenwich Magazine, and honored with the Community Impact Leader Award by the Connecticut Restaurant Association in 2022, Coffee for Good invites you to be part of a magical story of a restored historic treasure-a destination that inclusively brings people together, thanks to a unique nonprofit partnership between Abilis and the Second Congregational Church.

You’ll be instantly drawn to the warmth and historical ambiance when you enter the 1858 Italianate-styled Solomon Mead House at 48 Maple Avenue on the campus of the Second Congregational Church.

Serving coffee, teas, an assortment of delectable goodies and more, Coffee for Good employs and trains people with special needs. 

Through a self-sustaining, inclusive platform, trainees acquire the skills and confidence they need to thrive in the community. 

Open daily Monday thru Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except Sundays, Coffee for Good offers you free WIFI, free parking, indoor and outdoor seating year round in a relaxed setting with a vibe all its own, a popular destination for informal business meetings, gatherings and a fantastic study-spot, too. 

Take it from me, my friends. The word about Coffee for Good has gotten around. After all, its success is driven by a never-ending commitment to excellence and inclusion. 

Coffee for Good is located at 48 Maple Avenue, on the campus of the Second Congregational Church, all part of the Putnam Hill National Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Open daily 8:00 a.m. thru 6:00 p.m. daily, except Sundays.

Learn more at CoffeeforGood.org. 

Whitney Castle, Side-wheel Steamer Wrecked, E.C. Converse’s Daughter Shot, Milo Mead Not Amused and More! 

For your listening enjoyment! Here is the Tuesday, 10th of January,  2023 episode of the Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast.

This podcast is made possible by Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, Kevin M. J. O'Connor of Jeffrey Matthews Wealth Management, and listeners like you everywhere on the Atlantic Learning Consortium Network!

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, our journey will take us to Whitney Castle on Byram Shore, thanks to the Junior League of Greenwich and its book The Great Estates Greenwich, Connecticut 1880-1930. Originally built for Frederick C. Whitney and his family, the estate was acquired by Fred Hirshhorn in 1922. “It would take the Hirshhorn family to bring the estate to life,” and so indeed they did. 

On The Judge’s Corner, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard penned ‘Depression and Christmas Business at the Post Office-Those Round Stones Being Found Under Greenwich Avenue-Why There Is a Bend in the Avenue’s Upper End.’ in January, 1932. 

On Greenwich Life As It Is -And Was a century ago, you’ll hear about the Connecticut legislature over the years, and about important acts affecting the Town of Greenwich in early 1923. 

I’ll share yet another New Year story, this one from 1929 set at the famed Pickwick Arms Hotel. 

In September, 1903 the side-wheel steamer S.E. Spring was wrecked on rocks 200 feet from Commodore E.C. Benedict’s mansion at Indian Harbor.

On Crimes and Misdemeanors, you’ll hear about the shooting by a masked intruder of Mrs. Antoinette C. Morell, daughter of E.C. Converse of the United States Steel Corporation and owner of Conyers Manor in 1905. 

On a much lighter note, eccentric Milo Mead -the ‘Sage of New Lebanon”- was fooled by picnickers of the Independent Citizens Association in 1904. This story was so amusing it was published as a special to the New York Times. You’ll learn how, and why. 

There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

Sited at the bottom of Otter Rock Drive, Harris Cottage is not your typical Queen Anne home. Its colorful owners included Edward Julian Nally, the first president of Radio Corporation of America (RCA).

In December, 1919, Judge Frederick A. Hubbard penned a letter to the editors of the Greenwich News and Graphic about a place in the harbor area called ‘Marble House.’ 

Erwin Edwards penned a piece for his column Greenwich Life As It Is -And Was regarding various ways Greenwich marked the New Year. 

Artist Whitman Bailey published a sketch and a short article on the circa 1792 Zophar Mead House on Pear Lane in Field Point. 

The people of Greenwich, Connecticut had various ways to mark both the start of a new year and the end of an old one. Some were quite colorful. 

They ranged from driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle up Put’s Hill in January, 1914, to ice-skating on the frozen pond at Ten Acres -today’s Cardinal Stadium- “moving picture shows" in 1908, the Masonic Ball in the Armory in 1927, reflections on business prospects in 1882, dinner parties at Indian Harbor Yacht Club, music and merriment at the Pickwick Arms Hotel, and so on. I’ll share details. 

All did not go smoothly in the transition from one year to another. I’ll share a few details on Crimes and Misdemeanors. 

A new year marks a new beginning! Don’t let winter’s cold get in the way. There’s lots to see, to do, and to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich. 

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as our history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

The discerning shopper’s destination for unique accessories and gifts, the Greenwich Historical Society's Museum Store is a local gem.  The store offers convenient online shopping and pick-up, ample parking and complimentary gift wrapping. Ask about discounts. 

Browse the latest arrivals, and relax at the Artists Café during your next visit, too. 

The Museum Store is open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, Weekends 12pm – 4pm.

On Greenwich in the Gilded Age, we’re going to visit the glorious white Georgian-Colonial mansion ‘The Orchards’ in Round Hill, thanks to the Junior League of Greenwich and its book The Great Estates Greenwich, Connecticut 1880-1930. 

This thirty-two room mansion was constructed for Tyler Redfield and designed by Frank Ashburton Moore. 

For those of us who grew up here, we knew this place as Seabury House, the stately conference center for the Protestant Episcopal Church and the home of its presiding bishop. 

I’ll also share with you details of a lavish wedding that took place here in 1911. 

On The Judge’s Corner, Frederick A. Hubbard wrote in 1932 about the raising of game cocks in Greenwich, horse-racing marine sports and other favorites among the local population. 

“Greenwich police guard the railroad station as the train carrying Winston Churchill passes through at 4:18 a.m…The FBI aided by Greenwich police, raid more than 50 homes of enemy aliens to seize contraband…Greenwich Country Day School merges with Rosemary Junior School to become a co-educational school on the Country Day campus and more.” We’ll go back in history to the year 1942 as found in Greenwich Before 2000: A Chronology of the Town of Greenwich 1640-1999.

On Greenwich Life As It Is -and Was, in December 1922 Erwin Edwards related to his audience what Greenwich was like when the railroads were new starting in 1848, and their impact on the town. 

As we edge closer and closer to edging out Year 2022 You’ll hear a sampling of how how the people of Greenwich celebrated the end of one year and the beginning of yet another. 

We’ll share all sorts of historical news of crimes, fires and more. That includes a special letter-to-the-editor written on behalf of Greenwich's Italian American residents in 1926.

You’ve come to the right place to learn about the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, one of America's most interesting and extraordinary communities.  

We’ll have all this -and more- as history continues to unfold. 

I'm Jeffrey Bingham Mead, your host. Thank you for listening to the weekly podcast, now released on Tuesdays. 

Contact me and join our growing number of listeners anytime via email at [email protected]. 

Show podcast episodes are posted weekly on various social media platforms. Click this link to the show's Facebook site. 

I also encourage you to like and visit the group You Know You're From Greenwich Ct If, where links to the show are posted weekly, too. 

The discerning shopper’s destination for unique accessories and gifts, the Greenwich Historical Society's Museum Store is a local gem.  The store offers convenient online shopping and pick-up, ample parking and complimentary gift wrapping. Ask about discounts. 

Browse the latest arrivals, and relax at the Artists Café during your next visit, too. 

The Museum Store is open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, Weekends 12pm – 4pm.

Our next show -the first in Year 2023- is scheduled for Tuesday, January 3.