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

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and listeners like you everywhere!

How did the people of Greenwich, Connecticut celebrated Christmas one-hundred years ago in 1921? 

An annual Christmas part was held for the children at Byram Chapel. 

On Christmas Eve, 1921 an old fashioned Christmas party was held for the children at the Second Congregational Church. On Christmas day a musical concert consisting of Handel’s Messiah was held at the Second Congregational Church, too. 

The Sunday School at St. Roch’s Church in Chickahominy welcomed 285 children for its Christmas exercises. 

The Greenwich Social Service League welcomed 300 children to the Town Hall for the annual lighting of the Town Christmas Tree there. 

The First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich was transformed into a barn scene with a manger. 

A. Oakey Hall was the mayor of New York City, a prospective governor of New York State in the late 19th century. “Ezekiel Lemonade,” a columnist for the Greenwich Graphic, caught up wth Hall in a club in London -where former Mayor Hall shared his favorable thoughts about Greenwich, Connecticut. 

Another, a former Greenwich resident then living in what was the Dakota Territory, (now the states of North and South Dakota) returned for one last look at the town of her birth.

As we continue to honor the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Greenwich Police Department, you’ll hear about Conrad Zoell, a local carpenter who lost his way in 1911 due to intoxication, wandering around Milbank Avenue in the vicinity of the Armory off Mason Street. What happened? 

Also in 1911, Mrs. Virginia Janus of Cos Cob was highly displeased with Brooklyn NY resident Arthur DeVore, alleging $8000 in damages to her reputation. 

The Greenwich Historical Society was recently pleased to mark the debut of the John Henry Twachtman Catalogue Raisonné with an illustrated virtual talk by Lisa N. Peters, Ph.D., tracing John Henry Twachtman’s road to Greenwich, where he lived with his family from 1890 to 1899 and created the Impressionist works for which he is best known. Dr. Peters charted Twachtman’s artistic career focusing on a few key works, from his early days in Cincinnati, to European study and travel, to New York City, and finally to Greenwich. 

While the exhibition has been postponed to 2022, I’ll tell you where you can enjoy Dr. Peters’ virtual talk online from the comfort of your home, or anywhere with Internet access. 

I’ll share with you a fictionalized Christmas story I penned in 1986 set at the Ferris homestead in Riverside built in the 1700s. 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls around the world! Stay where you are! We’ll have all this, news of public events and lots more as today’s show unfolds. 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! 

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and listeners like you everywhere! 

As the sun slowly rises in the east we're delighted to welcome you to the Thursday, December 16, 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with Jeffrey Bingham Mead. 

The history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut in the USA is the focus of our adventures here. The town has been one of the nation's premier communities for generations. Welcome to our ongoing 381-plus years of history! 

What's on today's show? 

We'll share some news of how Christmas was celebrated in Greenwich a century ago. Have you mailed all of your holiday packages and gifts? We'll share how Will S. Hays, Greenwich's postmaster-general, extolled the people of the community to do their part to make the task of gift-giving and send easier. 

Once gracing the corner of East Putnam and Maher avenues near the Second Congregational Church, "The Elms" was quite an eye-catcher for Greenwich residents and visitors alike. It was torn down in 1942. Starting with today's show, we will be featuring stories of historic homes and buildings that once graced the town's landscape before they were demolished or destroyed. 

It was 125 years ago that the Greenwich Police Department was founded. In today's historical police blotter we'll share news of a man, suffering from delirium, who was arrested for being on his knees for eight hours at the gate posts of J. Kennedy Tod's estate, Innis Arden, in 1906. 

There are over 63 cemeteries and burying grounds in Greenwich. In 1931 a Society for the Aid of the Preservation of the Cos Cob Cemetery was formed. Its object was to restore what is the town's second-oldest cemetery, located on Strickland Road in Cos Cob. You'll hear about some of the history surrounding this often-seen but somewhat misunderstood cemetery. 

