"The Castle: A Cornwall Love Story"

The Cornwall Historical Society is pleased to announce the publication of “The Castle: A Cornwall Love Story” by Jeffrey Jacobson. The book is an adaptation of the lecture presented by Jacobson in 2010 and includes 21 historic and contemporary images of Cornwall’s “Castle” and its first residents.

The Castle is a unique Cornwall landmark, built during the 1920s by NYC socialite Charlotte Bronson Hunnewell Martin. Shortly after purchasing Turtle Bay Gardens, a complex of brownstone townhouses in New York City, Martin began building a unique country retreat for herself and her husband, Dr. Walton Martin, in Cornwall. Dubbed “The Castle” by locals, the 8,412 square foot mansion was completed in 1924 and was used as a summer retreat. Charlotte added a pottery to the estate in 1927, hiring Vincenzo Rondinone to be her resident artist. Rondinone's Narrow Valley Pottery, and the Castle itself, became integral parts of Cornwall's history.

Over the course of the past 50 years, following the death of Charlotte Martin in 1961, the Castle has been a private country retreat for a number of owners, one of whom added a helipad to the property. The Castle's most recent owner, hedge fund manager Alphonse “Buddy” Fletcher, purchased the Castle for $5.9 million in 2000.

Jacobson will discuss his research on the Castle at a special talk and book signing on April 11, 2015. The program will be held at the Cornwall Town Hall, 26 Pine Street, beginning at 4 p.m. Copies of “The Castle: A Cornwall Love Story” will be available for purchase for $15 each. Cash or check only, no credit cards.

"The Castle: A Cornwall Love Story" may also be purchased online through Lulu.com and Amazon.com.

Sedgwick Walking Tour

Close to 90 people met up at the Sedgwick Memorial for a walking tour led by David A. Ward of Civil War Tours. As a surprise treat, members of Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry joined the tour. As pointed out by David Ward, their presence was particularly appropriate: the 14th Connecticut was the only Connecticut regiment to serve under Sedgwick during the Civil War.

The tour began at the Sedgwick Memorial. David Ward is addressing the group.

Heading up the hill to Sedgwick's birthplace.

Company F, 14th C.V.I. marching up the hill.

The end of the march--standing in between the house where Sedgwick was born, and the house he planned to retire to.

A glimpse of Sedgwick's longed-for retirement home.

Sedgwick's house in Cornwall Hollow burned down in 1859. Construction of a new house was overseen by his sister Emily, who received instructions from Sedgwick in his letters. By September, 1860, Sedgwick was longing to return home to Cornwall. On September 25, he wrote to Emily about some of his plans for the new house: "I mean to add to the library and a few pictures, as we have the means.... I still think, when we have paid up [our debts], we will furnish the parlor and library handsomely."

The march back down the hill, with hints of what the area looked like when Sedgwick lived here.

The final leg of the tour, in the Cornwall Hollow Cemetery.

Sedgwick's grave marker.

Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.

Tour participants enjoying refreshments and conversation.

Disaster at Cold Harbor: Sunday

The Cornwall Historical Society will present a special talk by S. Waite Rawls III, Co-CEO of The American Civil War Museum and part-time Cornwall resident, on Sunday, August 17, at 2 p.m. at the Cornwall Town Hall, 26 Pine Street, Cornwall, CT.

Rawls will discuss the Battle of Cold Harbor, one of the most devastating battles for Cornwall’s troops during the Civil War. The talk will be illustrated by slides. The program is being held in conjunction with the Cornwall Historical Society’s current exhibit, Cornwall and the Civil War.

The Battle of Cold Harbor began on May 31, 1864 and continued until June 12. Approximately 170,000 Union and Confederate troops fought in the battle, which included nine days of trench warfare. By the end, nearly 13,000 Union troops and nearly 5,000 Confederate troops were either killed, wounded, missing, or captured. One soldier from Cornwall was killed during the Battle of Cold Harbor, while another ten soldiers from Cornwall were seriously wounded; two died from their wounds weeks later. Approximately 200 Cornwall men served during the war, 10% of the town’s population.

