Blogs where I include old recipes is always a winner so here are a few recipes from the 1903 August 7 Norwich Bulletin.

Turkish Delight – Grate a fine, large, ripe, pineapple into a bowl and cover with boiling water allow it to stand for five hours, then strain off the clear liquid and sweeten to taste and freeze to a soft snow, serve in glasses with a spoonful of red raspberries in the bottom of each glass.

Fried Corn.- Carefully cut the corn from six ears of fresh sweet corn, being careful not to take any of the cob with it, and have the grains separate. Fry in just enough butter to keep it from sticking to the pan, being careful to stir very often. When a nice brown add half a cup of sweet cream and salt and pepper to taste. Do not place on the fire after you have added the cream, as it will curdle. Serve in a hot dish. A very nice luncheon or breakfast dish.

Sweet Pickled Beans. – Wash and string young tender beans and let them lie in brine for a week. Then freshen in clear water, boil until just tender and cover with a spiced vinegar made in the following proportion: One gallon of vinegar, one cup of sugar, two and a half dozen whole cloves, same number of peppercorns, fifteen whole allspice and eight blades of mace; three sticks of cinnamon may be added if desired.

Plum Pie – To one cup of plum pulp add one cup of sweet cream, thicken this with one teaspoonful of cornstarch made smooth with a little sweet milk, stir into this two well beaten egg yolks and one-third cup of granulated sugar. Place this mixture in a pie pan lined with with a rich piecrust, bake quickly, being careful not to burn it. Beat the whites of the two eggs stiff and stir in carefully two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar spread this over the top of the pie and return tot he oven brown lightly. This is good either hot or cold.

Popovers. – Sift together two-thirds of a cup of entire wheat flour, one-third of a cup of white flour and one-fourth of a teaspoonful of salt. To this gradually add seven-eighths of a cup of milk, stirring rapidly to smooth the batter, then put in one well beaten egg and beat again till very light. Pour into hot greased

iron gem pans and bake in a hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes.

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

Sometimes I read a story in an old paper that I try to forget I ever saw. Stories that break my heart or deeply disturb me. This is one of those stories from the July 3, 1906 Norwich Bulletin. It was not a headlined story. It was just a little side story of how Fred Sterry choked to death on a piece of candy.

The story in the paper was not an official obituary nor was it a news item. It was just a mention in the column about town.

“Much sympathy is expressed for Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sterry of Otrobando road in the sudden death of their oldest son Fred, at the age of twelve years. The boy bought candy at the grocer’s and started home with the candy in his mouth. He began to choke when near the Town Street schoolhouse and was noticed by his Henry Wagner, his uncle, who endeavored to dislodge the candy. His efforts were unsuccessful and the boy was picked up and carried to Burrill Lathrop’s house and it was decided to take him to the hospital, but he was then beyond help and nothing could be done for him there.

Besides his parents, he leaves two brothers, Robert and Howard. He was a promising pupil in the junior department of Town Street School and was a member of the First Congregational Sunday School.

It was just a piece of candy. At what age do we teach our children how to help someone who is choking? At what age do we teach our children how to help themselves if they are choking? Do you know what to do for your family members? Do they know how to help you?

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

Here is an idea from the August 10, 1906 Norwich Bulletin for something that could make a historic day in Norwich, CT a bit more interesting and unique than those of the towns in the surrounding area of New England.

Most of us consider mail carrier service as something that we have always had throughout history. Mail carrier service is something we take for granted. Well that is not the case. It was a very big deal on October 1, 1906, It took a petition by the residents, supported by Congressman Higgins and Postmaster Caruthers to bring it about. What are the differences in how mail was sent, processed and received from the 1600’s to the present day? Not just the stamps changed but the options of paper, stationary, envelopes. Envelopes? Yes even envelopes changed and so did the size of paper. With an actual date and a petition to focus on the option of a historical cos-play festival give Norwich historians an option few if any other city can use to advantage.

“Norwich Town residents are shortly to rejoice in one of the postal privileges enjoyed by residents of the City of Norwich, that of receiving their mail by carrier at their own door. Just exactly how soon the new service will go into effect cannot be definitely stated yet, but probably between the first and the middle of October will be the time.

A practically

unanimous petition from Norwich Town residents affected, backed up by the support of Congressman Edwin W. Higgins and the influence and hard work of Postmaster William Caruthers, has accomplished what many in that section of the town have been longing for for years. The petition was presented in April and in July an inspector from Washington went over the ground with Postmaster Caruthers and recommended the service.

