Old Home Day 1934

Old Home Day 1934 marked the 2nd year the event had been sponsored by Treadway-Cavanaugh Post No. 64 American Legion and Auxiliary aided by 9 other Legion Posts from around Middlesex County.  Billed the 17th annual OHD,  it actually had been suspended for five years beginning in the late 1920s before our very active Legion members stepped up to revive this important community event.  Similar actions by member of the EH Fife and Drum Corp in the late 1970s revived the modern OHD now in its 35th year.

 

As now, the biggest day of the year for EH and its former residents who wandered far and wide from their childhood homes, the combined OHD observance and the Middlesex County American Legion Fair arrived with it thousands of townspeople, former residents, friends, visitors, guests, and the curious to partake in the huge celebration.

 

Then as now, the colorful and lengthy parade, still acknowledged as one of the largest in Connecticut, featured snappy colored uniforms of many state Drum Corps, each competing for viewers attention.  Interspersed between marching units were picturesque floats designed and staffed by local organizations, each depicting the parade theme of "name a song." A baseball game between the East Hampton Bombers and the Middlesex County All Stars followed.  (Maybe something our current OHD Committee might re-institute).

 

The evening held a variety show with dance and song performers such as Clara and Sidney Bradley, a one-man act by Harry Bolden, and strong-man stunts by Richard Vintour, who had appeared at Radio City Music Hall.  Later, a fireworks display on the school grounds followed by dancing and other activities at Carriers Casino and other venues such as Clearwater Lodge on Lake Pocotopaug.

 

Event officials included Paul Voelker, Chairman, Mrs. Phyllis Thatcher, Vice Chair, Mrs. Mary Garvey, Treasurer. 

The End of Summer - Baseball Brothers

Although not officially summer's end, Labor Day puts an indelible impression of it coming demised and heralds the end of another baseball season. Previously writing about East Hampton baseball brother acts, the Bransfield boys - Hal, Jake, Ed and Bill - were not an exclusive club. Ozzie and Gabe Frontel, a twosome played for the Belltown Bombers and joined brother John and Joe in the town's factory / clerk league. Before the age of TV, computers, video games, and all our modern distractions, getting out to play baseball or do other activities such as swim in Lake Pocotopaug was the norm and many played in the factory league as practice for the Middlesex County League. Other brothers included Gerald and Tom Wall and brother-in-law Vinnie "Swede" Nelson and the Wylie's - Sam and Willie. In 1937, Tom Wall, Managed and played center field for a team that started slow but finished with a winning record despite the fact that Manager Wall was sidelined in August with appendicitis.

Tom Wall was Dennis Wall's dad. Dennis is now the Democratic candidate for Zoning Board of Appeals. What else would he be. Dennis's grandfather James was a Democrat elected as a Selectman for several terms in the 1940s and 1950s. Gerald, better known by his nickname "Butch," was the Manager and head bartender for O'Neill's Tavern when Bill was politicking in Hartford as State Representative up until the time he was elected Lt. Governor in 1978.

And baseball, like the flowers, blooms in the spring. In the second game of 1938, on May 16th, "Don Mack opened the game on the mound for the locals and lasted until the beginning of the seventh inning, when he was yanked by Manager dick Ferrari and was relieved by Gabriel Frontel, a young left-hander who finished the game in good style," making his debut that Sunday afternoon.

Gabe, husband of Christine, who is my mother Pauline's sister, are still going strong, celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this year.

Boys of Summer - The Bransfield Brothers

Baseball, at least in Belltown, often became a family affair. From the 1890s through the 1950s, the summer sport would see fathers who were succeeded by sons, or brother acts, such as the Bransfield's, dominate the diamond. Harold "Hal", Paul "Jake", William "Bill" and Edward "Ed" played side by side for the Belltown Bombers, in games that usually took place on weekends. They "practiced" in the East Hampton factory league playing along side brother John, Joe and Jim. And not to be outdone, sisters Ellen, Marion and Marge were active in ladies softball. The Middlesex County League was important for the Towns pride, but several of the factories, including Bevin Brothers, Gong Bell, Summit Thread and N.N. Hills Brass had a twilight league that more than 125 men participated in. It served as training for new talent or where semi-retired players could get some activity after they left the Bombers.



In the County League, I've been told that Hal Bransfield was one of the best to play the game, yet Paul, know as "Jake" with a .410 average, received the M. J. Higgins loving cup as the leading hitter in 1937. Brother Bill hit .342 that same year (sixth best in the league).

I remember Harold or as everyone called him, "Brandy" as the Assistant Post Master, who had begun his career as a postal clerk around 1926. I met him in 1961 when by father Donald was appointed by President Kennedy to succeed retiring Post Master Forest Thatcher. I remember this wiry elder. Little did I know he was one of the greats!

Brother Joe also worked at the Post Office as a rural carrier and would stop with his wife Connie for dinner or an ice cream sundae at Thatcher Drug. Working the old soda fountain, townspeople would be greeted and served by Mary Ann (Nichols) Wall, Donna (Skinner) Mitchell, Carol (Christopher) Hart or me (at least between 1964 to 1966), the blue plate special, a hamburger or a hot fudge sundae after a hard days work.

