Exhibit Opening Reception- May 16th
Joan Palmer “A Watercolor Journey”
Exhibit Dates: May 16-July 16, 2010
The Butterfly Garden by Joan Palmer
Art at The Granary
A benefit to help support The Sharon Historical Society, The Sharon Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Squad
The Granary is the art exhibition and storage facility that houses works from the collection of Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy.
Located in a beautiful bucolic setting in Litchfield County, Connecticut, The Granary was designed by architect Steven Learner and completed in the fall of 2009.
The current installation features a broad range of contemporary art including works by artists based in the area: Sarah Charlesworth, Allen Blagden, Laurie Simmons, Carroll Dunham, Don Gummer, KK Kozik, Julian Lethbridge, Todd Eberle, Pieter Lefferts, Frank Stella, Eric Forstmann, Duncan Hannah, Cleve Gray, Terry Winters, Valerie Rout, and Jasper Johns. In addition, the property also includes outdoor sculpture by Eric Fischl, Bryan Hunt, Donald Baechler, and Ian Hamilton Finlay.
Art at The Granary
Saturday May 22, 2010
5:30 PM – 8 PM
Hosted by Melva Bucksbaum & Raymond Learsy
View this acclaimed collection of contemporary art & enjoy refreshments at the Pool House
Tickets IN ADVANCE ONLY
$100 per person – Limited to 250 Guests
To reserve your spot, call the Sharon Historical Society at 860-364-5688.
Parking on Main Street in Sharon and behind the Sharon Town Hall. Shuttle Service from the Sharon Town Hall will run continuously to The Granary.
There is NO parking at the event site.
This is a special benefit to help support The Sharon Historical Society, The Sharon Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Squad.
The Growth of Sharon Hospital 1909-2010
May 7th at 4pm we will open the newest Sharon Historical Society Exhibit:
The Center of Caring- Sharon Hospital 1909-2010
Sharon Hospital Photo Exhibit
Exhibit Area Wall
Sharon Hospital Exhibit Corner Wall
Trustees Approve Hospital Expansion
More photos at our Flickr Account.
You can also view three short videos of the exhibit rooms via YouTube:
Video #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXI6d3westY
Video #2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd8vyB2KRp4
Video #3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3G2LpSOVA8
The first Sharon Hospital opened on December 10, 1909 in a rented brick house owned by Otto Tiedeman on Calkinstown Road. (still standing)
Founded as “a place where the ill and injured may be treated” the hospital had 2 nurses, 8 beds, a small operating room and a medical staff consisting of Drs. Jerome Chaffee, founder, S.C. Appel of Dover Plains, NY, William B. Bissell and C.K. Peterson, both of Lakeville.
Sharon Hospital was founded by Dr. Jerome S. Chaffee. Born in Amenia on November 11, 1873, Dr. Chaffee was a graduate of Yale University’s Sheffield Scientific School and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He served with the U.S. Navy in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War.
The trustees approved plans for a new building at a cost of $16,787. The cornerstone was laid on the site of the current hospital on September 4, 1915.
The new hospital opened on April 10, 1916, with 16 beds, 3 nurses and an operating room. The first operation—an appendectomy—was performed by Dr. Chaffee on April 11.
In 1915, Mrs. Henry M. Gillette, of Lakeville, offered $10,000 for the erection of a building and $20,000 towards an endowment for a new hospital. Romulus Riggs Colgate of Sharon, and Thomas B. Hidden of Millerton, offered to pay for equipment and supplies.
The Sharon Hospital Association, Inc., is organized by the three incorporators who became trustees and officers: President, Augustus Van Cortland, Vice-President, A.B. Landon; and Secretary and Treasurer, Dr. J. S. Chaffee.
Sharon Hospital’s first head nurse was Miss Louise Hansen, serving directly under Dr. Chaffee from July 1, 1916 until she retired in 1941.
It may safely be assumed that there was a kitchen in the new hospital building opened in 1916. In the 1918 annual report, listed under donations are items including, “2 cans fruit, 1 can strong beans, 1 barrel apples, 1 can cherries and a coffee mill.”
