Hmmm, A Puzzlement.

The mystery deepens.

I wrote to Bob Briere, our resident historian, and asked him to identify the house in the previous posting.  Bob wrote back, and sounded very definite that the house was an old farm house I had happened to drive by the other day while I was out taking some photos around town.  The current photo at the top of the page was taken at this old farm.  Here is what Bob wrote:

"Hi Wally,

That's an easy one. I knew it as the Finlay farm, on Finlay road (past the golf course on Holland Road). Looks the same today as in the picture because of neglect by a most recent owner. Jim Malloy blew this one. Had over a hundred acres with a pond and it was foreclosed on by the FHA(?). The property is adjacent to the Heins Farm which the town bought which in turn is adjacent to the land that goes northerly all the way to the river in Fiskdale. What a sanctuary for birds and animals that would have been. The town could have had it for taxes because that owner was so far in arrears."

Well, an anonymous comment was also left stating the house was on Fiskhill Road, so I went there, and to Finlay Road, as Bob feels this is the house,  to take some photos.  Now the mystery deepens.

You judge for yourself.

The Ed Nichols House

Note the location of the chimneys and the side windows.  The house also looks like it is on a hill, and both of the suggestions are for houses on hills.

This is the house on Finlay Road that Bob feels is the correct house.  Could be, but there are a couple of problems with this: 1)  the chimneys don't match, and 2) the side windows don't match at all.  There is not an attic window as seen in the old photo, either.

 This is a house on Fiskhill Road.  Now, I am not sure if this is the one suggested by the person that left the comment, but it sure could be.  The chimneys don't match up, but with the advent of central heating, it would have been far easier to remove chimneys than to add them in a different location.  The side windows also are a closer match.  The first floor window may have been moved forward when the addition was built.  This has the attic window.

This is another Federal style home on the north end of  Fiskhill Road.  No chimneys, but they could have been taken down long ago, and the center, second floor window doesn't match at all.



There are several other Federal style homes in town, maybe one near you.  Is it a match to the Nichols House, or is that house long gone?

A Mystery House: The Ed Nichols House

The house below is identified on the back of the photo as the "Ed Nichols House" built by Ebenezar Cutting 1812.

The photograph, along with many other photos, and documents are part of my collection originally owned by Winifred Tillyer, Sturbridge historian.  When the Historical Society obtains space for a permanent display of artifacts and documents in town, I will arrange that the collection can be displayed there.  In the meantime, I will put them here for you to enjoy.

Does anyone know where this old house is, or was?

Old-Fashioned Horse-Drawn Sleigh Rally at Old Sturbridge Village Feb. 5

Antique Ice Skate Club Presentations; Olympic Medalist, Commentator Dick Button to Attend

STURBRIDGE, Mass. (Jan. 14, 2011) – Old Sturbridge Village celebrates the history and the joys of two favorite winter pastimes on Saturday, February 5 with an old-fashioned horse-drawn sleigh rally and antique ice skate exhibits and presentations by the Antique Ice Skate Club. Both events are open to the public and free with museum admission. For all details: 800-SEE-1830; www.osv.org.

Antique horse-drawn sleighs – many of them 80-120 years old – will converge on the Village for the sleigh rally, which will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will feature dozens of drivers competing in a variety of categories, including the popular “Sleigh Dog” and “Currier & Ives” divisions. Sleighs participating will include Bob Sleighs, Portland and Albany Cutters, Racing Sleighs, Freight Sleighs, and more. Bob Sleighs have “Bobs,” which are double runners that make them more maneuverable and easy to turn sharply.  Single runner sleighs can tip over if turned too sharply.

Old Sturbridge Village is also exhibiting antique ice skates on loan from Antique Ice Skate Club member Karen Cameron, who will discuss “The History of Skates and Skating,” and “The Joy of Collecting” at 1:00 p.m. followed by a presentation on “Antique Ice Skate Patents” by club member Bob Gates. Former Olympic ice skating champion and television commentator Dick Button, who is himself a club member and skate collector, will attend and answer questions from the audience. Button was the first U.S. figure skater to win an Olympic medal, winning gold in 1948 and 1952.  He was also the first skater ever to land a triple jump – the triple loop.

Other activities at Old Sturbridge Village include ice skating (bring your own skates), horse-drawn sleigh rides around the Common, and sledding on 1830s-style sleds (weather permitting). After enjoying the museum’s outdoor winter activities, visitors can warm up indoors beside one of the Village’s many cozy fireplaces and take part in hands-on crafts and activities. Children can also spend time “pretending” in Old Sturbridge Village’s popular “KidStory” indoor play area.  For times and details: 800-SEE-1830; www.osv.org.

Submitted by OSV

Trail Contract Awarded

Submitted by Tom Chamberland, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Sturbridge; The town has recently awarded a $ 51,795.00 contract to CME Engineering of  East Hartford CT to provide engineering design and permitting for the ¾ mile portion of the Titanic Rail Trail, Grand Trunk Trail section from the Ed Calcutt Bridge to River Road.  Of the $51,795 contract $41,440 is being paid from a part of the larger Transportation Enhancements Act (TEA) grant awarded by Mass Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) to the town, and the remaining $10,355 is appropriation from the Betterment Fund.

CME’s contract calls for a 100% design and permitted plan to be acceptable by Mass DOT to allow Mass DOT to bid construction for this section of trail.  It is estimated that the design and permitting phase will take about 1 year as several public hearings on the plan as well as environmental review and hearings conducted by the Conservation Commission will be required.  Work will commence this winter with flagging and topographic surveying of the trail route, confirming wetland boundaries, along with measuring and listing all trees that may need to be removed to accommodate the trail.

The proposed design is for a 10’ wide hard packed fine gravel trail with 2’ wide shoulders and a 5’ wide sidewalk along Farquhar Rd to the River Rd intersection including a redesign of the River Road/Farquhar Rd intersection to improve safety.  Mass DOT will fully fund 100% of the construction costs from the TEA grant authorization and will administer the construction of the trail. Approximately ½ mile of this ¾ mile trail section is on lands of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Westville Lake Flood Damage Reduction project. The remaining lands are owned by the Town of Sturbridge and the Morse Family. A trail easement is being granted by the Morse Family. Under a cooperative trail agreement, Park Ranger Tom Chamberland of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be overseeing this project for both the Corps and the Town of Sturbridge.

With the completion of this section of the Titanic Rail Trail, ½ of the approximately 6 mile route will be completed thru the town.  The Sturbridge Trail committee is actively working on several other sections including engineering and design of the 1.2 mile River Lands portion, a grant from The Last Green Valley to complete a ¼ mile section of the Fiskdale portion, known as the Trolley trail, and has applied for grants to complete the remaining ¼ mile section out to the East Brimfield Lake Dam.

Anyone with questions regarding this project or any Grand Trunk Trail section of the Titanic Rail Trail thru Sturbridge can contact park Ranger Tom Chamberland at Thomas.a.chamberland@usace.army.mil or call 508-347-3705.  For more information on the Sturbridge Trail Committee, contact its chair, Randy Redetzke at rredet@charter.net  The Sturbridge Trail Committee meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month 6 PM, Center Office Building.

From left to right: Park Ranger Tom Chamberland, Trails Committee volunteer Charles Blanchard, CME’s representatives, Engineer and Project Manager Scott Young and Director of Commercial Development Richard Strouse orient themselves with the wetlands delineation plan for the proposed trail route as they prepare to walk the trail route.

Photo credit: Sturbridge Trail Committee supplied photo

Our Winter Coat

The land is wearing the recent storm very well.





Photos:  W.J. Hersee © 2011