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Thanks to Amos Quito for the heads up. First, the good news…
The Bronze Lady has been found!
Now, the bad news…
In pieces! 
According to the New London Day, police have made arrest in connection to the the theft of the The Bronze Lady from the Yantic Cemetery in Norwich. Turns out it was a fellow right in the Cranky Yankee’s own town! But the sad news is, the 120 year old statue (worth $35,000) was found cut in pieces…most likely for scrap metal. A damn shame.
Cemetery historian (and fellow CGN member) David Oats says he hopes that some good will come out of this in that it will make people more aware of the art and history to be preserved in cemeteries.
Let’s hope so. In the meantime, we implore everyone to visit cemeteries and appreciate what is there.
Someone has stolen the Bronze Lady.
Please be on the lookout for a grave ornament. Not just any, mind you, but the one recently stolen from the Yantic Cemetery, located on Lafayette Street near Backus Hospital in Norwich, CT.
Here are full stories from both the New London Day and the Norwich Bulletin:
http://www.theday.com/article/20100224/NWS01/302249925/1017
http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x531844179/Historic-Osgood-statue-missing-from-Norwich-cemetery
Taken from the grave of Sarah Larned Osgood, the Bronze Lady was a life sized, cast statue of a kneeling woman draped with a veil. Police say, tire tracks indicated that someone in a pick-up truck pulled up to it, loaded it in, and hauled it away.
Stealing from cemeteries is not uncommon. There is a black market for cemetery ornaments…sometimes you can catch them on eBay. Historic gravestones have been uprooted to be sold to private collectors. I remember a story told by a New Hampshire historian, who caught someone using a chain saw (!) to cut the top off of an ornamental stone in the local cemetery. The person was arrested and the unfortunate stone now bears a cut half way through it.
And it is pretty low…stealing from the dead. Curses upon anyone who vandalizes or steals from a cemetery.
In the meantime, please keep an eye out for the Bronze Lady. If you see her, call the proper authorities so she can come home.
New Englanders are known for being rather stoic or reserved. That’s why it’s no surprise that the latest survey known as the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index lists the northeastern states somewhere in the middle of their survey.
Exactly how do we fare? Well, let’s see…Vermont makes the top ten of happiest states in the U.S. No surprise there. Most Vermonters purposely live simple and autonomous lives in a country-side that mostly rejects industrialism and fast-pace lifestyles, which contributes to a healthy sense of well-being. New Hampshire and Maine, which share some of Vermont’s attributes, are not far behind.
And the lower NE states? Both Massachusetts and Connecticut end up in the upper middle area…at 18 and 22 respectively. Only Rhode Island finishes in the bottom half of the list at number 41. Back in July, a psychological study done by researchers at Cambridge University found Rhode Islanders to be a cantankerous bunch. Maybe that’s why some enterprising business man saw fit to put up billboards in the state that essentially said “lighten up.”
Hmmm…maybe I should change my name from “Cranky Yankee” to “Mildly Annoyed Yankee?”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
And where better to celebrate than here in New England! New Englanders may be a stoic bunch, but we can make with the lovey-dovey as well.
And people are out in force this weekend. Our local chocolate makers, Munsons was hopping on Friday when I stopped there. And in my town of Willimantic, we are celebrating with our annual Romantic Willimantic Chocolate Festival.
But Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the sweets, it’s also about Valentine’s Cards! It’s wonderful to get a special valentine from your special someone…especially if that valentine card is a Worcester valentine. What? You don’t know about Worcester valentines? Well, check it out! Worcester, MA is the home of America’s thriving early Valentine business.
It may be cold and snowy out side, but it’s warm in the hearts of many New Englanders.
Enjoy the season!
Cranky
The Connecticut Gravestone Network Annual Symposium
Sat. March 20th
East Hartford South Senior Center
70 Canterbury St.
East Hartford, CT
9am-4pm
Admission $5 for CGN members
$10 for general public
Pay at the door
Lecture topics:
9:30 am
Traditional Introduction for First Time Attendees
Basics of Preservation and Reading Old Burying Grounds
by Ruth Brown
10:45 am
The 2009 Talcottville Civil War Monument Restoration
by John Spaulding
Lunch Break
1:15 pm
The Resurrection of Pine Island’s Cemetery History
by Holly Cuzzone & Dana Laird
2:30 pm
Hartford’s First Burying Grounds and some of their Mysteries
by Ruth Brown
Visit with Exhibitors, enjoy the lectures,
Try your hand at stone carving
Have some lunch and share some stories.
For more information:
Ruth Shapleigh-Brown
860-643-5652
www.ctgravestones.com
Here is a conference I hope to be attending in a few weeks…maybe I’ll see you there?
Cranky
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CONF: The Past’s Digital Presence: Database, Archive, and Knowledge Work in the Humanities
Feb. 19-20, 2010 (New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.)
A Graduate Student Symposium at Yale University
Graduate students from around the globe will address how databases and other digital technologies are making an impact on our research in the humanities during this interdisciplinary symposium.
Keynote Speaker: Peter Stallybrass, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Humanities, University of Pennsylvania
Colloquium Speaker: Jacqueline Goldsby, Associate Professor, University of Chicago
Closing Roundtable:
Rolena Adorno, Reuben Post Halleck Professor of Spanish, Yale University
Edward Ayers, President, University of Richmond
Willard McCarty, Professor of Humanities Computing, King’s College London
George Miles, Curator, Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
**REGISTER NOW: Registration for this conference is now available online at http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=803136. Advanced registration is required by February 5, 2010. However, there is no registration fee for university affiliates.**
For more information and conference program, please visit our website (http://digitalhumanities.yale.edu/pdp/) or email us at pdp@yale.edu. Also join our Facebook Group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129956528514&ref=mf) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/PDP2010).
Email: pdp@yale.edu
Visit the website at http://digitalhumanities.yale.edu/pdp
…and hello to the NEW AND IMPROVED (as oppose to old and yucky) New England Anomaly website!!!
Yes folks, this is it. The New England Anomaly Newsblog and the old New England Anomaly website with the ugly gray background is no more. Check out this new New England Anomaly website (at the regular URL), www.newenglandanomaly.com.
The old newsblog will cease to exist in a few weeks time. Please change your links and bookmarks to reflect this new website.
I would like to thank Laurin and Leslie at Streamlined Development for all their help with the new site.
There is still some work to do at this new site…links need to be fixed or added, missing pages have to be uploaded, and I have to start posting on a regular basis. Yikes!
But I hope you enjoy the new site. In the meantime, I’ll be working hard to get the kinks out, and if you find any problems, please let me know.
Thank you!!!
Cranky Yankee
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Be safe and have fun!!!
Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year to all the followers of The New England Anomaly!
May you have a great holiday season no matter where you are or what you celebrate.
Have yourself a groovy little Solstice!
Cranky Yankee
If you haven’t heard, the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum was vandalized just before Halloween with thousands of dollars in damage.
My buddy Bill of the local punk band, PlasticBox, is putting on a show this Saturday to help raise money for the Museum.
Come out, rock and roll, and support a good cause!!
12/5/2009 6:00 PM
Jonathan’s Pub
75 Bridge St.,
Willimantic, 06226
Cost: $10.00
Benefit show to raise funds to help with repairs on damage by vandals recently at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic, CT.
Six local rocking bands have donated their time and talents to help with this effort.
PLASTICBOX
THE COVERS
SISTERS AND BROTHERS
SHOTGUN TRUST
YO-YO MAN
DORIAN JAMES BAND
Hope to see you there.
Cranky
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