Town officials on Monday pulled out signs installed at each end of the Jelliff Mill Bridge because they misidentified the Noroton River flowing underneath as the ‘Norton River.’
The ‘Norton River’ sign Feb. 11, 2019. Credit: Michael Dinan
Asked who’s responsible for the botch job, New Canaan Public Works Director Tiger Mann said the contractor, Hudson, Mass.-based New England Infrastructure Inc., pointed to a subcontractor. According to Mann, the contract administrator on the project told the subcontractor on Jan. 11 that the correct spelling for the signs was ‘Noroton River,’ as noted on the plans.
Ultimate responsibility for the $3.2 million Jelliff Mill Bridge replacement project, completed last summer, falls with the state, which paid for 80 percent of it, Mann said.
The ‘Norton’ signs had gone up “very recently,” Mann said, and the mistake was caught Monday. NEI vowed to fix the problem as soon as possible, he said.
A wide shot that includes the ‘Norton River’ sign Feb. 11, 2019. Credit: Michael Dinan
Asked whether the ‘Norton’ sign resulted from a mix-up rather than a typo—for example, whether there’s a Norton River Bridge somewhere missing a sign—Mann said no.
The word ‘Noroton’ derives from ‘Noroaton,’ which is what historians say Siwanoy native Americans called their village at the mouth of the river. The Noroton River runs south from its New Canaan headwaters and forms much of the Stamford-Darien border before emptying into the Long Island Sound at present-day Holly Pond.
The name ‘Norton’ is far more common, associated by many with Ed Norton (played by Art Carney), sidekick of Ralph Kramden (played by Jackie Gleason) on “The Honeymooners,” a TV show that shot to fame in 1955-56.
L-R: Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), Ed Norton (Art Carney), Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph). By CBS Television – eBay itemphoto frontphoto back, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21880775
Mark Yankee of Franco’s Wine Merchants on Elm Street, son of Academy Award-winning actress Eileen Heckart, said he had at least one interaction with Carney as a young boy. Heckart had been doing a show in the late-1950s and, in those days, actors and actresses regularly saw each other on various sets, mingling with each other’s families when kids were in tow, Yankee said.
He recalled, “She came offstage and he [Carney] said, ‘Does Mark drink coffee?’ She said no. ‘How about donuts?’ No. ‘Well he just had three cups of coffee and five donuts,’ he told her. I was two or three. She told me about it later.”
I’m curious to know if there was someone named Alice involved and if so, was she sent to the moon?
Another example of misnomers along the roads of our quaint village is “Rosebrook Road”. The historical reference brings us to Lucius Monroe, who not only lived in the area, but also owned and sold many of the area properties in the 1800’s (Making him one of the towns first realtors). He farmed ice along the brook that ran through the property which was known as ‘Ole Man Roe’s Brook’. This was shortened to ‘Roe’s Brook’, and eventually to the current Rosebrook Road
Thanks for the background, George. And as we saw with the renaming of Pinney Rd. residents have the right to have streets renamed. I have no idea why residents in Rowayton have not renamed “Witch Lane” or “Devil’s Garden”, who would want to mention those as addresses?