The (Good?)Old Days

History isn’t always about the “Good Ole Days” as seen here. In this clip – gone are yester-year memories of a golden age -also gone is any semblance of actually helping this poor woman. Pumping her arms… really? Be glad we have these new fan-dangle things called CPR, paramedics, and emergency services. This video provides fascinating insight into the birth of the “Good Samaritan” laws. (What did that guy throw on her?)

As Billy Joel said in his song “the good ole days weren’t always good and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems.”

“New London” on Vacation

As I mentioned in my previous post… if “New London” has it’s own Facebook profile, are we to assume that New London is like a Godzilla type entity? What would “New London” look like and can we speak to the profile that we know on Facebook and eventually Twitter? I found this suspicious picture that looks like the profile know as “New London” in the 6th Distric hitting the beach. What do you think?

Facebook and New London: Soical Network Friend? Or Creepy Thing I Can’t Stop Thinking About?

So, I notice that “New London” is on Facebook with over 1000 people following this entity. I am not sure how I feel about this. People who live far away can keep tabs on the city (since the municipal website isn’t cool at all) and it becomes an interesting public forum. But, it’s also strange that our city has a profile.  Will it also start Twittering and send out Tweets? And what would they say? Please feel free to send your Tweets from New London. In the world of interconnection, this is okay and it keeps people informed. However, it continues to suggest that we don’t need to say anything to each other when we can send a message on Facebook. It is the same isolation of the spirit that makes people nasty drivers, that makes people not make eye contact with you when you see them out in public, that contributes to the socialization of our children. We don’t talk to each other all that much, but our city has a Facebook profile.

And if that isn’t enough, I didn’t tell you this in person, you had to read it on a blog. Sorry about that. I will be thrilled to talk it over with you any time and maybe we can talk about finding CHUD’s or why coyotes are so helpful in cleaning up our ferrell cat problems.

UFO in New London – take me to your leader.

I was surfing and found this picture of a UFO over New London. Acutally, it is over my house. Anyway, it’s no surprise that strange things are flying over New London.

Understanding the Wild Enthusiastic Confusion

In the previous post, I spoke about researching and finding things about New London I didn’t know. One thing that has been kicking around my brain has the religious awakening and the “enthusiasm” it brought to light. Let’s read that excerpt again.

“The “wild confusion” at New London during the Great Awakening of 1741-1743 shattered the First Church of Christ, the established Congregational church. Book burnings, singing in the streets, and shrieks of holy terror were unmistakable symptoms of the highly contagious disease “enthusiasm,” according to Old Light critics of the revival. Moderate New Lights reluctantly agreed that zealous itinerants, like James Davenport, and their impressionable audiences, like those at New London, were too often guilty of “imprudence” and “errors and delusions” as damaging to the revivals as the outright “opposition of its enemies.”

This entire description suggests that some kind of riot, yelling, book burning, and certainly some name calling all contributed to something that was dangerous. And it was classified as the highly contagious disease “enthusiasm”. Some time between 1743 and 2008 we all were inoculated from the “contagious disease enthusiasm” and we have yet to have a new outbreak. Now, before we get into our lack of enthusiasm as a city, I would just like to add that singing and book burning are strange juxtapositions. Oddly, I can’t think of any time in history when those two things (Nazi Youth) were brought together in such a zealous social uprising. So, let’s wrap our brain around this. 1) What was the Great Awakening? 2) Was it in fact a “wild confusion”? 3) When did enthusiasm become a disease for which we have forever been inoculated from it?

1) The “Great Awakening” was neither great nor did disturb people from slumber. If you really want to know what this religious movement was all about in our city, check out Chapter 24 of History of New London. It gives a real nice, classy understanding of the separation.

2) Apparently there was a moment of wild confusion when in March 6th of 1743, Mr. Davenport came back to New London with a message from god. “Early in March 1743 Mr Davenport again visited New London sent hither with a message from God as he averred to purify the little company of Separatists from some evils that had crept in among them. His mind was in a state of fervid exultation amounting to frenzy. On Sunday evening March 6th a strange scene was exhibited. This was the time of the burning of the books which has been regarded as the most conspicuous instance of fanaticism which occurred in New England during this period of religious enthusiasm. (History of New London)” Word quickly traveled to England where it seemed like New London was in a book burning, riotous frenzy. It was just a bit of wild confusion working out some spiritual issues. (Note this is just one of the many international issues we established from the get go with Europe. More on that in another post.) So, the wild confusion was for about three and half hours. And for the most part, it was an slow extended minor disturbing of the peace (on occasion).

