Middlebury Historical Society to Explore Scurvy’s Toll on the Continental Navy

The Middlebury Historical Society will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Shepardson Community Center Auditorium, 1172 Whittemore Road in Middlebury.

Following the brief business meeting, Historical Society Vice President Michael Simms III, M.D., will present “Scurvy: Low C on the High Seas.” The program will examine the serious challenges disease posed to the military during the Revolutionary War, with particular attention to scurvy’s impact on sailors in the Continental Navy.

Often associated with long sea voyages, scurvy is caused by a prolonged lack of vitamin C. Its effects could be debilitating, leaving sailors weak, ill and unable to perform their duties. In an era when naval crews faced limited access to fresh food and uncertain supply lines, the disease represented a significant threat—one that could affect the readiness and survival of a ship’s company as surely as conflict at sea.

Dr. Simms brings extensive medical and historical experience to the topic. He is the former Director of Infectious Diseases at St. Mary’s Hospital and previously served as chairman of the hospital’s Department of Medicine. He is also a past president, secretary and treasurer of the Connecticut Infectious Disease Society. A lifelong student of national and local history, Dr. Simms will offer insight into the human realities behind maritime service during the Revolutionary era.

The public is invited to attend both the Annual Meeting and the presentation. Those planning to attend are asked to contact the society in advance at president @middleburyhistoricalsociety.org so organizers can prepare accordingly.

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Memorial Mass to Honor Two French Soldiers Who Died in Waterbury During Revolutionary War

Nearly 245 years after two unnamed French soldiers died while marching through Waterbury during the Revolutionary War, the public is invited to gather in prayer and remembrance at their burial site. On Saturday, October 24, Father Sullivan will celebrate a Memorial Mass at East Farm Cemetery, 3156 East Main Street, honoring the two soldiers who died in Waterbury in July 1781 while traveling with General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau’s French army.

New statue of a French Revolutionary War Soldier erected by the Middlebury Historical Society at Meadowview Park

The soldiers were among approximately 5,000 French troops who marched through Connecticut to support General George Washington’s campaign at Yorktown, Virginia. Their combined forces helped secure the decisive victory that led to American independence.

Rochambeau’s route through Connecticut included Southington, Waterbury, Middlebury and Southbury. While in Waterbury, two soldiers became seriously ill and were unable to continue with the army. In an act of compassion, Rochambeau reportedly left money with local resident Josef Beecher so the men could receive care. Both soldiers died shortly afterward.

They were buried in the small East Farm Cemetery, a wooded burial ground near Generali School, formerly East Farm School. Two modest, unnamed gravestones were placed at the site at the time of their burial. In 1914, a larger monument was erected to recognize the French soldiers’ sacrifice and their connection to the nation’s founding.

Although a Catholic priest traveled with Rochambeau’s troops, he was required to continue on with the rest of the army. At the time, there was no established Catholic parish in Waterbury. Catholic ministry did not formally arrive in the city until 1847, with the arrival of Father Michael O’Neill, the first pastor of Immaculate Conception Church. As a result, the two soldiers never received a Catholic funeral Mass or formal Catholic burial rites.

Father Sullivan said the plan to honor the soldiers arose after parishioners independently mentioned their story following his return from the Alps. He later visited the cemetery and felt called to offer a Memorial Mass at the burial grounds. The observance comes as communities across the country mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and reflect on those who contributed to the nation’s birth. “Very often, it is easy to forget those who have gone before us and given their lives for our freedom,” Father Sullivan said. “So many have died so that we may be free.”

The Memorial Mass at 10 am on Saturday, Ocotber 24 and is open to the general public.

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Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden Presents “The Photo Angel Project” with Founder Kate Kelley

The Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden invites the public to a special free presentation with Kate Kelley, founder of The Photo Angel Project, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Woodbury Public Library. The program grew from a remarkable connection between Kelley and the Glebe House Museum. When Kelley contacted the museum, staff had no way of knowing they would be reunited with an object from the museum’s past—one that was not represented in its collection.

Kelley had discovered a “tile trivet,” circa 1975, at her mother’s home. The trivet was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Glebe House Museum’s 1925 opening and was originally sold at the museum as a fundraiser. Although the museum holds many commemorative objects, it did not have an example of this particular anniversary trivet.

