Phyllis Stensland was a neighbor in every sense of the word, always the first, in times of need and celebration, with a card, flowers, or a basket of blueberry muffins. Her service to the children of Hampton Elementary School for over 50 years was legendary. The school’s first paraprofessional, the Board Chairman would call her hire “the best educational decision” we ever made. There wasn’t a single child who wasn’t loved dearly by Mrs. Stensland, and they knew it. They might not have known how to read yet, or to write, how to count, get along with others, or share. But each and every one of those children knew this: “Mrs. Stensland loves me”. This tribute is from her first, her own, children.

My brother Paul and I are so lucky to have had a mother like her. We really hit the lottery and never took it for granted. You cannot pick your mom and to have enjoyed her love and support all these years was truly a blessing.

Mom lived her life with compassion and kindness. She listened without judgment. She gave without expectation. She helped because it was the right thing to do. Listening was her gift to us. She would really listen, care about what you said and seek to understand. She would make you feel special – like the only one in the world who mattered to her. She deeply cared, was totally invested in you and strived to build personal relationships. Always “in the moment” there was no one more “present” than Phyllis.

She loved sending and receiving Hallmark cards. We used to say she kept them in business. She would not just sign her name to them. She would write you a personal letter using all available whitespace on the card. She was there when people needed her for whatever reason. Baking pies, making meals or just holding your hand. She made countless desserts for bake sales and was always volunteering for pancake breakfasts. Her compassion was action oriented. She did things for you. She was always giving, doing, helping and supporting. A breast cancer survivor, she became a Reach for Recovery volunteer. She spent years listening to women inflicted with cancer to give them hope and information that could help them make the right decisions for themselves.

She LOVED children. She brought her compassion to Hampton Elementary School where she worked for over 50 years. She brought joy to the kids at school, and they brought joy to her. She often said, “I need them more than they need me”. Nothing would bring her more happiness than a child doing well, learning, growing, achieving and gaining confidence. She was not just a reading instructor – she was an advocate, mentor, friend – someone they could talk to in confidence without judgment – someone who would listen to them. For these years of dedicated service to the school and community, the town shut down to throw her a parade. This was one of the happiest days of her life. She loved riding in the antique car and waving at her students, neighbors, family and friends. On top of this, the governor also proclaimed that November 10th in the State of Connecticut would now be Phyllis Stensland Day!

Our nickname for Mom was “The Energizer Bunny!” She was non-stop energy. Always on the go – perpetual motion. She seemed “on” 24/7. Seemingly not requiring a lot of sleep as her “actively caring” mind was always at work thinking about us and how she could make our lives better. However, she did take time for relaxation. She loved her gardens, and they were beautiful. They kept expanding and were located on all sides of the house and down by the road. She loved watching sports when the kids played. She went to hundreds of our basketball games. She was a fixture. If there was a game, she was there. She very much loved the Huskies, especially the “girls”. When they won a championship, she wrote them a congratulations letter telling them how proud she was of them. They wrote back with an autograph team picture poster. She loved vacations with family. She went on cruises, spent time at the Cape with Paul and his family, went to the lake, the shore and loved flying down to Florida to visit family.

She loved spending time with the “girls”. Her very close and dear friends Ellen Peters, Susie Askew, Diane Becker and JoAnn Lowney. Not knowing what to get her for Birthday and Mother’s Day gifts I would buy gift cards for Hank’s where she loved to go. When I would talk to her on our weekly Sunday call, she would say that she and the “girls” went to Hank’s and had a great time. If she bumped into the Priests, she would go on and on telling me how fun it was for all of them to be together.

I cannot talk about my mom’s close friends without mentioning Joan Dupuis who we lost in a tragic car accident nearly 40 years ago. My mom was devastated when we lost Joan. When she called to tell me the news she said “Michael, I just lost my best friend”. I can still hear her words that day. There is a beautiful memorial at the library for Joan. My mom made sure to take me there to see it during one of my visits. My mom has a memorial in her house for Joan with a great picture of Joan with her kids at school and butterflies all around it. I found this card someone wrote to her. It says: “Dreams, hopes, memories and love…that is what Joan, and you, are made of”. A very fitting tribute for both.

My mom died in her house as she wanted – on her terms. “Bud’s spirit was in that house,” she would say. She was not going to leave that house. She spent nine years without my dad. They could not have been easy years for her. She missed him greatly – never really stopped grieving.

Phyllis and Bud – high school sweethearts – married for over 60 years, are together again. I can see them having their coffees together and going for long walks together. Enjoying and loving each other…the way it always was.
I can see my mom – rosary beads in hand – still praying for us. Caring for us. Making sure we are all right…the way it always was.

Michael Stensland

The polls will be open from 6AM to 8PM on August 13 in the Community Room at Town Hall for the Democratic and Republican State Primaries. Only those voters enrolled in the Democratic or Republican Parties may participate in the Primaries. Residents may register to vote, and unaffiliated voters may enroll in a political party, up until noon on August 12, when the Office of the Registrars of Voters will be open from 9AM to NOON to accept such applications.