Compliance with some requirements are demanded by the department before the service is put into operation and as soon as these are satisfied the way will be clear for the new carrier route. All streets upon which deliveries are to be made must be named and have signs displayed at the corners. Houses must bear number plates, and street lights must be provided. The main streets like Town, West Town, Huntington Avenue, Clinton Avenue and some of the side streets are to be included, the route meeting the present limit of the city carriers at Pecks’ corner. The carrier will start out from the Norwich Town Station and will make two deliveries a day, morning and afternoon. There will have to be some adjustment of the rural free delivery routes which run through Norwich Town, all of which will be arranged by a government man from Washington.

The station will be a regular station of the Norwich postoffice, such as is known in the department as a carriers ‘ station, with a clerk in charge just as in Greenville. Mails will be received and dispatched from it just as present, boxes can be rented or mail received through the general delivery just as now, with no additional feature that those who so designate may receive their mail by carrier.

Such an arrangement will add still further to the comfort of living in this delightful section of the town.”

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

Winter is coming and when you are looking for something to do indoors I thought this list from a previous blog might prove to be useful to some new readers. I printed a copy out for my bulletin board and put a check next to the ones I have viewed. A star next to the ones I want to return to. A line through the ones I did not enjoy.

If you are looking to give a gift for the person who already has everything, consider printing out this list, wrapped with a package or two of microwave popcorn, or a mug cake and a bag of tea or hot cocoa mix. Enjoy!

51+ Things To Do While You’re at Home

Virtual Museum Tours Here’s a list of museums that have put their collections online for you to enjoy. 1. .British Museum in London 2. Guggenheim Museum, New York 3. National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 4. Musée d’Orsay, Paris 5. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul 6. Pergamon Museum, Berlin 7. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 8. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam 9. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 10. Uffizi Gallery, Italy 11. Museu de Arte, São Paulo 12. The Louvre, Paris 13. The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

New York Online Concerts and Shows The music and cultural scenes are doing their best to keep going. You can stream nightly concerts and Broadway shows from the comfort of your living room… or perhaps you’d prefer to relax in a bubble bath with an iPad. 14. 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home 15. Stream the Met Opera nightly for free 16. Check out STAGEIT for access to “Shut in and Sing” events and online concerts 17. NPR is keeping a live list of Virtual Concerts which is updated daily.

Learn Something New Learning something new doesn’t need to cost money. 18. Learn a new language in as little as five minutes every day. DuoLingo will even let you set up a “classroom” so you can have accounts for kids to study. Drops is another app that makes learning a new language fun. 19. Yale University is offering a free course online – The Science of Well-Being – that teaches you how to be happier. 20. Take a University Art Class – Artsy.net has a list of 10 classes you can take for free online. 21. Coursera offers free online courses from many of the world’s top universities in a wide variety of subjects 22. Become an Artist with Art ala Carte on YouTube. 23. Code Academy offers a free online coding course.

Take a Virtual Field If you’ve ever wanted to visit a national park or explore the surface of mars from the comfort of your home, there’s never been a better time. 24. San Diego Zoo 25. Yellowstone National Park 26. Explore the Surface of Mars 27. Live Animal Cams at the San Diego Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Houston Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Smithsonian National Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Ouwehand Zoo 28. Live farm cams from Farm Food 360 29. The Great Wall of China 30. Boston Children’s Museum 31. Pompei 32. Colonial Williamsburg 33. Ellis Island Additional Programs 34. Disney Imagineering In A Box 35. LEGO Engineering Workshop 36. Skype A Scientist 37. LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems 38. #GADBookClub : Actor Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen) is reading bedtime stories live on his Twitter every night. 39. National Geographic Kids 40. PBS Kids: Design Squad Global 41. Scholastic Learn At Home : Day by day projects to keep kids thinking, learning, and growing. Binge Watch Something New

If you have the feeling that you’ve watched everything there is to see on Netflix, here are some other platforms you can download to your phone, tablet, or smart TV for a variety of shows and movies. 42. PlutoTV is always free and has 250+ of free channels to choose from. This has an App for Android or Apple devices, as well as working on your smart TV. 43. XUMO is a free (ad-supported) service with 200 channels of movies, TV shows and kids’ entertainment. 44. Sundance Now has a 30-day free trial with the code SUNDANCENOW30. This service offers thrillers, True Crime, and Dramas. 45. Shudder has a 30-day free trial with the code SHUTIN. Shudder specializes in horror movies and thrillers. 46. UMC has a 30-day free trial with the code UMCFREE30. UMC has the best in Black film and TV. 47. Acorn TV has a 30-day free trial with the code FREE30 and is full of British and Australian TV shows 48. Crunchyroll has a 14-day free trial and access to Anime 49. Philo is a cable alternative that has a 7-day free trial then it’s $20/month for 59+ channels. 50. Sling TV is another Cable alternative and has two packages available 51. IMDb TV is an ad-supported movie streaming services.