3) There is an interesting report that went back to Europe – that New London “county was regarded abroad as the focus of enthusiasm, discord, and confusion.” Our city has always been the center of discord and confusion. But perhaps enthusiasm is a parlance of their time. Perhaps if we shift that word from “enthusiasm” to “acerbity” we would see a clear line between the wild confusion, the enthusiasm, and the way we feel today. We aren’t enthusiastic about anything but we may be sharply bitter. Why, because of things like “The Great Awakening”, “Benedict Arnold”, “The Hurricane of 1938″, “Urban Redevelopment”, “Ocean Quest”, and “Eminent Domain”. We are acerbic, bitter, sour people. It’s not in the tourist information. We like tourists. But this town has always had the “enthusiasm”. We like to be social, we like to participate in our community. But just when we can muster up some interest or excitement for the city and the hope it can bring, something turns it sour and we become acerbic (enthusiastic) and miserable again.

All my life I’ve been trying to understand the acerbic over tone of the city. It started so far back that it’s in the water, it’s in the history, it’s in all of us. We’ve been born, raised, and live the life of the acerbic New Englander. Why fight it? People from all over the country already know this and keep reminding me. So let’s embrace it.

Checking in on New London

Part of being a writer is to research. And finding new articles and books is a kin to finding a great restaurant or a beautiful park to explore. I was doing some research on some dry topic about pedagogy and the novel. But while I was at these electronic databases, e-books, and other resources – I checked on New London.

It is safe to say that I am a “Googler” or one who Googles anything or anyone. Some might mistake this for cyber-stalking but I just call it being informed. You can Google pretty much anything and while sometimes it is idol curiosity, other times it for a better understanding of mankind. Actually, it is great for settling disputes with my wife. Anyway, back to New London.

Having access to academic resources, I can search for things in books, articles, and other places that normal people don’t go. Not because they can’t – more likely it would be so boring they would cry. So, I’ve been keeping an eye for the city and how it has contributed to the academic and social world we live in. Most of it is reference material to things that are boring. I expected Revolutionary War hits, and I expected early Thanksgiving style puritan life to flourish from the pages. But what does New London have to do with Quilts of the Ohio Western Reserve? I know damn well what New London has to do with the title Taverns and Drinking in Early America – in fact I am drinking while I post right now!

How about this excerpt: “Carroll and Hatakenaka (2001) describe an example of a plant, the Millstone Nuclear Power Station, in New London, Connecticut, that underwent an organizational shift and became a safety-conscious work environment that exhibited many of the characteristics associated with a healthy safety culture. In 1996, the Millstone Nuclear Power Station was featured in a Time magazine cover story as a rogue utility that cut corners and intimidated or fired employees who raised safety concerns (Pooley, 1996).” You should be very alarmed when a nuclear power plant recently “shifts” to a safety conscious work environment. What were they doing before?

I kept coming back to this issue of the “Wild Confusion” that happened in New London during the Great Awakening. Clearly that should be the new name for this blog – because all of New London has always been a ‘wild confusion’ since I’ve been here.

Anyway this is the quote “The “wild confusion” at New London during the Great Awakening of 1741-1743 shattered the First Church of Christ, the established Congregational church. Book burnings, singing in the streets, and shrieks of holy terror were unmistakable symptoms of the highly contagious disease “enthusiasm,” according to Old Light critics of the revival. Moderate New Lights reluctantly agreed that zealous itinerants, like James Davenport, and their impressionable audiences, like those at New London, were too often guilty of “imprudence” and “errors and delusions” as damaging to the revivals as the outright “opposition of its enemies.”

I actually had a bout of that pesky “enthusiasm” in 2001 but with some lime juice, it did come to pass. Book burning and singing, what an interesting time. Not to mention that everyone was clearly drunk as stated in Taverns and Drinking in Early America. I think that is something we don’t think about in reviewing our history – the drunk factor. That is for another post.

Okay, so most of the books make reference to our maritime history, religious development, our ancestors, or eminent domain, or our Naval Warfare Center. So, I guess we are where we should be. Between a drunk playwright, who straightened his life out to win the Nobel Peace Prize – to killing each other over property, kin, and big industry.

A little knowelge (by way of super databases) can be scary.

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Citation: Phimister, James R.(CB). Accident Precursor Analysis and Management: Reducing Technological Risk Through Diligence.
Washington, DC, USA: National Academies Press, 2004. p 12.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/mtclib/Doc?id=10068506&ppg=24

N.L. Historical Buff’s Bibles

Anyone who is interested in the history of New London, CT – should know the History of New London by Frances Caulkins. And if you don’t, now you have no excuse. This historical tomb of information and history is available at Google Books. So, when someone asks when did the first fire truck come to New London, you should know. If someone asks when the river froze over – you should know. And if someone asks – how do you get to Ocean Beach – just smile and tell them to get back to 95 and head south. Just kidding.

