Page 25 - North Haven Magazine Special Edition Issue 13 2020

How Ted Stockmon
by Marisa Hexter

Has Preserved North Haven's History

In March, I was able to interview a very well known figure in our community. Former Patrol
Officer, current Resource Officer, and North Haven Historical Society and Museums Board
Member, Ted Stockmon knows a great deal about North Haven’s history during its booming
years from the 1940s to the 1980s.

ince he was a child, Ted remembers how him want to keep these items, Ted respond-
Shis father was a history buff. “During my ed about how it showed “North Haven’s
childhood we would go to historic places; biggest growth period”. To Stockmon, once
Gettysburg, Jamestown. These are the types these items were gone, they were gone, “you
of places my dad would take us on a week- can’t make it magically reappear.”
end getaway.” On one side of his family,
his lineage can be traced back many gen- Once he scanned the items onto his com-
erations in this country. On the other, his puter, Ted began to upload them to Face-
mother’s side, his great-grandparents immi- book in a group called “You’re Probably When I asked Ted about why North Haven
grated from Italy in 1901. His great-grand- From North Haven If...”. He would post was important to him and what his favor-
father worked at Stiles Brickyard his entire photos of intersections from the 1940s and ite thing about town was, he stated, “That
adult life, becoming the foreman in charge would ask if anyone remembered or knew it is easy to be comfortable here.” He shared
of the clay wagons. “I am descended from where these areas were. It took off from how three generations of his family lived in
Brickyard workers” Stockmon states as a there. Many people would begin to rem- this town and never left saying, “This is the
reason why he created his first presentation inisce with “the stories of their childhood home, this is the nest.” But he also added
on the topic. His childhood memories also and how much they loved it.” Ted states, about how he likes the sense of communi-
consisted of spending time at his grandpar- “I had no idea it would be a multitude of ty North Haven has, calling it “cohesive”.
ents house. “I heard all the stories of what people” who would be interested in seeing When he was a child, Ted said North Ha-
life was like in North Haven in the thirties, these photographs. ven was sectionalized by the area one grew
forties, and fifties”. Among those stories, up in, whether it was Montowese or Clin-
many were in reference to businesses. Around the same time of obtaining these tonville; but today everyone comes together
items, Ted also started as a member of the as a whole. He also says the sense of com-
Historical Society, and then a board mem- munity and social media has created a rela-
ber, which he currently serves on today. tionship with individuals who moved away
Since becoming involved, “The revelation I long ago. “People still try to maintain their
came to was that even though we’ve grown connections...speaks a lot about this town.”
in population, even though we’ve grown in
development, for those who grew up here,
they still have the same mentality they had
forty, fifty, sixty years ago. Some can see
that as a negative, but I don’t. We defy most
towns our size.”

When asked about how he feels about be-
ing labelled the “town historian”, Ted is un-
sure if he qualifies for such a position. He
is of course very familiar with the “growth
In 2013, Stockmon became aware the Police years” of North Haven as he calls them,
Department’s Record Division was purging and gives credit to volunteers Bob and Sue
old files. “That included documents, files, Iverson for their contributions to the histo-
and photos when the department started in ry of North Haven’s early years especially.
1942.” Ted was allowed to take photos and As stated, Ted presented on the history of
some documents which ranged from the brickyard workers in North Haven. He also In the end, Ted Stockmon has preserved a
beginnings of the Police Department until produced a presentation on the history of great deal of North Haven’s history from a
about 1980. “I was interested in photos and the police department for its 75th anniver- time of great change within the town. When
information documents.” sary. When asked why he chose these topics he’s not a resource officer, one of Ted’s fa-
to present on, Stockmon said that he was vorite hobbies involves his vintage cars,
They showed everything, the first police car, motivated by family and was fascinated by which he owns five of! North Haven’s his-
first radio, all of the original members of the police department history. He then was tory, whether it was photographs of inter-
the Police and more. But what were some of contacted and asked to do another presen- sections or car crashes, to documents from
the most interesting documents Ted found? tation, which would have been this spring World War II, Ted Stockmon gave North
Documents detailing the War Commission on homicides in North Haven. The three Haven’s most modern history a chance to
and Civil Defense Corps in North Haven homicides, the Dr. Thorne and the Caso flourish again.
during World War II. Residents signed up Shoe Store murders in the 1950s and the
to help in the war efforts; there were nurses, Montano murder in 1972 all made nation-
teenagers became messengers, and individ- al headlines. “I’m here to tell a story,” said
uals were spotters. When asked what made Stockmon.

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