“The power of any language is the power to organize thought.” — Robert Heckendorn

Stories are everywhere.

Details illuminate understanding and provide context. For example, a field, an aircraft, a sign, and a crowd gathered are captured in a photograph. Words typed accompany the image to show significance of this flight and place in time.

One of the first documented photos at the original airport location was on August 14, 1919 when an aircraft advertising the 1847 Rogers Bros. Silverware Company and L. Bamberger & Co (now current day Macy’s department store) flew the first shipment of 125 pounds by air from any place in Connecticut.

Constance “Connie” Castillo, airport manager at Meriden Markham Airport, shared the images in her own collection by placing them on a bulletin board, visible then to visitors, pilots, crew. The display includes that one image of 1919 that is notable because it's 100 years since the airport's beginnings. Without information about the image, context would be lost. Castillo, by the way is a Certified Flight Instructor, Commercial and Instrument-rated pilot, Captain in the Civil Air Patrol and is qualified as a Transport Pilot, Mission Observer and Airborne Photographer for Search and Rescue. She is also past Vice-Chair and an active member of the CT Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc. International Organization of Women Pilots. Constance grew up flying out of MMK with her parents who were both pilots and owned a Cessna 170 based at MMK for more than 50 years. Related story linked here.

From the official site of Meriden-Markham Airport: “In the beginning. …field bound on three sides by utility lines was originally the home of a trotting park and part of the Fallon farm. After a group of local business and aviation enthusiasts realized the locations potential it was designated as the city airport in 1928. A total of nine aircraft other than those based on the field landed at Meriden Airport in its first year of operation.

“In 1952 Meriden Airport was considered the best sod field in the state according to the CT Department of Aeronautics. The active runways at the time were North-South 3500’, Northeast-Southwest 2800’, and East-West 1300.’ Land was purchased from Wallingford at the south end of the field to expand the airport to 130 acres. More land was later purchased at the north end for a total of 157 acres. The grass strip was transformed to modern-day standards and a 3100’ X 75’ asphalt runway was built that stretches north and south. Meriden Markham Airport has continually received city, state, and federal funding for airport improvements. Municipally owned and run by the City of Meriden, the airport provides an administrative terminal building open 7 days a week, a maintenance hangar, two shared Quonset hangars, one private hangar, six tee-hangars and 72 tie-down spots. Self-service Avgas 100LL fuel is available 24/7.

“Meriden Airport is no longer the best kept secret in Connecticut. Pilots from surrounding areas fly into Meriden to take advantage of our low fuel rates. Centrally located, it’s convenient for businesses to use the airport for charter excursions. With GPS and VOR instrument approaches, both fixed wing and rotorcraft flight schools routinely use the airport for flight training. The Civil Air Patrol is active with cadet flight training and search and rescue training with the Silver City Squadron based at the airport. A full service maintenance facility and flight school are now operational on the field…”

One town over (not far when flying), and noticed from Washington Street on a return trip from the Connecticut River Valley, a busy construction/deconstruction/reconstruction (state-of-the-art) site.

On-site signage shows and tells of what will be. The process is fascinating to observe.

One more detour. The Wilcox, Crittenden & Co., Mill C, South Main Street (corner), in Middletown, is an interesting structure, now apartments. The company history can be researched at G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport. That collection includes “ledgers, journals, cashbooks, daybooks, payroll records, check stub books, and other materials.” The company history is quite interesting for maritime innovations, inventions and reach of products throughout the world. (But that's another story of change, the old giving way to the new, adaption.)

“In 1847, Middletown was New England’s largest inland port, and it was in that year the company that would become Wilcox, Crittenden & Co., Inc. was established. According to the centennial history of the company, it was in Ben Butler’s sail loft in Middletown that Eldridge Penfield first conceived of developing a metal grommet (later to be called the sail eyelet grommet) to replace the rope grommets that were currently being used by sailmakers.”