AMITY & WOODBRIDGE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
JOURNAL
Spring Newsletter
Executive Board
President ~ Dr. Alexia Belperron
Vice Pres ~ Dr. Mary Dean
Treasurer ~ Barbara Baldwin
Recording Sec ~ Martha German
Corresponding Sec ~ Phyllis Federico
Contact Information
Website: www.woodbridgehistory.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 203-768-1029
March 2016
Board of Directors
Dr. Marvin Arons
Paul Decoster
Lisa Flaherty
Rebecca Harlow
Barbara Hagan-Smith
Richard Jeynes
Dr. Wilson Kimnach
Don Menzies
Jason Morrill
Cathy Suttle
1953 5th, 6th, grade Center School Baseball Team Photo Front row (L-R) C Lockyer, L. Testa Row two - C Caldwell,
J. DeRosa, P Arnold, E. Sandora Row three - G Clough, K Luciani, R Jeynes, unknown, Coach T Leary Between
rows - R. Bergmann Jr Row four - unknown, J Casner, K Kellner, F Carleglio, J Nickerson
WOODBRIDGE LORE BASEBALL - MORRIS POWELL - AND WORK ETHIC
By Richard Jeynes
For most, as spring approaches, we think of warm weather, leaves budding, green
grass, the smell of spring, and, for young boys and old men, the crack of a bat hitting a
ball. Years ago this was very true in Woodbridge and the focus of the boys. Following
WWII almost every family in Woodbridge bought a daily newspaper. Everyone had a
radio but few had television and, of course, digital was unheard of by most of the
world. Most, in Woodbridge read “The New Haven Register” an afternoon
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publication which came to the homes via a paperboy. (Some also got the “New Haven
Journal Courier” a morning paper.) These facts are not to inform readers that the
community was well read. Rather, to show that almost all families always had stacks
of paper in garages, basements, and sheds. Papers were used to start fires, burn trash,
or burn fields (up to 1972 burning was legal in Woodbridge). But this barely put a
dent in most paper stacks.
Another bit of information to set the scene for this account is that Center School, up to
1950, had exactly eight rooms: one for each grade 1-8. There was no cafeteria or gym.
In fact, there was no program for any team recreation such as football, or basketball,
or baseball; let alone soccer, hockey, Lacrosse or any other of the modern-day school
sport.
Enter, in 1946, Maurice Warner Powell. It was in this year that the Powell family
moved to Woodbridge: to a flat roofed, Bauhaus School style house on Brook Road.
Mr. Powell, as all the boys called him, was an executive at Wyatt Oil Company in
New Haven. He had graduated from Harvard University. And, in the 1930s, while
attending there, he was a middle infielder (shortstop/second base) on the Harvard
Baseball team. Mr. Powell was very knowledgeable and also was an excellent teacher.
He wanted to do something to help the children of that era to grow up with a good
work ethic. In short, he wanted to teach seventh and eighth grade boys that work was
important to becoming successful: that, accomplishing purposeful activity came from
toil. And, what better way than to form a baseball team dependent on no one but the
boys themselves.
While most fathers knew a few rudiments of baseball, Mr. Powell was able to teach
the real fundamentals (cut-offs, relays, double relays, hit and runs, how to catch a
ground ball, etc.) So the first Woodbridge baseball team was born. In order to pay for
all of the team’s necessities, each February every 7th and 8th grade boy on the team
was assigned by Mr. Powell, designated roads or areas of town and asked to collect
papers from the homes with in that area. This was called “the paper drive”. Donny
Ford (a member of the 1948-49 team) has stated “the papers were tied with rope and
taken to the New Haven Register in box trucks or pick-up trucks. The team was paid
by the weight of the papers they turned in.” In addition, cast iron and other unwanted
metals such as chains or old plows were collected from barns, sheds and basements.
The metal paid well then as it was used for the Korean War (1950-53) effort.
