Board of Selectmen

Bob Grindle

Leadership in small town Eastern Connecticut has a lot of different models, and a short drive through our beautiful corner of New England reminds us all of how privileged we are to call this region “Home”. After several years as part of Hampton’s leadership team, I am proud to point to our well maintained roads and roadsides; the improved, and always improving, condition of our town’s public buildings; our increased commitment to preserving open space and to improving the space we have, and certainly to the fiscal prudence that has positioned Hampton well as we look to future challenges. There is a certain “magic” that can occur when public engagement and focused leadership work together to iron out their inevitable differences in order to benefit the community. I think Hampton has been well served by its leadership these past several years and I look forward to continuing to serve.

John Tillinghast

It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as Selectman for the past two years. I feel that the Board has worked well together to maintain the quality of life in our small town. We have worked cooperatively to oversee the delivery of services through town government. I’m proud of our initiative to improve our communication with residents through the Town Hall Newsletter. We have supported the Conservation Commission in its efforts to develop the Little River Preserve and make it more accessible for citizens to enjoy. I’m always impressed with the dedication and considerable effort that Board and Commission members put forth in carrying out their duties. I hope I can continue to contribute my efforts to maintain and improve our town government so I ask for your support in November’s election.

Town Clerk

Kaye Johnson

I am seeking election as Town Clerk for several reasons. First, I want to be part of a team that provides competent and compassionate service to residents and visitors to our town. Second, there is more work to be done to improve access to the town’s historical records. Finally, I have enjoyed leading the office since last November and reconnecting with Hampton’s friendly ambiance. I am honored to serve as your Town Clerk and ask for your support on November 7th.

Treasurer

Ellen Rodriguez

It has been my privilege to serve Hampton in the finance office for many years and I look forward to continuing to provide all of you with accurate and timely reports. As treasurer I am responsible for vendor payments, state reporting, investments, budgeting , and payroll and I am committed to working with all boards and employers to efficiently manage our obligations and assets. I am always available to answer your questions and I appreciate your support.

Board of Finance

Ed Adelman

I seek re-election to the Board of Finance after serving for ten years. The BOF has successfully guided and protected Hampton’s financial interests, while developing positive relationships with citizens, municipal boards and departments. Members listen to and respect each other. Hampton has a low mill rate, no debt, a robust “rainy day” fund and passes annual budgets with minimal hassles. I am proud of the board’s work and want to see this continue for the future.

Nick Brown

I work full time as VP of in3corp in supply chain audit and teach part time at UConn’s School of Business. Since 2013, I’ve served on the Board of Finance, leading the search for a new Town auditor and achieving 50% savings. I advocate for investing excess funds in low-risk, high-yield accounts, support fully funded pension liabilities for volunteer firefighters, prioritize fiscal responsibility with support for our schools, and believe in limiting our involvement to financial matters, respecting the decision-making authority of the Boards of Selectmen and Education.

Board of Education

Mark Becker

I am running for another term on the Board of Education. As a lifelong resident and the parent of two HES alumni, I will continue to be an asset to the BOE. My first and foremost goal is to support the students. They deserve the very best we can offer while being fiscally responsible. I will stand up to those who are looking to close our school or reduce our budget to the point of closure.

Rose Bisson

During the past several years, the Board of Education has focused on improving the education of the students while keeping down the costs to the Town. We are concentrating on improving student performance, increasing the student population and using technology to improve the efficiency of the building. I am looking forward to continuing working with my fellow Board members for the good of the children.

Maryellen Donnelly

While the number of children at Hampton Elementary has declined, the Board of Education has guided changes in staffing to keep expenditures from rising. Hampton continues to provide a safe environment in which each child can develop fundamental academic and social skills and a love of community and learning. I am a retired teacher with understanding of assessment and learning and have served on the Board since 2009. I request your vote and thank you for your consideration.

Dennis Timberman

My wife Wendy and I have lived in town since 1985. In my time in town, I have previously served on the Board of Education for four years, and for twelve years on the Recreation Commission. Our schools should provide top-notch education and nurture the well-being of all students. I will work to promote transparency, innovative teaching methods, and equitable opportunities for all students.

Elizabeth Lindorff

Since 1989 I have lived in Hampton, raised a family here, taught art at Hampton Elementary School for 18 years (retired) and been active in our school system. I am seeking a seat on the Board of Education to advocate for a well-rounded education for our kids. We need to balance the many benefits of a small town with the economic and social changes we face to ensure a quality education for our children.