Early Voting will take place in the Office of the Registrars of Voters on August 5, 7, 9, 10, and 11, from 10AM to 6PM, and August 6 and 8 from 8AM to 8PM. Additionally, absentee ballots are available from the Town Clerk during regular Town Hall hours, Tuesdays from 9AM to 4PM and Thursdays from 10AM to 7PM.

Dayna McDermott-Arriola and Sulema Perez-Pagan

The June 28 referendum approved all six questions, with 163, or 12% of voters, casting ballots. The results were not surprising after the Town Meeting of June 20, which lasted only 15 minutes, prompted no discussions among attendees and only one question. Of the 25 residents in attendance, 23 were public officials.

First Selectman Allan Cahill served as Moderator, and the annual items – approval of the 5-Year Plan, authorization of the Selectmen to accept, borrow and expend certain funds, and the election of a member to the Regional District #11 Board of Education, incumbent Susan Lovegreen who was unopposed– were rapidly approved.

Cahill provided a brief overview of the budgets and explained other items on the call – the transfer from the unassigned general fund of $30,000 toward the purchase of a pickup truck for the Department of Public Works and $40,000 to remove the oil tank and upgrade the hot water propane at the elementary school, and to transfer interest earned from the Town’s capital and non-recurring accounts into the Capital Building Fund. He also explained that approval of the Town acting as a liaison for the Trail Woods Neighborhood Assistance Act was necessary in order to secure the grant.

All of these questions were subject to the June 28 referendum where all were approved, with votes in favor ranging from 127 – 140, and those opposed ranging from 23 – 35. Only approval of the elementary school’s $2,179,600 budget deviated from this range, approved with a vote of 97 – 65.

To the Editor:

I am reaching out to request that the Hampton Gazette print a correction to the recently settled CHRO complaint. The statement made in the Gazette to effect that the case was “resolved last year in the employee’s favor” is both misleading and inaccurate. A review of the Board minutes from June 29, 2023 indicates the Settlement Agreement, which the BoE approved on June 28, 2023 page 4, #8, noting “The Parties agree that (a) this Agreement does not render either of them a prevailing party in any legal action: and (b) this Agreement is not and shall not be considered an admission of any wrongdoing on the part of Bowen, the Board or any of the Releases. All parties specifically disclaim any liability to and any unlawful action against the other parties.”

The portrayal of said action, as settling in the employee’s favor is, at a minimum, inaccurate. Worse, however, is it continues to misleadingly cast aspersions on the capacity of the entirety of the full Board and its capacity to serve in its governance role for the students and families of Hampton. We request that the Gazette either reprint the article with the exact wording of the Board approved action or provide a corrected statement sharing the above so that we may focus on the most important work in which schools engage — ensuring that student needs are met.

Thank you,

Andrew Skarzynski, Superintendent
Hampton Elementary School

Editor’s Response:

The Board of Education met on June 28 to discuss the CHRO complaint. The terms of the settlement were not part of the public discussion. The minutes confirm that the board entered into Executive Session “for the purpose of discussing CHRO complaint”, and that the only public comment was the motion “to accept the resolution to settle the CHRO complaint”. Mr. Skarzynski erroneously attributes the terms of the settlement to a review of the June 29 meeting, however the board did not meet on June 29, and the settlement itself was not available to the public.

The Gazette is confident that our sophisticated readership is sufficiently familiar with the wording of settlements to understand clauses that protect against future claims as standard language in settling disputes. Agencies such as the CHRO investigate and pursue one of three courses: to dismiss the complaint if found to have no merit, to negotiate a settlement, to issue the right to sue. The complainant in this case sought a financial settlement to resolve the issue rather than a lawsuit and received unemployment compensation retroactively and $20,000, paid by the school’s liability insurance, as reported by Board of Education Chairman Rose Bisson at a November 15 meeting of the Board of Finance. In simplest terms: the complainant was given what she requested, financial compensation, hence the complaint was settled “in the employee’s favor.”

In his statement regarding the board’s “governance role”, Mr. Skarzynski neglects one of the entities for which the board is responsible: the community. The Gazette has not. While the board’s primary responsibility is to educate students, ours is to inform the public on matters which they have the right to know, including those that impact their taxes, and especially since the board’s minutes are sorely lacking. Mr. Skarzynski’s claim that this interferes with the school’s ability to “focus on…ensuring that student needs are met” is puzzling, since the Gazette has not “cast aspersions” on the curriculum, instructional staff, or materials. The claim that reporting on matters of concern for taxpayers interferes with the board’s ability to meet the needs of students suggests we need new board members.

There are few residents who are unfamiliar with Mr. Morris Burr. That’s because he’s been involved in most aspects of the community since his arrival in 1958. He has served as a Selectman, as the Chairman of the Republican Town Committee, on the Planning and Zoning Commission and on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He has served on the Memorial Day Committee, and for many years as Master of Ceremonies, as President of the Fire Department, and as a Deacon of the Congregational Church, barbecuing the chicken for those two organizations for years.