As a follow-up to our featured story in the previous show about drinking at Cos Cob School dances a century ago, a story, 'Cider at the Dances,' cited the work on police throughout the country in what was the era of Prohibition. 

We're pleased to have as one of our supporting sponsors the Ambassador Museum United States of America. Starting today, you'll hear about these extraordinary public servants, beginning with one famous to us in Greenwich: Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, Jr.  

Besides lots of fascinating, entertaining history to share, I'll have news of opportunities and public events you can enjoy!

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! 

Welcome to the Thursday, December 9, 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with Jeffrey Bingham Mead. On this show we delve into the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut in the USA -one of the nation's premier communities. 

If you are a seasoned listener, then you are already feeling bouts of joy and delight -knowing that there are people like you all over the USA, and even around the world, who share a special connection to this place we call home. 

Besides lots of fascinating, entertaining history to share, I'll have news of opportunities and public events you can enjoy!

I'll share with you a Christmas editorial published a century ago today that was published in the Greenwich News and Graphic. 

Two shows ago I shared a published conversation with Greenwich builder and contractor Joseph Christiano. He died on his 64th birthday in 1929. His obituary -published on the first page of the local papers- was quite revealing. It turns out this successful businessman was responsible for constructing many of the palatial homes associated with the Greenwich "Great Estates," and those in localities in nearby communities. He was also responsible for constructing St. Mary's Church on Greenwich Avenue, and St. Rich's Church in Chickahominy. 

A Mrs. John Fry, who was evicted from her home in Cos Cob, was fit to be tied and decided to sue a number of parties and the Town of Greenwich.

In 1929, during Prohibition, "too much whoopee" was all the rage at dances held at Cos Cob School. It was all quite scandalous with the Cos Cob Community Association and the Cos Cob Mothers' Social Club highly unamused -and you'll hear why. 

In November 1895 an attempt was made to burglarize the Round Hill Store. While running away, one of the burglars took a shot with a pistol at Lewis June, who was standing at an upstairs window above the store. What happened? 

This week I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Coffee For Good, located on the ground floor of Mead House -the 1856 Solomon Mead House, 48 Maple Avenue, on the campus of the Second Congregational Church. 

One of the more colorful residents of this mansion was Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks. She was the daughter of tycoon Hetty Green, also known as "The Witch of Wall Street," the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age. I'll share an insightful essay about Sylvia Wilks by Lisa Albamonte published by the Greenwich Historical Society on its web site. 

We'll have all this, news of public events, and more as the show unfolds! 

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), and the Ambassador Museum United States of America. 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! 

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah is a very special annual festival, one of the most important and anticipated holy days in the Jewish faith. This eight-day celebration traces its history to a miracle that took place around 200 B.C. 

As our days become shorter, what a delight it is to see the lighting of menorah candles, and to spend time with loved ones and friends. 

May God bless you and give you all the happiness in this world. I wish you a festive season filled with an abundance of joy, happy moments, good health and prosperity. May these eight days be your best days, and many more to come! 

What's On Today's Show? 

My guest on Talk of the Town is author Jack T. Scully. We’ll be discussing his new book, Mianus Village.

Having won the war in 1945, millions of “Greatest Generation” GIs came marching home. Of immediate concern: education, jobs, and shelter. The GI Bill helped meet those challenges with free tuition, business loans, and affordable housing. 

In Riverside Connecticut, the government built 40 matchbox houses beside the Mianus River for veterans and their families. 

Author Jack T. Scully and more than a hundred “Baby Boomer” kids soon called the village and its ‘tinsel-glistening river’ home. It is the setting for this loosely autobiographical tale of self-discovery in an era of simplicity and peace.

“The poetry here is lucid and straightforward, and the spirit of the book is that of recalling the "forgotten debris of forgotten years,” says David Huddle, emeritus professor, University of Vermont.  “A reader feels refreshed and grateful for what Jack Scully has accomplished in these pages.”

