New Exhibit: Windsor Barns Tell Stories

The Windsor Historical Society exhibition of Lowell Fewster's photographs of Windsor barns opens with a reception on Tuesday, June 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 96 Palisado Ave., Windsor.

For almost 300 years, barns were an essential part of life, housing animals, vehicles and farm equipment. As the automobile replaced horse-drawn transportation and small-scale farming declined, barns began to disappear, falling victim to the weather, disuse and disrepair.

For photographer Lowell Fewster, barns tell an important story about life and commerce in Windsor as well as exhibiting aesthetic beauty.

Barns were practical, functional buildings and close examination of a barn’s architectural features can tell the story of its original and subsequent uses. Some barns have been re-made and rehabilitated while others have disappeared.

Additional Windsor barns have stories associated with them, such as the shade tobacco magnate who used the cupola in his barn as an observation deck where he could oversee the working habits of tobacco workers he employed.

Then there was the barn where methane from cow manure was piped into the house to light gas lamps inside.

Official history records little about Windsor barns. In an attempt to gather barn reminiscences for the record, viewers are invited to record and post their own Windsor barn stories or reminiscences as part of the exhibition.

Photographer Lowell Fewster grew up in a Kodak family in Rochester, New York, and started taking pictures at the age of six.

For more information call (860) 688-3813, or visit www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org.

Abate's Apizza, New Haven, Connecticut

Wooster Square is a neighborhood in New Haven named for the American Revolutionary War hero, David Wooster (who was the mastermind behind the capture of Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in1775, even though Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold got the credit.)

But the neighborhood is more famous for the food, especially the world's best apizza and other Italian delicacies.

Abate's piping hot pizza - oh my. Located at 129 Wooster St., Abate's Apizza & Seafood Restaurant, is a personal favorite. Yes, they deliver and also offer a full menu of good food.

(People may quibble about which pizza is best, but as with anything, it's a personal choice. Lines form outside of Frank Pepe Pizzeria and Sally's Apizza. Sunday, the latter was closed.)

Wooster Square even offers a farmer's market (CitySeed) in winter (held every other Saturday, until is gets a little warmer, so check the web site before heading over.)

The architecture of homes in the area is just inspiring. Drive or walk to notice the beauty in brownstone, brick, wrought iron details such as spires, turrets, decorative touches, and much more. There are many other restaurants and businesses along the way.

Trivia: During the Mayor Richard C. Lee administration (1954-1970) the Wooster Street/Square area was one of the first neighborhood federally funded urban renewal projects in the nation.

Nearby is Yale University, worth another whole day to explore solo or in a group (informative tours are offered). The New Haven Preservation Trust offers a richness of details about history in the city and region to explore even more.