It seems as though this extraordinary level of civic involvement runs in the family: Morris is a descendent of Aaron Burr, a distinction proven through DNA, and a member of the Aaron Burr Association which meets the first weekend of September at different locales relevant to Burr’s history. This year the meeting is at Princeton where Aaron Burr is buried. Morris’s grandson is named “Aaron” for his famous ancestor.

According to Morris, the Burr family left England and arrived in 1640 at Plymouth. Four members of the family would eventually move west, settling in Springfield, Massachusetts for a while before traveling down the Connecticut River, by boat or on foot, where they were one of the four families to establish the City of Fairfield, circa 1660. It was a good site for settling, protected by the Penfield Reef, one of the most treacherous areas in the Long Island Sound. Their homestead remains today and serves as the Town Hall. The British burned the city during the war, but not the home.

Aaron Burr’s father was a Presbyterian minister who lived in New Jersey and was one of the founders, and second President, of Princeton University. He died of pneumonia shortly after presiding over a funeral in the rain. His mother would die within a year, leaving Aaron and his sister orphans to live for a brief time with their grandfather in Fairfield, until he, too, passed away. Aaron would later attend Princeton, graduating at the age of 14 at the top of his class, and return to Fairfield to practice law.

With the American Revolution brewing, Aaron and his cousin went to Boston to sign on with the Continental Army. Shortly after he would march through Maine and Canada and fight in the Battle of Quebec where General Montgomery was fatally wounded; Burr is credited with the evacuation of the General’s body from the battlefield. Aaron also fought with Benedict Arnold, served under George Washington, and later with Israel Putnam, who promoted him to Lt. Colonel.

Of course, Aaron Burr is most famous, or infamous, for shooting Alexander Hamilton in a duel. The Broadway sensation “Hamilton” has illuminated this chapter of history for most Americans, broadening it far beyond the mention in school history texts. Hamilton, the protagonist, and Burr, the antagonist, are the stars of the production; Burr has the opening number, introducing Hamilton and himself as “the damn fool who shot him”. For those few unfamiliar with the musical, or the history, after Hamilton refused to apologize for the disparaging remarks he published about his political opponent, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel, which took place on July 11, 1804 in New Jersey, where duels were still legal. Burr’s bullet would prove fatal; Hamilton was transported by row boat up the Hudson River to New York City, but he couldn’t be saved. On the 200th anniversary, replication of this tragic event took place at Weehawken, the site of the duel, and the Hampton Burrs attended. Weehawken, interestingly, means “blood of my enemy” in Algonquin.

The duel was not a singular tragedy for Aaron. His wife, Theodosia, though formerly married to a British officer, was sympathetic to the patriot’s cause, quartering the troops for a week in 1788 and hosting the officers, among them Lt. Col. Burr. She would later die of cancer. Their only child to survive to adulthood, Theodosia, lost her son, Aaron’s grandson, to malaria, and the ship that was transporting Theodosia from her home in South Carolina to visit her father in New York was lost at sea. There were, however, other offspring, and the current Vice President of the Association is one of his black descendants, a law professor at the University of New Mexico.

Burr’s resume of military and political service to our country is long. He served in the New York Assembly, as a U .S Senator, and as the third Vice President with the Jefferson administration, however when he traveled west, he was suspected of trying to form an allegiance with a foreign country to wage war against the United States. (Though Burr’s motivation is still uncertain, Morris speculates that the trip was possibly meant to simply see what was on the other side of the Appalachian Mountains.) Burr was arrested and returned to stand trial in Richmond, Virginia, Chief Justice John Marshall presiding. The better attorney, Burr and his legal counsel prevailed, and he was found not guilty of treason, but the trial also resulted in a self-imposed exile to Europe for four years before Burr returned to America and resumed his law practice.

Aaron Burr was 80 years old when he died. Longevity, it seems, also runs in the family. The 95 year old Morris relays all of this history, all of these facts, accurately and without notes. “The duel did him in”, says Morris. “He never returned from that to realize his full potential.”

The musical, “Hamilton”, explained the complicated relationship between Hamilton and Burr, shed light on Burr’s skill as a lawyer, and awakened a new interest in him. Some lesser known facts: though a slave owner, Burr educated his house servants and proposed the abolition of slavery as early as 1785. That same year, and still topical in 2024, Burr defended the rights of naturalized immigrants, was instrumental in separating the powers of the Judicial and Executive branches, and was a champion of women’s rights. His daughter received an extraordinary education for the time period, and the three, Burr, his wife and their daughter, are often referred to as “the first feminists”.

One of the themes of “Hamilton” is: “who lives, who dies, who tells your story”, and Burr’s, like so many historical figures, is still unfolding.

Dayna McDermott

On a summer day one hundred years ago, a line of children from the Center School/Town Hall building in Hampton ferried the town’s library from its old quarters to the handsome Italianate Victorian at 257 Main Street where town librarian Kate Thompson was waiting for them, ready to paste in the new library slips and fill the shelves.