Great news from the Friends of the Old Burying Ground at Byram Shore Road! At last, as reported by Greenwich Time’s Robert Marchant, Greenwich’s African American burial ground is getting the restoration and attention it deserves. 

Looking at the latest work ongoing on the Old Byram cemetery and the old African American burying ground, Alex Popp -who has led efforts to have it restored,  said, “It’s good to see.”

Christmas is coming! You’ll hear about the singing of Christmas carol in the Franklin Simon department store on West Putnam Avenue -now the home of Greenwich Library. The year? 1940.

The town’s first community Christmas tree was made possible by the Boy Scouts of Greenwich in 1914. 

A century ago in 1921, several Byram boys were in rowboats, ending up being caught in a heavy gale storm resulting in being stranded on Calves Island.

Has your chauffeur ever told you to go to Hell? Me, either, but in 1919 one driving on Mason Street allegedly told a highway improvement superintendent to go to the hottest of hot places. Yes, the matter went to court and you’ll learn what happened.

In 1945, a World War I veteran in Byram Hill thought he was under attack, not taking any chances during an alleged air raid that did not quite turn out what it was thought to be. 

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls around the world! Stay where you are! We’ll have all this, news of public events and lots more as today’s show unfolds. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Let me be honest and say that I've lost count of the number of blessings I am thankful for this year. One blessing I am grateful for is you! Thank you, as always, for tuning in to this show.

The Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast is about the history and culture of Greenwich, Connecticut USA. Through it all this show is for you and all who appreciate and cherish this community's many blessings.

On this Thanksgiving Day 2021, I decided to do something a little different. A few of us gathered by the Greenwich shore for an early morning outdoor Thanksgiving breakfast. With not a cloud above us, the warm glow of the autumn morning sun filled our hearts with joy and gratitude.

My friends, whatever you do today my hope for you is that Thanksgiving brings you an abundance of delight and smiles from morning until evening. 

Here's what is coming up on today's show:

I'll share with you a sampling of how the people of Greenwich observed the Thanksgiving holiday. 

One hundred years ago this month, what was then the "new" Glenville School opened.

Joseph Guiseppe Christiano was one of Greenwich's early 20th century success stories. He was profiled in the town's local press a century ago. You'll hear how.

Also one hundred years ago, a New Jersey party returning from the Yale-Princeton football game narrowly ran his car off the stone pier at the terminus of Steamboat Road near the Indian Harbor Yacht Club.

A swindler from New York City tried to pass a bogus check at a Greenwich leather goods store. It did not end well for him.

You'll hear about a source of "keen delight in winter" in Greenwich: the moonlight sleigh ride party.

Uh oh! A pastor of the Second Congregational Church resigned in 1897, calling the people of Greenwich "incorrigible." 

We'll have all this, news of events and more as the show unfolds! 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! Go through our GoFundMe site or email us for rates. 

This is the Friday, 5th of November 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with your host, Jeffrey Bingham Mead!

Welcome to an experience truly unparalleled in the 381 years of Greenwich, Connecticut’s history. Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place. By golly, you’re on-time, too! I hope you are as happy as I am to be here with you on this brisk, early November autumn day. 

The local elections are over! Congratulations to all candidates who threw their hats into the ring. 

Did you know that Greenwich drivers were being admonished about leaving their car keys in the ignition as early as 1945? 

That Conyers Farm almost became a bird sanctuary in 1915? 

That an effort to rename Lake Avenue to ‘Horseneck Road’ was stopped by Judge Frederick Hubbard? How? Why?

How much fun it must have been in 1904 when the congregation of Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church burned its mortgage? 

That Italian workers used dynamite cartridges to catch fish in Dumpling Pond in 1884? Not everyone was pleased.

Have you ever experienced a nightmare in which you fell into a tank full of apple cider? That happened to a man in Round Hill in 1891. 

