Oxford Historical Society

501(c)3 | Oxford, Connecticut

Making History Every Day – May and June 2024, Volume 6, Issue 3

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May and June 2024, Volume 6, Issue 3
Oxford Historical Society, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization
Twitchell Rowland Homestead Museum P.O. Box 582, 60 Towner Lane, Oxford, CT 06478

Fiber Fest 2024!

A sheep getting sheered at Fiber Fest
A sheep getting sheered at Fiber Fest

Nearly 300 visitors of all ages took a peek into Oxford’s agricultural past at the annual Oxford Historical Society Fiber Fest This unique free program was held April 20 and 21 on the grounds of the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead, located at 60 Towner Lane off Route 67 across from St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church.

Weavers, spinners, live Pygora goats and artisan vendors were featured at this event. Although planned for ‘rain or shine,’ the cold and damp weather on Sunday proved too much for the shearing of goats that afternoon but Saturday’s shearing sessions drew small crowds of fascinated adults and kids.

Local folk demonstrated fiber based knitting, crocheting, weaving, crafting and more. The New England Lace Makers Guild members showed their timeless skills, turning cobweb-like threads into astonishing products, twisting and knotting using colorful bobbins. Fibers of all kinds as well as finished goods were offered for purchase. The museum was open for free tours.

Thread being made at Fiber Fest

All sales and donations from this event benefited the Oxford Historical Society, aiding our focus on finishing the Munn Schoolhouse to allow the building to open to the public at last.

OXFORD’S HISTORY REACHES FAR AND WIDE AND OFTEN TOUCHES LIVES FAR AWAY.

Recently Stephen Couchman was writing an article: ‘Development of the Parachute’ when he contacted the Oxford Historical Society. He had just learned about Oxford’s Adeline Gray and the society provided additional information including an article entitled “Adeline Gray’s Contribution to World War II and the Nylon Parachute” by Dorothy A. DeBisschop. Gray, who grew up in Oxford, was the first person to test jump a nylon parachute in Hartford in 1942.

Doing his research, Mr. Couchman found that early designs for parachutes date from the 1470s. Leonardo DaVinci furthered the concept, as did Chinese acrobats who used them in royal performances in 1306. They evolved through the centuries, becoming lighter and less rigid, until James Floyd Smith founded the Pioneer Parachute Company in Manchester, CT in 1938. Inventor of the parachute pack, Smith found it increasingly difficult to acquire the previously used silk from Japan during World War II. The newly developed DuPont Nylon, stronger, cheaper, and lightweight, was considered for a replacement, but needed to be tested as a safe option.

Adeline Gray, May 30, 1946
Adeline Gray, May 30, 1946

Observed by a group of Army officials, 24-year-old Adeline Gray made that jump over Brainard Field in Hartford from 2,500 feet on June 6, 1942, with notable success. In doing so, she made a remarkable contribution to the safety and success of thousands of airborne soldiers both then and now. Further information about Adeline Gray can be found at http://www.oxford-townhistorian.net/Adeline-Gray_Newsletter-article.pdf

Couchman, currently chairman of the COL Reuben H. Tucker Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, is editor of its newsletter, “Scuttlebutt.” Both the DeBisschop article and Couchman’s article appeared in the Spring 2024 newsletter of the COL Reuben H. Tucker Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Association which includes articles on all aspects of the airborne throughout the world.

Now retired in Maryland, Mr. Couchman served in the Army infantry and artillery as an officer and in the U. S. Air Force as an F-4 fighter weapons systems officer. His training includes airborne, ranger, flight school and other military schools and assignments over 33 years. He completed his career working at the Pentagon.

Couchman also provided a related profile of one U.S. paratrooper Paul DeVries, who first entered the service at the United States Military Academy. A Second Lieutenant, he attended Airborne and Ranger School and was assigned first as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division and later as a company and battalion commander. A Vietnam veteran, DeVries served two tours there, one with the advisory team providing guidance and expertise to the South Vietnamese Airborne, the second serving in the First Cavalry Division drawing down the division at the end of American participation.

Additional assignments included a tour with Special Forces and as Commander of the Military District of Washington from which he retired. For his service with the infantry, he received the prestigious Order of St. Maurice – Centurion level. Currently he oversees Veterans Day recognition for airborne soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery and volunteers at the National Museum of the United States Army.