Although Hampton had a library of one sort or another since 1865, the collection had been stored over the years in volunteers’ homes or kept in locked wooden cabinets opened once a week for borrowers. A proper library building had been the dream of an earlier town librarian, Eliza Durkee, who willed her home for that purpose. Her nephew and executor, Austin Fletcher, decided a larger building would suit better. He purchased the present building as a memorial to her and to his mother, Harriet Durkee Fletcher, and created the Austin Fletcher Trust Fund to finance the library.

Although Austin Fletcher had been concerned to provide a large enough facility, for many years the library used only the three main floor rooms These housed a modest collection, still largely preserved in the History Room upstairs.

The small size of the library holdings was not surprising. The population of the town in 1920 was 475, with summer people adding maybe twenty families. The Crash of ’29, the Great Depression and World War II all meant that there were many calls on town funds and community donations besides the library.

Despite its endowment, Fletcher Memorial library was clearly never an affluent institution. In 1961, the library board came up with an ingenious solution to their slender budget. They hired 52 year old Eunice Fuller to be the unpaid librarian in exchange for housing in the unused portion of the building. The contract required her to keep up the building, mow the lawn and shovel the walks, outrageous demands today but not unlike contemporary expectations for young public school teachers.

What no one anticipated was that Eunice would serve the town more than 38 years, as probate judge and Republican registrar of voters as well as librarian, retiring at 90. Unpaid at the library until her final years, she became one of the town’s great characters: an independent, opinionated, practical book lover with a warm heart under a crusty exterior. She ran the library her way, disapproving of book fines and locked library doors. Hampton residents were welcome at all hours to visit, relax, and gossip with friends. She was remarkable for her knowledge of readers’ tastes, her resistance to modernization, and her many kindnesses. A skilled gardener, Eunice favored daylilies, some still thriving in the memorial garden on the north side of the building. She was devoted to the Boston Red Sox and setter dogs and for years a flock of elderly hens that never had to fear the stewpot.

When Eunice retired, ill with skin cancer, the library board appointed Louise Oliver, almost certainly the first Hampton librarian to be professionally educated in library science, to the still unpaid position. While willing to volunteer, Louise insisted on being paid $1 every year to stress that librarians should be compensated. This point was made very firmly some years later after Louise fell ill with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gloria Langer temporarily stepped in as an unpaid librarian, but she convinced the board that the job must now be compensated. With some financial help from the town, Linda Gorman was hired as the first paid librarian in 2005.

In 1999, however, the important innovation was not financial but structural, namely the appointment of an assistant librarian, Claire Winters, an experienced librarian and elementary school teacher. The new position would not only prove popular but increasingly vital as library duties became more complex. The post is currently held by long-time volunteer Sonja Larsen, who maintains the collection and orders most of the books.

Claire and Louise were friends who had each been previously named Citizen of the Year for services to the town. They were ready to modernize the library and called for volunteers to help. The magnitude of the task can be seen from their immediate wish list: a toilet, a telephone, and a computer.

The need for the first was obvious: the sole bathroom was upstairs in Eunice’s apartment, a fact the board did not realize until Louise asked them to price a portable toilet for the yard. The board promptly voted to install one under the front stairs, sparing the volunteers awkward trips across to the sometimes locked Holt Hall.

The telephone and the computer produced an even bigger change. They opened the world, enabling the library to join Interlibrary Loan. ILL was a true revolution for small and underfunded libraries, because it enabled borrowing from libraries around the state.
ILL meant that a student could locate an obscure author biography, the garden fancier could read up on herbaceous borders, and the fan of a popular series could borrow a novel Fletcher was missing. Patrons are now familiar with the heavy plastic tubs filled with books from libraries near and far, but they may not know that Fletcher loans nearly as many volumes as it borrows, a testament to the quality of our collection.

Eunice remained in the apartment that had been her home for nearly four decades until her death in 2001. At that point, the library board took over the entire building, considerably increasing the available space. Fletcher Memorial had been maintained on a tight budget through difficult times but was seriously in need of an upgrade. At the dawn of the 21st century, the library board faced the task of turning a Victorian building with cosmetic issues and structural constraints into a thoroughly modern facility. This proved to be an undertaking of many years that has drawn contributions from a number of talented craftsmen. The library has benefited from the woodworking talents of both Steve Russo and board member Wendell Davis; repair work from Stan Crawford and John Berard, plus plumbing from Steve Dinsmore and landscaping and grounds work from Mike Chapel.

After taking over Eunice’s apartment, the library was able to put in a second, handicapped accessible toilet downstairs. Thanks to a major contribution from Roger and Jeanette Hoffman in memory of Donald Hoffman, the sunroom got a major upgrade and became a venue for the reading group. Upstairs, three large and handsome rooms were designated for nonfiction books and a library office. The rooms were cleaned up and painted, with Wendell building new bookshelves.

One of the small rooms at the back, formerly the apartment bedroom, became a storage area for the Friends of the Library, whose annual book sales were for years the chief fundraiser for the library. There were several incarnations of these sales, some including “white elephants” and baked goods with venues including the library lawn, next door at Holt Hall, and, more recently, the Town Hall.

