Litchfield Historical Society To Host Starling Lawrence Talk

LITCHFIELD — Once in a while, a story so intoxicating comes along that its spell lingers long after the ending. Author and editor Starling Lawrence’s new release, The Lightning Keeper, has been received with great acclaim; even Harper Lee, the reclusive author of 1960s Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird, has weighed in.

“When The Lightning Keeper releases you from obsessively turning its pages, you’ll know that you have read an unforgettable account of lives and experience unique to this country,” said Lee. “This is a great novel.”

On May 12, at Litchfield Historical Society Museum, Mr Lawrence will speak and read selections from his new book on the iron industry and early 19th Century Northwest Connecticut life. The program will begin at noon.

Mr Lawrence’s novel is based on lore he absorbed while spending summers on his family’s property on Canaan Mountain. In 1905, Lawrence’s grandfather, Starling Childs, purchased a summer residence in Norfolk. With his close friend Senator Frederick Walcott, who built a house on adjoining property, he began slowly purchasing land on Canaan Mountain, most of which had been the charcoal cutting reserve of the Canaan Iron Company.

Mr Childs purchased mostly scrub forest, land that had been stripped of old trees for charcoal processing and tanneries. One of Mr Childs’ sons developed a keen interest in forestry and for many years operated the property as an experimental forest called the Great Mountain Forest, allowing Yale Forestry School use of the land.

Mr Lawrence’s novel is based on this history, and his talk will delve into the land, the people and the times.

Mr Lawrence is also the author of Montenegro, a novel, and Legacies, a collection of short stories. He is editor-in-chief and vice chairman of the publishing company W.W. Norton. He lives in New York City and Norfolk, Conn.

The Lightning Keeper is available at all major local bookstores and will be sold by Hickory Stick Bookshop at the historical society during the lecture, which is free and open to the public; attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch. The museum is at 7 South Street.

For more information c all 860-567-4501 or visit LitchfieldHistoricalSociety.org.