Patient care is at the heart of Sharon Hospital. Between December 31, 1917 and July 1, 1918, the hospital saw 131 patients, including 22 in obstetrics where 3 “went home to wait.”
It is also noted 61 patients recovered, 58 “improved”, 7 died, and 2 were removed to other hospitals.
The 1916 hospital had a small laboratory which soon proved inadequate to the hospital needs. A new lab was installed and equipped in late 1921 or early 1922, and a full time laboratory technician was hired.
Lab services only continued to grow in importance. In the 1952 annual report it is noted that, “the installation of additional equipment in the Laboratory…afford us a type of service which previously could only be found in larger hospitals.”
In 1922, the hospital purchased the adjacent “Kenny” home to serve as a nurses’ home. When the building opened in 1923, the total number of beds expanded from 16 to 25. Maternity was located in the Nurses’ house.
Beginning in the early 1920s, fund raising was begun to expand the hospital’s already cramped quarters. The Sharon Hospital Auxiliary organized a series of street fairs and events raising $10,700.
A three-story fireproof addition was added between 1928 and 1930, adding a waiting room, nurses’ room 8 bed ward, full maternity department, and a new operating suite.
In 1945 the trustees appointed a building committee: Dr. Byron Stookey, Mr. Heathcote Woolsey and Mr. Lyman Rhoades. After the purchase of additional land to the north, the building began to take shape and opened its doors in 1948 at a cost of $799,405.13. The amount was financed in part by a loan from The Hartford National Bank. Later in 1949, a successful campaign made it possible to pay all the hospital’s debts.
1947: Dr. Jerome Chaffee, hospital founded, dies on November 26th.
In 1949, the new Chaffee Pavilion was added at the cost of $800,000. This addition expanded the hospital’s bed capacity to 50.
(The original Chaffee Pavilion was removed when the hospital expanded in 1972)
The expansion project that culminated in the 1949 addition began as the vision of Dr. William W. Herrick, a member of the board of trustees. In 1944, Dr. Herrick’s vision of a “Rural Medical Center” inspired the financial backing of Mr. Clement R. Ford and others.
In 1957, the new Harry Payne Bingham Wing and the Ford Wing were opened to increase the capacity to 68 beds in projects costing more than $200,000.
In 1957, the new Harry Payne Bingham Wing and the Ford Wing were opened to increase the capacity to 68 beds in projects costing more than $200,000.
In 1958, the hospital saw 2,618 patients, including 450 births and 774 operations!
The hospital kitchen was renovated in 1965 (perhaps before), and a new kitchen was built—and cmployee dining room—in 1995.
The hospital annual reports are full of interesting facts. For instance, in 1958 the hospital served 23,387 meals “regular diets”, and 22,353 “modified diets.” 9,579 meals were served to personnel, 733 to guests, for a grand total of 56,052.
In 1963 construction begins on Sharon Hospital’s largest expansion project, a $2 million project financed without any public fund drive, thanks to bequests from the estates of Herbert R. Fransioloi, Muriel Alvord Ward, together with a Federal grant under the Hill-Burton hospital construction program. The hospital serves 3,000 patients in this year—the most yet.
On August 1, 1965, formal dedicatory ceremonies were held to open the Fransioloi Building, the Berry Unit, and the Ward Unit. These projects provided facilities for pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, post-operative recovery, fracture room, emergency rooms, administrative offices, gift shop, improved kitchen and laundry equipment. Also completed was the renovation of the Ward C. Belcher Pathology Laboratory. Bed capacity was increased to 92.
Between 1972 and its completion in 1976, a major renovation project included improvements to and expansion of the Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Room. The Laboratory and Radiology moved to their new wing and present location.
The new North Wing opened on April 29, 1995, adding four new operating suites, rehabilitation services including cardiac, a chapel, a new kitchen and employee dining room, and a new medical/surgical unit. The lobby was renovated and expanded and improvements were made to the physical plant.
The Sharon Clinic
The Sharon Clinic was opened in 1947 in the old farmhouse on Sharon Green The “Founding Fathers” were four members of the 1940 graduating class of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons—Dr. Gevalt, Dr. Robert Fisher, Dr. George A. Fowler and Dr. Robert P. Noble. Dr. Fisher didn’t begin work at the clinic until completing his residency in 1949. Shortly thereafter, Dr. George Haydock joined the practice, and Dr. Roger Moore followed in 1951.