And if you’re still hungry for more New London history, try out The Diary of Joshua Hempstead of New London, Connecticut. (I can’t tell if this is the whole book or parts, but it looks whole.) That is old school documentation. It is also a challenge to read as you would a novel, but informative. In fact, it documents one of our most popular lynchings on Gallows Lane.

So, why do we need these books online? Why do you need to waste our time with this information? Why is it important to post? Because you can search for your street, places, historical figures, and great moments in New London history without flipping through the whole damn book! And your welcome. It’s your history – now read it.

The Ice Flow – Rumors and History

“You Wanna Know Something, Kid?” Series – Honoring the over 90-year old citizens of our city. Occasional we will discuss stories, myths, and issues that come from the elders of our city. Often, it is a history lesson or some rumor that should be explored and understood.

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All of my life there has been this rumor by the ancient town folk that the Thames River would freeze over and people would walk back and fourth. The river now is a transportation hub for the ferry lines, a major U.S. Coast Gua

rd facility, and of course the nuclear submarines. In fact, in all of my life I’ve seen very little ice on the river. But, it does creep in during those brutal months of January, February, and March. I’ve seen what looks like slush floating near the shore spreading a few hundred feet out. In the winter, snow melt and still winter days creates a fresh water layer that sits on top and freezes. The picture here was taken in the early 1990’s and shows ice in a local marina along Pequot Avenue. So, we can confirm ice, but being such an ac

tive port, it is hard to believe in this modern world, that we could have thick ice all the way across the river.

Winter is an extreme season for the sea and the river. In more than one occasion in recent years we’ve had accidents related to the cold and the tough working conditions on the water. Some boats run all season including freighters, tugboats, pilot boats, ferries, security boats, and Navy vessels. In fact, on a pilot boat a few years ago, a crewman slipped on the gangway, probably hit his head on the way in, and died in the frigid water. He was found a few days later under the pier where the boat was tied up.

History speaks to us about those myths. So many of the stories that I’ve heard come from older people who have heard stories from their parents about the ice and walking to the other side of the river. In my fantastical view of the past, I imagine the Thames River as place where people are frolicking, sledding, enjoying the novelty of it. Skating as far as they desire, sledding, laughing under the full moon. Something like the picture here. But, the more I read the history and the more I make of these big episodes of cold in the history of our city, the more weary I am of the idea of frolicking on the ice. In fact, it makes me wonder if it was a good idea at all. Below is an excerpt from our classic, definitive history journal The History of New London by F. M. Caulkins. And notice the subtleties of this report. While it sounds exciting, it also sounds really, really dangerous. Almost as if they had to convince themselves it was okay to walk across sheet ice.

“The river is seldom frozen opposite the town, or much below the point of Winthrop’s Neck. Such an event occurs however once in twelve, fifteen, or twenty years. In 1821, the harbor was closed for six days, commencing January 24th, and the ice extended below the town, nearly to the mouth of the river. In 1836, the frost was yet more intense and protracted. January30th, the river was crossed on skates, but that same day the Bunker Hill steamer came up to the wharf, breaking through the ice, and landed her passengers. Feburary 2nd, the ship Newark, on her way to New York, came into the river in distress, and was brought to the wharf, by cutting through ice six inches thick. On the 6th, a rare spectacle was presented; the weather being fair, the ice firm, a large number of people went out upon the river. Parties of both sexes and all ages, might be seen scattered over the harbor, some walking, and others on skates, while sleighs and teams were crossing back and fourth from Groton. The ice was perfectly secure, a foot thick opposite the town, and about six inches at the lighthouse. A thaw commenced with a storm the next day. In January, 1852, there was again a bridge of ice across the river which continued firm from the 21st to the 24th, inclusive. The steam ferry-boat kept a path open for crossing, but people crossed on foot by its side.” -p.660

Maybe it was as exciting as I imagined it. You could walk over to Groton, stop by the lighthouse, and watch the teams prance across. It was an era of common sense, simple living, complete disregard for human life. Those who survived were better for it.

Lastly I offer this online find of an old post card of Norwich 1903-04 where the sledding and the volume of people on the ice supports my theory above. Although I do value my life and take self preservation seriously, I think if I saw all these people having this much fun, I would join them too. It looks really fun and something you won’t forget. I will look this winter up in the newspapers and see if I can’t give you a better portrait of this winter celebration.