Zoning Board of Appeals

Joan Fox

The zoning board of appeals hears cases where the strict application of the zoning regulations would create a significant hardship and can vary the zoning regulations on a case by case basis. If I am elected, I will listen with kindness and compassion to both sides of issues brought to the board and render my decision accordingly.

Jamie Krall

I have lived in Hampton since 1977. I believe in considering accommodations that meet the requirements of responsible development and the needs of property owners.

Seeking re-election are Constables who have served Hampton well: Jeff Smith and Chris Bayne.

First Selectman

Allan Cahill

As the proud First Selectman of Hampton for the past 12 years, I’ve had the privilege to serve a town defined by its tranquility, rich history and sense of community. Over the years, we have navigated numerous challenges, upgrading our infrastructure and established a financially sound foundation. Our town, nestled in the heart of northeast Connecticut with its serene landscapes, single general store, and absence of commercial noise, stands out as a beacon of peace in a bustling world.
My unwavering commitment has always been the safety and solvency of our beloved Town. As I look to serve a next term my main priority and focus will be on advancing several public work projects, while maintaining our existing roads, parks and buildings.
1. Leadership: Our town’s success doesn’t revolve around a single individual. I aim to work with all boards and commission groups who can build onto the progress that we have already achieved. I envision these teams to continue championing our town’s unique identity.
2. Public Works Projects: Hampton’s charm doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. We have several vital projects lined up:
Town Campus Improvements: From IT upgrades to refurbishing tennis and pickle-ball courts, our town campus will see significant enhancements. The former Grange building will be painted; parking lots at the Town Hall and Community Center will be paved, and an inviting barbecue pit with a shelter will be established for communal gatherings.
Hampton Elementary School: Our children’s learning environment is crucial. We are planning an HVAC and Hot water upgrades to ensure efficiencies for a comfortable learning atmosphere throughout the year.
3. Safety: Fire Company and Department of Public Works: Safety first! The fire company needs to replace a Fire Engine, while our public works department is scheduled to acquire new equipment by a 5-year capital plan, including a pickup truck, wood chipper, and tractor .
4. Finance: Work with the finance board to maintain our strengths.
These initiatives are not just projects but investments in our town’s future. As I look towards my next term, I’m reminded of our collective commitment to preserving Hampton’s essence while embracing growth improvements. Let’s move forward, ensuring the quality of life that remains the safe haven we all cherish, today and always.

Board of Selectmen

John Russell

Our family moved to Hampton in 1971. My dad’s work brought us here. I attended Parish Hill High School and graduated in 1977. I’ve served this country from 1977 to 1984 and from 2011 to 2015, coming out of the service in a staff sergeant position. I am currently serving on the Board of Education, and attend meetings of the Boards of Finance and Selectmen regularly as well. I’m semi-retired, coming from the construction- transportation field, so I bring a lot to the table with my practical experience and knowledge of the goings on in our town. I am always looking out for the members of our community.

Town Clerk

Kaye Johnson

I am seeking election as Town Clerk for several reasons. First, I want to be part of a team that provides competent and compassionate service to residents and visitors to our town. Second, there is more work to be done to improve access to the town’s historical records. Finally, I have enjoyed leading the office since last November and reconnecting with Hampton’s friendly ambiance. I am honored to serve as your Town Clerk and ask for your support on November 7th.

Board of Finance

Regina DeCesare

I was a teacher for over 30 years and worked on many classroom, educational and school budgets during my career. I’ve served, and held offices, on many committees, from secretary of the Cemetery Association to Chair of the Library board, as well as Assistant Registrar of Voters. I’ve worked on fundraisers for Trailwood and Fletcher Memorial Library and other town committees. I feel it’s important to give back to our small community where volunteering is so important. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to continue serving the people of Hampton.

Wesley Wilcox

I am interested in a seat on the Board of Finance because it is a vital part of town governance. Previously I served on the Hampton Elementary School Board of Education, and so I have a thorough understanding of the impact of the school budget on the Town’s overall fiscal health and the ability of the taxpayers to afford to live here. I am committed to the same fiscal prudence we have observed with my fellow Republican officials serving on the Boards of Selectmen, Finance, and Education.