Lately, the book market on the internet and the ease of digital downloads have impacted the library’s sponsored sales. Now Book & Bake coordinators Sue Hochstetter and Regina DeCesare find that baked goods and gift baskets often bring in more revenue than books, which in another change, are sold along with DVDs and audio books. Currently, the largest single source of extra revenue is the Fall Harvest Festival.

The final renovations downstairs involved the dark and frankly shabby children’s room. It was repaired and painted and immeasurably brightened by Ruth Halbach’s colorful murals. Outside, the Eunice Fuller memorial garden that Anne Christie designed was taking shape. With the interior brightened and the checkout desk up to standard, the library board began a big and successful fundraiser to patch and paint the exterior. The library was soon sparkling with a fresh coat of white paint, but there was an unexpected consequence, as library treasurer, Ellen Rodriguez, discovered several years later when she began to receive messages from the IRS.

The library, secure in being a true non-profit, had never filed tax returns. Unfortunately, the successful fund drive made Fletcher appear to be turning a profit. Board chair Jim Ryan counseled patience and a closed checkbook, but there were some anxious consultations and a letter to our congressman before the matter was sorted. The library ever after careful about official forms, eventually, entrusting tax matters to a professional accountant.

Modernization brought other unintended consequences. As the library responded to public demand with more public computer stations, security became an issue in two ways. On one occasion Linda Gorman had to hustle after a patron who, interpreting library policy too broadly, “borrowed” a router. The library also had to ask a teenaged IT expert to put a filter on the public machines to screen out pornography.

One significant non-digital change was the acquisition of a distinctly old fashioned, but essential tool, PW, the Publisher’s Weekly. Subscribing to the weekly “bible” of the publishing industry may not sound very exciting, but it is how our staff alert patrons about a favorite author’s new book and how Sonja Larsen, assistant librarian since 2005, can order interesting books months in advance. Incidentally, the reason Sonja knows what patrons want is because she regularly weeds the shelves and so knows which authors and subjects are popular. Only our local authors, considered a permanent part of the collection, escape her vigilance.

Janice Trecker

To be continued next month…

Students from the Hampton Consolidated School would walk to the Fletcher Memorial Library once a week. These trips – the library, the librarian, and the books — remain among our favorite memories.

Remember when we would go to the library and Mrs. Fuller would give us books that she had culled from the shelves? And those times when we were sometimes allowed to go upstairs and poke around for books?

Susan Latimer Perez

Yes! I loved Mrs. Fuller for greeting my mother and me by pulling aside the skirt at the back of her desk and bestowing gifts of specially chosen books! She also saved aside well-chosen books for my grandmother too.

Debbie Moshier

Oh my goodness, yes!! She was the best at knowing what each patron would like. It was definitely a rare treat to ascend those stairs!

Diane Becker

Yes! I considered it a personal triumph every time I got to ascend the stairs to that magical, off-limits second story.

June Pawlikowski Miller

I too have pleasant memories of Mrs. Fuller checking out my armloads of books and inviting me to look for titles up that very special stairway.

Dawn Burdick C wirka

That special stairway to heaven!!!

Carol Dauphin

The Fletcher Memorial Library owes its existence to two sisters from Hampton, Harriet and Eliza Durkee. The personal lives of the two women are not well documented, but as the library celebrates its 100th anniversary, it’s intriguing to uncover what does exist about them.

The sisters were two of three children of William Ladd Durkee and Ede Roxanna Holt, who married on December 14, 1828 in Hampton. Harriet was born in 1825, brother John in 1829 and Eliza in 1830. In a time when illegitimacy was frowned upon, Harriet was born in 1825, three years before her parents married. It appears that her parents made some attempts to hide the year of her birth. She is not listed in the town collection of births, nor is the year of her birth recorded next to her name in the Holt family genealogy, unlike the other two children. Her name was also omitted in a news article about William’s election to the state legislature. (Ede was also five months pregnant with John when they married, but pregnant brides were not rare at the time, contrary to popular belief).

Both the Durkee and Holt families were prominent in Hampton, and despite the circumstance of Harriet’s birth, the family was well respected in town over the years. When William died in 1878, the notice in the Willimantic Journal read, “William Durkee, who has been sick for some time past, with congestion of the lungs, died on Sunday, March 3. Mr. Durkee was universally esteemed and respected by all who knew him. He had filled nearly all the town offices, was representative of the session in 1848, was deputy sheriff for ten years and was a lifelong democrat.” Ede passed away in 1886.

Harriet

In 1847, Harriet married Asa Austin Fletcher of Mendon, Massachusetts in Manchester, Connecticut. Rev. B.F. Northrop officiated. Asa was a descendant of one of the first settlers in Concord, Massachusetts, Robert Fletcher. The 1850 federal census shows Asa and Harriet living with his elderly aunt (listed as a pauper) and their infant daughter, Eliza Durkee Fletcher, in Mendon. Asa’s occupation was listed as “clicker” for a manufacturing company. A clicker was, “One who made eyelet holes or uppers in boots using a machine which clicked, or a person in charge of the final stage of layout before printing in the print industry, or the servant of a salesman who stood at the door to invite customers in.” By 1860, Asa and Harriet were living in Franklin, Massachusetts as ‘hotel keepers’ with their two children, Eliza age 11 and Austin Barklay age 9, as well as 16 boarders. Among their boarders were students from the new Universalist private school in Franklin, Dean Academy.