The Boys of Summer - Belltown Bombers

Our recent EHHS men’s State Champion baseball team brings to mind the storied history of many other EH teams and our “Boys of Summer." I recently read an account of the long baseball history attributed to our Town back to the 1880s. H. F. Scranton wrote of the great Richard Wall – in an article in 1928, as the local Belltown Bombers were making mincemeat of the Middlesex County league. Ironically we had two tremendous baseball players by that name. The first played from the late 1880s to the late teens. A blacksmith by trade, his shop still exists in the rear of 64 Main Street - owned by Kevin and Kim Keily - located across the street from the Congregational Church. Smithy Wall was a stellar catcher - iron strong! By day pounding metal and crafting repair parts for machinery (blacksmiths did more than shoe horses), evenings and weekends saw Dick hammering long fly balls and rifling pick offs of runners testing his steely arm.

I said two Richard Walls. The second, great nephew to the first, was a friend and a political mentor who passed away this June. The second Mr. Wall may have been the best to play the game from our town. Dick told me how another great, Manager Charlie Barber, recruited him to play on the Belltown Bombers while a high school freshman. League rules required players to be 18 or older, so he registered under the name of his older brother John who was away at war. Later they ran Wall’s Dairy until the location was purchase by the Rossini's. Offered a professional contract, with the St. Louis Cardinals , Dick opted to stay at home to develop the thriving dairy bar business with brothers John and Phil.

In 1905, County Commissioner Hubert Hodge's team won the pennant in the Middlesex County League, the first time the title ever came to the Belltown. The 1906 County League Pennant was captured by the Belltown boys as well. Playing for that team were Frank Johnson, Arthur Gates, Richard Wall, Stanley Bevin (with a blistering fastball), Arthur Bride, David Moriarity, Wick Markham, Hubert Hodge, Charles Ivers and David Bride.

Our close knit community saw mechanics and management bank together on the diamond. Many went on to successful business careers or roles as community leaders, the skills learned of working together just another example of the success of our baseball teams.

Bevin, president of Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Co., Hodge, a pharmacist and owner of Barton Drug Store (now Devine Jewelers) who served, as did David Bride, as selecmen and W.W.B. Markham, who owned the T.S. Brown Insurance and Real Estate Agency, the bowling alley and other ventures. S. A. Bevin was the pitcher on that team and was one of the most effective in position because of his terrific speed. Dick Wall, played second base that year and Frank Johnson of Middletown did the catching. In 1914, Mark Hamilton had a jaunt with the home players. Leo Strong was the pitcher and Charlie Metcalf did the catching. In 1915, Dave Bride's team won the Middlesex County League pennant.

In 1928, Harold Scranton, a local boy who covered sports for the Middletown Press, wrote, "A winning baseball team is a good advertisement for any town and for over a span of 35 years East Hampton's baseball nines have averaged up better than any town in Middlesex County ....[he expressed gratitude]... to Rich Wall, the village smithy, considered the best backstop ever to don a net mask and wind pad in Middlesex County, for information given about stars of the old days before shin guards, big mitts and masks were use."

My grandfather Percy Markham, an accomplished player, managed the 1928 Belltown Bombers while playing centerfield, to the Middlesex County Championship. When I was a boy, he relayed stories of his baseball exploits.

Now I haven’t researched the entire history, but I came across some old pictures recently of him playing and certainly have no reason to doubt his word, especially as he was held in high esteem by others in the community. He was elected Tax Collector for 4 terms, Was elected to the Board of Education and served on the building committees for both the High School (now the Center School) and Memorial School and had been the Prosecutor for our local Court for 20 some years.

His most interesting story related to his service in the U.S. Marine Corp. During WW I he was shipped to France with the Doughboys who liberated Europe in the Great War! Returning to the U.S., he extended his enlistment and spent time near Washington D.C. before being deployed to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua chasing bandits and revolutionaries.

But his Washington service that was of greatest interest, at least with respect to this story. While there, he played baseball as a member of the Marine Corp Team. He told me some really fine players – major league caliper – played and they had games scheduled against major league teams that came to the Nation’s Capitol to play the Washington Senators.

But it was games against the Senators that peaked my interest. He told me he had batted against the great Walter Johnson. He didn’t tell me how he did. However, we all know that the “Big Train” became one of the first five members inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner.

As Mike Thompson, Editor of Rivereast pointed out, "Percy didn't tell Dean how he did, but, I wouldn't have been shocked if it was a strikeout. Johnson did, after all, fan 3,508 people over his 20-year careeer, a record that stood for more than 50 years after he retired. It's almost shortchanging Johnson to simply describe him as one of the game's all-time greats. And Percy Markham got to bat against him."

After four years of chasing bandoleros, he returned home, married the former Rose Knotek, their marriage lasting nearly 60 years until his death in 1983.