Town Historian Will Sign New Book, Share Stories & Photos That Didn’t Make It Into ‘Mosaic’

By Shannon Hicks

Dan Cruson will present a slide lecture and book signing in the lower meeting room of C.H. Booth Library on Wednesday, November 16. The program will begin at 7:30 pm, and admission is free.

The program will be one of the first public events to celebrate A Mosaic of Newtown History, a collection of essays that originally appeared in issues of The Rooster’s Crow, the newsletter of Newtown Historical Society. The book was coordinated for the celebration of Newtown’s 300th birthday. It sells for $20.

A Mosaic of Newtown History is a collection of essays that originally appeared in issues of The Rooster’s Crow, the newsletter of Newtown Historical Society. As Town Historian and now a retired teacher of local history, Mr Cruson’s is a familiar name and bearded face around town. He has presented countless programs on various aspects of history in town, and has been deeply involved in the research and sharing of Newtown’s history since moving into town with his family three decades ago.

The book was coordinated for the celebration of Newtown’s 300th birthday. It sells for $20.

Wednesday evening’s program will focus on the book in that it will go deeper into some of the stories Mr Cruson explored in the book. It will also include some very rare photographs.

“Basically I’m going to include a slide presentation of photos that didn’t get into the book, along with a potpourri of anecdotes that are fleshed out in the book,” Mr Cruson said.

A Mosaic of Newtown History is divided into six segments: Colonial Newtown, with six essays; The Revolution, also with six essays; The Industrial Revolution, another six essays; The Nineteenth Century, with 14 essays; The Soft Underbelly of Victorian Newtown, eight essays; and Early Twentieth Century, 16 essays. In all, the book offers 56 essays.

Within that collection of essays is a series of chapters “Newtown Notables.” Rather than focus on an event or era in Newtown, these seven chapters focus their efforts on individuals who made lasting contributions to this town (and in some cases, well beyond the town’s borders). Among those notables are Henry Cook, a young photographer who moved into Newtown in 1865 and produced some of the town’s earliest landscape photographs.

A few of the young photographer’s images have been reproduced in A Mosaic of Newtown History, while others will be featured in Mr Cruson’s slide lecture.

The program will also include information on “one of the town’s shootouts, which is always a popular topic,” Mr Cruson said, along with “information on two attempted bank robberies.”

Copies of A Mosaic of Newtown History will be available during Mr Cruson’s program. Attendees are also welcome to bring already-purchased copies with them for autographs. The book is being sold at C.H. Booth Library and Drug Center Pharmacy.