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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The property located at 255 Brushy Ridge Road has been a sought after location since the 1800s. The property was purchased by Frederick Weed Lockwood in 1880. Mr. Lockwood was the son of Major John Lockwood and Mercy Weed. He was born on November 2, 1833 and was married to Mary Amelia Bowles (born in 1836).
‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. [Part 1 of this “New Canaan Now & Then” installment is published here.]
John Dickinson, formerly of Burton-on-Trent near Staffordshire England is the next owner of the property.
Dickinson arrived in the United States with his wife and three children. Dickinson’s speciality was colorful satin slippers which he sold to the Benedict shoe store. In October 1950 the Advertiser article reports that the small room where he made his shoes was the only room in the house that still had the original floorboards and indentations from the shoemaker’s craft was evident. John Dickinson’s English wife died and he married the woman who had been keeping house for him, Mrs. Quigg, who was originally from Ireland.
‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The 1765 Alma Colbron House located at 4 Beacon Hill Lane (what was then East Avenue) is one of the oldest homes in New Canaan.
It was built by John Benedict and his son, John Benedict Jr. of Norwalk. The Benedicts acquired land as early as 1702, and the house is listed in land records as owned by John Benedict Jr. in 1765, when he was 89 years old. The house has a traditional center chimney that serviced several fireplaces and a brick oven in the kitchen. The porches and rooms were added at a later date, but the house is largely a traditional colonial saltbox.
The rich history of the house is reflected in the many owners that were influential figures in New Canaan history. John Benedict sold the home to Samuel Lawrence from New York, who traded in country real estate.
‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. As most people know, the Karl family has a long history in New Canaan, which began when John Karl opened his own garage at 10 South Avenue in 1915.
John was the eldest of the Karl brothers who had lived in Milford, Connecticut, on the family farm before settling in New Canaan. Before striking out on his own, John had been the vice president and manager of the Central Garage. In February 1915, a contest organized by the Colonial Theater was held for the most “popular garage man” and, in December 1915, John Karl was in the lead with 145 votes, followed by Ed Nidd (130), William Simmon (75) and the Johnson Brothers (65). In March 1920, John purchased the grounds of the New Canaan Cab Company on Railroad Avenue and moved his business there.
‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The Armory or “Armory Hall” was built by Noah Hoyt, the postmaster, as a two story shirt factory in 1840.
The factory was used to make uniforms for the Northern Army during the Civil War and, when the war ended, the space was used to store arms and other war materials. The Armory stood at the rear of the post office building on the west side of Main Street opposite East Avenue. A photograph by Syd Greenberg in the 1930s shows the buildings in the vicinity of the armory, including the iconic Cody Drugstore. In the 1930s James Cody owned the armory hall building.