Later members of the Clinic practice included Dr. John Gallup in the early 1960s, followed a few years later by Dr. Peter Reyelt and Dr. Richard N. Collins. In 1972, the most recent additions were Dr. Charles Mirabile, Jr., Dr. John Charde, and Dr. John Curtis (part-time).
Capturing the Spirit: The Art of Susan B. Durkee
Ms. Durkee will lead a Gallery “Walk & Talk” presentation on Sunday, April 25th at 3 pm on the topic of “Creating a Portrait Step by Step”.
An award winning artist, Susan works out of her spacious West Redding, Connecticut studio, The Lobster Pot, so named by Mark Twain who owned the property at the turn of the century.
Susan graduated from Greens Farms Academy, attended one year at the School of Fine Arts at Boston University, received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont. Her work is displayed in private collections throughout the Country.
Susan has been featured on four Cable Television Shows, appeared in Fairfield Country Times, The Artist Magazine, MSNBC Connecticut News, The News Times, Signature magazine, Ridgefield Magazine, as well as the featured portrait artist in the Spring 2004 National Geographic article on Greenwich, Connecticut. Susan specializes in traditional classic style portraiture. Since 1978, she has been commissioned to paint individual, civic, and corporate portraits.
Among her corporate clients are U.S. Tobacco, the Cancer Research Institute, Wellesley College, the Mark Twain House, Hartford, Connecticut and Baylor University Medical Center. Memberships include: American Society Portrait Artists, Connecticut Society Portrait Artists, Salmagundi Club, New York, Artists Fellowship, New York, and Stroke of Genius, Oil Painters of America, Colonial Dames of America, State of Connecticut.
Susan’s exhibit, featuring over 30 original, classic works including still lifes, landscapes, portraits and equestrian paintings, will be on display at the museum from April 7 through May 7, 2010. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of works in the exhibit, or of portrait commissions, will be donated to the museum.
View at the SHS Hallway Gallery. SHS is open Monday-Friday, 10 – 4 and by appointment. Contact the museum at sharonhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com or call 860-364-5688 to set up an appointment.
Annual Meeting: The Untold Story of Mark Twain’s Final Years
Susan Durkee to speak on “Dangerous Intimacy: The Untold Story of Mark Twain’s Final Years”
Sharon, CT: On Saturday, March 27th beginning at 9:30am, the Sharon Historical Society will hold its annual meeting, featuring a short business meeting and election of Trustees.
The meeting will be followed by a lecture by noted artist and amateur historian Susan B. Durkee, beginning at 10:30am. A highlight of her talk, “Mark Twain’s Final Years in Connecticut” will be the presentation of excerpts from the documentary film, Dangerous Intimacy.
Dangerous Intimacy tells the story of how, shortly after his wife’s death in 1904, Mark Twain enjoyed the attentions of Isabel Lyon, his flirtatious – and calculating – secretary.
Lyon desperately wanted to marry her boss, who was thirty years her senior. She manipulated the household into exiling Jean, Twain’s youngest child and an epileptic, to a sanitarium. With the help of Twain’s assistant, Ralph Ashcroft, who fraudulently acquired power of attorney over the author’s finances, Lyon nearly succeeded in assuming complete control over Twain’s household and estate.
Dangerous Intimacy: The Untold Story of Mark Twain’s Final Years shows how Twain extricated himself from the lies, prejudice and self-delusion that almost turned him into an American Lear.
Thanks to Karen Lystra’s research, which liberates the author’s last years from a century of popular misunderstanding, we see how, late in life, this American icon discovered a deep kinship with his youngest child and experienced the interplay of love and pain that is one of the hallmarks of his work. Dangerous Intimacy was begun in February of 2007, and recently completed in the fall of 2009.
The film was produced by History Film Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1987 to create film and video works on cultural and historical subjects. Richard Altomonte, the organization’s founder, graduated from Boston University’s College of Communications with a B.S. in Filmmaking and has been a fundraiser, screenwriter and documentary producer/director for many years.
