Aspinock Memories
The history of the Putnam Post Office
By Terri Pearsall
Aspinock Museum Curator
The United State Mail Service is over 249 years old and has maintained a post office in what is now Putnam for practically 191 years, since Feb. 3, 1834. At that time Putnam was not established as a town and the area was known as West Thompson. The first post office was nothing more than a small wooden building and then was moved to Union Block in another little cubby hole of a building.
Faxon Nichols was the first postmaster of the West Thompson post office and continued in that appointment until Aug. 22, 1842. John O. Fox was the next postmaster until June 8, 1861. The name of the post office was changed three times. Less than two years after Mr. Fox took office, it was changed to Wilkinson post office and then again on Dec. 18, 1849, it was changed to Quinebaug.
The Town of Putnam was incorporated from parts of the surrounding towns in 1855 and on June 13 of that year, the post office name was changed to Putnam, and it has remained as such to the present time. Mr. Fox was succeeded by Hiram N. Brown, then Mr. Fox was re-appointed to serve for two more years. Perry Wilson was the next postmaster who was succeeded by Edward Mullan, next was Patrick O’Leary, followed by Frank Letters, then Alexander Gilman was appointed and he was succeeded by Archibald Macdonald. There have been more than 19 postmasters since 1922.
Construction of the Post Office that we all know on Main Street began in July of 1932 and opened its doors in July of 1933.
According to The Putnam Patriot on Thursday, July 13, the building had been completed for some time, but a delay in installing a safe held up the opening. The building was considered a masterpiece of workmanship and architecture at that time. It was considered one of the finest public buildings in this section of the state. The main entrance to the building opened from Main Street into a lobby finished in green marble and English walnut. A large distribution room occupied the entire first floor except for the lobby where various service windows and mailboxes are located. Public bathrooms were on the second floor along with a large conference room, clerk’s room and offices for the postmaster, inspector and other government employees.
The building was, and still is, considered one of the finest structures in this section of the state.
Credits to The Providence Sunday Journal 8-20-1995, The Putnam Patriot 7-13, 1933, The CT. Postal History Society Journal 5-1997 And Aspinock Historical Society Archives.
Aspinock Memories graces the pages of the Putnam Town Crier to keep Putnam’s history alive.
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Two named Senior Athletes of the Year
WOODSTOCK — It was something both Brady Ericson and Juliet Allard had their eye on since they came to Woodstock Academy four years ago.
Both saw the Wall of Honor in the Hyde Building, highlighting the Senior Athletes of the Year and both wanted set a goal to be a part of it before they left campus as graduates.
“I came in my freshman year and saw all the names on the wall dating back to, I think, 1962. Sports have been my life and it has been my goal ever since I saw it to get that award,” Ericson said.
His dream came true Thursday. So did Allard’s.
“This is absolutely incredible. Just like Brady said, I’ve been looking at that since freshman year as well, seeing that wall of names and I wanted to be on there,” she said.
Both will be now as they were named the 2025 Woodstock Academy Senior Athletes of the Year in the highlight of Senior Athletic Awards on Thursday.
Ericson was known as a baseball player and with good reason. He excelled both on the mound and at the plate for the Centaurs baseball team.
He finished with a 22-2 career pitching record, both losses coming in his freshman year, and had over 300 career strikeouts. He led the team to the Class L state championship a year ago and helped guide them to a second consecutive ECC tournament championship this season.
This spring, he finished with a 6-0 record and 117 strikeouts to go with a 0.35 earned run average.
“The highlight, to be expected, was winning the state championship a year ago,” Ericson said. “It was one of the greatest seasons we ever had. Everybody on the team really bought in. Coming back this year even felt like, even though we didn’t have as much talent, we had more grit, more work ethic and I couldn’t have been more proud of the guys.”
Ericson also played basketball for the Centaurs and averaged 15.2 points per game over the last two seasons, finishing with 952 career points and 531 career rebounds.
Ericson will continue his academic and athletic career at UConn.
Allard was also a multi-sport athlete. Although probably best known as a track athlete, she did diversify in the fall and played soccer where she scored 14 goals and had eight assists over her four years despite missing much of her senior year due to injury.
Allard also owns 12 school records in both indoor and outdoor track and helped lead the team to an ECC regular season title last season and an ECC championship meet victory this year.
“Going All-State with the 4x400-meter relay team last year was absolutely incredible,” Allard said when asked what she will remember most. “It came out of nowhere. We weren’t expecting to run the 4x400 like that so it was an absolutely incredible team effort.”
Like Ericson, Allard will be competing at the Div. I level in track for Quinnipiac University beginning this fall.
Other notable awards included baseball coach Connor Elliott being named the 2025 Coach of the Year.
The Centaur Awards went to volleyball standout Sophie Gronski and boys’ cross-country and track standout performer, Christian Menounos.
