The cleanup effort along the Naugatuck River in Derby went fantastic.  Dozens of volunteers including every-day citizens, city officials, and UI workers came out to lend a hand.  The sad thing is that while we made a major dent in removing the piles of trash, it would probably take the same amount of volunteers another ten weekends to remove all the garbage that remains.

My friend Ricky and I were quoted in the New Haven Register:

“Derby resident Sean Henri not only walks the greenway but kayaks the
Naugatuck and he has seen firsthand the debris that litters what could
be a pretty hillside. What he saw from his kayak is what prompted Henri
to volunteer Saturday.

“I am shocked. I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was this bad,” he said, looking around.

His friend, Ansonia resident Ricky Donnelly, said he hopes residents of houses above the river keep the woods clean from now on.

“I don’t know why people would want that in your backyard. It’s an eyesore,” he said.”

Video can be found here.

I've long known about the series of tunnels lying underneath the downtown Derby area, but never had an opportunity to actually see it with my own eyes until now.

Unfortunately, when I went down to look, I wasn't able to get very close due to safety precautions.  I was however able to catch a glimpse of the opening, which was at least partially satisfying considering it will soon be completely filled in to make way for new construction.

The tunnels were built in the early 1800's as a part of a canal system that fed water from the Naugatuck river to power several downtown factories. This particular opening was in the foundation of the "The Big Copper Mill", one of the first factories built in Derby.  The building was recently condemned and demolished following a partial collapse of the roof, exposing the tunnel opening and turbines that once powered the factory.

To give a clear demonstration of where these tunnels are actually located, I took a map from 1848 and placed it over a current satellite view of the downtown area.  The map places the tunnels in the exact place where the opening was recently exposed.  The reservoir which fed the water through the tunnels was located in the area where Home Depot's parking lot is currently is.

The etching above, taken from "The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880", depicts the factory on the left-hand side shortly before it was put into operation.  The accompanying text reads:

"This village was commenced in 1834. There are at present (July 1 1836) about twenty dwelling houses and three mercantile stores; there is in and about to be put in operation one factory for making sheet copper and copper wire one for making augers one for making carriage springs and axles one for making nails or tacks one for flannels and satinets with some other minor manufacturing establishments. The water by which the mills and factories are put in operation is taken from the Naugatuck by a canal which extends upwards of a mile and a half northward of the village. A steam boat is about to commence running between this place and New York Part of the Leaven worth bridge over the Ousatonic is seen on the extreme left. The dwelling of Sheldon Smith Esq is seen a little eastward of this on the elevated ground above the copper factory. This edifice is elegantly situated and commands a most beautiful and interesting prospect to the southward particularly of the village at the Landing and the passage of the Ousatonic through what is called the Narrows."

Reposted on the Connecticut Weekender here.  Video of the tunnel can be seen here.  Additional photos can be seen here.

Last night I checked out the former Commodore Hull Theatre on Elizabeth Street in Derby.  The theater shut its doors in 1958 and was converted into parking space for an adjacent TV showroom.  Today, the building remains, but only as a parking lot for nearby offices.

Much of the original interior has been stripped away, but the projection box and proscenium where the screen and stage once stood still remain.   Along the walls and ceiling you can see sections of the original medieval themed mural as well as remnants of the original hand painted symbols, patterns, and sculptures.

Above is an old view of the theater from Elizabeth Street.  If anyone has pictures of the interior from the days when the theater was still operational, please send me an email.  I’d be interested in seeing them.

I should point out that the theater is private property, and you may want to seek permission before checking it out on your own.

I’ll be flying out to Ireland tonight.  This time I’m headed to Limerick – home of a few highly exceptional human beings that I’ve befriended over the course of the past 8 years.  This will be my third time visiting the country, and I’m just as excited as I was the first time I traveled there when I was 15.  I’ve taken a somewhat risky approach to this trip.  I spontaneously booked the flight back in May, not giving the how or the why too much thought.  I just made sure that I had a way to get there and decided that I’d figure out the rest of the planning later on.   I’m traveling solo this time around, but it shouldn’t be all that bad since I’ll be meeting up with several people once I’m out there.

Two weeks ago I realized I should probably come up with a plan, so I did a bit of research and booked myself a hotel at the George Boutique Hotel in downtown Limerick.  From what I can tell it seems like a pretty nice place.  Four stars, free wifi, my own private shower, and air conditioning.  Nice for Europe, right?

For the first night I’ve decided to scare myself a bit.  I made a reservation at a hostel in the city of Galway – Ireland’s "culture capital".  I’ll be sharing a room with 5 strangers.  It only cost me 20 euros for the night.  I could have afforded a real hotel but I thought staying there could be an interesting experience.  The plan is to wander the city Monday night and maybe stop in a pub or two for some traditional Irish music and a few drinks.   I’m looking forward to taking a lot of pictures while I’m there.  Check this link sometime Monday night and maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of me checking in.

Tuesday morning I meet up with my brother and the boy scouts from Troop 3 in Derby.  They’ll be coming into Galway from Dublin sometime in the afternoon.  I’m hoping to take a ride with them back to Limerick, but I’ll have to whether or not their driver will allow it.

That night I’ll be back in Limerick for a cookout with Troop 3 and a group of scouts from Limerick.  I’ll get to see a bunch of old friends that I met the first time I traveled to Ireland back in ’99.  Some of whom actually let me stay in their homes during the 3 weeks that I was out there and went out of their ways to show me the country.

The rest of the week is up in the air, but I know it’ll be a great experience.

I’ll be posting daily updates while I’m out there, along with pictures and videos.  I’ll also try to be on the webcam at night after 9PM eastern time, so if you’re interested in chatting with me go over to the "cam" section and click on the hourglass at the bottom of the screen.

That’s all for now.  Next update will be from Galway sometime Monday night.