Board of Education

Laura Barrow

I’ve been a resident since 2011. I have two children, one who graduated from Parish Hill in 2021 and one who’s currently a senior. For the last twenty years, I’ve worked in legal positions for the State; I’ve also worked for nonprofit programs and served as Girl Scout leader for the tri-town troop. I’m very familiar with the small town values we cherish, including strong family values. The relationship with the school board and parents should reflect those values and strengthen the ties between both; allowing parents to play a big role in their child’s educational aspirations is paramount to successful students.

Cathleen Greene

I’ve lived in Hampton for 26 years, this month. For the past few years I have worked for a psychiatric clinic, doing medical records, prior authorizations and clerical work. My daughters started at Hampton Elementary School when we moved here, and my son went all the way through, from kindergarten to sixth grade; all three went to Parish Hill. I’d previously volunteered at the Soup Kitchen for nine years, until Covid, and I haven’t volunteered since — it’s time for me to get back into giving back.

John Russell

I have been serving on the Board of Education for a few years, when I was appointed to fill a vacancy. During this time, I have been learning the policies and procedures, and observing the way the board operates. I do believe that promoting transparency and diversity are priorities in order to avoid the complaints which have been recently and successfully filed against school officials with State agencies. We can do better.

Planning and Zoning Commission

Susan Hochstetter

Hampton is a special place. The residents know it. That’s why they choose to live here. I want to continue to work with P&Z because I think I can help the town adjust to the current growth pressure without losing the qualities we all value and the reasons we choose to live here. P&Z is a complicated process that my previous terms have trained me for. I would like to continue. Thank you.

Everett Hyde

I hope to have your support to represent Hampton planning for the future of our community and the implementation of zoning regulations reflecting those plans. Land use regulation begins with the right of owners to use their property. But for over a hundred years zoning has been enabled by State statute to provide certain limits of that right so various defined uses provide the best use for each municipality. The restrictions limiting use are articulated in State law. How it’s done is the important job of the local P&Z most sensitive to the town’s changing needs.

Zoning Board of Appeals

Wesley Wilcox

I’ve lived in Hampton most of my life. I currently serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals, a position I was elected to in 2017, therefore I’ve served in this capacity for the last six years and would like to continue to do so. I understand the Appeals process and the role the board plays in important Planning and Zoning decisions, such as growth and development.

Constables

Wanda Willard & Matt LaFontaine

The polls will be open for the Municipal Election on November 7 from 6AM to 8PM in the Community Room at Town Hall. The Registrars will hold a limited registration session from 9AM to 5PM on November 6 for those whose rights as to age, citizenship, or residence matured after the October 31 deadline. Election Day Registration is available on November 7 in the Registrars’ Office only to those who apply prior to the close of the polls. Absentee ballots are available from the Town Clerk during regular Town Hall hours, and curb–side voting will be available during Election Day.

Dayna McDermott Arriola & Sulema Perez Pagan

During a Municipal Election year, the November issue of The Hampton Gazette is delivered to all households so that residents have important voting information, including a sample ballot, and all of the candidates’ statements regarding their qualifications for the offices they seek. This also ensures that people who are new to Hampton are apprised that a town newspaper is free to everyone who lives here. To subscribe, simply contact us at hamptongazette@yahoo.com with your name and address and the Gazette will be delivered to you monthly.

We also take this annual opportunity to thank those listed whose generous donations helped fund the newspaper this year. A self-addressed envelope is enclosed in this issue; thank you in advance for your continued support. We thank all who contributed news this year — of municipal governance, local schools and students, town organizations, and nature preserves, and those who shared historic and humorous articles, recipes, opinions, poems, photographs, and advice. Last and far from least, we thank those who advertise their goods and services on our pages. It is an honor to promote your enterprises in our newspaper.

In this month of gratitude, we are ever grateful of the privilege of living in this town and among these neighbors.

Happy Thanksgiving, Hampton!