The Fletchers did very well. Bertha Albee Gaskell’s grandfather was a childhood friend of their son, Austin Barclay Fletcher. In 1967, Bertha reminisced about visiting ‘Auntie Harriet’, “They were very wealthy then and had a very fine house with servants, and a stable. It adjoined the cemetery. It was a 3-story mansion, and to me it was a grand home – I think it was the equal of any in town at that period.” Austin’s friend, Arthur Pierce, recalled “His father and mother were prominent in Franklin community and church life, and there remain in the town many pleasant memories of their public spirit and fine neighborliness. Mr. Fletcher, Sr., was in business in the town, and Mrs. Fletcher had the supervision of the boarding department of Dean Academy”. Asa served as steward of Dean Academy for several years.

Between 1875 and 1890, Asa and Austin built the still extant Fletcher Block in Franklin. The Franklin Register wrote, “when completed (it) will be an ornament to the street and a monument to Fletcher’s good judgment, taste and active public spirit.”Asa was elected to various town offices, serving as selectman, overseer of the poor and a member of the Board of Assessors.

An interesting incident was reported in 1884. Harriet was called as a witness in the trial of a young servant girl accused of poisoning members of the Rev. Dr. Fletcher family, relatives of Asa’s. Harriet testified that she saw the servant at the Fletcher house frequently and that she saw her near the room of a victim, Mrs. Bartlett. The servant was eventually acquitted due to conflicting evidence.

Asa and Harriet’s daughter, Eliza Durkee Fletcher, married Heman C. Benson from Upton. They had one son, Austin Fletcher Benson, born in 1869. Heman died in 1870 of consumption and Eliza moved back into the boarding house with her 8-month-old son. Eliza died in 1881 at the age of 32, also of consumption.

Their son, Austin Barclay Fletcher became an attorney, a banker, a professor, a member of the Board of Trustees at both Tufts and Boston University, and a millionaire. He married Hortense Follett of Wrentham in 1882. The New York Times and the Boston Globe ran lengthy stories about the wedding, at which Reverend A.A. Minor, former President of Tufts University, officiated. The ceremony and reception, which took place in the home of the bride’s parents, included “several hundred guests”. The gifts were many and lavish.

Austin and Hortense had no children. Hortense died in 1905, Austin in July 1923. He left the bulk of his $3 million estate to Tufts University. He also left money to the towns of Mendon and Franklin for a hospital, libraries and other philanthropic causes. Prior to his death, he gifted $10,000 to Hampton for the purchase of the current library building, books and equipment.

Several of Austin’s cousins were apparently angry that they received nothing from his fortune in his will. They contested it in court, claiming undue influence, and Hampton feared that the $10,000 gift would revert back to his estate. However, the cousins settled for $35,000, the amount it would have cost them to go to trial, and in 1924 Austin’s attorney made known “the permanency of the gift.”

Eliza

In 1850 Connecticut, Eliza and John were still living in the Durkee farmhouse on Main Street in Hampton. There are mentions of Eliza in the Willimantic Journal that provide glimpses of her life over the years. On May 31, 1876, Eliza was among a group of women who furnished flowers to decorate the graves of two soldiers to honor Memorial Day. On a boisterous July 4, 1877, “Bells were rung, pistols fired off, and everything that boys could connive at to make a noise. The antiques and horribles created quite a scare going from one end of the street to another.” Finally, “A picnic was held under the noble ash tree of Miss Eliza Durkee, and prompt at noon the company assembled around the table ready to do justice to the viands spread before them. There was a cool breeze, and everyone reports a splendid time.”

The sisters clearly remained close, visiting back and forth. Harriet came to Hampton in November 1889 during a festival to raise funds for the Hampton library. When Asa Fletcher, “a well-known citizen of Franklin” died on October 29, 1891, Eliza spent that Christmas in Franklin with her grieving sister. The next July, Eliza was once again in Franklin caring for her sister “who is very ill”. Harriet died on July 9, 1892.

Eliza never married and continued to live in Hampton alone in the house she grew up in. Her passion was working with the Hampton Library Association to establish a free public library for the town. Eliza raised funds, purchased books, and ran a library from her own home. Mary Jewett, 95-years-old in 1961, recalled visiting that library as a young girl. But Eliza’s most long-lasting contribution to the library was the bequest in her will.

Eliza died on April 20, 1905. After leaving personal items to friends, cousins and her nephew Austin Barclay Fletcher, she directed the remainder of her property to be “converted to money” which was to be used to purchase books for a library to be “of free use to the inhabitants” and to establish a Durkee Fund for the town to continue acquiring books. In 1906, the Durkee home was sold at auction, and the proceeds established the Durkee Fund, as she wished. That bequest, along with the $10,000 gift from her wealthy nephew in memory of his mother, enabled the purchase of the current library.