Waite Rawls is a native Virginian and has been a Civil War buff all of his life. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, served in the U. S. Army, and got his M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Virginia.

Waite and his wife Malou, moved to New York in 1975, where he began his career in commercial and investment banking, at Chemical Bank in New York before moving to Chicago with Continental Bank. A pioneer in the world of derivatives and securitization, he longed for a change and moved to Richmond, Virginia, in 2004, to become the President of the Museum of the Confederacy, the country’s oldest and largest Civil War museum which includes the White House of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis’ home and office during the War. It has recently combined with the American Civil War Center, to become The American Civil War Museum, the premier destination for those interested in learning more about the Civil War and its legacies. Waite has served on many charitable and corporate boards in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Virginia.

Waite and Malou have been weekenders in Cornwall since 1984, and their house and farm on Popple Swamp Road  is one of the area’s landmarks. The barn received a “Barn Again” award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1990 for its restoration to a working barn (Debra Tyler’s “Local Farm”), and the Joshua Pierce Farmstead was listed on the Connecticut Register of Historic Places just last year. His “new” house in Richmond (1860) is almost as close to the Cold Harbor battlefield as his Cornwall house is to John Sedgwick’s grave on Cornwall Hollow Road.

The Cornwall and the Civil War exhibit and related programs are supported by grants from Connecticut Humanities, Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, National Iron Bank, and Torrington Savings Bank.

Family Day Photos: The Civil War Experience

Our thanks to Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, for putting together a fantastic program, and to the Town of Cornwall for letting us use the Green. We estimated at least 80 people attended the event throughout the course of the day, coming from near and as far as Manchester and Old Saybrook. Everyone had a great time, fully engaged with history, learning about different aspects of the Civil War experience.

Here are some photos of the day's activities, from military demonstrations to camp cooking and medical presentations to a game of 19th-century baseball.

Family Day: The Civil War Experience

The Cornwall Historical Society will be hosting a Family Day program on the Green at the corner of Pine Street and Bolton Hill Road in Cornwall on Saturday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The program will be run by Company F, 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, a living history and preservation organization.

 
The day’s events will include presentations on the camp life of Union soldiers, a military drill and firing demonstration, exhibits of Civil War weapons, and presentations on the role of women and battlefield medicine. Visitors will also be invited to join in a game of 19th century baseball (weather permitting).

Members of Company F, 14th C.V.I.

Children of all ages are welcome to attend the Cornwall Historical Society’s Family Day, which is being held in conjunction with the Society’s current exhibit, Cornwall and the Civil War.

Company F, 14th C.V.I.

Company F is unique in offering both the military and civilian aspects of the Civil War Era. In addition to presenting the life of the common soldier, a retired pastry chef portrays a company cook, who demonstrates period cooking over an open fire. Its civilian re-enactors present the contributions of the U.S. Christian Commission, Civil War medicine and those on the home front, to the success of the Union armies. As part of its presentation, the company provides many exhibits for the public to view. Company F is actively engaged in battlefield preservation as a “Civil War Trust Regimental Color Bearer” donor with donations of over $7,500 since Co. F’s inception in 2011. The Company’s website is www.cof14thcvi.com.

The Cornwall and the Civil War exhibit and related programs are supported by grants from Connecticut Humanities, Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, National Iron Bank, and Torrington Savings Bank.

Curator's Talk

Join us this Sunday, July 13, 2 p.m., at the Cornwall Town Hall for a special lecture by Raechel Guest, Curator of our new exhibit, Cornwall and the Civil War, and Executive Director of the Cornwall Historical Society.

Ms. Guest will give an overview of Cornwall’s involvement in the Civil War and will highlight some of the surprising and little-known stories she discovered during her research for the exhibit. Her talk will be illustrated by slides of historic photographs and artifacts.

William H. Cogswell, the first Native American in Connecticut to enlist during the Civil War.
Collection of Cornwall Historical Society.

Refreshments will be served. There is no charge for the program, but donations are welcome.