Antiques in the Quiet Corner

Review by Tom O’Hara

DANIELSON, CONN. —Many states are known by the sights along the interstate highways that wind through them.  To many, Connecticut is merely I-95 in Bridgeport and New Haven.  In fact there is a great deal more to offer, especially in the quiet corner of the northeast.  More than 150 miles from New York City and too far to commute from Boston, it is where old New England charm still exists.  Old mills beside dams once used for power, dairy and crop farms, even some survivors of the older manufacturing centers can be seen when getting off the four lane highways and onto old roads with names like Hartford Road.

In that neighborhood on Saturday, April 5, the 11^th Annual Country Antiques (show and sale) in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner was held at H. H. Ellis Technical School.  It is only a one-day affair with 45 exhibiting dealers, but in spite of these limitations, it is a well-done, significant antiques show.

The school is a public high school dedicated to training young people in a craft or trade.  In this way they are better prepared to support themselves and gain a high level of self-worth and self-esteem knowing how to make things, to make things work and someday run their own businesses.

The antiques show raises money for uses at the school that the board of education might have trouble getting approval for from the voters when it could mean an increase in taxes.  It goes to scholarships, to sports camps, awards, special activities and other needs at the school.

Most of the work setting up the show, operating it and even the food service is done by the students with help and supervision by the faculty, staff and volunteer parents.  Kids in the carpentry program build the booth walls; paint and auto body shop make signs; and cooks’ school…well you get the idea.  And the food was very good.

Jan Praytor, show coordinator and also a teacher at the school, has been running it for all 11 years.  She has developed a dealer group that provides a good cross section of New England antiques.  The offerings were such that were it not for the gymnasium, the event could pass for a high end show in Fairfield County.

Cheryl Wakely of Woodstock (Conn) Hill Antiques was set up right behind the ticket table, the first booth.  A good choice for that location for she had an excellent assortment of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century country and primitive pieces.  American samplers dated as far back as 1796, a country Chippendale chair and an early pedestal base candle stand set the tone for the booth.  She was too busy writing sales tickets to spend time talking about the show, but she has an open shop as well in Woodstock.

Mother-daughter dealers Irma and Emily Lampert find some interesting and unusual small antiques.  Hailing from Topsfield, Mass., they brought an early pigeon cage made entirely of wood with very interesting detail.  Mary Thompson, Lebanon, Conn., was offering mostly English porcelain including a complete table service of blue transfer ware.

The Germans, Granby, Conn., have been in the antiques show business for only a little more than a year, but they have been collectors forever.  They had a group of three samplers made by two sisters and the daughter of one of them, all as preteenagers and all before 1840.

Haddam, Conn. dealers, Rich and June Cumpstone had a quilt and matching pillow sham.  They might have been matching quilts in an earlier life.  Susan and Dom DeBaise sold a good deal of furniture including a pantry cupboard in pewter blue paint over red milk.

The Cooperage looked like a page out of Country Home, with the shabby chic of peeling paint on Nineteenth Century furniture and accessories.  Sandy Elliott had a desktop American flag ornament with 48 stars in each flag.  The Brentwood, N. H. dealer was asking $60 for the World War II victory relic.

A collector of early metal, Ron chambers, Higganum, Conn., displayed it as a focus of his booth.  Among the items was a set of graduated pewter tankards.

Found in Paula Patterson’s booth was a coffeepot made of tin, decorated with tulips by punching dots in the metal sides.  Standing about 12 inches tall, it is the same form as one displayed at Colonial Williamsburg’s Dewitt Wallace Museum, but this one could find a home for less than $1000.  William Bakeman, Wilbraham, Mass., had a collection of early glass tumblers and rum snifters from about $200 each.

The show, by most measurements was a success even with some loss of customers due to some ice, snow and rain in the early morning.  As an annual event, look for it again next year in early April or contact the school at 860-774-8511 or www.ellistechpfo.org

          The preceding article appeared in the May 2, 2003 issue of Antiques and The Arts Weekly