Every month Reliance House leads “Clean Up he Streets” some where in Norwich, CT. They choose an area and encourage community members to show up armed with rakes, brooms, picker-uppers, and trash bags to clean the streets of the refuse and nip bottles. I mention nip bottles in particular because I feel I have picked up so many of those they deserve their own personal category.

But the subject of trash on the city streets of Norwich, CT is not new. In fact I have written about its history in the City of Norwich, CT a few times. It seems that Norwich, Ct residents and visitors have always been lazy about throwing their trash into a proper receptacle. Even if the trash can is just a few feet or sometimes inches away.

The following appeared in the August 4, 1906 Norwich Bulletin.

It would be interesting to know what city in all New England keeps its streets in first class shape- clean and in good repair. We know that Norwich doesn’t and we also read that the streets of parts of Boston are “a menace to public health; an insult to the local residents; a reproach to the city authorities, and a disgrace to the entire city.” This is probably a suburban district in which ashes and garbage are thrown into the street and the drainage of sinks runs on the surface of the ground to the public gutters. And there it is thought that a campaign for a cleaner, healthier Boston, would be as creditable as the movement for a bigger and better Boston.

All that is being said about Boston might be said with as much truth of almost any other busy, ambitious municipality in these five northernmost states. It would be a simple matter for householders and tenants to keep walks and streets, clean in front of their places of abode, and most of the uncleanliness complained of is as chargeable direct to its citizens themselves as to the authorities who are looked to for better things, but who never distinguish themselves in any way.

In the matter of neglecting repairs officialdom in wholly to blame – and this neglect is so common and so persistent that it would take thousands of dollars to put the streets of any New England city in thorough repair. Norwich is about to spend $1,200 to make Franklin square presentable. It might spend $12,000 on its principal streets and then not get them in first class shape.”

One hundred and fifteen years later how much is Norwich, CT spending to make Franklin square presentable? Norwich, CT is receiving fourteen million in covid relief funds from the federal government and most of it is being designated not for relief of the the residents or infrastructure as is required but to the failing pet projects of the City Manager and elected officials who want nothing more than to have their names on a plaque on a rock somewhere in Norwich, CT. Repairing the streets and sidewalks is not mentioned in the plans presented by the City Manager. The sewer and storm water separation is going to be a burden handled by a mandated grant from the state/federal government and by the taxpayers of Norwich, CT through yet another bond. Reducing the size of the bond by appropriate use of the one time Federal Covid relief act funds that might ease the burden to the future taxpayers of the City of Norwich, CT was not even considered.

Am I angry and bitter about the misuse of the Federal funds? Yes. Unquestionably. But I am also disappointed that over the years, there is a definite and distinct pattern of the leadership of Norwich, CT taking the same actions over and over again without ever examining the results and saying we need to change something so we can alter this pattern so that we can make progress and not just repeat what is obviously not working.

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

Letters to the Editor of local papers are important to the way history is written and preserved. Often it is In a Letter to the Editor that initial reports of an occurrence are reported. This is often the case of occurrences in nature being observed. Many people may see something and they may even briefly wonder about it but only one may take the action of putting pen to paper and write the letter that gets printed in the paper to be read by others, to cause others to wonder and look around, but to be acted upon by just one. Most things take just one person to take action, that causes others to take action, to be joined later by others and so on.

This letter to the editor was in the August 10, 1906 Norwich Bulletin. Most of us have heard stories of the great Elm tree blight but that’s all it is to us a story. In this letter to the Editor is a first hand account from a Norwich resident who was aware something strange was happening to the trees.

Mr. Editor: On Central Avenue, Greenville, several Elm trees that have suffered severely from the elm beetles are putting forth a new growth of bright springlike foliage, contrasting strangely with the remaining withered leaves of the first crop. Some wise people maintain that this second growth in one season is so exhausting to the vitality of the tree as to almost certainly be fatal. It has not been observed on Broadway or Washington Street.

