This past Saturday, Feb. 11, was an interesting morning here at the Patch Ranch. It was about 7:45 a.m. when I noticed something at the edge of the woods. I watched a deer come out into the field. This isn’t … Continued
As most of you know, I collect old postcards. In Chester our postcard photographer was Charles Wellman. His studio was the small place next to the library. Obviously I look for his cards. Harry Chapman was the Windham photographer. Wellman … Continued
Well here we are in February. When I was a boy, an optimist’s sign of spring was when sap buckets appeared in February. Of course winters were much colder then with mountains of snow. Danny Clemons did some sugaring when … Continued
I found an interesting item in an 18th century Boston ledger. All entries are written in ink with quill pen. I have copied it as written including spelling. At this time in New England we were still writing in the … Continued
Below is from an old Chester journal, author unknown. I add information to a few entries. “Dec. 1, 1850. My old book being full, I this day commence defacing the fair pages of this journal. I would that our lives … Continued
Hunting rattlesnakes Ken Cook called me last month. Ken was my neighbor growing up on High Street. Ken wanted to talk about my father, Arnold, hunting rattlesnakes in the 1950s. Ken urged me to write about it. I do remember … Continued
I can well recall 65 New Years in my life. But what was it like 65 years ago? I can only address this question based on my own experiences. Some years, our neighbors, John and Florence Pierce came to our … Continued
Of my many interests, Mother Nature ranks at the top. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always picked up bird nests or feathers I found. I have a few feathers I’ve kept, along with a few bird nests. The … Continued
The recent snowstorm got me thinking about snowstorms of years past and how we got around in those days. The photo with this article typifies how back roads were maintained. The Brookside Milk truck has stopped coming up East Hill … Continued
Here is some history of the old Jiffy Mart site in Chester. The earliest business I’m aware of that existed here was the Chester Boot Company. I don’t know much about this business other than it appears on the 1869 … Continued