Adeline Gray and Observer, June 6, 1942
Adeline Gray and Observer, June 6, 1942

Like so many others, Mr. DeVries’s successful military career has roots in the numerous test jumps with nylon parachutes made by Oxford’s Adeline Gray so long ago.

Thank You to all individuals and organizations who have made this possible.

Your Great Support = Success

Thanks to our supporters, the Oxford Historical Society will begin installation of electricity in Mr. Munn’s Schoolhouse soon. This has been made possible by a variety of successful programs. To all those who particpated and/or donated, we are most grateful. You have brought us even closer to the opening of the schoolhouse for Oxford’s schoolchildren and the public. Among the fundraisers which enabled this necessary step were:

  1. Community Awards Program: Your vote, our supportIon Bank’s Community Awards Program 2024 enabled Ion bank customers who supported the Oxford Historical Society to cast an online vote. We will receive 1300. You are appreciated!
  2. Fiber FestThe Fiber Fest, on April 21 and 21, provided over 11,000 for Mr. Munn’s schoolhouse project, thanks for our volunteers, our venders, and our visitors.
  3. Give LocalConnecticut Community Foundation’s Give Local 2024 ran online April 24 through April 25. Oxford Historical Society received 13 donations totaling $1600 which was then increased by another $1000 from a friend’s challenge grant to match our first $1000. This gives us total so far of $2600. But we may also earn bonuses. Supporters gave us checks and made Paypal donations for another $675.
  4. giveGreater.orgValley Community Foundation’s GreatGive was held on May 1 & 2. This online giving event for area non-profits offers OHS (uniquely able to be serviced by both VCF and the Connecticut Community Foundation) an opportunity for more community support and a second chance for those who missed the Give Local program last month. From this event we received $475 plus bonuses which are yet to be determined.

Heritage Recipe

BEVERLEY ZARNOWSKI – CABBAGE BIRDS OR STUFFED CABBAGE

CABBAGE BIRDS OR STUFFED CABBAGE CABBAGE BIRDS OR STUFFED CABBAGE

Beverley Zarnowski moved to Oxford with her parents Catherine and Stanley Zarnowski when she was 2 years old. Their small farm was on the site of what is now the Olde Sawmill Miniature Golf Course at 345 Oxford Road.

All of Beverley’s grandparents were Eastern European immigrants from Germany, Poland, and Prussia. Stanley’s mother had come to America as a young teen, and his grandmother, still in the old country, arranged her marriage through an uncle in the United States. Stanley’s father owned a large farm in West Haven, now paved over by Route 95. Stanley was one of 12 children.

When Catherine and her two brothers were small children their mother died and her father brought them to the home of their Aunt Rose in Union City. When their father also died a few years later, Aunt Rose took her niece and nephews in as her own and raised them.

Beverley’s parents met at a dance in Hamden. Stanley was there with his friends when he spotted Catherine across the room. He left his buddies to talk to the young woman and their lives changed forever. It was love at first sight.

While Stanley worked during the day at Winchester, he soon started a little fruit and vegetable stand along what is now Route 67, and then built his greenhouse.

There was a bridge across Little River, taken out later by the 1955 Flood, leading to his garden that included corn, tomatoes, and peppers. There was also a barn for their chickens, the three cows who were milked daily, and Spud, the horse. While Beverley’s sister, Barbara, led Spud, Stanley plowed his vegetable patch with a wooden plow.

Like so many other women in Oxford, Catherine preserved what grew in the garden. A special favorite was corn which she and Beverley loved when the kernels were small and sweet. If Beverley’s father did the picking, the kernels would be larger, tougher, and not so much to their liking. While Stanley was at work, Catherine and Beverley would slip into the corn patch, choose small ears, boil them up, and feast. When her father discovered the missing crop, those darned raccoons got the blame.

When the cows became too old to milk, they were slaughtered, and the meat taken to Bob Vimer to be frozen at the locker where the current Oxford Hardware Store now sits. Beverley and Barbara did not think about where the meat on the supper table came from until one night when their father remarked over steak, “Boy, Daisy tastes good!” Horror and tears ended the dinner.

The Zarnowski family attended St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church. At first it was a mission church in a tiny wooden building (now a private home) off Route 67 near Southford, with a priest traveling from Seymour to say Mass. Later, after the current church was built, Catherine became President of the Ladies’ Guild and Stanley was a member of the Knights of Columbus which met in Seymour.