Also on Central Avenue, near the residence of the Rev. Father Smith, are two remarkably fine mountain ash trees loaded with bright scarlet berries, which fortunately have escaped the enemy that has nearly destroyed a mountain ash that for several years has been a conspicuous ornament near the head of McKinley Avenue. In the spring and early summer this tree has had an abundant growth of graceful foliage, succeeded by large clusters of berries which gradually turn to scarlet when it was attacked and so nearly destroyed by an unseen, insidious foe that there is small chance of recovery.

The loss of a tree like this, that has given pleasure to hundreds of passerby, is much to be deprecated. Can anyone account for it?

W.C.G. August 9, 1906.

But who was W.C.G? Were they male or female not that it would matter today but back in 1906 would it have made a difference in how the observations were accepted by the reader? Just wondering. On any of the historic trots of Norwich, CT is there mention of the elm trees that used to line the city streets? Do the trot leaders merely mention the trees were killed in the great elm tree blight or have they done their homework and peppered their trail talk with facts and not creative tales of no substance?

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

Before the internet it was the newspapers that would spread the news and the tales that might or might not be true. . stories that sounded so perfect that they made you wonder if they were true although you had a suspicion that the story was being made up as it was being written.

This is one of those stories that appeared in the August 1, 1906 Norwich Bulletin. Is it the truth or a fairy tale we will probably never know but I hope you enjoy the tale and that it makes you smile for a moment or two.

This is a story of a woman’s invention. It’s the story of how the wife of an English manufacturer discovered blue paper.

“A woman,” said a papermaker, “Invented blue paper. It was by accident, that she did it though. Before her time all the paper was white.

She was the wife of William Eastes, one of the leading papermakers of England in the eighteenth century. In passing through the paper plant one day she dropped a blue bag into a vat of pulp. Eastes was a stern chap, and so, since no one had seen the accident, Mrs. Eastes decided to say nothing about it.

The paper in the vat, which should have been white, came out blue. The workmen, were mystified. Eastes raged while Mrs Eastes kept quiet. The upshot was that the paper was sent to London, Marked ‘damaged,’ to be sold for whatever it would bring.

“The selling agent in London was shrewd. He saw that this blue tinted paper was attractive. He declared it to be a wonderful new invention, and sold it off like hot cakes at double the white papers price.

Eastes soon received an order for more of the blue paper – an order that he and his men wasted several days trying vainly to fill.

“Then Mrs. Eastes came forward and told the story of the blue cloth bag. There was no difficulty after that in making the blue paper. This papers price remained very high. Eastes having a monopoly in making it.”

I tried to verify this story as it appeared about the same time in newspapers around the world but I couldn’t uncover where it originated or if there ever was a Mr or Mrs Eastes, let alone if they owned, operated or worked at an eighteenth century English paper manufacturing plant. But, lets face it, its a great story to retell for encouragement to anyone who has ever had an accident and needs a bit of encouragement to see it not as a tragedy but as a happy and successful occurrence.

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs

August 30, 1906 was not a slow news day for the Norwich Bulletin. Officials made a trolley trip but it was the story of the man who drowned in a Taftville Pond that caught my eye.

It was “Albert Talbot, aged 65. A boat tipped over containing three men and he lost his life although he was probably live when brought to shore.” Can you imagine such a headline being printed today?

Edward Talbot, aged 65 years was drowned in Taftville pond at a point just below Occum, about 12:15 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon through the upsetting of a boat in which he and two companions were out fishing.

Talbot and two friends, Tom Murphy of Occum and a man named McCarthy, who comes from Massachusetts and is visiting Mike Coffee, of Occum, were out in a boat some eight to ten rods from shore, where the water is about eight feet deep. The party was a convivial one and Talbot who was a large heavy man, leaned out over the side for some unexplained reason and in a minute all three were floundering in the water.

Murphy got Talbot to shore with difficulty and then went back after McCarthy, whose struggles were keeping him afloat. He brought the second man to shore also, not much the worse for his bath. It is believed that Talbot was alive when he was rescued and left on the bank by Murphy, but in the absence of any proper means to resuscitate him, death ensued.

Medical Examiner Paddock was summoned and viewed the body in the afternoon, giving a verdict of accidental drowning, and the Undertaker Grant was allowed to take charge of the body.

Talbot had lived in Occum for the last four months and before that lived in Baltic. He had no regular occupation, but his three grown-up children worked in the mill. He was born in Canada. His wife and three children survive him.

After reading the story I wonder about Murphy. Did he suffer afterwards with survivors guilt? Did the wife and children blame him for going after the other man and leaving Talbot? Did Talbot really drown or did he have a heart attack in the boat and then fall over into the water ?

So many questions and so few answers.

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don't hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs