[Editor’s Note: This local history article by New Canaan Historical Society volunteer Gordon T. Walker is the first in a series to appear monthly on NewCanaanite.com.]
Most New Canaanites know about Cody’s Drug Store, which operated continuously in town from 1845 until it was demolished in 1965 for the widening of Main Street. James Cody and his family operated the store from 1918 until its demolition. The store’s contents and many of the fixtures were donated to the New Canaan Historical Society, which created a new wing for the reconstruction of what had become a beloved town landmark. Today, Cody’s Drug Store is the most well known and popular of its many exhibits and relocated historic buildings.
In its early days, the drug store was operated by Samuel Silliman, who was also the Town Clerk. The selectmen, perhaps being of like party affiliation, authorized him “to sell spirituous and intoxicating liquors at his drug store… for sacramental, medicinal, chemical and mechanical uses only.” Unfortunately, the Sons of Temperance, no doubt concerned about the definition of “medicinal,” successfully petitioned the town to rescind Silliman’s license.
Join Dede Bartlett at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society for a luncheon and discussion about the family stories behind the antiques and other objects we have in our homes, on Tuesday, November 12, from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Perhaps the worth of an item is not its market value but its historic value. Who used it and for what? How many generations passed it down? What significance does it have to the family lore?
The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society presents an impressive new exhibition, Northeast Waterscapes: Artists Explore Oceans, Rivers, Harbors, with an opening reception on Friday, November 1, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The reception is free to members, and $10 for all others. The display is drawn from the personal collection of New Canaan resident and art collector Tom Davies. It features 62 paintings highlighting oceans, rivers, lakes and harbors of the Northeast. Through these paintings, Davies explores society’s fascination with the drama, danger, beauty and power of water, the crucial role it has played in the development of cities, transportation and trade, and the myriad forms it can take.
The New Canaan Museum and Historical Society presents Ponus: The Man & the Monument on Sunday, October 27 at 4 pm. Patricia Funt Oxman, who has given tours of local cemeteries in past years, focuses this year on the Ponus Monument, located on the corner of Davenport Ridge Road and Ponus Ridge. The monument is thought to be the tomb of Ponus, Sachem of the Toquam Tribe, and was unveiled in an elaborate ceremony in 1897. Ponus, a Chief, who lived in the 17th century, has been largely overlooked but shaped the history of this area. A display of local arrow and spear heads will also be on view, on loan from New Canaan Country School.
Mike Tiani, Historian for the New Canaan Fire Company, curates a special exhibition in honor of Fire Prevention Awareness Month at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society. The show opens Saturday, October 5. Antique Fire Trucks will be on display from 10 am– 12 pm. Chronicling 140 years of the Fire Company’s history, the exhibition includes photographs, memorabilia, medals, uniforms and other artifacts. It celebrates the volunteers and explores the central role they played, and continue to play, in the fabric of this community.