In 1907, a town meeting appointed a committee to request that the legislature pass a resolution allowing the $2800 from the Eliza Durkee fund to be used for care and maintenance of the library rather solely for book purchases. “Residents voted it should be”.
Eliza’s will cast some puzzling light on her social relationships. The first person mentioned, even before the library and her family, was D. Clifford Barrows of Willimantic. Barrows was a jeweler who also sold stereoscopes and fancy goods. Born in 1852, he was married and had children. In 1901, he was elected Willimantic’s mayor. It’s unclear how he and Eliza met, but based on the items she bequeathed him and the significance of listing him first, they must have become close friends. She left him her “cherry desk, two sets of shoe buckles, one riding spur, all the buttons marked with the letter “D”, two silver sleeve buttons, one large pewter platter, two pewter basins, two pewter plates, and her pewter porringer.”

Eliza and Harriet are buried in Hampton’s South Cemetery with their parents and John, who died in 1898.

Dear Auntie Mac,

Do you have any good ideas on how to convince an elderly parent to give up her car keys? My gentle suggestions have been met with utter resistance, but this last week, I white-knuckled as a passenger in my mother’s car. She shouldn’t be on the road, but has absolutely no understanding of that.

Please Help

My Dear Neighbor:

In Auntie Mac’s many, many (has she mentioned “many?”) years on this planet, witnessing all manner of diplomatic scuffles, cross-border talks, and inter-kingdom compromises, she has yet to find a subject so emotionally charged, and participants so unwilling to move from their position, as can be seen when one’s right to drive is at stake. Seldom have heels been driven so far into the ground, reasonable safety-related justifications been ignored, and invectives been so freely hurled, as when a person is faced with the possibility that the mechanism by which they practice their very independence is about to be taken away. Your mother may be more aware of her decline in compensatory driving skills than you believe she is, but admitting this is to conjure the spectre we all do our level best every day to avoid—sometimes to our own detriment. Some people are forced to give up driving because of a sudden medical condition, or an eyesight issue, or other unique ailment that is, to be sure, disheartening. But the fact that one’s age, and its attendant capability-robbing traits, is the sole factor, reminds one that the tall gentleman in the long black overcoat awaits just around the corner. To surrender one’s keys, then, is to practically march up to him and say “Nice scythe. Shall we get on with it, then?” Best to “rage, rage against the dying of the light”—even if it is still red but you think it’s green and end up wrapping yourself around a telephone pole.

If you have, as you say, tried to talk to your mother about your concerns for her safety, as well as the safety of her potential unwitting victims, and she maintains that nothing is wrong, make an appointment with her doctor for her—fibbing about the reason if you must—speaking with him/her ahead of time regarding your concerns. A physician may revoke a person’s license if they feel there is a medical, or gerontology-related, need to do so. A doctor’s explanation also may carry a bit more weight than a child’s (yes, you’re still her child to her). You may also enlist the assistance of your entire family as well as her friends and those poor souls whom she might consider her “carpool,” to tell her that they will no longer ride in a car with her if she is driving. But above all, dear, remain kind, and understanding, and empathetic; picture for a moment the amount of life story your mother has lived—and lived for you– because of a car—as have we all. To surrender that gracefully takes no small amount of courage. Assure her that a long life still awaits her—with significantly fewer dents, bruises, and white knuckles all the way round.

Your Auntie Mac

Summer winds down during the languid days of August. The lawn loses its inviting emerald carpet, turning crisp and brown under the scorching sun. The flaring trumpets of brightly colored lilies and the pink tufts of phlox and the blue globes of balloon flower begin to fade in the garden, where few flowers remain to bridge the distance between the last of summer’s daisies and fall’s first asters.  This stretch of time provides a brief respite between the tasks we’ve accomplished, and the tasks to come, and we find ourselves seeking the relaxation of hammocks under trees. There is one plant that fulfills this interval’s two requirements – offering interest in the late summer garden, and the cooling quality of the color green: hosta.

The most familiar variety, the “plantain lily”, is the picture we usually associate with hostas because of their longevity and omnipresence. An impressive mound of bright green, leathery leaves, measuring four feet across and hosting tall stalks of lavender and white funnel-like flowers, we find these old-fashioned favorites around the foundations of long ago barns; for their durability, reliable performance, and their tolerance of sun as well as shade, they remain a favorite and solid selection.