Platinum Donors

Patricia Boss
Glen & Kathi Newcombe
Elizabeth Regan
Clayton Salisbury
Peter Witkowski

Gold Donors

Dayna & Juan Arriola
Linda & Roger Burton
Peter & Nora Dickerson
Ruth & David Halbach
Kaye & Scott Johnson
Andrea Kaye
Sonya & Peik Larsen
Andrea Quintana
Jean Romano
Linda Seretny-Navin & Patrick Navin
Bruce Spaman
Guila Wagner
Leslie White

Silver Donors

William Archer
Catherine & Peter Arkell
Jean & Edward Casoni
Leon & Tisha Chaine
Paul Cichon
Bethany Desjardin
Deanne & John Donahue
Paul & Deborah Fitzgerald
Shirley Freeman
Deborah Halbach
L. Gordon Hamersley
Marycarol & Francis Horstmann
Eleanor & Peter Linkkila
Organic Roots Farm
Barbara Petroske & Robert Yungk
Louise Russell & Gayle LaFlamme
Brian Tracy

Friends of The Hampton Gazette

Anita & Michael Barnard
Richard Bass & Melinda Fields
Cynthia Bezanson
Dorothy Blocker
Lula Blocton & Shirley Bernstein
Robert Burgoyne & Susan Hochstetter
Benjamin & Jean Cornell
Christine Featherstone
Angela Fichter
Lucretica Flammang & Scott Deshong
David Flower
Alan & Joan Freeman
Deborah Fuller
Mary Ellen Halloran
Patricia Jones & Robert Dibble
Nicolette Letourneau
Margaret & Christopher McKleroy
George & Muriel Miller
Michelle & Martin Mlyniec
Chris & Susan Moser
Penny Newbury
Judy Noel
Mark & Jessica Samios
Linda Schoenfeld
Kathleen Thompson
Teresa & Dale Warner

The Town of Hampton was incorporated on October 2, 1786, when the Connecticut Assembly granted a petition submitted by citizens requesting independence from Windham. Known formerly as “Windham Village” or “Canada Parish”, Hampton’s first Town Meeting was held a month later, on November 13, when those eligible to vote — white, male, land-owners — elected Captain James Stedman, Deacon Isaac Bennet, and Jeduthan Rogers as the Town’s first Selectmen, and Thomas Stedman as Town Clerk. The following year, a November 12, 1787 Town Meeting appointed a committee of twelve to consult with the delegate selected for the Convention called to consider the ratification of a proposed United States Constitution drafted by delegates assembled in Philadelphia.

Self-governance, of course, came with all sorts of responsibilities. As recorded in All Our Yesterdays, the Robertson’s 1993 chronicle of “A Century of Life in a Small New England Town”, bridges needed to be built and highways necessitated maintenance, chimneys and fences required inspection to prevent fires and stray animals, deeds needed to be recorded, schools to be kept, and “the weights and measures used by everybody in the exchange of food and other produce of their farms had to be supervised for accuracy.”

Fulfilling these responsibilities cost money, so a system of collecting taxes to cover municipal expenses was implemented “Tithingmen collected the tax to support the church, school district committees collected a school tax within each district, highway surveyors collected a highway tax in each district, and constables collected the general town tax.” Since currency was not really in circulation, people usually paid their debts with goods or services to the town.

Prior to incorporation and the separation of church and state, Town meetings were held in the Meeting House where the Congregationalists also worshipped. Following the political changes, the building was remodeled, and the south-facing, center-doored façade of the meeting house, which would have resembled a large colonial home minus a chimney, was refocused with a portico and a steeple facing the Main Street. Town meetings were conducted in the Center School, where the second floor also served as a Town Hall, the polling place, public library, and, occasionally, court. Prior to the use of the Center School, Town Hall was in the small building on the Johnson’s property across from the current Town Hall, and later in a room over the General Store, which also housed the Post Office.

Accounts were recorded in Alison Davis’ Hampton Remembers.

Way back, the town clerk’s office was the little buildin’ that sets back between the houses across from the Consolidated School. It was right where it sets now. But when my mother Gertie Thompson was town clerk the office was upstairs over the store. She was town clerk for twelve years and on the school board forty –nine!

Russell Thompson

I went in as Town Clerk on October 4th, 1937, and I was 22 years right to the very day! And I was treasurer, too. Those days you had the fish and game, you had the dog licenses, the marriage licenses, burial permits, the recording of deeds…If I remember it, I took in a total of $650 the first year and that was from license fees and being the Town Treasurer – making up the town tax-rate book. That is, figgering the individual tax for each taxpayer. That’s a complicated business, collecting taxes. The Assessors, the Board of Tax Review, the Town Treasurer, the Tax Collector – all are involved in collecting the taxes.

Harold Stone

The town clerk’s office was essentially the town clerk’s desk, which followed the town clerk and was housed in the town clerk’s home.

