Now & Then

PHOTOS: New Canaanites Who Died While Serving in World War II

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Since helping restore a memorial walk dedicated to New Canaanites who perished during World War II in 2003 in Mead Park, town resident Jim Bach, a Korean War veteran, has spearheaded efforts to improve the visibility and appearance of this town landmark. Those efforts have included re-planting of trees along the “Gold Star Walk,” creating a second footbridge to extend it and installing a new walkway and map—and a venerable nonprofit organization now is offering to help Bach preserve the memorial, which features a plaque listing names of the 38 men who died during the war (see gallery above for information on the servicemen). The memorial dates back to 1948, and Bach—a 1947 New Canaan High School graduate who served as a U.S. Army sergeant from 1952 to 1954—said he wants to add some finishing touches, to ensure its longevity. “I want to see it done, it was part of my life a long time ago and it kept me out of trouble at one time,” Bach said. “The final thing that I wanted to get done with the memorial is to put in a bridge across the main stream that enters the park, on the west side of the garage.

Animal 411

INTERACTIVE MAP: Coyote Sightings in New Canaan, 2016

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Above is an interactive map of coyote sightings in New Canaan in 2016 that we will keep updated throughout the year (to report a coyote sighting, phone Animal Control at 203-594-3510). Each orange pin marks a sighting of one coyote unless otherwise noted—click on them for more information. New Canaan is in the midst of coyote breeding season (January to March), and the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section is fielding reports every week about new sightings in town. Officer Allyson Halm encourages New Canaanites to learn how to live together with the animals, such as by protecting pets and property (see the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s coyote fact sheet here). “We are the ones with the education and the brains,” Halm said.

Now & Then

SEARCH: History of New Canaan Street Names

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NewCanaanite.com has partnered with the New Canaan Historical Society on a digital Street Names Database that lets readers look up the origins of local street names online. With information drawn from a 1960 annual of the member-supported Historical Society, the searchable database is a drop-down menu (above) that captures information on how New Canaan streets got their names, in a snapshot from that year. The Historical Society has taken the further step of building out a completely updated list—should residents seek information that’s missing from the database (such as more modern street names) or want to review in greater detail what’s included in it—and that’s all available in the organization’s research library at 13 Oenoke Ridge Road (top of God’s Acre). We’ve created a new category, all the way on the right on the main navigation bar on the homepage called “Bookmarks” where we’ve filed this Street Name Database, so you can find it easily next time you’re looking:

This is a fluid database: If you have any memories, photos or information to share about street name history in New Canaan, please feel free to post a comment on this article or email editor@newcanaanite.com and we’ll incorporate it into the appropriate entry.