The Newtown bee., 1895-05-24

occupied by George Ruffles stands. Al the time it was left there man by the name of Blackman kept tavern. The ore was transported from mine out near where the Croton water shed now is, up the Shepaug valley on the backs of horses, and this house was popular stopping place. But this was more than 100 years ago.
 The dummy of ladies' head makes quite striking show. This dummy was formerly used in shaping the old poke bonnets of years ago, and MT Peck has hunted high and low for bonnet to fit the dummy but as yet feels his at tempt has been rather unsuccessful for she don't take to modern ladies' hats. When we looked at three or four old turnkeys we were glad we did not have to go to the dentist of old. It's bad enough in these days, but what must have been the torture when teeth were pried out of jaw with these horrid old root extractors. There were some wool carders hanging by themselves that MT Peck says were used by Peter Hall in the year 1740, and also reaper that was used by Gershom Dimon in 1790.
 Probably the row of wooden water bottles holding all the way from pint to gallon must have belonged to the days of the reaper and no one knows how many drinks they have carried to the | field for
 THE POOR THIRSTY HEATERS,
 though it is to be feared it was net al- ways water. Dr Vile presented the collection with some interesting wooden clogs worn in Holland. MT Peck has I the record of the first Morris family that ever moved into town. It is in the the shape of pair of old fashioned names, worn by the old horse that drew the first Morris family from Stratford to Newtown in the year 1740. Ex-Gov Luzon B. Morris is in direct de- cent from this family, early transported l here, and should feel an interest in these relics. MT Peck says he can generally | tell the way his visitors minds run after talking with them and watching what they observe most closely, in few min- utes. We'll, he must have had present. ment he had struck the right chord for the writer when he struck the cash. I guess all newspaper men have a weak ness that way, but it is to be hoped no one else does. In his collection are the old "shin plasters" in denominations of 5, 5, 10, 15, 9, and 50 cents. MT Peck explained how they came to be issued. It was in '65 and '66 that small change was scarce and postage stamps were used great deal to make small change with, and they would get so dirty that it was almost impossible to tell whether they had ever been cancelled or not. To relieve this strain, Cor stain) on the postage stamps the shin plasters made their appearance, at Uncle Sam's bid. ding. He has paper money issued by number of states. Some of il dates back to 1776 and contains the rings of the l3 original states. There is also s good collection of old coins, probably many of them being of a considerable Value above their marked worth. There is picture of the Congregational church the old corner store and town house, anC the Grand Central hotel as it looked be fore it was built over, painted py George Redstone in 1871, that MT Peck prizes quite highly. At about this time WI came across set of carpenters tools tha | MUST HAVE SURVIVED THE FLOOD
 and been used before it's day in the con struction of the Ark by Noah and his sons. They are made of wood evidently whitthed out, and comprise a monster brace with the bits and reamers, com, passes, calapers, planes, etc. How they became the property of Trowbridge Camp we did not learn, but they certain. ly look prehistoric to his time.
 In thIs same collection was a hand affair for the formation of spoons with the patterns belonging with it, which Ziba Rlakeslee and his son Vii. liam owned and used. It is com- posed of block of wood hollowed out proper size and an iron pummel to shape the spoon with when placed on the block. A hoe made by Ives Glover, in lS20, is also here, and close beside piece of old lead pipe that was the first ever laid in town when they used to take sheet lead and roll it around rod and solder it together. MT Peck's collection of old pewter and wooden plates, trench CTS, bowls and pitchers is excellent, some dating back to l760. Among the lot is one plate made of iron, which tells 8 pretty good story. It seems that cer- tain D. B. Beers had an aunt who married an Episcopal clergyman, MT Barber by name- phis marriage was blessed with an unusually large family of children and they seemed to have great fondness for smashing plates, especially the crockery ones. In his dilemma the poor clergy man is said to have rushed off and had enough iron plates made for the use of his large family, to save further break age and the iron plate Tn Mir Peck's col lection is one of these identical plates. We can have some sympathy for the poor clergyman when we look on this speci- men, for as hard as it is good sized piece is broken from of it's edge. The collection of old buttons are interesting specimens and there is an old hand but ton mould with them, in which the but tons used to be run. The old time warm- ing pans, which are not so very uncom- mon in number of households, Mr Peck has two of. One he prizes from the fact that the work on it is quite superior to