BUSTER KEATON – THE GREATEST OF THE SILENT CLOWNS
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 6:30 p.m.
Meriden Public Library
105 Miller St., Meriden, CT
Three silent comedians ruled the silver screen before the arrival of sound to the movies: Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Sherwin Borsuk MD, president of the Meriden Historical Society and a Keaton aficionado, will present Buster Keaton – his life and phenomenal acrobatic movie achievements. The talk will be accompanied by stills and short movie clips.
Admission is free. Refreshments will be served.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – MERIDEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS:
• Historic Hubbard Park – Part I with Justin Piccirillo
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 6:30 pm at the Meriden Public Library.
• South Meriden’s Hanover Trolley Park with Lesley Solkoske
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 6:30 pm at the Meriden Public Library.
• Vice in Meriden – the Products and Services for Smoking Drinking Gambling and More in Meriden’s Past – Open House and Special Exhibit
Every Sunday in May (3, 10, 17, 24 & 31) 11:00 am – 3:00 at the Meriden Historical Society’s Museum, the Andrews Homestead, 424 W. Main St, Meriden, CT.
ANDREWS HOMESTEAD CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS – A FOLLOW UP
Our Christmas Open House (12/7&8/2019) was a heartwarming success. Close to 200 people came through the exhibit, many visiting for the first time. Not only did they enjoy the decorations, but they also learned about the history of Meriden and its manufacturers. The door prize, a generous donation by the Thompson Chocolate Co. was won by Lynn Dean.
BEN FRANKLIN SCHOOL 5TH GRADE GIRLS CLUB HELP DECORATE THE ANDREWS HOMESTEAD
The Society, in partnership with Ben Franklin School, welcomed the 5th Grade Girls Club. They brought with them a variety of hand-crafted ornaments to decorate our Christmas tree. They also showed an interest in hearing about Meriden’s past and were given a tour of the Homestead. In return, the Society gave them a souvenir ornament as a token of our appreciation.
LATEST ADDITIONS TO OUR COLLECTIONS
An acquisition fund has been established from the proceeds of the sale of items from The Lester Dequaine and Frank Chiarenza collections. Those collections were given to the Society for the purpose of fundraising. The Collections Committee has been busy acquiring items to add to our permanent collection.
New additions to the Bradley & Hubbard display: We now have a 12†statuette entitled “le Gamin†which depicts a young boy who looks like a street urchin from the 1800s. There is also a cast iron, japanned finished shelf clock with gold and floral stenciling.
You may remember seeing a large, framed drawing of a clock in the form of a soldier wearing a wig and three-cornered or “cocked†hat, with his hands holding a clock face in his belly.
This drawing was done in 1856 by Pietro Cinquinni and accompanied his patent application. These clocks were known as “Blinking Eye†or “Winker†clocks because the eyes moved via a connection to the clock mechanism. We have always wanted to find one of these clocks for our display and now we have one! Ours is missing its mechanism; however, it is the cast iron figure of “The Continentalâ€. It was manufactured by Bradley & Hubbard and is worth seeing.
Our clock was produced prior to the granting of the patent and is marked in the base as “Patent Pending 1856†and “PCF,†presumably signifying Pietro Cinquinni. Design Patent No. 916 was issued in 1857 and subsequent clocks were marked “Patented July 14, 1857.†The hat portion of the clock case is independent from the rest of the casting. This allowed B&H to substitute a different hat on the same body and offer the clock as “the Admiralâ€. An example of this design is included in the collections of the Smithsonian.
New additions to the Silver City Glass Co. display case 
include a frosted glass bowl & candlestick console set donated by a Society member. A black glass box in their early “Daisy†pattern was also purchased for the collection.
We have added a cobalt blue, medium sized dresser box with a “blown out†zinnia flower on the cover, done by the C. F. Monroe Co. This acquisition was made possible through the Don & Carol Lyle Fund.
