The “Historyologist’s” Challenge
Ron Gagliardi Invites Cheshire Residents to Revisit
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In a recent installment of his video series 30 Minutes with Ron, Gagliardi issued a public challenge to Cheshire residents: find the approximately twenty “mistakes” hidden throughout his 2001 local history volume.
For many readers, the request came as a surprise. Images of America: Cheshire has long been regarded as one of the most comprehensive visual records of the town ever assembled. Built from decades of archival work, oral histories, private photograph collections, and contributions from some of Cheshire’s most respected historians and researchers, the book has become a standard reference for anyone studying the town’s past.
Given the remarkable list of contributors involved in the project, many longtime residents have wondered how significant these “mistakes” could possibly be.
Yet Gagliardi himself appears to view the challenge less as an admission of failure and more as a demonstration of how local history continually evolves.
A Book Built by an Entire Community
Originally conceived as a personal “Millennium Compendium,” the project eventually became a published volume after local historian and author Fred Chesson encouraged Gagliardi to develop it into an official publication through Arcadia Publishing.
At the time, Gagliardi was already well known locally as an art teacher, collector, museum advocate, and self-described “historyologist.” His vision for the book was ambitious: to create a photographic narrative documenting Cheshire’s transformation from a colonial farming settlement into a modern Connecticut town.
The result was not merely an individual project. It became a town-wide collaboration involving archivists, historians, church custodians, collectors, newspaper publishers, photographers, and residents who opened family albums and attics to preserve Cheshire’s collective memory.
The Historians Behind the History
Among the principal historical advisers were Clayton Crabtree and Edgar Johnson of the Cheshire Historical Society.
Their involvement was extensive. Crabtree, in particular, helped verify historical identifications, dates, locations, and photographic provenance, especially within the massive E.W. Hazard photograph collection that forms the visual centerpiece of the book.
Ironically, many of the corrections discussed today originated from later discoveries made by Crabtree and fellow researchers after the book had already entered print.
Additional historical and curatorial support came from:
John White, who assisted in identifying prominent citizens and documenting changes in Cheshire’s streetscapes and neighborhoods.
Mary Hobler Hyson, whose experience with photographic preservation and mapping helped organize and identify locations throughout the Hazard collection.
These were not casual contributors. They represented decades of accumulated local knowledge and institutional memory.
That fact alone makes Gagliardi’s modern “find the mistakes” challenge particularly fascinating.
The Technical Team Behind the Archive
The physical labor involved in producing the book was substantial. Thousands of fragile photographs, postcards, negatives, and newspaper images required scanning and duplication long before modern digital archival systems became commonplace.
Ed Conklin and his sisters, Estelle Conklin and Elaine Conklin, handled much of the scanning and copying work necessary to digitize Cheshire’s historical imagery.
The project also benefited from the assistance of:
Pam O'Neil, whom Gagliardi credited with “shepherding” the book through development.
Amy Sutton, who provided editorial direction at Arcadia Publishing.
Together, the contributors transformed what began as a local archival effort into a professionally published historical volume.
The Private Collections That Opened Their Doors
A significant portion of the book depended upon private collections rarely seen by the public before publication.
Among those contributing materials were:
Maureen Jakubisyn and Joe Jakubisyn
William J. Pape II
Carol Ann Brown
Ralph Edson
Judge Ray Voelker
Martha Lape
Lape, serving as archivist for the First Congregational Church of Cheshire, opened church archives and historical records to the project.
In many cases, these photographs and documents had never been publicly reproduced before appearing in the book.
The Influence of Raimon Beard
No discussion of Images of America: Cheshire is complete without acknowledging the influence of Raimon L. Beard.
Beard’s 1976 publication, Reflections on the Canal in Cheshire, provided much of the technical and historical foundation for the sections concerning the Farmington Canal and Cheshire’s industrial development.
Gagliardi later became director of the Raimon L. Beard Lock 12 Museum, continuing Beard’s preservation work.
Beard’s research documented:
The construction and operation of the Farmington Canal.
Canal boats pulled by mule teams.
The economic growth of Cheshire during the canal era.
Recreational life along the canal, including skating and swimming.
The transformation of Cheshire from a farming settlement into a regional commercial center.
Many stories repeated in Cheshire history circles today—including the often-debated Amistad canal narrative—trace back to Beard’s early research and interpretations.
So What Are the “Mistakes”?
Gagliardi has never publicly released a definitive list of all twenty errors. Instead, the challenge appears designed to encourage residents to actively reexamine Cheshire’s historical record.