There are several varieties of hosta with impressive sizes. The largest is ‘Empress Wu’, its green leaves reaching four feet tall and six feet across.  Another giant, ‘Komodo Dragon’, produces a cascading mound seven feet wide, with dark green leaves measuring fifteen inches long.  ‘Sieboldiana Elegans’, two feet tall and over three feet wide, is valued for its enormous, rounded gray-blue foliage, the rippled leaves, blue-green with gold margins, of ‘Terms of Endearment’ stretch five feet across, and the cupped and corrugated foliage of ‘Millennium’ emerges bluish in spring and matures to a glossy green in summer, spreading rapidly to over five feet. ‘Great Expectations’ rewards us with puckered leaves, uniquely “painted” with irregular blue-green margins, dark green stripes, and chartreuse centers maturing to yellow, then cream and finally white, and at four feet wide and three feet tall, ‘Blue Hawaii’ forms a unique vase–shape of powdery blue leaves resembling a fountain. These larger hostas serve as focal points and require substantial companions such as goats beard, a six foot tall plant with maple-like leaves and whiskery, cream-colored flowers, and hakonechloa, a grass which spills bright green or gold blades and thrives in shade rather than sunshine.

Though less familiar, there are several miniature hostas for use in small spaces. At ten inches tall, ‘Maui Buttercup’ makes a mighty impression with cupped and corrugated gold foliage, and the narrow, yellow leaves of ‘Munchkin Fire’ offer a spurt of color.  Eight inches tall and sixteen inches across, ‘Twist of Lime’ is perfect for edging the garden, the deep purple flowers contrasting exceptionally well with the leaves, chartreuse rimmed dark green. The eight-inch tall ‘Wiggles and Squiggles’ is one of the most unique, with long, slim yellow leaves, its name owed to the wavy margins, and the elongated foliage, variegated with cream, of ‘Fantasy Island’, serve as a skirt underneath its lavender flowers.  The “mouse ear” varieties, for the shape of their cupped and puckered leaves, are focal points in spite of their six inch stature. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ has blue-green foliage, ‘Sun Mouse’ has brilliant yellow leaves, and ‘Mighty Mouse’, blue-green foliage rimmed with bright yellow margins.  Woodland jewels such as sprightly whorls of sweet woodruff, the glossy pads of European wild ginger, and epimedium, with its delicate foliage and flowers, are charming companions for small hostas.

Though we usually associate hosta with their lush greenness, they offer a variety of colors. Golden hostas include ‘Age of Gold’, with smooth leaves, ‘Coast to ‘Coast, a vase of golden foliage, and ‘Gold Standard’, ovate leaves emerging green and maturing to gold.  Hostas with yellow foliage include ‘Seasons in the Sun’ which maintains bright yellow leaves from spring to autumn, ‘Sun Power’, with foliage of such an intensely vibrant yellow it almost glows, ‘Echo the Sun, a brilliant yellow with sharply rippled leaves, and ‘Designer Genes’, its yellow leaves contrasting strikingly with its red petioles. Hostas with chartreuse leaves make a bold splash in the shade garden. ‘Sum and Substance’, as the name suggests, is one of the largest, an award winning plant which serves as a strong focal point.  The chartreuse leaves of ‘American Dream’ are rimmed in cream, and ‘Guacamole’ leaves, the color of the fruit, are edged in green. Blue hostas, due to their glaucous coating, serve as stunning contrasts to their gold, yellow and chartreuse cousins. ‘Blue Angel’ is an old favorite with corrugated blue-green leaves, ‘Blue Perfection’ has leaves of a gentle blue, and ‘Halycon Blue’ has ribbed, triangular leaves of turquoise. ‘Sterling Medallion’ has silvery, dimpled leaves, and the foliage of ‘White Feathers’ emerges white and develops a green tinge.

Along with the solid colors, there are several with variegation, lending themselves to lovely complements. ‘Sir Frances Williams’, a large variety with blue-green leaves rimmed with chartreuse, and ‘Liberty’, aqua foliage trimmed with gold, are perfect companions for their reverse, ‘June’, with gold leaves and wide, blue-green margins, and ‘Brother Stefan’, chartreuse centers edged in blue.  These variegations are lovely when flanked with lady’s mantle, echoing the chartreuse and contrasting the foliar form with frothy flowers.  Several hostas are splashed with white or cream, many familiar to us, circling, and lightening, the areas around trees.  The foliage of ‘Patriot’ is dark green with wide, white margins, the leaves of ‘Fire and Ice’ are curly, with a white swirl through the green leaves, and ‘Remember Me’ is predominantly white with a narrow green margin. These hostas are stunning with ‘Solomon’s Seal’, the tall, narrow stalks and delicate white bells contrasting in form and mirroring the variegation.

Because of their formidable presence, whatever the size or color, hostas require strong companions. In earliest spring, daffodils reflect the golden, yellow or ivory of the unfurling hostas leaves.  In summer, astilbes beautifully pair, varieties of cream and crimson and pink partnering with hostas with cream variegations, chartreuse, and blue respectively.  And in early fall, ligularia, with large, beet-colored leaves and golden daisies, and cimicifuga, pale candles rising seven feet over dark, serrated leaves, are perfect companions.  One of my favorite garden seasons is when the evening primroses swirl through the hostas, pouring forth their sunshine between tussocks of textured foliage in shades of emerald, gold, yellow and chartreuse through the filtered light of willows.

These and more make for vibrant combinations, but in August, with its languid days, coaxing us to relax, to seek cool, the most welcome of all companions for hosta are, simply, a seat beneath the leafy canopies of trees, and ferns.

Dayna McDermott