Thompson Chocolate Co. 
has generously donated some of their outdated candy molds. They are now on permanent display at the Andrews Homestead. These and other newly acquired items will be on display at our Museum’s upcoming May Open House & Special Exhibit event (Every Sunday in May, 11:00 – 3:00, at the Andrews Homestead, 424 W. Main St.).
HELP US PRESERVE MERIDEN’S PAST
There are so many Meriden related items waiting to be discovered. Items from any of the Meriden manufacturers, old sales catalogs and advertising items, photos showing street scenes and buildings are especially interesting. Even things that may seem insignificant can be an insight into the past. If you are in the process of downsizing or wondering what to do with Meriden related items, be sure to contact us at our email address: meridenhistoricalsociety@gmail.com or by phone: 203-639-1913 (please leave a message).
UNDERCLIFF SANATORIUM: INFORMATION WANTED Our member Eileen Sypher had sent us the following call for help: “I am writing a book on my father who spent a year at Undercliff in 1951-2 for his tuberculosis. He died in 1952 before he could tell me about his life there. I am eager to hear from anyone who had a relative or friend there while it was a tuberculosis sanatorium—do you have stories? Letters? Photos? Any tidbit most welcome! In my writing I will mention no names, of course, should you share with me. I am eager to restore these forgotten histories that are a part of so many lives and of Meriden’s past. Rev. Dr. Eileen Sypher. Email: esypher@comcast.net or call 860-391-1860 and leave a message.â€
We hope you or someone you know can help.
WE NOTE WITH SORROW THE PASSING OF OUR MEMBERS:
Lawrence McLane Morehouse
Walter Shamock
FOR THEIR GENEROSITY WE THANK:
Jacquelyn Beale, Sherwin & Ruth Borsuk, Bruce and Suzana Burchsted, Michael & Lizbeth Cardona, Ellen Carter, William Glick, Gregg D. Hugo, Judith Laczek, Robert Marchetti, Dan Metz, Diantha Morse, Joan M. Munger in memory of Leon Bartholomew, Robert B. Siegler, The Suzio Insurance Center Inc., Philip Toussaint, Tuxis Ohr’s Fuel, Suzanne Zajac, our anonymous donor at Your Cause, and the many visitors to the Andrews Homestead and to the Bernice Morehouse Research Center. Donations in Memory of Larry McLane Morehouse were received from: Arnold Bloch, Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc., Joseph Lanterna, John & Martha McCarthy and Susan Webber
WE WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS:
Barbara Austen and Family, June Banack, Michael Banack, Michael Cardona & Family, Hergott Dental, Jonal Laboratories, Jocelyn S. Linnekin, Darrell Lucas, Robert Marchetti, The Russell Hall Co., Eileen Sypher, Cindy & Bob Tencza & Family, and Tuxis Ohr’s Fuel.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS
Hergott Dental Associates
166 S. Broad St., Meriden CT
203-235-3738
www.hergottdental.com
Jonal Laboratories
456 Center St., Meriden CT
203-634-4444
www.jonal.com
Mahon, Quinn & Mahon, P.C.
636 Broad St., Meriden, CT
203-238-1010
www.mqmlawyer.com
Nest Egg Auctions
758 Four Rod Rd., Berlin, CT
203-630-1400
www.nesteggauctions.com
New England Capital
Financial Advisors LLC
79 Main St., Meriden, CT
203-935-0265
www.newenglandcapital.com
Record Journal
500 S. Broad St., Meriden, CT
203-317-2407
www.myrecordjournal.com
The Russell Hall Company
19 N. George St, Meriden, CT
203-235-6391
www.Russellhall.com
Spoonshoppe Brooke Deli
1320 E. Main St., Meriden, CT
203-630-3354
www.spoonshoppe.com
Suzio Insurance Center, Inc.
54 Chamberlain Hwy., Meriden, CT
203-237-7403
www.suzioinsurance.com
Tuxis Ohr’s Fuel
80 Britannia St. Meriden, CT
203-639-3513
www.tuxisfuel.com
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