It is interesting to note that neither the Woodbridge Board of Education nor any other
Town entity paid one penny to support this team. All of the money earned from the
above work by the boys literally paid for all the necessary equipment: uniforms, bats
balls, catcher equipment etc., plus the umpires. (In 1948 umpires received $10 for
every high school game they worked. Today they receive $70.) When a high school
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umpire was not assigned to a game, he would work at a Woodbridge Center School
game for $6. Thus, Woodbridge Center School became the only public school in the
State of Connecticut in the years 1947-53 to have a baseball team. It was unique, a
new outlet for the 7th and 8th graders who were starving to learn the sport. And, they
each had to work hard to be able to participate. If truth be told, Woodbridge had no
organized recreational programs for the children at Center School. Up to 1947 “free
play” at recess was all the school offered.
The new team formed by Powell, played 20 games in the spring. All opponents were
private schools including, Hopkins, Foote, Choate, Taft, Forman, McTieran, and
Rumsey Hall. Home games were played on Center Field. Tryouts took place for three
days. As one can imagine, this was not just recreation, it was very competitive. About
14 or 15 boys made the team. Donny Ford (now over 80 and living on Seymour Road)
has said “Mr. Powell was a good coach. We were fortunate. He taught us everything.
And, we practiced after school every day; just like high school” He estimated that the
team won 15 of 20 games.
Remembering the 1948/49 teams reminds us of some old Woodbridge names: Alan
Miner-catcher, Peter Jennette-1st base, John Sorensen-2nd base, Alan (Tubby) Powell
(coach’s son)-shortstop, Gary Perham (Yale’s athletic Dr.’s son)-3rd base, Don
Beardmore-left field (also pitched), Peter Sorensen-center field, Billy Creger-right
field. And, Donny Ford, the prime pitcher. The writer here of was the batboy, being
only in 1st and 2nd grades at that time. Some of the players on the 1950/51 teams
were Charlie Griffith, Eddie Hill, and Charles Betts. The 1952 team which I know
best was the best team that Mr. Powell ever had. They won 17 of their 20 games.
Members of this team included: Michael Sirowich-catcher, Charlie (Pete) Marvinpitcher/shortstop, Terry Vidal-1st base, Peter Smith-2nd base, Joseph (Corky) Sills3rd base, Robert Beardmore-shortstop, Steve Marselis-left field, David Jeynes-center
field, Robbie Hubbell-right field. Walter York, Alan Baldwin, and Mike Rosen were
substitutes.
Mr. Powell’s program was so successful that in 1950 Thomas Leary, the physical
education teacher at Center School, started a 5th and 6th grade team modeled after
Mr. Powell’s 7th and 8th graders. They had the same paper drives etc.to earn the
funds they needed. The only difference was that some of the uniforms were hand-medowns from the older teams. Unfortunately though, even the private schools didn’t
have 5th/6th grade baseball teams so they only played about eight games each year.
The 1951 team was undefeated. A picture of the 1953 team is included here with the
names and positions of the players.
Of all the boys on the teams, probably three-fourths continued to play at their
respective high-schools. Many then went on to play in college. Among them:
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C.Marvin at Amherst, M Sirowich at Bridgeport, D Jeynes at University of Rochester,
J. DeRosa and K Luciani at University of Conn, C Griffith at Arizona University, R
Jeynes at West Virginia Wesleyan.
Acknowledging that some readers might not have a common interest in the theme, all
must applaud the hard work of the boys resulting from their commitment to earn the
money to establish and maintain the team. Their preseason labor translated to a longterm course of action which improved both skill and sportsmanship. And Mr. Powell,
what had he accomplished? Over the course of seven years (1947-1953 when Amity
was starting) he had subtly and expertly taught, through the medium of sports, that
hard work can result in success: that hard work can be filled with fun and
camaraderie: that hard work can shape future positive involvement. He, along with
Mr. Leary, imbued most of the boys of nearly eleven different Woodbridge grammar
school classes (perhaps 175 children) with a work ethic that would help them for the
rest of their lives.
