History: Summer pleasures and waterways

By MAUREEN KOEHL

“In the good old summertime…” begins the refrain of a real golden oldie, and one of the first songs I remember learning at my father’s knee. And since summertime has definitely decided to take a stand in our town, this column will try to cool readers off with a couple of excerpts from the 1927 unpublished Van Norden Manuscript detailing the pleasures of one popular summertime activity and detailing the route of one of our lesser-known waterways. Both excerpts are taken from Chapter VII – “Life in South Salem from 1800 to 1850.” 

As the tide turns …

Recreation was not a farmer’s option most of the year. According to Van Norden, only two holidays were taken by men and ladies of the plough, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. Otherwise, it was early to bed and early to rise, spread the manure and stoneboat those rocks from our almost New England soil.      

According to the manuscript, “Sometime after 1800, it became customary for the men to indulge in a little recreation after haying, and the South Salem farmers formed the habit of ‘going clamming.’ This provided at once a radical change and a luxury, for such were clams considered. When almanacs arrived in January, and Middlebrook’s of Bridgeport was considered the best by clammers, the men made a thorough study of the tides during the following July and August. For not only was a tide which provided low water for the longest time most desirable, but it made a difference whether the hours of low water necessitated starting from home at midnight or at five or six in the morning. Usually neighbors went together, in large two-horse wagons; but some preferred going alone. And sometimes it was planned to take in two tides, which involved an all-night drive in one direction.”

Things did not always go as planned.

“Milo Webster once became absorbed in digging clams upon the outer side of a channel and did not notice the rising tide; and he had to swim the channel. Davis Dickens once stepped into a deep hole, and before his friends could pull him out, he was unconscious. 

“Then in time oystermen began to stake out the clamming grounds and to plant them with oysters, protected by state law. And for some years there were many exciting races for the state line between farmers that had been clamming upon oyster grounds and the oystermen accompanied by officers. Occasionally an offender was caught and fined.

“All very simple, play that sounds like work to us… In 1845 the Rev. Reuben Frame [pastor of the South Salem Presbyterian Church] charged Richard Mead with defaming his character, and one of his specifications recites that Mead had said he was a liar when clamming the preceding summer.”

Although Theodore Van Norden does not mention in this passage exactly where the parties went clamming, it is very likely the wagons of clamoring clammers headed toward Norwalk and the environs of Long Island Sound.

Meandering stream

The stream referred to in this next passage is still very much in existence and wanders through our town’s wetlands, from the Leon Levy Preserve to Lake Truesdale to the Cross River Reservoir. Try following its meanderings via Van Norden’s descriptions and my parenthetical notes.

“In this period, too, the people seem to have awakened to an appreciation of the stream and lakes. They had been mentioned earlier only in deeds and property descriptions. Now they began to inspire affection. The lakes were still known as Long Pond, North Pond and South Pond [Waccabuc, Rippowam and Oscaleta]. On the northwestern side of North Pond [Rippowam], where a spring remains, a hundred years ago (c. 1826) lived Peter Dickens, who was a character. From him the lake was sometimes called Dickens Pond and later Peter’s Pond. North of his house is a cave some fifty feet deep, and fifty years ago that was called The Lion Cave, many years after the last panther or wild cat had been seen… [This property is now Sal Prezioso Mt. Lakes Park.]

“And the stream, every boy knew every rod of it, rises in springs upon Dr. Rainsford’s property [Le Chateau], where Dr. Rainsford has built a small pond. It crosses the highway [Spring Street/Route 35 did not exist yet] near Mr. Charles Hull’s house, and there is called Coal Kiln Brook. On the north side of the road early settlers had dug pits and in them burned charcoal. Just beyond the bridge the Coal Kiln Brook is joined by another small stream from a spring below the Craft’s house [The famed Black Mansion on the Leon Levy Preserve], on land formerly Mr. Jesse Benedict’s [just south of the traffic light at Routes 35 and 123]. When Col. Sheldon’s Light Horse Dragoons wintered on this ridge in 1780 they stoned this spring, which has remained the same since. During an unusual drought in the 1870s the people from the village went here for water. 

“Running south, through the swamp, the stream turns north and recrosses the highway [Spring Street] near Mr. Bailey’s house [still Bailey property at the eastern end of Spring Street]. Farther north it crosses the mountain road to Ridgefield [Woodway]; circles Mr. Crossland’s property and crosses the other Mead Street [Pettit Road]. Half a mile farther I [Van Norden] dammed it to form Truesdale Lake. Through my land and Mrs. Benedict’s, upon Mr. Adam’s property [Benedict Road and Post Office Road area] it is joined by the outlet from Waccabuc; and from this point it is properly called Waccabuc River. Thence south and west, it crosses the state road on Senator Agnew’s land [former Holly House property on Waccabuc River Road] and flows south to Boutonville. There is it joined by the outlet from Cross Pond [Lake Kitchawan], and from this junction is called Cross River.” 

And there you have it, folks. A little bit of summertime fun exploring Lewisboro’s waters.

Maureen Koehl is the Lewisboro town historian.