Historian's Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist The Flushing Remonstrance “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”  We all recognize these words from the U.S. Constitution’s … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist The 1920s Here we are, still in the early stages of the 2020s, and perhaps this is a good time to look back upon the American way of life one hundred years ago: The population of the United States … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

Washington’s Brown Suit Federal Hall, New York City Temporary Capital of the United States April 30, 1789 George Washington laid his hand upon a large Bible, one that had been loaned for this purpose by a local … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist Loretta’s Christmas Memory, 1929 (With thanks to Valerie Forte Vitali) In her years as Librarian, Loretta BonTempo Forte had a knack for selecting books that suited the avid readers who patronized the … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist Winchester Repeating Arms Co. Part II Beginning in 1883, John Browning worked in partnership with the Winchester Repeating Arms Company to design a series of rifles and shotguns, including the models … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist Winchester Repeating Arms Co. Part I Special thanks to Dorothy White Gemmell for her generous help with this story. June, 1917 Dan Shine (who many years later would become The Boy’s … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist Hallowe’en, 1950s Style What do you remember about Halloween when you were a kid? The Boy remembers trick-or-treating on Kelsey Avenue with a bag full of candy in 1959:  The bag was made of brown … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

Autumn on Derby Avenue, 1913 - 1923 By Loretta BonTempo Forte Most of all, I remember the color of the trees in our yard on Derby Avenue, in October.  Our yard glowed with color, with the light shining through the leaves, the … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner

By Dan Shine Voice Columnist Secrets of New Haven Green It’s a bit odd that there aren’t any ghost stories associated with New Haven Green—especially when you consider that beneath all of that grass lie over 5,000 of New Haven’s … [Read more...] about Historian’s Corner