The municipal offices finally acquired their own building in 1960 when the Fire Department sold the original Fire House to the Town of Hampton for the purpose of converting it into a Town Hall. The small building on the southern corner of Old Route 6 West and Main Street held the vault, the offices of the Town Clerk, Tax Collector and Assessor on the main floor, and the office of the First Selectman in a room upstairs.

“I remember trying to do title searches there when I represented someone who wanted to buy a home in Hampton. Tiniest town clerk’s office I ever did a title search in,” Angela Fichter recalled, adding, “That’s ok. I spoke to an elderly man in Scotland whose aunt used to be town clerk in Scotland around 1940. She kept the land records under her bed!”

The tiny building was converted into a polling place for elections. In those days, other votes were taken at town meetings, usually held in the new fire house with people spilling into the parking lot. Many residents attended then, the annual town meeting an event not to be missed!

In 1991, with the construction of the new elementary school, the Town Hall moved to the consolidated school where it remains with offices, at various times, for the First Selectman, the Town Clerk, the Tax Collector, the Assessor, the Registrars of Voters, the Building Department, Planning and Zoning, Inland/Wetlands, the Agent for the Elderly, Small Cities, and Social Services. The Town Hall also houses the vault and the Community Room, and the lower level has been used, almost consistently, for private schools.

Some things never change. According to All Our Yesterdays, surveyors of highways were elected at the first Town Meeting in 1786 to oversee the roads. Among their responsibilities: “whenever the town shall lay a tax for repairing highways, it shall be the duty of the surveyors to warn out the inhabitants of their respective Districts to remove all nuisances in the highways; and in Case the publick highways should be blocked up in the winter Season with Snow So as to impede the publick travel it shall be the duty of the surveyors to warn out the inhabitants of their respective Districts to open the paths in their several districts as Soon as may be after such nuisance hath happened. And the rule of compensation for such Service Shall be four cents pr. hour for a Man while in actual Service and eight cents pr. hour for a yoke of oxen.”

Today roads remain one of the main concerns of the town: we pay the officials at Town Hall to perform statutorily required duties; we support schools to educate our youth; and we take care of our roads. In Hampton Remembers, the chapter “Running Our Town” centers first and foremost on the roads, and provides us with an idea of how far we’ve come in the last hundred years:

List of Town Property – Truck; snow plow; conveyor; road scraper; gravel bin; plow; ox shovel; grindstone; 7 shovels; 1 bush hook; 3 picks; 1 grub hoe; 1 pruning shears; 1 hone; 3 bush scythes; 1 iron bar; 1 sledge hammer; 2 pitch forks.

Town of Hampton Annual Report, 1930

My father had cows but he also worked on the road some – course back them days they only worked part time on the roads anyway. They were dirt roads, remember. They’d scrape the roads in the spring and they wouldn’t do anything more until fall and then there’d be some brush cuttin’ and like o’ that.

Robert Fitts

I can remember the snow filled up the road some places right from the top of some stone wall clear over to the top of the wall on the other side….The men used to take heavy sleds and hitch to a horse and try to make sort of a path through it y’know, the best they could with the horse, and then, men, town men, had to shovel it out.

Vera Hoffman

When it snowed we broke through it with the horse and sled and there’d be six or eight shoveling by hand. When Elmer Stone was selectman he had another idea – we began to have cars then — so he hitched a plow on each side of a sled hoping to make a track that the car would go on, but it was kind of hard to follow the track! When the snow was deep and the wind piled it up in the road we’d go through the barway and go across the lot. Will Pearl would come cross lots with the mail. He didn’t use a car in that kind of weather, horse and sleigh.

John Lewis

Before I became first selectman that office entailed road work – -construction and maintenance of the roads. When I came in, Carl Jewett who was the second selectman, had been the first selectman and loved the road part of the job, but he wasn’t so fond of the finance and relief – welfare end of things. Well I had a job all day in Danielson and I couldn’t stay up all night plowing roads and do my job during the day so Carl took over the roads and I did the finances and welfare and we had many years of a very happy relationship. So today the second selectman still has charge of the roads, helped by the third selectman.

John Holt

When I was first selectman, Carl Jewett was in charge of the roads. He had been for years. He was a wonderful guy and he had a lot of funny sayings. He said “That would be just about as handy as a pocket in your underwear!” I remember cutting bushes on the road down there where Lenny Holmes lives, Lenny’s Lane, and they were cuttin’ down some fairly tall trees and they bumped into the wires. The wires were hot and there were sparks flyin’ all over the place and Carl yells “If you’re still alive don’t move!”

