Colchester, Ct: Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens

assorted pics I found of Colchester, both past and present
song by the great Louis JordanAin't Nobody Here But Us Chickens

One night farmer Brown,
Was takin' the air,
Locked up the barnyard
With the greatest of care
Down in the henhouse
Somethin' stirred
When he shouted "Who's there?"
This is what he heard:
There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So calm yourself,
And stop your fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
We chickens tryin' to sleep,
And you butt in
And hobble, hobble hobble hobble
With your chin
There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
You're stompin' around
And shakin' the ground,
You're kickin' up an awful dust
We chicken's tryin' to sleep
And you butt in
And hobble, hobble hobble hobble
It's a sin
Tomorrow
Is a busy day
We got things to do
We got eggs to lay
We got ground to dig
And worms to scratch
It takes a lot of settin'
Gettin' chicks to hatch
There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So quiet yourself,
And stop your fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
Kindly point that gun,
The other way
And hobble, hobble hobble off and
Hit the hay
Tomorrow
Is a busy day
We got things to do
We got eggs to lay
We got ground to dig
And worms to scratch
It takes a lot of settin'
Gettin' chicks to hatch
There ain't nobody here but us chickens
There ain't nobody here at all
So quiet yourself,
And stop your fuss
There ain't nobody here but us
Kindly point that gun,
The other way
And hobble, hobble hobble of and
Hit the hay
"Hey boss man
What do ya say?"
It's easy pickens,
Ain't nobody here but us chickens

The Mintz's Of Colchester, CT

The Mintz's were evidently part of the same group as the Lapping's
above photo and below info from the Mintz flickr page

Found in a Mintz family photo album, inherited by my grandfather and then passed down to me. My grandfather's mother's sister was married to Louis Mintz. I do not know the children's names. I do not know the farmer's names, but it's possible they are Louis, Simon, Soloman or Benjamin Mintz.
The Mintz family were part of a group of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who came to Colchester, CT. at the end of the 1800s and set up a successful farming community.
Hyman Mintz owned the old victorian house that sits on Hammond Court in early 1900s. When he died, his daughter Katie inherited that property. Previously owned by the Zenowitz family, it's now owned by the Stevens's. Question is, is this horse and buggy traveling down Hammond Lane, a common pathway up until 1955 when the town of Colchester moved the pathway to what is now Hammond Court? My resources tell me the road was stopped short by erecting a longer building on what is now the Coiro's propery and moved because the Colchester Convalescent Home had built their facility, which years later was condemned, right smack in the middle of the pathway. If anyone has pictures, I sure would like to see them.

What Was Mrs. Lapping's Husband Doing In Colchester, CT?

Below: Mrs. Lapping's in-laws

I was curious as to why Paul Lapping, an immigrant from Russia in the early 1900's, was living in Colchester, CT. I found this under the Colchester, CT town site.
I certainly get an education working on this blog

By 1900 farming had diminished and the rubber mill had closed, but this was a time for another new beginning for Colchester. The Hirsch Foundation of New York had discovered that Colchester was an excellent place for the settlement of European Jewish immigrants. By 1923, there were about 750 children recorded in the school census out of a total town population of 2,100. Since farming was no longer prosperous, many began to supplement their livelihoods in the summer by taking on boarders from nearby cities and New York.
Within the span of a few years, Colchester became the 20th Century's "Catskills of Connecticut". At least seven major hotels thrived including the Broadway House, owned by Abraham and Rose Jaffe, Harris Cohen's Fairview House, Julian Sultan's Hilltop Lodge, Schwartz's Kessler's Horowitz's and Barnett Dember's. The tourist industry boomed throughout the 1930s.
Postwar growth in neighboring towns led to a new era for Colchester. A new generation of suburban dwellers found Colchester to be an excellent "bedroom" community due to an improved highway system and its proximity to Hartford, Middletown and the Norwich/New London areas. During the 1950s the beach traffic brought many through Colchester to their favorite stops including Harry's, the Colchester Bakery and Levine's Coat Shop. The Route 2 by-pass of the town was completed in the 1960s. But for those who did not just pass through, Colchester's dedication to the public school system, its acceptance of all peoples and its quality of life increased its population to 7,761 by 1980. Today, over 300 years after the settling of Colchester, the population has grown to over 14,000.