With global warming on the mind’s of everyone, it is hard to believe that winter can still be… well cold. It hasn’t been that far back that we’ve had some hard winters and the people have responded. Ice skates, sleighs pulled by teams of horses, sleds, ice fishing, and simple winter frolic seemed to move people to action. While I don’t think I will ever be able to walk to Groton on the ice, or worse to any lighthouse on a sheet of ice, I might be spinning tales in fifty years about how it never really snowed when I was your age, and how the lawns were green in December. And while they are on the ice flows walking back to their homes, digging through the six foot snow pack, I can say – it was better when I was a kid.

It seems that the ice flow stories are true and the next time an old timer says – “You wanna know something, kid? This river froze and you could walk over it, god damn it!” All you can say is – “I believe it.”

New London & Ghosts: Tourism or Horror?

Ghost stories and ghost hunting is fun to ruminate over. I also like local folklore and history as it comes in the way of myth and legend. A good resource for that kind of reading is Legendary Connecticut by David Phillips and it spins some interesting tales of mysterious happenings around the state.

I wanted to get a feel for what might be haunted in New London. Lighthouses, old mansion, historic locations; those are just perfect for ghost sightings. So, it isn’t a surprise that New London Ledge Lighthouse is haunted. In fact, a few years back, we were asked to take some ghost hunters, with permission, to the lighthouse so they could spend the night hunting ghosts. It was around Halloween and it was a snotty day on the water. Turned out ghost hunters are needy, pesky people who are prone to sea sickness, and complaining. Our job was to deliver five ghost hunters, and then pick them up in the morning (if they were alive). They asked if they could be picked up earlier if they weren’t “feelin’ it” – and we told them no, see you in the morning. Now, this all sounds like a perfect set up, ghost hunters out on a lighthouse that they can get off, searching for the eerie specter. I imagine some kind of sound stirs them in the middle of the night and they see this strange mutant sailor. He warns them all they will die if they dont’ leave for he must take revenge on the world for his lost daughter Lenore, lost at sea in 1911. There is running around, screaming, it ends in the top of the lighthouse with the ghost chasing them to the light. The ghost hunters throw their camera (with the only irrefutable evidence of the ghost) into the glass mirror of the beacon and the ghost explodes and shatters in a million bits of light. They sit on the edge of the world, out of breath, cut and dirty thinking: this is why we hunt ghosts. Actually it didn’t quite happen that way. They actually spent about three hours there and when they weren’t “feelin’ it”, they called the Coast Guard and asked for a ride. When they told them they could only come out if it was an emergency, they claimed that they had a diabetic who forgot their insulin. That is serious ghost hunting.

So, here are a few other places where you might find a ghost around New London. According to Shadowlands Haunted Places Index, Eugene O’Neill’s childhood home is a ghost freak out. It’s a bit of a freak out without the ghosts, but here is the write up.

“The great American play write based his classic “Long Days Journey into Night”, after this childhood home in which he shared with his family. His mother, who reportedly suffered severe depression, would sneak into a small room next to Eugene O’Neill’s room, and he would hear her crying and then giggling to herself throughout the night. She supposedly would inhale methane there. There have been many reports, especially by the people who work there,(it is a museum now)of footsteps in the small room, the feeling of being followed, cold spots, and most eerie, the sounds of sobbing and giggling. You can take the tour and see the room for yourself, very creepy.”

- Maybe not very creepy, just O’Neill creepy (see picture).

Next stop for ghost hunters vacationing in New London is the The Lighthouse Inn, Simply put,

“various haunted rooms, and two ghostly Victorian women who roam the hallways at night.”

I could see a kind of Shining thing going on there, but it is too small and last time I thought I saw a ghost in a hotel, it turned out to be the inn keeper’s mom. Nice lady who had coffee with us the next day.

Gallows Lane is another nice spot to find a ghost – when you get a public execution, you get a public ghost. According to the website,

“It’s been said that this is where a lot of witches were burned though there is no real record. However, if you walk down the road (even in the middle of the day) you get the ominous feeling that not only are you being watched but also followed. One person who has done a séance there reported that there was the shrill voice of an old woman that told him to go away and never come back, though there was no one in sight, the voice seemed to be all around him. Most people from that area wont walk down that road alone and especially not at night.”

