What do pink granite quarries, island cruises, Captain Kidd, a devastating hurricane, oyster beds, Sicilian puppets, and beauty queens have in common?
If you’re a Creeker, you know the answer. All these elements combine to create the history of the picturesque and decidedly unique section of Branford known as Stony Creek.
If you’ve visited Stony Creek or joined the thousands of tourists who take cruises of the Thimble Islands, you know some of the history of the area. But what can’t be easily grasped, is the indomitable spirit of the residents.
And that’s why a group of Creekers are creating the Stony Creek Museum. The kick-off event was held Sunday at the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library, since the permanent home of the museum won’t be ready for about a year. The collections of artifacts, memorabilia and oral histories will be on exhibit at the former St. Therese Church on Thimble Islands Road, which also houses the fire department and the U.S. Coast Guard.The town has granted the museum a 20-year lease.
“The board felt it was our duty to preserve the history… The Islands and Creek are changing before our eyes,” said Maureen DaRos, an anthropologist at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven. DaRos, whose family has lived in Stony Creek for decades, is volunteering her time to catalog and archive the thousands of items that have already been donated to the Stony Creek Museum.
“It’s fun,” she said during an interview. “I’m learning a lot about the history of the Creek I didn’t know before.”
Ron McDermott, who moved to Stony Creek with his wife Audrey more than 50 years ago, was honored for donating countless items he collected over the years, including magazines, newspapers, books and other artifacts. McDermott said he acquired many items when he worked as a handy man for banks involved in estate sales.
“I started out when I bought a house in Stony Creek and opened an antique place,” said McDermott, 77. “Now that things are going to go on display for people to see, I’m really happy.”
About 150 people joined in the festivities Sunday, and were welcomed by Judy Robison who chairs the museum board.
“This is the start of a great project which we know will develop into a great institution,” Robison (pictured) said. “We’ve been encouraged by many positive responses from everyone.”
Robison detailed how the idea of a museum had its beginnings in the Quarry Workers’ Celebration nine years ago. Then, about two years ago, McDermott said he wanted to donate his collection to the community.
“We’re here today to thank Ron for giving us a jumpstart. His collection is the tip of the iceberg,” Robison said. “We’re hoping the people of Stony Creek and the Thimble Islands will donate items.”
Board members say the museum will not only inform the public about Stony Creek, but will also serve as a link to the past for Creekers. Governor M. Jodi Rell issued a proclamation in honor of the museum’s dedication on May 24.
“If you live in Stony Creek, it’s the experience… the artifacts will remind us of the experience,” said Anthony “Unk“DaRos, who is Branford’s first selectman and Maureen’s father.
During the ceremony, Unk shared tales of by-gone days that have been handed down for generations. “This little community had more going on than some cities,” Unk said, especially from 1880 to 1940. “This town was really jumping.”
The Stony Creek area that was once open farmland became known for its fishing, oyster beds, lobstering, and the pink granite that was mined in the quarries. Hotels, restaurants, theaters and taverns dotted the community. During the Prohibition Years, rum-runners were fond of the island chain “because they could hide from the revenuers,” Unk said with a laugh.
He recalled earlier days when captains from five cruise boats would vie for tourists to view the islands, one of which is said to be the hiding place of Captain Kidd’s treasure.
“The islands are probably one reason Stony Creek exists the way it does,” Unk said. “Those are coastal treasures.”
He also talked about the festivities that were held annually. “Stony Creek Days were unbelievable,” he said, adding that two beauty queens were present Sunday. One was Unk’s wife, Kathleen, who was Miss Stony Creek in 1960. The other was the first Miss Stony Creek, Barbara Sciarra Kiczynski, who was crowned in 1953.
Kiczynski said she was happy to donate her trophy, sash and photos to the museum.
“I was so proud to be crowned,” Kiczynski (pictured) said during an interview. “It led me to modeling jobs and I became a runner-up in the Miss Connecticut contest.” When she traveled to the Miss USA pageant in New Jersey in 1954, everyone asked where Stony Creek was. “I said, we’re going to put it on the map. Everyone will know where it is.”
Also present was Josh Brooks, whose great-great-grandparents were killed on Jepson Island in the 1938 Hurricane that devastated the Connecticut shoreline. Brooks and his daughter Lola (pictured) were displaying a copy of a newspaper that headlined the story of the hurricane.
“I’m a Stony Creeker by heart and anything that helps memorialize the Creek is great with me,” said Brooks, who is a member of the Representative Town Meeting.
Bob Babcock, a museum board member, said the response from residents has been overwhelming. “The commitment from the community is an asset to the success of the museum. We have a great collection to start with,” he said. “The community support is the cornerstone.”
Third Selectman John Opie said it was heartwarming to see so many people at the kick-off event. A life-long Creeker himself, he said “The village has a tremendous history. This (museum) really should have started 100 years ago,” Opie said “It’s up to us to make it happen now.”
Area legislators were also among those at the ceremony.
“Watch out Louvre Museum, watch out Metropolitan Museum of Art,” joked State Sen. Edward Meyer.(D‑12)
“I love hearing the stories,” said State Rep. Patricia Widlitz. “It’s such a special place.”
State Rep. Lonnie Reed said although Stony Creek is not part of her Branford district, she has emotional ties to the area. “I just love this place. I always have.”
In the coming months, anyone wishing to document an oral history may make an appointment. Beverly Zimmerman will conduct interviews and her husband Marv Zimmerman will do the video-taping.
“It’s a continuation of life,” Zimmerman said of the oral histories. “If you don’t say it now, your kids will never know.”
For more information contact chair Judy Robison here; or co-chair Ted Ells here.
In case this connection has not already surfaced. . . Readers may be interested to know that New Haven-area author Chandra Prasad wrote about Stony Creek in her novel On Borrowed Wings, which I'd recommend.