Some of the best-known suggestions involve evolving interpretations rather than outright fabrication.
The Amistad and Lock 12
One of the book’s most memorable stories describes the captives from the Amistad Affair passing through Cheshire’s Lock 12 on the Farmington Canal while being transported to trial.
The story has long circulated in local lore.
Modern scholarship, however, increasingly suggests the captives likely traveled overland by horse-drawn wagon rather than canal boat. By 1839, the canal system was financially unstable and suffering from maintenance problems.
Researchers at the New Haven Museum and other institutions have noted that wagon transport would have been considerably more practical for such high-profile prisoners.
Additionally, while proceedings occurred in Hartford and New London, the captives spent much of their imprisonment in New Haven, where Yale students assisted with their education and legal support.
Even so, the canal connection survives as one of Cheshire’s most enduring historical legends.
The Leatherman Reconsidered
Another frequently discussed correction concerns the legendary “Leatherman.”
Earlier local histories often treated Cheshire as a regular stop along his famous 365-mile route. More recent scholarship has complicated that narrative.
Researchers now believe:
The Leatherman’s primary route centered farther west in Connecticut and New York.
Cheshire was likely not a major scheduled stop on his strict 34-day cycle.
The widely repeated name “Jules Bourglay” was likely invented by a 19th-century newspaper writer rather than based on verified records.
Nevertheless, the Leatherman remains deeply embedded within Connecticut folklore, and his appearance in the book reflects how oral tradition often becomes intertwined with documented history.
The Problem of Photograph Captions
The work of Emerson W. Hazard dominates the book, but later research has revised numerous identifications.
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The "Early" Lensman: Hazard is described as an "early" photographer, but he was most active from the 1890s through the 1920s. By that time, photography was a mature technology.
Many of the “mistakes” appear to involve photograph captions rather than major historical events.
Among the corrections discussed by local researchers:
Parade photographs once dated to the 1910s were reassigned to the early 1920s after automobile enthusiasts identified specific vehicle models visible in the background.
Several “unnamed residents” have since been identified through community outreach.
A group photograph originally labeled “local merchants” was later recognized as a church social organization.
Some streetscape captions misidentified directional orientation because Hazard moved his camera only slightly between exposures.
Certain homes identified through older atlases were later discovered to be later Victorian reconstructions rather than original colonial structures.
Gagliardi himself has often noted that many captions included the best information available at the time of publication.
The Buried Gold Legend
The book also references long-standing rumors of buried gold near the Cheshire Town Green, often associated with John S. Foote.
After Foote’s death in 1908, townspeople discovered he had accumulated a substantial fortune in stocks, bonds, and cash while living modestly in a deteriorating home. Stories soon circulated that additional wealth remained buried somewhere on his property.
No archaeological evidence has ever confirmed the existence of buried treasure, despite decades of speculation and amateur searches.
The Foote family nevertheless remains central to Cheshire history:
Samuel Augustus Foot served as Connecticut governor.
Andrew Hull Foote became a prominent naval officer.
The historic Foote House, built in 1767, still stands on South Main Street.
History as a Continuing Conversation
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Gagliardi’s challenge is what it says about the nature of local history itself.
Unlike national historical narratives, town history often depends heavily upon oral tradition, handwritten annotations, unlabeled photographs, family memories, church records, and undocumented assumptions passed from one generation to the next.
In that environment, certainty is rare.
A face in a photograph may remain unidentified for decades until a descendant recognizes it. A parade date may shift after a researcher notices the model year of an automobile. A legend repeated for generations may later conflict with newly uncovered documents.
Gagliardi’s public invitation to “find the mistakes” acknowledges that historical preservation is not static. It is collaborative and constantly revised.
A Challenge to the Community
For Cheshire residents, the challenge has become something larger than fact-checking a local history book.
It is an invitation to participate in preserving the town’s historical record.
Every corrected caption, identified storefront, or rediscovered family photograph adds new detail to Cheshire’s evolving story.
And despite the acknowledged inaccuracies and revisions, Images of America: Cheshire remains one of the town’s most valuable visual archives—a snapshot not only of Cheshire’s past, but also of the historians, collectors, and residents who worked together to preserve it.
As Gagliardi himself has suggested, a history book with corrections is not necessarily a flawed book. In many ways, it is evidence that people are still paying attention.
For More Information About The Challenge Visit: WWW.CheshireToday.com
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