The northeast section of our state has two names. The Last Green Valley and The Quiet Corner. The first was given by airline pilots as they flew over the area and noticed the absence of illumination at night and the vast areas of greenery by day: the quiet corner obviously because of its blend of forestation and farming area plus not a hub for busy airports or larger cities.

However on Tuesday, May 2, 1916, a double homicide took place in the Quaddick district of Thompson. Burt Pettis and his daughter Sybil were murdered. Both shot to death at 4:30 that morning.

Fortunately I was given a copy written by Diane deManbry Duebber called THE STRANGE CASE of the PETTIS MURDERS in Thompson, CT. The booklet credits the PUTNAM PATRIOT for the “real story.”

According to the booklets content, a posse was formed by at least 100 well-armed men who began scouring the country for the murderer, John Elliot, a farmhand of West Thompson. It was believed he was a deranged man with an insane infatuation for the 28 year old murdered school teacher.

He had been identified by Mrs. Pettis who begged for her life when Elliot entered the home and shot her husband and daughter. The house, on Chase Road, still stands and it has been reported that bullet holes in the staircase are still visible.

Not sure if copies are available and if so I suggest you pick one up as it is so well written and describes the event from the day it happened, the areas searched, and where the killer was eventually caught.

So perhaps one could say, at that time, it was the Not So Quiet Corner.

Having been born in Connecticut, a genuine Nutmegger, I have been intrigued by the varied names of towns. In my last blog I mentioned a few that were owners of rather strange names. I found the Pomfret one interesting and one that has always captured my attention is the town of Voluntown. My curiosity with the name perhaps named for Volunteering. Yes it is. It was first called Volunteer Town.

A large portion of the land was granted to the Volunteers of the Narragansett War, also called King Philip’s War, in 1700 and thus “Voluntown.” It was surveyed in 1705 when boundaries were established and drawn up into lots. Each eligible volunteer received a lot. They were called “holders, who did not abandon but stayed to fight. Among them was Benedict Arnold.

It is completely surrounded on the south by North Stonington, west by the town of Griswold, east by the State of Rhode Island, North by Windham County. The 2010 census showed a population of 2,603.

Until 1881 it was part of Windham County. It served as a founding area for the first Civilian Conservation Camp, also known as the CCC, and now the home of Pachaug State Park visited by many hikers and camping families.

And, volunteers are still needed by many local civic groups, schools and churches.

In my last blog I wrote about town name origins and I indicated that from time to time a blog about one or two would appear. I have chosen the Town of Pomfret for the first as it is one of the oldest in Northeast CT. Incorporated in 1713 and named after Governor Saltonstall’s estate in England called Pontefract which means broken bridge.

Unlike many New England Towns it does not have an actual formal Town Center. I guess you could say Pomfret qualifies as a quintessential New England Community. It has many fine homes, rural in nature, and buildings and a district listed as historic. The district was added to the National Register in 1998.

Pomfret is known for many famous people from Israel Putnam Major General serving George Washington, and an impressive list of authors, poets and abolitionists. And let’s not forget for sports fans UCONN basketball Coach Jim Calhoun.

Other properties listed on the National Register include Brayton Grist Mill, Gwyn Careg, Israel Putnam Wolf Den, and the Pomfret Town House. A chapter of the Daughters of The American Revolution is also located in Pomfret. There are two State Parks, Mashamoquet and Wolf Den.

A former railroad bed called the Airline Trail joins Pomfret with its neighbor Putnam running seven miles and much of it thru the Audubon Society property called the Bafflin Sanctuary a large nature preserve.

Two private schools are located there, Pomfret School and The Rectory School.

I have always been intrigued by the names of towns and toyed with the idea of someday going back and writing about them. Over the years in my travels I have come across many and chuckle at some and puzzle as to their origins.

The state of Arkansas leads all others when you look into funny town names such as Grit, Noodle, Remote and Boring. And other states are not far behind either. There’s Owl’s Head and Hoosick, NY. Michigan has a city called Hell. Think of a question that would be funny such as “Where are you from?

Years ago as a managing editor of a small RI T weekly newspaper I interviewed the new town manager from Cut and Shoot. True. Check these out: Intercourse, PA, Sandwich, MA, and Slaughtersville, OK. And we have a few here closer to home. Happy Land and Hazardville. Happy Land is on the banks of the CT River in Preston and Hazardville on the Ct-Mass. border where it was the leading manufacturing location for gunpowder. What is now the Woodstock area here in northeast CT was originally called New Roxbury as farmers, mostly Swedish from the Massachusetts town of Roxbury, came here for the fertile soil.

Many towns were named after famous men. One actually for two Railroad executives a Mr. Paramore and Mr. Gould, called Paragould to honor both men. Putnam, CT was named for General Israel Putnam. Searching for the origins of town names can be educational, as well as getting a good laugh. You will find many that date back to the 1700’s.

October 19, 1864 is the date of the northernmost war action of the Civil War. Confederate Soldiers, entering from Canada, with a plan to rob border town banks to supply Confederate troops and hopefully divert Union Troops to shift efforts to defend the borders of northern states.

The effort was led by Bennett Young who recruited confederate soldiers who had escaped. By October 20th he had assembled 21 such men and went to St. Albans, VT and robbed the bank there. Nine or ten of his men held villagers at gunpoint while they took away $208,000. There was little resistance and one villager was killed and one wounded.

Young ordered the town burned but the method used did not ignite burning only one small building. The men escaped to Canada, and under pressure from the Union Government, arrested them and returned $88,000 recovered. The men escaped and after a somewhat limited pursuit, were recaptured by Canadian authorities.

The undertaking turned Canada against the south as it prided itself for being independent and felt the south was drawing it into the conflict.