Both Beverley and Barbara attended Oxford Center School. Beverley recalls those as happy days. She loved her friends and still is in touch with many of them. It was, she remembers, a simpler time before technology. “Everybody knew everybody in Oxford.” Later she returned to teach music there for many years.

One incident stands out in her memory. Beverley was in Mrs. Smith’s third grade, and the children were lined up in the hallway, waiting and chatting. Edmund Schade was principal then, and he stopped in front of the group and asked, “When ARE you children going to learn to be quiet in the hallway?” Beverley, usually well-behaved and quiet, piped up “Next year!” Mrs. Smith punished her, standing Beverley in front of the class, mortified, and crying her heart out. In a few minutes Mr. Schade returned and asked to speak to Beverley alone in the hallway. He, father of five children of his own, was gentle and kind, and she recovered.

Edmund J. Schade, Principal at Oxford Consolidated School Edmund J. Schade, Principal at Oxford Consolidated School

While their European roots were a generation away, the Zarnowskis still spoke Polish when they didn’t want the girls to know what they were talking about. Their heritage was also reflected in Beverley’s mother’s cooking. Stuffed cabbage filled with ground beef and served with boiled potatoes, borscht from beets from the gardens, and a cabbage and potato dish were often on the table. Beverley says that when she asked her mother for her stuffed cabbage recipe, her mother laughed. Nothing was written down. It was all created from memory. Below we offer a re-creation of Catherine Zarnowski’s Stuffed Cabbage, hopefully close to what she served her family so long ago.

Stuffed Cabbage.

Beverley Zarnowski says that this version of Stuffed Cabbage from the “Polish Cookery” chapter of Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, Vol. 9 (New York: Fawcett Publications, c1966) p. 1430, is much like the dish her mother prepared. However, Catherine simmered the cabbage rolls in her homemade tomato sauce, so this recipe is altered from the original which calls for beef bouillon. Today’s cook can use a favorite recipe for the tomato sauce or purchase a commercial brand such as Ragu.

CABBAGE BIRDS OR STUFFED CABBAGE

  • 1 large or 2 medium heads of cabbage
  • 2 slices of stale bread or bread crumbs
  • 3⁄4 pound chopped beef
  • 1 small onion, minced and cooked golden brown in 2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or bacon fat
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

Parboil cabbage long enough so that the leaves separate without tearing. Select 10 or 12 of the largest leaves; trim off the midribs so leaves become easy to roll. Reserve remaining cabbage for other use. Soak the bread in water and squeeze out; or moisten the breadcrumbs. Combine with meat and mix thoroughly. Add the onion, egg and seasoning and mix again. Divide into as many portions as there are cabbage leaves.

Spread mixture evenly on leaves. Roll firmly, tucking edges inside so that stuffing will not escape, and secure with cotton string. If there are not enough large leaves, use 2 small leaves, letting them overlap. Arrange cabbage birds [rolls] tightly in a kettle, cover with tomato sauce, and simmer over low heat until tender and filling is cooked. Remove string. Makes 5 or 6 servings.

Open Houses Scheduled

Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Twitchell-Rowland Homestead

– Join us on the first and third Sunday each month when the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead is open to the public from 2 pm to 4 pm. Docents chat about the history of the house and the items found inside as well as other topics of interest to the community. There is no charge for these open days: May 5 and 19; June 2 and 16.

Books produced by the Society are available for purchase as well as the unique notecard sets created using local art and photographs. In addition, this spring a lovely collection of vintage handkerchiefs is on offer. Proceeds benefit the society’s events and activities as well as maintenance of the buildings and grounds.

On Display this spring are special items with a Fiber Fest flavor: sewing baskets, a staple of daily life for decades and now treasured antiques. Tissue sewing patterns, needle packets, Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine brochures, buttons, buttons and more buttons plus a child’s sewing machine from the ’50’s are on show among packets of sewing notions and spools of sewing thread. All the sundries are on loan from society members and friends.

OHS Memberships are up for renewal now and forms can be downloaded at the OHS website here. Checks can be mailed to OHS, PO Box 582, Oxford, CT 06478. Individual memberships are $10, Seniors and Junior Associates (under 18) $10, Families $25 and Business Supporters ($200).

Not only do member dollars help with society expenses and activities, the numbers of members are used by grant givers as an indication of involvement with the community. Also listed are opportunities for volunteering. Be sure to check those that appeal to you. Being a member really counts for us!

© 2024 Oxford Historical Society