Many of the movie scenes were filmed at The Lobster Pot, the home and studio of Ms. Durkee, as well as in and around Redding, CT, and such spots as Twain’s property, “Stormfield.” Ms. Durkee may be seen in the film in the part of Jean, Twain’s daughter.
The annual meeting and lecture will take place at the Sharon Historical Society museum located at 18 Main Street in Sharon, just north of the intersection of Routes 4 and 41.
For more information call the Sharon Historical Society at (860) 364-5688 or email to Liz Shapiro at sharonhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com.
The Girl Scout Experience: Then & Now
The Girl Scout Experience: Then & Now to Open March 7 at the Sharon Historical Society
On Sunday, March 7, from 2pm-4pm the inaugural “community curator” exhibit will open at the Sharon Historical Society.
“The Girl Scout Experience: Then & Now” is curated by Sharon Girl Scout Troops 40190, 40186, 40354, 40183 and the staff of the Sharon Historical Society. The reception will begin with a flag ceremony. Refreshments will be served, and Girl Scout cookies will be available for tasting and purchase.
Have you visited the Sharon Historical Society lately? If you have, you’ve seen the terrific exhibit space that the staff has created to display changing exhibits of a “historical” nature. While we try to keep these spaces populated with new and interesting materials, we decided that it would be so much more interesting if we opened the space on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone from the Sharon community who would like to curate an exhibit of their own.
The “Community Curator” program was launched back in October in a small way—with informal conversations with the leaders of Sharon’s 4 Girl Scout troops. Leaders were very interested in creating a meaningful project for Brownies and Junior scouts (girls ages 8-12), something that would connect the girls more closely to the town, provide a service to the town, and with luck, augment some of the projects associated with achieving badges.
Presto—the Community Curator program was inaugurated. The first exhibit under the auspices of the program is called, The Girl Scout Experience: Then & Now, and opens with a reception on Sunday March 7, from 2-4 pm. This exhibit, curated by Sharon troops 40190, 40186, 40354 and 40183, will combine historic collections on loan from Sharon residents as well as “artifacts” and photographs that help tell the story of Girl Scouting in Sharon today.
Troop leaders and troop members, in association with museum staff, will install the exhibit the week of March 1. Included on display will be Girl Scout pins from the 1940s, several scout uniforms, including a wool dress worn by Barbara Bartram, handbooks, a pocketknife and a variety of ephemera will be on display. The key element of the exhibit is to encourage the troops to compare Girl Scouting in the past to scouting today, and to look both differences and similarities.
Snowy Scenes from Sharon
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- Late Day Snow Scene West Woods #1
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- Skiff Mountain Horse Farm
The Era of Elegance lecture series- The Greenhouse in America 1770-1850
2pm Saturday, March 13th, “The Gardener’s Crystal Jewel: The Greenhouse in America 1770-1850”.
Arete S. Warren, author of Glasshouses, the Architectural History or Greenhouses, Conservatories and Orangeries, is President of the Millbrook Garden Club and chairs the Board of the Preservation League of New York State. She serves on the New York State Board for Historic Preservation, the Empire State Plaza Art Commission, and is a trustee of The American Museum in Britain. She lives in New York City and Sharon.
The Era of Elegance lecture series will be held at 2PM in the Wardell Room at the Scoville Memorial Library, Salisbury, Connecticut. These lectures are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Call 860-364-5688 or 860-435-0566 for more information.
Paintings, Photography and Sculpture by 5 Connecticut Women
Tina Chandler – Lorrie Lewis – Garrett Richardson – Valerie Rout – Nancy Steckel
Paintings, Photography and Sculpture by 5
Connecticut Women Exhibit Opening Reception
Sunday January 17, 2-4 pm
Exhibit: January 17-March 14, 2010
The SHS is delighted to present the art of Tina Chandler, Lorrie Lewis, Garrett Richardson, Valerie Rout and Nancy Steckel in the Hallway Gallery and around the museum.
In case of inclement weather, the exhibit reception will be postponed until Sunday January 24, 2-4 pm.
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