The complete list of award winners at the 2025 Senior Athletic Awards at Woodstock Academy included: 2025 Senior Athletes of the Year: Brady Ericson, Juliet Allard; 2025 Centaur Awards: Sophie Gronski, Christian Menounos; Comeback Athlete of the Year: Olivia Aleman; Connecticut High School Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete Awards: Christian Menounos, Kira Greene; Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes: Colton Sallum, Abby Converse; Prep Athletic Scholar – Athlete: Alvaro Medrano-Lopez Jr.; Unified Sports Awards: Phoebe Griffin, Devlin Mansolf; Bertrand Golf Award: Bella Mawson, Luke Thompson; Dale Smith Memorial Scholarship: Bella Mawson; Clifford Spelman Tennis Sportsmanship Award: Tyler Chamberlin; Alfred C. Warren Soccer Sportsmanship Awards: Eli Susi, Freya Robbie; Hobey Baker Memorial Hockey Award: Tim Mozzi; National Federation of States High School Associations Award of Excellence: Abby Converse, Matt Hernandez; Hannah Green Memorial Award: Livia Gerum; Marvin M.Sherman Award: Colton Sallum; Woodstock Academy athletic department Awards: Cam Nason, Macy Rawson, Kyle Grist, Sophia Sarkis, Devlin Mansolf, Madison Bloom; Chris Sandford Prep Athletics Award of Excellence: Filippo Di Giorgi, Kevin Thomson, Enoch Joseph; Evelyn and Arthur Weimann Award: Sam Clark, M.J. Castenada; John Suleski Jr Memorial Golf Awards: Most Improved senior golfer: Brady O’Brien; Most Valuable senior golfer: Logan Rawson; Centaur Nation Person of the Year: Deb Campbell; 2025 Coach of the Year: Connor Elliott; 2025 Assistant Coach of the Year: Collin Singleton
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Senior Athletes of the Year
Woodstock Academy seniors Brady Ericson, left, and Juliet Allard display their Senior Athletes of the Year awards following the Senior Athletic Awards ceremony. Photo by Gavin Grant/Woodstock Academy.
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Veterans Stand Down
Haircuts for veterans among MANY other services. Linda Lemmon photos.
Bruce Hay, left, and Jack Barrett.
Fred Ruhlemann, left, and Alan Joslin.
From left: Roger Franklin, Linda Colangelo and Mayor Barney Seney.
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A sweet way to honor Lizotte
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — “She was always just so grateful for anything that you did for her and we remember the kind of spirit that she brought to the Aspinock Historical Society” and those around her said one of the speakers honoring the late Joy Lizotte.
Terri and Bill Pearsall of the society were close to Lizotte and shared, as did others, memories of Lizotte at the society’s Strawberry Shortcake event the society last week under its new pavilion at the Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Children Museum.
Strawberry shortcakes were absolutely fitting — it was one of Joy Lizotte’s favorite events to help with through the years.
The event was a memorial to Lizotte, and a fund-raiser for the society, and the dedication of the craft corner inside the boxcar.
Terri Pearsall, curator of the society’s museum, said when they would go down to the senior luncheon and everybody would say “You guys are always smiling. You’re so happy. She’s the clown.” She added “if you rode with Joy, well she had a lead foot.”
Town Historian Bill Pearsall noted Lizotte’s spirit.
Pat Hedenberg, director of the boxcar museum, said Lizotte loved the strawberry shortcake events. “Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Aspinock would hold a Strawberry Social on the grounds of the Aspinock House (torn down when the Complex was built.) Members including Joy would gather at the house to bake biscuits, cut berries and reminisce as they planned the yearly event. Joy was an integral part, always smiling and adding a joke or two. She said the event reminded her of harvest time when friends gathered together once the work was done to enjoy each other’s company. We felt what better way to remember Joy but to hold an event that she held dear so we decided to hold a Strawberry Social in her honor.”
Hedenberg said since Lizotte had worked in the local bank she was a natural to become treasurer of the society back in the ‘80s. She also helped with gift shop sales in the boxcar.
The plaque hung in the boxcar after the strawberry shortcake event was a tribute to Lizotte and her love of crafts. In fact, she had a crafts business in her home for years. Hedenberg said: “When we visualized the museum, we wanted to offer visitors the chance to make Gertrude’s Spool Pets and activities that Gertrude would have liked — for example a Boxcar crossword puzzle or a Boxcar word search or design your own home in a Boxcar.” When Lizotte had the craft store in her home, she offered classes for children much like Gertrude Warner did. “In honor of Joy we named this section of the Boxcar ‘Joy’s Craft Corner’ recognizing her 21 years of Boxcar volunteer work.”
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captions:
Above: Serving strawberry shortcake. Photo by Mike Bogdanski. Left: Terri and Bill Pearsall. Right Pat Hedenberg at Lizotte's craft corner in the boxcar. Linda Lemmon photos.
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