Morris Powell, it is said, had more reason than just the love of the game to exert this
extra special effort on behalf of the children of Woodbridge. He and his family had
suffered the tragedy of losing a young child and he wanted to turn this negative into
something beneficial. Sadly Mr. Powell himself died in 1967 at the very young age of
56.
Darling House Hosts Local Historical Societies
On a recent cold Saturday afternoon in January the members of the board of the Amity
and Woodbridge Historical Society hosted a meeting with other local Connecticut
Historical Societies. Don Menzies, past president of AWHS, presented the history of
Thomas Darling and provided a tour of the house, while Alexia Belperron, current
president, provided a demonstration of hearth cooking which included root vegetable
soup, gingerbread, assorted breads and pounded cheese. There were almost 30 attendees
from the Stratford, Milford, Cheshire, New Haven, Monroe, Orange and Woodbridge
Historical Societies and the William Perry and Ward-Heitmann House, as well as
representatives from the CT State Library and CT League of History Organizations.
These events are a great opportunity for historical organizations to network and share
information about events, challenges, resources and accomplishments and to get a chance
to experience the historic houses in the state. Woodbridge has a remarkable house and
history to share and we received many positive comments. The CT League has been very
supportive of organizations preserving history in CT by providing resources, assistance
and chances to network. The AWHS certainly benefits from these learning opportunities
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and there are always ideas for us to incorporate into future events and preservation
activities at the Darling House.
“The Life of Pye”: Food in New England in the 18th Century
By Alexia Belperron
Most of us are familiar with the saying “As American as Apple Pie”, however history
tells us that the saying is not particularly accurate. First,
Photo courtesy of
unlike plums and persimmons, apples are not native to
colonialtable.com
America. However they were among the first items
brought over and planted by the colonists, with the
Roxbury Russet thought to be the first type of apple tree
planted in Massachusetts in the 1630’s. New England
farmers established orchards, often before other crops
were planted, and Thomas Darling was no exception. Our
archives confirm that once upon a time there was a small
orchard on the property (most likely where the parking lot
behind the Darling House is today). Pye (the original
spelling of pie) is also not native to the Americas. Pyes were invented in ancient
times, but certainly the English perfected the art. Pyes were a staple in their diets and
thus also of the colonists here. However, their pyes were not the pies we know today.
The original purpose of a pye was a way to facilitate cooking. Often people didn’t
have iron vessels for cooking so they created a “coffin”, what today we would call a
crust in which to cook their food. Their coffins bear no resemblance to our modern
day crusts. Originally they were made of flour and water and were very thick and
hard, even a few inches thick. The crust was the pot! The pilgrims, for instance, who
had very little cast iron with them in the first few years, cooked much of their foods in
pyes. The “coffins” were not meant to be eaten and in fact were considered inedible,
although they were sometimes fed to farm animals or even poor servants. As fat
sources became available, they were added to the flour and water to take us a step
closer to the piecrusts we know today. When Thomas Darling built his house, crusts,
which they called “pastes” were still considered a utilitarian item and the idea of
making a flaky crust was just starting to take shape.
Even as the “coffins” became edible, that wasn’t their main function. Their job was to
hold the food together, protect it from bugs and spoiling, and make it easier to eat and
transport. Without refrigeration, preservation of food was a constant struggle. A pye
with a thick coffin protected the contents not only from bugs but also from air and
thus from spoiling rapidly. When even the likes of John and Abigail Adams were
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expected to BYOSW (Bring Your Own Silverware) to dinner parties, the pye
facilitated eating without the benefit of any cutlery (akin to a sandwich). In the
Darling House we do have 2 fork and knife sets demonstrating the wealth of the
Darlings, but even they would not have eaten food off of their forks. Their forks, with
very sharp tines, were considered dangerous and were meant to hold food, and instead
they scooped food onto their knifes, which were duller and thus considered “safer”.