After learning about Kelley’s personal history and her work through The Photo Angel Project, the Glebe House Museum invited her to share the project’s story with the community.

The Photo Angel Project’s mission is to reunite long-lost photographs with their relatives. Kelley has returned images to families in all 50 states and in several countries. Her work has been featured by NBC’s The Today Show, Family Tree Magazine, The Boston Globe, WCVB Channel 5 Boston’s Chronicle, Who Do You Think You Are magazine, and other media outlets.

“It all began with a pile of labeled photos of non-relatives that were mixed in with my grandparents’ old family pictures,” Kelley said. “Were they friends? Classmates? War buddies? Neighbors? I was determined to find out.”

Kelley began researching the people in the photographs through genealogy websites and soon connected with their relatives. Today, she searches antique stores for labeled photographs that can be identified and returned to family members. One recipient affectionately gave her the name “The Photo Angel.”

“The purpose of this project is to inspire others to dig out their dusty attic boxes and visit antique stores for photos with identifying information to reunite them with families,” Kelley said.

The event is sponsored by the Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden. Community members are encouraged to attend, learn how photographs and family history can be preserved, and discover how they may help reunite meaningful images and objects with the people and places they belong to.

Event Details

What: The Photo Angel Project presentation with Kate Kelley

When: Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

Where: Woodbury Public Library, 269 Main Street South, Woodbury

Sponsor: Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden

About the Glebe House & Garden 

Nestled in the scenic Litchfield Hills in the heart of historic Woodbury, the Glebe House Museum offers a unique look at Revolutionary War-era Connecticut. The restored 18th-century farmhouse, once home to Reverend John Rutgers Marshall and his family, is furnished to reflect daily life during the American War for Independence. Opened to the public in 1925, the Glebe House is one of the nation’s earliest historic house museums and has welcomed visitors for over a century. Its restoration was led by Henry Watson Kent, a leading figure in American decorative arts. Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most influential garden designers of the 20th century, designed the museum’s garden in 1926. This classic English-style garden features 350 feet of vibrant mixed borders and is the only surviving example of Jekyll’s work in the United States. The garden is now in its fourth year of full restoration.

 

 

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Step into Dickens’ World: A Christmas Carol Comes to the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum

Imagine entering a beautifully decorated Victorian home on a December evening—Christmas trees glowing, garlands draped throughout the rooms, and soft white lights setting the scene. Now imagine Charles Dickens himself beginning the unforgettable tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

That experience comes to Torrington on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m., when the Torrington Historical Society presents Rick Corbo as Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol at the historic Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, 192 Main Street. For generations, A Christmas Carol has been a treasured part of the holiday season. This intimate performance offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience Dickens’ enduring classic in a setting that evokes the world in which he lived, wrote, and performed.

An Intimate Victorian Holiday Experience

Built in 1900, the elegant Hotchkiss-Fyler House will be dressed in its holiday finery for the occasion, creating a warm and atmospheric backdrop for this beloved Christmas story. Rick Corbo’s approximately 45-minute performance recreates the intimate dramatic readings Dickens gave during his lifetime.

Through Corbo’s portrayal, audiences will meet the memorable characters of Scrooge’s journey and rediscover the humor, drama, and timeless message at the heart of A Christmas Carol. With seating limited to only 35 guests, this is not a traditional theater performance—it is a special evening inside one of Torrington’s historic treasures.

The house, ordinarily open for guided tours, becomes the setting for a holiday experience designed to feel personal, immersive, and memorable. Meet Rick Corbo. Rick Corbo has portrayed Charles Dickens for more than eight years, appearing at venues and events including Storrowtown Yuletide Weekend, The Greater Boston Dickens Fellowship, and Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Corbo also wrote and starred as Dickens in Reclaiming the Carol, which is broadcast annually on the EWTN Network. He has also appeared as Dickens on an episode of EWTN’s Chesterton Station. A Torrington native, Corbo now lives in West Haven, Connecticut, with his family.

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The Danbury Concert Association Welcomes Camerata Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra October 25 @ 1 pm

The Danbury Concert Association continues its 2026–2027 concert season on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m., welcoming the Camerata Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) of Amsterdam for an afternoon of refined and expressive chamber-orchestra music. The performance will take place at Western Connecticut State University’s Visual and Performing Arts Center at 43 Lake Avenue Extension, Danbury, Connecticut.

Single tickets for the October 25 concert are $33.85 and may be purchased online, at wcsuvpac.eventbrite.com, or at the VPAC Box Office (203-837-8732) up to curtain time. Admission is free for ages 18 and under, courtesy of the Danbury Cultural Commission.

Renowned for its remarkable clarity and intimacy, the Camerata RCO delivers a powerful new perspective on beloved orchestral masterworks. With its distinctive combination of winds and strings, the ensemble brings the music’s structure, inner voices, and subtle harmonic colors into sharp focus—revealing details that can be lost in a full symphonic performance. The result is chamber-scale refinement with all the emotional force, brilliance, and impact of the great repertoire fully preserved.

Founded in 2009, Camerata carries forward a powerful tradition: accomplished musicians and thinkers coming together to create art at the highest level. That same vision drives the ensemble today. Its leading orchestral musicians are united by a shared commitment to chamber music’s most personal, flexible, and collaborative form — from duos and small ensembles to full chamber orchestra performances. While they continue to serve in one of the world’s great symphonic orchestras, they also come together to perform in this more intimate setting. Camerata isn’t defined by a fixed lineup or rigid format; it is defined by versatility, artistry, and the strength of its collective spirit.

The ensemble launched its recorded discography on Gutman Records with a 2012 Christmas recording featuring Corelli’s Concerto Grosso. Among its most notable artistic projects is an ongoing exploration of chamber reductions of monumental late-Romantic works, including recordings of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 with conductor Gustavo Gimeno in 2014 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Lucas Macías Navarro.

In two decades, the Camerata RCO has grown into a respected international touring ensemble, performing 50 concerts each season in major music capitals including Vienna, New York, Tokyo, Madrid, Rome, and Seoul. This October performance offers Danbury-area audiences the chance to hear world-class Amsterdam musicians in an engaging concert setting—where symphonic grandeur meets the artistry and warmth of chamber music.

About the Danbury Concert Association
The Danbury Concert Association is a nonprofit organization with roots dating back to the 1930s. Officially spun off from the Danbury Music Centre in 1957, the Association has brought internationally renowned talent to Connecticut every year since then, with the exception of the COVID era. Today, performances are held at the Visual and Performing Arts Center at Western Connecticut State University, featuring internationally acclaimed artists in a state-of-the-art concert hall. The Association presents four concerts per season, two in the fall and two in the spring, each followed by a meet-the-artists reception

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Registration Open for 2026 Norfolk Tour de Forest Bike Ride on October 17

Registration is now open for the 2026 Norfolk Tour de Forest, taking place on Saturday, October 17. This popular annual gravel ride supports two local nonprofit organizations: Great Mountain Forest and Norfolk Rails to Trails.

Riders of all experience levels are invited to spend a crisp autumn day exploring the remarkable landscape of Great Mountain Forest—one of Connecticut’s largest undeveloped woodland areas. New riders are welcome.

The event features two routes, giving participants the flexibility to choose the ride that best matches their endurance and experience. Icebox Gravel begins at 9:30 a.m. and spans 30 rugged miles of gravel and paved roads, including sections conserved by the Norfolk Land Trust. The signature Tour de Forest starts at 10 a.m. and covers 13 scenic miles along a mix of gravel and paved roads through and around Great Mountain Forest.

Riders are encouraged to keep an eye out for wildlife along the way. Great Mountain Forest’s roads are repaired and maintained annually to support forest management, research, educational, and recreational activities.

The ride begins and ends at the Norfolk Curling Club, 70 Golf Drive, Norfolk, Connecticut. Day-of registration opens at 8 a.m. Registration is $50 for adults, $25 for teens, and free for riders age 12 and under. All proceeds support the programs of Norfolk Rails to Trails and Great Mountain Forest. Register at BikeReg.

At the finish, riders can refuel with sweet and savory treats—including shots of maple syrup produced by the Great Mountain Forest team.

About Great Mountain Forest
Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, recreational, and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,400 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village, Connecticut.

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