Rear view of Chase Cottage. Drawing by Schell Lewis 1924
In 1917, Edith Morton Chase received a gift from her father, 16 acres of pristine woods in the Litchfield hills. Today, Topsmead is a 510 acre state forest, gifted from Ms. Chase in 1972 to the citizens of Connecticut to enjoy and preserve. Her legacy includes diverse landscapes, including bike and nature trails, formal gardens, unique bird habitats, and a meticulously crafted English Tudor style cottage well appointed with her international collection of art and antiques. ...more
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REMEMBERING TOPSMEAD
Conversations with Bob Orintas
terryplace and the picnic grove
The location at Topsmead which everyone referred to as “Terryplace” was part of three parcels of land purchased from Frank Turkington in 1923 that comprised about 65 acres. The property included both sides of Jefferson Hill Road South. The smaller of the three pieces, about 8 acres, was on the east side of the road and bordered land to the north and east owned until 1925 by Philip and George Buell.
The two pieces of land on the west side of the road totaled about 58 acres. The northern piece of about 11 acres bordered the area where the wildlife viewing shed, and the butterfly garden now stand. (This piece of property would later be acquired by Miss Edith from Martin Beirne in 1926.) On the southern parcel, there was an entrance from Jefferson Hill Road South which still exists.
About 500 feet from the entrance, along an unpaved field road, was an old barn. It had a stone foundation, with a dugout entrance which was used to store a “stone boat”. This was a big flat platform on skids used to haul the stones for building the walls around Topsmead. On the main floor of the barn, small equipment was stored, because the ceiling was only about 6 feet high. Above this was a mezzanine area that housed the buggy and the one-horse sleigh and was reached by a set of open stairs. The beams in the barn were huge and the frame was constructed with wooden pegs. Later, Miss Edith had another barn built attached to this one, but it was much taller to accommodate the hay loader which was about 12 to 15 feet high. Most of the other haying equipment was also stored there including the hay wagon, the hay rake and the windrow rake. Hay, along with apples, were the two primary farm crops grown at Topsmead. >>read more
The two pieces of land on the west side of the road totaled about 58 acres. The northern piece of about 11 acres bordered the area where the wildlife viewing shed, and the butterfly garden now stand. (This piece of property would later be acquired by Miss Edith from Martin Beirne in 1926.) On the southern parcel, there was an entrance from Jefferson Hill Road South which still exists.
About 500 feet from the entrance, along an unpaved field road, was an old barn. It had a stone foundation, with a dugout entrance which was used to store a “stone boat”. This was a big flat platform on skids used to haul the stones for building the walls around Topsmead. On the main floor of the barn, small equipment was stored, because the ceiling was only about 6 feet high. Above this was a mezzanine area that housed the buggy and the one-horse sleigh and was reached by a set of open stairs. The beams in the barn were huge and the frame was constructed with wooden pegs. Later, Miss Edith had another barn built attached to this one, but it was much taller to accommodate the hay loader which was about 12 to 15 feet high. Most of the other haying equipment was also stored there including the hay wagon, the hay rake and the windrow rake. Hay, along with apples, were the two primary farm crops grown at Topsmead. >>read more
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by Margaret Hunt (photos by Margaret Hunt)
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Vertical Divider
So long, Summer... September 2024
For me, going to the Goshen County Fair is a tradition that marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. I always start my day at the fair at the southernmost barn to check out the pigs and the piglets. Next is the sheep shed. This year, I was taken with two sheep being prepping for the judging ring by two young girls. They told me that their two adorable fuzzy sheep were Blacknose Valinais, a new breed that originated in Switzerland and that have a personality more like a dog than a sheep.
After the sheep, I stopped to watch the rabbit judging and admire all of the different breeds waiting in their cages. My personal favorites are the dwarf lop-eared bunnies, but I am always amused by the Angora rabbits because they remind me of fuzzy slippers. Then it was onward to the dairy barn and my traditional bottle of chocolate milk from the Litchfield County 4-H booth. I chugged it down while I checked out the pony rides offered by Lee's Riding Stable. My last animal barn visit was to the Poultry Shed where the din of cock-a-doodle-dos and cluck-cluck-clucking is always entertaining. -read complete Musings essay- |
