Many people in Lyme today are unaware of Lyme’s World War II memorial monument . It is seated on the ledge opposite Town Hall and Consolidated School for almost 70 years now. I hope that some background will generate appreciation of its uniqueness and significance to Lyme. Private citizens of Lyme took the initiative to form a…
A 4th of July parade in Lyme, CT. has become an essential “Experience Lyme” event for families, newcomers, and visitors alike. It was formerly called the Hamburg Parade, now the Lyme, CT 4th of July Parade. The late Dr. William Irving, a Cove Road resident, is credited with initiating the first one in about 1966….
February 13, 2015 was the 350th anniversary of the signing of the Articles of Agreement in 1665 between representatives of the plantation area called East Saybrook on the east side of the Connecticut River from the parent Colony of Saybrook on the west side to amicably separate from each other. Two years later in 1667,…
The recent news of Ebola and measles epidemics raises the question of whether a quarantine has ever been implemented in Lyme to prevent the spread of contagious disease through isolation or confinement of contagious individuals. The answer is “Yes”. There has been no shortage of contagious disease in the history of Lyme during the colonial…
The Lyme Grange was established in 1896 as a chapter of the national Grange. Members took turns presenting a talk or short program on a topic of their own interest or current issues at the state or national level that had bearing on rural life. Grange member J. R. Warren wrote and read the following piece at…
In the years between 1880 and 1930, there was a big change in Lyme, CT’s population profile. Overall, the population declined by almost one-half. Even more remarkably, the number of households headed by farmers, dropped by almost 70%. Connecticut as a whole at the end of the 19th century was experiencing strong growth in the cities, manufacturing, the railroads, and improved…
One of the treasures of the Lyme Public Hall’s archives is the ledger recording the meetings of the proprietors of the Ely Meadow— the long, narrow strip of land south of Ely’s Ferry that is elevated enough for wild grasses to grow between the river bank and the Lord Cove marshes. From 1748 until
Changes in Architectural Styles Within the last twenty-five years there have been several efforts to survey and document Lyme’s historic houses. In 1976 the Lyme Bicentennial Commission produced a map showing the standing pre-Revolutionary period houses. In 1980 a survey was initiated by the Connecticut Historical Commission which documented structure, age, historical and architectural significance…