Wendell Davis

The Board of Finance has filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request regarding settlements reached by the Hampton Elementary School Board of Education to resolve a discrimination complaint filed with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) and the employment agreement of a dismissed certified staff member. Though school officials failed to respond to the request within the statutorily required time frame, First Selectman Allan Cahill reported at a meeting of the finance board that “one amount was in the five figure range and the other amounted to six figures.”

The Board of Education recently settled a complaint lodged against them with the FOI Commission. In an October 5 correspondence to the complainant, The Hampton Gazette, Chairman Rose Bisson acknowledged that the Agenda item of a June 21 executive session “did not meet the requirements of Freedom of Information,” adding that agenda items “will be more descriptive to allow the public to know why the Board is entering executive session” in the future.

A second complaint, filed by school board members Juan Arriola, Diane Gagnon, and John Russell, alleged that the school board invited the superintendent into an executive session without soliciting the testimony necessary to permit inclusion. While resolution of the complaint is still pending, at the September 27 meeting of the school board, an attorney from the FOI Commission confirmed that only those offering testimony may attend executive sessions, solely for that purpose and limited to the time necessary to provide the requested information.

While a complaint filed with another State agency, the CHRO, has been settled, another allegation of racial discrimination was lodged against school officials when a Discrimination Grievance was filed by a staff member on September 26. While the board was apprised, per policy, of the complaint at the September meeting, details were not discussed and resolution is still pending.

Also at the September meeting, board members debated whether or not the board should have any say in the employment of certified staff, or if hiring and placement on steps should be left solely to the discretion of the superintendent. The board voted against member David Halbach’s motion to “continue the practice of the Board’s approval for hiring new certified staff, including salary,” in a 5-3 vote. Discussion on the subject started in August, when interim superintendent Valerie Brunneau hired, and set the salary, for two teachers without board approval. Up until that point, the school board has always approved the hiring, and resignations, of all certified staff. The first duty listed under “Board Prerogatives and Duties” in the negotiated contract between the Hampton Board of Education and the Hampton Education Association is “to employ or hire, assign and transfer teachers”; and placement on the salary schedule is “at the discretion of the board”. A new contract is currently being negotiated.

When we were children, the one room schoolhouse in Howard Valley enchanted us. Imagine attending this cozy little school we called the “ABC House” for the letters affixed to the front! It was a landmark as we navigated through town. Though it’s no longer a schoolhouse, it’s still enchanting. Owner Penny Newbury has preserved its most charming aspects – the blackboard, pegs for coats, a school bell, the ‘ABC’. She has also cultivated one of the most charming gardens in town, clearing the woodlands for a spacious lawn, excavating and terracing the bank, repurposing the many unearthed rocks to create a garden of layers, of nooks and crevices, of stepping stone stairs and paths, of rounding corners to new discoveries, all making this garden magic.

In early spring, the white, yellow and golden daffodils flare among the boulders and along the stonewalls, rambling south of the house, separating the property from the northern neighbor, terracing the upper gardens. These mingle with small clumps of pulmonaria, pink buds opening to bright blue blossoms, and ivory and plum cups of hellabores, all rising on the slope with the glossy foliage of wild ginger and burgundy ajuga. A window box brimming with alyssum sings against the red clapboards of the house, underlined with the dripping bells of variegated Solomon’s seal. A path winds its way to the distance, crosses a bridge over a stream where skunk cabbage is unfurling, and leads to the glassy saucer of a pond, its rim waiting to fill with the sedges and cattails of summer.

Later in the season, orange narcissus replace the daffodils, lilacs scent the door yard, skirted with pastel creeping phlox, the azure blossoms of woodland phlox and forget-me-nots carpet a red azalea, and the pink buds of a crab apple, opening to a profusion of white flowers, greet visitors. A collection of azaleas — pink, white, mauve, salmon, and rose – decorates the southern bank and to the north, azaleas and rhododendrons mark the entrance of the old road which students living in the farms on South Bigelow used to walk to school. A shady nook on the opposite side, hosting hostas and ferns, further emphasizes the old lane.

