Coffee Hour Readings at Gunn Memorial Museum

Join us at the Washington Senior Center for a series of coffee hour readings from the archives of the Gunn Historical Museum, on the first Monday of the month starting at 10:00am. Staff from the Gunn Museum will be reading research papers from the museum’s archives, sharing photos and stories and reminiscing about Washington’s history. 

The April 5th reading will be an interesting paper called Abner Mitchell by Mary Gunn Brinsmade in 1921. Abner Mitchell was a Washington resident drafted into the Civil War in August of 1863 with family tragedy mounting. Despite town pleas to send a substitute, he left "Baby Mary" in the hands of relatives and answered the call of duty, entering into Company B of the 6th Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. Abner met his fate at the battle of Deep Run, Virginia, in 1864. Come learn about the heroic yet tragic story of Abner Mitchell and his family during this special presentation.

This event is free and open to the public. The Washington Senior Center is located at 6 Bryan Hall Plaza in the center of Washington Depot. Call the museum at 860-868-7756 or view www.gunnlibrary.org for more information. 

Environmentally Safe Poison Ivy Removal

Cindy Campbell has made a successful business of doing a job most people don’t like to touch—removing poison ivy from farmland and family gardens. After successfully eradicating the three-leafed pest for family and friends, she decided to offer her expertise to the public. 

Campbell has found that the only way to remove poison ivy in an environmentally friendly manner is to remove the entire root system by hand. This traditional method has worked well for New England farmers for centuries, although it’s not a job for the inexperienced. The results are good too—better in fact than killing the plant with toxic pesticides.

Contrary to what you might think, Campbell is not one of those rare individuals who are blessed with a natural immunity to the plant, which can cause a severe systemic dermatitis on contact. But she is persistent, and she has learned how to effectively protect herself. 

She got involved with poison ivy control after her husband contracted a particularly severe case, which required medical treatment. Under the tutelage of a knowledgeable Yankee farmer, she learned about technique, and the weather conditions and seasonal changes that make for the most productive weeding. She is able to identify poison ivy in the dormant season when there are no leaves, so she can nip the problem in the bud, before the growing season begins!

With her own garden poison-ivy free for several years now, Campbell has the time to offer her services to the public.

The Gloved Hand

Environmentally Responsible Poison Ivy Control

Cindy Campbell

203 • 734-7171