It’s likely that the Darlings may have eaten pie every day, but still their pies were not
like ours. Most of their pies were savory and not sweet, and they may in fact have still
been scooping the cooked food out of their pyes. Although we have many cooking
vessels from the 18th century that were owned by the Darlings, we don’t have any pie
plates or tins.
They would have mostly made their pies with straight sides in their cast iron pots. Pie
plates don’t become common use items until the 19th century (it is however thought
that the pilgrims may have come up with the idea of pies with slanted sides as a way
to make the limited amount of food that they had look more substantial). One thing
that the Americans did seem to bring to pie making is the addition of more fruits. The
abundance of fruits in the colonies encouraged them to add them to their pies but
often mixed with meat. Even when they made entirely fruit pies, they tended to use
little if any sugar. So maybe with that in mind, it is not so wrong to say “As American
as Apple Pie”. Apples weren’t native to the America’s and Americans certainly didn’t
invent pies, but they may have been the first to create an Apple Pie as we know it
today. At our March Open House, we hope you will stop by and see the Darling’s
18th century forks and knives as well as the myriad of cooking vessels and utensils
they used for hearth cooking, and join us as we will be trying out some historic “pye
receipts” (pie recipes).
“Onion Pye Receipt” Hannah Glass, “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy”
1747, England
Wash and pare some potatoes and cut them in slices, peel some onions, cut them in
slices, pare some apples and slice them, make a good crust, cover your dish, lay a
quarter of a pound of butter all over, take a quarter of an ounce of mace beat fine, a
nutmeg grated, a tea-spoonful of beaten pepper, three tea-spoonfuls of salt; mix all
together, strew some over the butter, lay a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions, a layer
of apples, and a layer of eggs, and so on till you have filled your pie, strewing a little
of the seasoning between each layer, and a quarter of a pound of butter in bits, and six
spoonfuls of water; close your pie, and bake it an hour and a half. A pound of
potatoes, a pound of onions, a pound of apples, and twelve eggs will do.
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6 got to
Editors Note: Those of you who came to our March open
house
sample this recipe Alexia made in the Darling House fireplace!
Koan Farms Offers CSA
Koan Farms, operated on the grounds of the Darling House by our caretakers, is
offering a CSA this year to area residents. A CSA is a Community Supported
Agriculture program in which consumers buy food direct from farmers at discounted
prices. CSA members pay for a share of the expected harvest at the beginning of the
growing season and weekly produce shares are picked up at the farm or delivered.
Shares are starting at $12.50/week.
Please visit www.koanfarms.com for pricing and details.
Join Our Email List and be among the first to know what the Historical Society is up
to. We promise not to inundate your inbox and we don’t sell or share e-mails with any
one! Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and ask to be added to our email blasts. Would you be interested in participating in a hearth cooking class? Stay
tuned and check our website for more information in the coming months.
Mark your Calendars and Please Join Us – Upcoming Events 2016
March 20 - Open House at the Darling House with Hearth Cooking, 2-4 PM
May 15 - Membership Annual Meeting, First Church of Christ Parish House, 2-4 PM
June 12 - Tavern Night - reservations required at [email protected]
July 17 - Open House at the Darling House with ice cream making, 2-4 PM
September - Tag Sale - stay tuned for a date
October 16 - Open House at the Darling House with Hearth Cooking, 2-4 PM
November - Tavern Night - stay tuned for our Fall Tavern Night date
December 4 - Holiday Open House, 2-4pm
Membership Annual Meeting
What Goes Up Must Come Down! Upland Archaeology of West Rock Ridge in
South-Central Connecticut
By Dr. Cosimo Sgarlata
Please join us on Sunday May 15th for our annual meeting at The First Church Parish
House, 5 Meetinghouse Lane Woodbridge. 2 to 4 PM. Dr. Cosimo Sgarlata, an
archeology professor at Western Connecticut State University will be giving a
presentation based on his research of the West Rock Ridge right here in Woodbridge, and
how archeological studies of the ridge can fill in important details about the ways of life
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of ancient people living in south central Connecticut. Refreshments will be served. Please
join us to learn more about the history of our town.
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