The stepping stones and stairs of the terraces are most magical in late spring. The magenta blossoms of scented geranium form a ruffle beneath the terrace along with the frosted leaves of lamium. A spurt of candy tuft sparkles at the top of one staircase opposite a heavenly blue cloud of amsonia. Gold and green creeping Jenny and hens and chicks cushion the stairs where sprays of cerastium’s silvery leaves soften the steps, and wands of bleeding hearts spurt from the crevices. This garden is an iris paradise: miniature irises, yellow flags, bearded, and Siberians. Old fashioned varieties, purple with golden beards and yellow brushed with mahogany falls decorate the front of the house. Pale to deep Siberian irises dance around a lavender rhododendron and the Korean lilac perfuming the air. Bushels of lush peonies complete the compositions.

In summertime, a hydrangea cloaked in ivory flowers greets visitors on one side of the driveway and on the other, a garden glows with cups of pink mallow, plates of ‘moonshine’ yarrow, blue spires of veronica, a deep red dahlia, and a floor of ajuga with pink, cream and mint green leaves. Clouds of catnip and carpets of lamb’s ear underscore the front of the house, the window boxes are stuffed with pink begonias, colorful impatiens fill urns, and sparkling white petunias line the brick walk to the door, where a red rose climbs a trellis above the crimson spears of astilbes. In the shade garden, the whiskery, beige fronds of goatsbeard float over an assortment of ferns and hostas.

Lilies are everywhere, a golden lily with a crimson stripe, a lemon yellow flushed tangerine, a cantaloupe colored with a red throat, a crimson. At the front of the house, sunset colored lilies complement dark raspberry bottlebrush and scarlet crocosmia and form a ring around the rusty striations of the paper bark maple. South of the entrance, a peach colored lily enhances the gentle tones of a yellow helianthus and the ivory bells of the woodland digitalis. Orange lilies are scattered across the top of the hill and along the wall where they partner with scarlet bee balm and gold flowering sedum. Along the terrace, a six foot tall oriental lily, creamy yellow with a pink stripe, is a focal point among clumps of golden rudbeckia, ribbons of sunny coreopsis, burnt orange and pale yellow lilies.The terrace is also speckled with pink and white phlox complementing the wine spikes of bee balm, purple liatrus stalks, and bright pink silenes. A hollyhock with pale yellow saucers reigns supreme over a flurry of pale yellow coreopsis. White and yellow potentilla flank the stairs where rose and pink astilbes ascend the bank. Mullein pinks line a path toward persecaria, a stunning six foot sweep of raspberry spires.

The circular garden on the crest of the hill hosts peach lilies, yellow coreopsis, and lush dahlias. This area is called the “bee yard” for its several hives. “I have names for all the gardens because I keep a garden journal and I have to know what is where,” Penny explains. The garden over the wall is named ‘Ursula’s Garden’ for the gravestone with Mrs. Ursula Tudor’s name on it. Penny’s neighbor salvaged some gravestones from a landscaping project in South Windsor. She found the caretakers of the town’s old cemeteries to make sure they weren’t misplaced and discovered their stories. “Ursula was 13 years old and the stone carver made a mistake,” Penny relayed. “Moses Loomis’s stone is farther up the wall to the left of the oakleaf hydrangea, but I don’t call that area Moses’s garden. I don’t think he’d like it. His last name was spelled wrong on the stone. He became a captain and so his stone was removed and replaced with a military stone. His wife, who is leaning by my shed, had her name spelled wrong too. Lots of mistakes going on back then.” Penny also has one unmarked that she found when digging in her own yard. “It’s now the headstone for my kitty Mario.”

As autumn approaches, the hydrangea at the entrance turns into papery mauve blossoms, and the annuals in urns, skirting the foundation, and brimming in the window boxes come into their own, as do the hostas, wearing their assorted greens and textures, most noticeable now that summer’s surfeit of flowers has faded. Perennial blue ageratum delicately contributes to all compositions, its reputation for rampancy welcome this time of year when it forms a heavenly veil for orange marigolds, and fairy wands of pink anemone, and sedum “autumn joy” with its plates starting green tinged pink and metamorphosing to its winter brick. Dahlias, deliciously colored tropical sherbet, sunrise, crimson, rise above the gardens, cherry tomatoes climb a seven foot tall ladder at the kitchen door and a sparkling white sweet autumn clematis smothers a trellis. Wild violet and white asters sprinkle the shade and in the sun, the bittersweet petals of gallardia surround maroon centers threaded with gold and partner with the last of the season’s black-eyed Susans. Golden rod, jewel and Joe Pye weed circle the pond and tower over the stonewall striped with cleome and punctuated with zebra grass, tasseled now in the fall.