This description of witch burning is not really accurate. But we did have a significant hanging. An event that was so well attended that the street was aptly named Gallows Lane. Local historical novelist Mary Cahill explains, “Sara Bramble had a bastard child in March of 1752. She hid it under her bed and when her masters went out (she was a servant) tried to burn it up in the fireplace. She was tried and found guilty and hung. Joshua Hempstead reports in his diaries “Wednesday 21: Misty&rained moderately In the afternoon I rid up to the Cross Highway above Jno Bolles to see Sarah Bramble executed for the Murdering her bastard child in march last was a year Since. She was hanged at 3 o’clock. a crowd of spectators of all sexes and nations are among us from the neighboring town as well as this. Judged to be ten thousand. ” I am amazed at the crowd, and in the rain. The Hempstead Diaries cover a lot of that in detail if you’re looking for a definitive source.

I save this one for last because this was a surprise.

“St. Mary School – Some students have said that the basement, which used to be restrooms before about 2001, is haunted. Students who have gone down there alone have felt like they were being watched or were not alone. Also, urban legends state that the last three bathroom stalls in the basement were haunted. A janitor supposedly died in the bathroom. The basement bathrooms have been closed and the basement is no longer accessible to students.”

And that seems about as scary as that corner in my basement where I found a centipede last year.

So, that is some of New London’s haunted places. However, I know that people in the city, people who spend their lives here have better stories. The stuff above is common tourist info. But what stories do you have? What tales and myths are haunting your memories. We want to know. If you think you have seen a ghost or heard a good tale about ghosts in New London, send them in. And we’ll post them. When night falls, the evil wanders the streets. Along with everyone else.

• Legendary Connecticut by David Philips. Click here to read some of the tales courtesy of Curbstone Press.

• The Diaries of Joshua Hempstead.

• Mary Cahill is a local writer and editor. Her historical mystery novel is based on the early founders of New London and their interwoven lives.

Sign Language – PART I: Everywhere & Nowhere

It’s a cry for help. We have sign issues. Sometimes, we take significant pride in our signs, like when some wacky artist protested the war by vandalizing the submarine sign on I-95. The people in the community were outraged and the protester finally turned himself in when he couldn’t wash the paint off his hands. Then the community rallied (more like the submarine community) and repainted the sign. It looks great and we are still the submarine capital of the world (well Groton is).

We have sign blight as reported from the N.L. Beautification Committee where signs are thrown up anywhere. These aren’t directional signs, these are business and promotional signs. And while they all have a place in this world, they need some kind of regulation. Lady Bird would be very “disappointed in us”. Locations like the Huntington Street spot are over looked because the only people who see these signs are people coming into our city. We’re already here, how would we see them?

Temporary signs serve a purpose, lost cats, tag sales, garage sales, yard sales, open house sales all find a place on poles, sticks and street signs. That is fine because after the event they are removed and disposed of (most of the time). If they are not, people keep coming to the location every Saturday looking for good deals, so there’s a motivation to take them down. Anyway, temporary signs are relevant little neighborhood messages. However, it would be interesting to put a more personal touch to signs: “Lost: A life of luxury and refinement. If found call…” with a picture of a yacht on it. That is the kind of inventive power still missing in neighborhood announcements.

A long-term temporary sign (I realize the ambiguity there, but they don’t) you might find stuck on the lawns during election time. I think this is acceptable for private people to endorse their candidates, and we find them scattered around public free-for-all places, like that strip on Howard Street near the train tracks. I appreciate the Green Party who, while not yet confirmed, used biodegradable material for their signs. However, with the rain soaked weeks we’ve had in October and November, most of the signs melted and bio-degraded into the lawns. How long do our candidates hang around and blow through the neighborhoods? Until we come out and start decorating for Christmas.

Finally, The Day (see article) reported that we may be looking at electronic billboards along I-95 with flashy colors, count-downs to Christmas Sales and all that fun information delivery. I think this image explains the feelings of most people. The only companies and entrepreneurs who really can gain from billboards are exotic playgrounds. No one allows exotic and x-rated dancing or shopping in mainstream media. It is very easy to find on the internet (so I’ve heard), but it is not part of the tourist brochure. In fact, driving through Hartford, how else would someone know about the exotic services of the city unless it was posted on a billboard. And I am sure they wouldn’t contribute to the string of deadly pile ups we’ve had on I-95 this month.

In the end, signs are everywhere, on t-shirts, front yards, telephone polls, stuffed in your door, on the side of the road, even branded onto people (Isn’t Lance Armstrong around everyone’s wrist?) The nice thing about New London and our signs is that we have strong storms that rip, shred, and blow over most of our sign blight. We also have people who like to spray paint over signs, or just make up their own signs.

People are trying to tell us something, but I can’t remember what any of it is.

Look for Part II of this sign issue titled – One Man’s Message, Everyone’s Graffiti: How Spray Paint and Anger have shaped New London’s History.