Wednesday, December 25, 2002

Visits to grandma were a treat

At age 77, I look back with fondness at Moodus. My grandparents lived on the hill behind the Synagogue (Axelrods?). It was accessed by a narrow driveway between the buildings. The Synagogue was formerly a Congregational Church, built on land donated by my Great-grandfather, Asa Hyde Harris who was a Dancemaster in Moodus.

A visit to Grandma's (Mrs. Edwin Hazen Harris) was always a treat and to stay a week was even better. My uncle Raymond Harris was friendly with a lot of the camp owners so I got to see some of them at the height of summer.

Three generations of Harrises are buried at the Southwest corner of The Methodist Hill Cemetery across the street.

I remember the Cone Mill at the bottom of the hill and all the houses near it. The Smiths and the Turczyks.

Redevelopment wiped out most of what I remember, but I suppose it was inevitable.

Thanks for the memories.

--Richard D. Harris, Avon, CT

  I am pleased to announce that the new local history website EastHaddamStories.org is now live. It is a project of the East Haddam Historic...