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Wondering what to give your friends and family
this holiday season? Give them a membership to Friends of Topsmead! Given in your name, this gift supports the projects that help celebrate and preserve this special place of natural beauty for the enjoyment of Connecticut citizens and beyond.
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REMEMBERING TOPSMEAD
Conversations with Bob Orintas
MISS EDITH AND CHURCH STREET IN WATERBURY
Part one
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Please note that some of the information in this article was obtained from articles published in the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper about the Chase family.
In the late 1800’s Church Street was an unpaved, tree lined, street going south from West Main to Grand Street in the center of Waterbury. St. John’s Episcopal Church was located at the corner of West Main and Church. Waterbury City Hall and the Bronson Library were located at its southern end on Grand Street. Many prominent Waterbury families lived on Church Street: The Gosses, the Eltons, and two homes of the Burrall family. Miss Edith’s grandfather, Augustus Sabin Chase, purchased 42 Church Street in 1867. Her father, Henry Sabin Chase purchased it from his father in 1889 when his parents relocated to Rose Hill on Prospect Street. Henry had been living in the Willow St. area before his marriage. 42 Church became Henry Chase’s permanent home with his marriage to Alice Morton on April 4, 1889. Four of Henry’s other siblings: Irving, Fred, Helen and Mary eventually purchased homes around Rose Hill in the area of Prospect Street and Grove Street. They essentially formed a Chase compound. The exception was Henry’s youngest sister Alice, who married and lived in Southeast Connecticut. |
The Henry Chase family grew to include five children living at their 42 Church Street home; first was the arrival of Mildred in 1890, Edith in 1891, Ann in 1892, Katherine in 1893, and finally Rodney in 1897. The children grew up in the house and then Miss Edith’s siblings began to marry. First, Ann in 1913 to Alfred Hart, then Mildred in 1915 to Richard Ely, Katherine in 1917 to Edgar Stillman; and finally, Rodney in 1925 to Florence Martin who was from San Francisco.
>>read more 
A postcard from mapsofantiquity.com
A vintage postcard of Church Street in Waterbury, Connecticut
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by Margaret Hunt (photos by Margaret Hunt)
The pond in winter, December 31, 1969
A memorable snowfall at Topsmead!
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'Tis the Season....
December 2024 The food and drink of 'Tis the Season are here! The Litchfield Tree Lighting and Holiday Stroll welcomes carolers with hot chocolate. Dunkin Donuts has rolled out its peppermint mocha signature latte and strawberry frosted holiday sprinkle donuts. Arethusa eggnog in glass bottles decorated with a 2024 holiday label is now on the shelves. And the week of recipes for the New York Times Cooking Cookie Week has begun.
However, before you immerse yourself in the many calories of the season, why not take yourself to Topsmead to earn those calories? The Friends of Topsmead docent team with the help of the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) staff has closed up Miss Edith's cottage and gardens for the season, but the Topsmead landscape awaits your arrival. But be prepared... with its 500 plus acres spread across Jefferson Hill, the highest point in Litchfield, Topsmead can be quite an invigorating place for a December walk. While its open fields are welcoming in the summer, they offer no protection from winter's icy blasts and wind chills. But do not despair. Topsmead offers several trails that wind delightfully through the woods where you can escape the clutches of those wintry gusts. Bonus of winter walkabouts--no ticks! Just bundle up in your down parka, wool hat and mittens, Turtle Fur neck gaiter, cozy socks, and warm winter boots and go tromping about the Topsmead trails. -read complete Musings essay- |
photo by Tom Holzel