This time of year, the children would have returned to the little schoolhouse after the harvest, while the season unfurled its autumnal wildflowers and ignited its foliage; and whenever I drive by the ABC House, along with letting my imagination wander to those long ago school days, I look forward to seeing what’s growing in Penny’s garden.

As autumn came Father dug the carrots and turnips and potatoes and stored them in the bins in the vegetable cellar. Luscious, wild purple grapes were gathered and either put into a barrel to ferment for wine or cooked for grape juice. The windfall apples were gathered for a huge barrel of cider that stood in the preserve cellar beside the grape wine. The wide shelves in the preserve cellar were heavy with the summer harvest. Barrels of apples also stood in that part of the cellar, and the air was redundant with wonderful smells.

In the spacious old attic with its half-round windows at either end more storing was done. Hickory nuts, chestnuts, bunches of fragrant herbs were stored, and Mother even tried drying sliced cored apples on strings, but they were not too successful. By Thanksgiving time the house was truly stocked for winter. The outer cellar held great stacks of good apple wood and chestnut logs for the furnace; the coal bin was full for the kitchen stove, and plenty of quick kindling had been split and laid in neat piles.

Our first Thanksgiving at “Maplehurst” was complete; for days pies and cranberry sauce and all sorts of luscious things had been made. The day before Great Aunt Delia Hammond from Auburn, Massachusetts, came to spend the festive day with us. I can’t remember the dinner or any of the details until early evening came. A light snow had fallen in the late afternoon, and it was cold outside, but in the parlor all was merry and warm. Some of our good neighbors had come in for a cup of cheer with us. The open fire was burning brightly in the Franklin frame, and Maud sat at the piano playing softly. Then someone suggested we dance. Dear Great Aunt Delia was the first to respond. She picked up her heavy black silk skirts, showing a still slim ankle and pretty shoe. Alone she danced the minuet with all the grace of a young girl. I remember the false hair front piece on her head bobbed up and down, and the heavy gold chain that hung down from her neck caught the light of the open fire. Her merry eyes also danced with fun and mischief, and when she had finished, she had us all up dancing the Virginia reel while Maud played Turkey in the Straw. My heart pounded with delight and happiness, and even Mother forgot it was past my bed time. So time sped on!
Miriam Peabody

This month’s memoir comes courtesy of Gustavo Falla, current owner of “Maplehurst”, the seventh in a nine-part memoir. We’re seeking the remembrances of those who grew up here, or their parents, or grandparents, whatever the era, as well as written “attic treasures” for this monthly column.

Students returned to Hampton Elementary School this year to meet many new faces and new expectations, yet none as challenging as news of the sudden and tragic death of former teacher, Jim Shifrin, who passed away on September 30.

Tributes poured in for Mr. Shifrin, who served as the school’s special education teacher for several years, as current and former staff and families recalled his “kindness, compassion, and gentleness”. Long-time principal Marsha Willhoit Jendrewski wrote, “His warmth, patience, and intelligence were appreciated by children, parents, and staff.” Mr. Shifrin is remembered among all who knew him for “his deep sense of giving to his students as a special education teacher, a musician who shared his gift of voice and guitar, and friend who always listened, laughed, and cared for others.”

With his own life marked with incomprehensible losses, Mr. Shifirin served as a role model for students, teaching through example perseverance, gratitude and generosity. Predeceased by his daughter, Bailey Theresa, “Jim took grief and tragedy and turned it into an act of love and prayer. He built and dedicated a beautiful, welcoming, handicapped-accessible playground to include all children, and then, following a tragic bicycle accident that left him paralyzed, he formed the Bailey’s Garden Foundation to support children and families with disabilities.”

These charitable acts, and the example Mr. Shifrin set for us, will live on, along with the recollections children never forget of a beloved teacher. Our condolences to his wife, Mary-Grace, and their children, Cooper James and Nevaeh Maria Rose, and all the current and former staff and students at Hampton Elementary who knew and loved him.
Donations in Jim Shifrin’s honor may be made to Bailey’s Garden Foundation, 116 Bascom Road, Lebanon, CT, 06249, Windham Dialysis Unit, Windham, CT, or Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT.