Christmas is Coming! Trans-Atlantic Radio, "Too Much Whoopee" in Cos Cob, Joseph Christiano Remembered and More!

Welcome to the Thursday, December 9, 2021 Greenwich, A Town For All Seasons Show Podcast with Jeffrey Bingham Mead. On this show we delve into the history of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut in the USA -one of the nation's premier communities. If you are a seasoned listener, then you are already feeling bouts of joy and delight -knowing that there are people like you all over the USA, and even around the world, who share a special connection to this place we call home. Besides lots of fascinating, entertaining history to share, I'll have news of opportunities and public events you can enjoy!One hundred years ago this week, on December 11, 1921, an amateur radio station housed in a converted chicken coop and operated by the Radio Club of America sent the first short wave message across the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland. A granite monument at the intersection of North Street and Clapboard Ridge Road marks the occasion. I'll share with you a Christmas editorial published a century ago today that was published in the Greenwich News and Graphic. Two shows ago I shared a published conversation with Greenwich builder and contractor Joseph Christiano. He died on his 64th birthday in 1929. His obituary -published on the first page of the local papers- was quite revealing. It turns out this successful businessman was responsible for constructing many of the palatial homes associated with the Greenwich "Great Estates," and those in localities in nearby communities. He was also responsible for constructing St. Mary's Church on Greenwich Avenue, and St. Rich's Church in Chickahominy. A Mrs. John Fry, who was evicted from her home in Cos Cob, was fit to be tied and decided to sue a number of parties and the Town of Greenwich.In 1929, during Prohibition, "too much whoopee" was all the rage at dances held at Cos Cob School. It was all quite scandalous with the Cos Cob Community Association and the Cos Cob Mothers' Social Club highly unamused -and you'll hear why. In November 1895 an attempt was made to burglarize the Round Hill Store. While running away, one of the burglars took a shot with a pistol at Lewis June, who was standing at an upstairs window above the store. What happened? This week I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Coffee For Good, located on the ground floor of Mead House -the 1856 Solomon Mead House, 48 Maple Avenue, on the campus of the Second Congregational Church. One of the more colorful residents of this mansion was Sylvia Ann Howland Green Wilks. She was the daughter of tycoon Hetty Green, also known as "The Witch of Wall Street," the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age. I'll share an insightful essay about Sylvia Wilks by Lisa Albamonte published by the Greenwich Historical Society on its web site. One of our sponsors is the Ambassador Museum United States of America. Today, and on upcoming shows, I'll be sharing with you historical tidbits about a true renaissance man in Greenwich who is revered and remembered by many: Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed. We'll have all this, news of public events, and more as the show unfolds! This podcast is made possible by Peter F. Alexander of Site Design Associates; the Long Island Sound Institute (LISI), and the Ambassador Museum United States of America. Learn more about the Greenwich, A Town for All Seasons Show podcast hosted by Historian Jeffrey Bingham Mead at GreenwichATownForAllSeasons.blogspot.com. Contact us at [email protected]. We’re always looking for guests to be on the show to share their stories about the history and culture of the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut -one of America’s premier communities. You’re invited to advertise and underwrite future shows!