New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-12
ANTIQUITIES IN CONNECTICUT.
RELICS OF COLONIAL TrMFS AT OLD wINDHAN
DATED TURTLES.

Norwich June IL (Specal).-M the celebration NJ
Windham Green this week Of the town OF od VIVA
hams oOOth krthdgT anniversary coilecu"fl Oh
ancient relics and famii" herlooms was dlSpiaycn III
the Old ,Windham Bank that was never elual'd ny
n similar private exhibitor In the history OF Con
nect,cnt Two rooms In the bhlding were lined
with que articles all Of which belong TO residents
ef IN, town and Invaluable. Notable In the
collection were immens, hiillcngh family portraits,
80 vcors old whose canvas was time talned and split
In half dozen places. The centsai portrait WIZ nov
less than six feet tall. 1t depicted lady Of the Ola
fashioned type In the most highly starhed pose ana
in her lap a babe only trGe les wooden OF posrSc
II Is an interesting fact that the infant in the picture
became the mother OF respected citizen OF ola
W,ndham, who is sM living at the age Oh ninety
two years. Another valuable heirloom was the con
uncnta. Uniform Of Captain tnrrahee. tom by uc
bullets with which he desperately wounded In an
indian feht near Lake Champlain, In NcwAork.
crt-,, old chest exqulstcy carved, that had not IA
nail mark In It's frame and black with age, bore
OH It's front the date. indentcd With knife, l'oo
There were hundred other things almost equally
precious The village Of Windham Is men III history
Most Of It's stately houses built before the Revoiu
, and are famous for their historical or legendary
ossocio,ions In the stamford Tavern. which is now
the private home Of the Eherldn fnmily, Washington
was chartered on several Of lis visits to Eastern
Connecticut. The place was old whch IL
sent troopers 10 Join the Continental Army
and the French contingent OF washington's Army
came there led By gallant nobemcn. The
cid sign Of the anord Inn, belonging to the time OF
the British regime is still good as new. and swings
| above The door OF the old Wndham Hotel, which Is
almost as old as the stamford Tavern An equally IN
teicsting relic is wooden and highly painted Image
of Bacchus the property Of A. +. Brooks. OF Hartford
| that was mounted a; the stamford Tavern. 1t was
carved By prisoners of war. taken from the British
vessc, Eomrig In Long Island Sound, In the Revolu
| ton who were confined at the time In the Old wind
ham Jail There Is only other figure Of the Kind In
| the country.
Many old turtles wandering about New-London
County with initials Of peoples names and dates carved
on their backs one brown old fellow Is still creahing
about the pastures in North StOningtOn, bearing the
initials of several persons The earliest letters were
ainxc. TO him about sixty five years ago. THEN cit
| zen OF the town caught the turtle about lo4J and
scored his shell with that date and the citizens in
Itial and sill later two three other persons added
more records 70 the old fellows burden. The turtle Is
| still lively and In good health apparently. onc day
| this week samuel Edgccomb ana family. and Mrs.
| Levi WatrOus, Of Mystic, while driving near that
place. saw tnitle near p. u. l}ndless's 9rismill
| brook. whose shell was marked with the date 1850
The initials of Mrs. Wairous', son Primers name
They took home and Palmer identified II as his.
Then they let the turtle tridgc into the wilderness
again.