The Newtown bee., 1902-09-26
FAIRFIELD COUNTY.
GREENFIELD HILL,
INTERESTING AND VALUABLE AN.
TIOUES

Not long ago had occasion to visit
an ola friend of the family in Green
held Hill. knew that the house WAS
not modern structure and also that
tne'turnlture was not of the Goth CEN
Jury style. But little realized until
entered the house that | was to he
introduced to house and furniture ot
I'VE olden time.' The house itself is
over 200 years old. The shingles on
the outside are old and weather beaten
and even ragged on the edges. It was
quilt over 200 years ago by Gershom
Hubbell, one of the ancestors of the
present occupant, Miss A. W. Huh
DELL, and is filled with furniture
neeole work and bric-a-brac of from
loo 70 zoo years ago. My attention
was called to several interesting pieces
OF furniture. An old fiddle back chair
ana TWO Stat back chairs over 100 years
OLD were interesting. I sat down in
an arm chair which has passed it's
second century and was lust as COM
Ioftaole in it as though it were Just
brought from the furniture dealers.
A lovely polished work table with
drawers in it for the knitting and
needle work stood in convenient cor
ner and on it was wine case contain
ing six wine bottles and two wine
glasses brought from Europe in our
grandmother youth. A picture
frame made of shells and bouquet
made OF garden seeds were interesting
TO look upon, showing the ingenuity of
from % to so years ago. These things
were not in the attic, neither were
they just for exhibition. They
were the furnishing and decoration of
the parlOr. A china closet contained
cups and saucers brought over from
Europe 100 years ago. Also wine
glasses standing eight inches high and
holding not much more than a table,
spoonful of wine. Some plates of mot
tled brown and green, brought there
possibly when the house was new and
when the young people began house
Keeping. BY the fireplace stood and
irons, bellows and spinning wheel con-
temporary with the other things in
the room. An oil painting of child,
perhaps three years old, shows the
best art New York could afford 100
years ago. The expression of the
child is lacking; the face is that of an
old person. Over the mantel were
hung portraits of John Wesley and
charles Wesley framed in wheel rims.
Inc What-not revealed many curiOsi-
ties: notified blue and white vase
very ancient in pattern; box OF shew-
bread brought from the Holy land;
some husks like those on which the
prodigal fed when he was hungry. On
the corner of the what-nut hung a
little old-fashioned pan cake turner,
part iron and part copper. A cocoa
nut Shell, carved by one of the family
when he was on ship board over 100
years ago. The carving was done with
jack-knife and was very perfect.
The ;grandmother's snuff box and the
grandfather's tobacco box. are each
curiOsitieS in themselves The tobac-
co box is of some hard wood with a
| WA
little iridescent mustard cup and a
lumber with red flowers painted
around the top both showed that they
did not belong to the present century.
In the sitting room is mirror with
its brass ornaments on top and the
little brass knobs to keep it in place
at the bottom that possibly has been
there for POO years. Imagine the faces
that have looked into it! But the
most beautiful of all that l saw in
the house was the tambour work done
by great aunt more than hundred
years ago. A white lawn shawl with
the finest of needle work, SO fine in
fact that it makes ones eyes ache just
to try and find the stitches. When
Aunt Prissy was dressed in her black
silk dress and this finely wrought
shawl she looked the veritable lady
that she was. The checked apron
made of home spun gingham and cut