‘True Connecticut Ghost Stories’? 3 books to read this summer about Connecticut’s music, legendary women and ghosts – Hartford Courant

Connecticut history can be organized in many different ways. A workable history of Connecticut could be constructed based solely on famous buildings (from the Old State House to the PEZ Visitor Center), roads (from Post Road to Interstate 95), parks (from Putnam Memorial Park to Bushnell Park), or movies (from ” Friendship” to “The Conjuring 3″).

Three recently published books form dynamic images of Connecticut’s past, shaped for the most part around places that can still be visited. They take novel approaches to specific facets of the multiple state and provide a living portrait of how the state grew and changed, provided you accept that the term “living” can encompass the dead and undead.

Here are three recent Connecticut-focused books to read over the summer.

By Patricia W. Harris (Globe Pequot Press, 2022)

Connecticut features prominently in this collection of profiles of famous New England women. With nine entries, we are second only to Massachusetts among the six states.

The best feature of the book is that, in addition to helpful biographical essays on each woman, it is a travel guide describing places where women’s achievements are celebrated. The entry on Mabel Osgood Wright highlights the still-thriving Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary she founded in Fairfield in 1914. Yale-educated sculptor Maya Lin is noted for “The Women’s Table” outside the university’s Sterling Library, a tribute to the legacy of women. he enrolled at Yale between 1873 and 1993. Katharine Hepburn is represented by the arts center that bears her name in Old Saybrook, and Prudence Crandall and her school, Florence Griswold and her museum (included under its original purpose, “Art Colony Boardinghouse” ) and “Harriet Beecher’s Stowe Final Home” all naturally make the cut.

The book also sparks interest in lesser-known historic homes, such as Theodate Pope Riddle’s family home in Farmington and Caroline Ferriday’s country home in Bethlehem. The most illuminating entry might be the one dedicated to Kathleen Moore, who was a lighthouse keeper in Bridgeport’s Black Rock Harbor for more than 60 years.

“Perhaps we chalk it up to government bureaucracy,” Harris writes, “but Kathleen Moore had to wait until after her father’s death in 1871 to be officially recognized as the head lighthouse keeper,” performing tasks she began to do. as a child around 1817. .

By Tony Renzoni (The History Press, 2022)

For fans of Connecticut music, this book, which should be read in conjunction with Renzoni’s earlier effort, “Connecticut Rock ‘n’ Roll — A History,” carves out a pretty small slice of the past. Its primary audience is Baby Boomers who came of age when the drinking age in the state had not yet passed 18 to 21, when nightclubs were bigger, rock bands traveled more, and local radio stations they could turn a local record into a regional hit.

“Connecticut Music Venues” refers to a certain portion of mainstream rock and roll and does not follow classical music, rap, or even folk. There is no mention of the legendary Exit Coffeehouse. Renzoni overlooks iconic punk/new wave venues like Ron’s Place (where REM has played since 1981), The Grotto, The Moon (where Nirvana played), and The Tune Inn.

Some venues are praised for world-famous acts who played there: The Doors at New Haven Arena, Bob Dylan at Yale’s Woolsey Hall and elsewhere, and U2 at Toad’s Place, New Haven Coliseum, and the Hartford Civic Center. Others are lauded as launching pads for top regional acts. In listing the locals, Renzoni’s main affinity (as in his previous book) is for the guitar bands and party bands that ruled the state in the 1960s and 1970s. These include The Scratch Band (whose vocalist Christine Ohlman still plays with Rebel Montez today), Flying Tigers (made up of members of the original Alice Cooper Group), The Wild Weeds (with Al Anderson, then of NRBQ and now a solo star), and Bram Rigg Set (whose drummer Beau Segal once managed The Oakdale, which was founded by his father). The more recent local acts noted here tend to be of the jam band genre, primarily those who performed at the Gathering of the Vibes Festival, which gets its own short chapter in the book.

“Historic Connecticut Music Venues” ends with three seemingly random addendums: “Interviews with Two Hall of Fame Legends,” Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones and Felix Cavaliere, by dint of having each lived a good portion of their lives. in Connecticut; “The amazing and mysterious saga of the hit song ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ recorded by a trio from Bridgeport”, in memory of the band Steam; and 11 free pages of photos that could have been put elsewhere in the book but weren’t.

Despite the lack of organization and huge knowledge gaps, the book is ultimately more charming than frustrating. Renzoni is a devoted promoter of a specific scene that he knows well, and he glorifies them in a way that makes you want to seek out collectible old records, photos, and videos from that era. The book stirs nostalgic impulses for those who remember places like the Hartford State Theater, which closed in 1962 and played host to everyone from local legends The Five Satins to Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. Bushnell may not be recognized for having Patti Smith there just three years ago, but he is remembered for booking Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and The Who in 1969 and also supporting venues like Gene Pitney and The Fifth Estate.

There may be a lot of local music history missing, but there are worse places to start.

By “Cryptmaster Chucky” aka Charles F. Rosenay!!! (Kiwi Edition, 2022)

Ghosts don’t usually appear randomly. They usually seem to haunt the places where they once dwelt, died, or were buried. The backstories of supernatural manifestations, therefore, can be much more interesting than the appearances themselves.

There are a fair number of books about hauntings in Connecticut, but “True Ghost Stories of Connecticut” adds new material to the genre. Local entertainment promoter Charles Rosenay!!! (exclamation points have been legally attached to his last name for decades and are useful here) He asked a variety of acquaintances to recount their first-hand experiences with the supernatural.

Some of the state’s best-known haunted areas are duly invoked (the spooky forest in Dudleytown and the Sterling Opera House in Derby each have two chapters), with current experiences. Some of the locations are obvious places: graveyards, native cemeteries, Newgate Prison, or Fairfield Hills Asylum. Others haven’t been on the map before. Mike Cronin of the 2 Brothers Extreme Paranormal Investigation Teams describes “The New Demon House of Derby,” which he discovered last year, and Paul Longo, the editor of Ghost Watch magazine and website, contributes an encounter creepy thing that happened in your childhood. he home in Stratford.

Many of those who share their stories are true believers, while others are converts who were shaken by their encounters with the unknown. Some of the tales are accompanied by photographic evidence of shadowy figures. Several stories involve Connecticut’s ultimate ghost hunting couple, the late Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The focus of this book is everyone’s desire to know more about the spirits they have encountered. This leads to new research and perspectives on Connecticut’s history and culture that you won’t find anywhere else.

Christopher Arnott can be contacted at [email protected].