The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Connecticut River Ferries’ a link to past and nature
OLD LYME — Have you crossed the Connecticut River? Did you have to think about your answer?
“Connecticut River Ferries” (The History Press, 2018) authors, film producers and perhaps “Ferry Godfathers,” Wick Griswold and Stephen Jones urge you to experience an unforgettable 363-year-old way to cross the river and learn about the history and cultural importance of the state’s ferries — the longest continuously operating ferries in the country.
Griswold, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Hartford, said he has had a “lifelong love affair with the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound,” as explanation for writing four books about Connecticut maritime topics. He is also the host of “Connecticut River Drift” on i-CRV Radio in Ivoryton.
Stephen Jones is professor emeritus in the Maritime Studies program at the University of Connecticut, Avery Point, author of several books, and cooperator of two Mystic River maritime facilities.
Griswold will sign copies of “Connecticut River Ferries,” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. today at the Connecticut River Museum. Jones’ and Griswold’s film, “Ferryboats of the Connecticut River,” may be viewed online, vimeo.com/235225805.
Some 100 ferries have operated in the state over the centuries, but “the state is blessed to have the oldest uninterrupted ferry service in the U.S.,” Griswold said from his Old Lyme home. The Rocky Hill to Glastonbury ferry began service in 1655, Chester-Hadlyme in 1763.
“One of the points I try to make in the book is the evolution of culture” as reflected in the ferry service, Griswold said. He tells a story of East Windsor farmer Bailey, who in 1901 was stuck on a ferry in the middle of the river due to bad weather and a broken cable with no way to let those at home know he was delayed, and writes of the advent of steam power, radio communication, email and tweets.
“Ferries are a way of connecting with the past and connecting with the river. People enjoy the views, and the pleasure of being on the river, while still maintaining the departure and arrival archetype,” Griswold said. Waiting is a lost pleasure in the modern world. Waiting for and riding the ferry is a shared social experience enjoying river views and nature up close.
The state Department of Transportation operates the ferries. When budgets get tight, the ferries come under threat.
“There’s always been a torch and pitchfork response when they try to shut down the ferry service,” Griswold said, “it’s an integral part of the culture and people want to see it keep chugging along.”
Ferries didn’t always chug, however. In the early days, cables, oars, poles, sails and horses provided the propulsion, making bad weather crossing difficult, especially when loaded down with horses, wagons, people and cargo.
Then came steam. “Some of the earliest steam boats came up the Connecticut River; it was a sign of the shift from agriculture to the industrial age,” Griswold said.
“The river is now essentially used mostly for recreational purposes,” Griswold said. The ferries fit into that purpose, as well. Although a means of transportation, the ferry provides a more scenic and mindful crossing than whizzing over a bridge.
“In 1972, my mother gave me and my cousin each a copy of a book (“Drifting,” by Stephen Jones) that would change our lives,” Griswold said. They were in their 20s at that time and, he said, “we thought the book was something that would form the template of our lives — and it did. We decided we would be professional drifters.”
“Drifting is a way of looking at life, at nature, and interacting with the world. Letting wind, tide and whimsy take you where they may,” Griswold explained.
Jones and Griswold essentially drifted into each other and ended up collaborating on their book, and film. Having taken Jones’ “Drifting” to heart as a young man, Griswold was quite surprised when three years ago that same Stephen Jones called him at home.
“We had a great conversation and decided to meet,” Griswold said. “He was making a film about the ferries, and I was writing a book about the ferries, so we combined our projects.” A mutual acquaintance, Jacqueline Talbot who at the time was the river steward of the Lower Connecticut River Valley, had told Jones, “I know someone whose life you changed,” prompting his call to Griswold.
“There are things that can only be seen by being propelled by wind and currents with kindred spirits. It’s a flow, the source of all life,” Griswold said.
Griswold’s publisher requested he write “Connecticut River Ferries” as part of a series on transportation, but he also wrote it as a way to preserve and chronicle this piece of cultural heritage.
“Several of the older, retiring captains said they couldn’t thank me enough for putting it down and telling the story,” Griswold said.
The authors ended the book writing: “While they (ferries) are part nostalgia and history, they are also vital links in Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure. Our state would be diminished culturally and aesthetically should they cease to exist.”
Griswold said, “I encourage people to take one, or two, or take many ferry rides. The more things change, the more they stay the same. It is still about getting from one side of the river to the other.”
“Connecticut River Ferries” is available through historypress.net, and at local bookstores.