We’ll have all this and lots more fun stuff on today’s weekly voyage into Greenwich, Connecticut’s fascinating history. It doesn’t get better than this.

This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI); the Ambassador Museum United States of America, and Kevin M.J. O'Connor of the Jeffrey Matthews Financial Group. Thank you! 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. 

Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! Go through our GoFundMe site or email us for rates. 

Look up in the sky! Was it a bird? Was it a plane? The world inauguration of what was called ‘air truck delivery’ arrived in Greenwich skies on the 1st of November, 1927. You’ll hear about the cargo that was dropped, where it happened and about the crowd of onlookers who witnessed it all. 

Striking drivers believed to be from the Borden Milk Company stopped a truck driver and dumped 300 quarts of milk into the Byram River.

Host Jeffrey Bingham Mead will have some words of celebration to share about Coffee for Good, the newest destination for your coffee fix and more in the historic Mead House -newly renovated and restored- on the campus of the Second Congregational Church.

You have an assignment! Your help is needed in locating ‘Piping Book Farm,’ most likely located in the Banksville or Stanwich areas of northeastern Greenwich. 

You’re laying in bed late at night in 1921 experiencing bouts of “mental butterflying.” What do you do?

A group of investors came together in 1914 with a “splendid plan for civic improvement” for the “unsightly” Greenwich Harbor, making is available for pleasure and commercial craft. Hint: Grass Island.

October is here, Halloween is getting closer on the calendar. We’ll feature a preview about historic cemeteries in Greenwich, with a particular focus on Burying Hill in Round Hill. 

We’ll have news of public events, membership and volunteer opportunities that support the preservation and celebration of Greenwich, Connecticut’s history, too. 

On the September 29, 2021 show we will take our listeners on an excursion into Greenwich, Connecticut history like none you've experienced before. 

What's in store?

The Pryory in Field Point Circle is a one-of-a-kind 'Great Estate' mansion with a fascinating reputation and remarkable history. This 12,000 square foot home was designed in circa 1916 by the renowned architectural firm Cross & Cross in the spirit of an English countryside estate. You'll hear about those who lived here -including one who welcomed the likes of Charles Lindbergh and other aviators who flew their seaplane in and out of Greenwich Harbor.

A century ago, an inspector of the Connecticut Police department single-handedly prevented a catastrophic accident involving a team of agitated runaway horses.

On the evening of September 30, 2021, the Greenwich Historical Society will be convening its 90th annual meeting at the Belle Haven Club. David Ogilvy will be granted posthumously the Greenwich Historical Society's first David Ogilvy Preservation Award, recognizing his contributions to historic preservation in Greenwich. We'll share a special tribute.

Colonel Raynal Bolling's memorial near the Havemeyer Building on Greenwich Avenue is known to many. But did you know that another, unique memorial to Col. Bolling is in California? 

A gasoline advertisement reminds us in the 21st century that there were those one hundred years ago who were preoccupied with "carbon." 

David Boles -a Greenwich cafe owner on Lewis Street took his shoes a century ago in 1921 to be cleaned and shined -forgetting that he left $2000 in large denominations inside. What happened? 

There's always something happening in Greenwich, Connecticut. We'll share news of events you and other members of the public can attend. 

We once again send our thanks to Mr. Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates for title sponsoring the show. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Planning Association. Learn more about Peter F. Alexander at SiteDesignAssociates.com, or call (203) 869-8632. 

We also welcome the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI). At Long Island Sound Institute, maintaining Long Island Sound is its goal. Join LISI as it reaches out to students and professors whose studies have to do with water bodies of Long Island Sound. The maintenance and research of our national parks are subjected to budgetary uncertainty year after year. LISI aims to bring long-term stability and avoid the uncertainty inherent to budgets and the political process. Learn more at LISIStudy.info or call (475) 897-5444. 

Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. Contact us at [email protected]. 

We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. 

You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows! Go through our GoFundMe site or email us for rates.