WOODSTOCK – Members recalled changes they had seen during their lifetimes during the February meeting of the Woodstock Historical Society.

Paul and Vicki Billings recalled crank phones, when sodas in coolers were kept in water and when the fairgrounds were situated where the high school is now in Paris. President Elaine Roberts remembered candy and when a pair of sneakers or sandals was $1.

Addie O’Neil, a new member, recounted changes in Bryant Pond and said people could get ice cream at the Rainbow Tea Room for five cents. Olive Resto remembered ice being delivered for refrigeration, carrying water upstairs to take a bath, little schools and the high school on Summit Street. She said the early computers she used as a nurse were primitive.

Ruth Cox said she bought land for a house for $35. Annella Burnham said most homes were farms and cool cellars kept produce. Mary Billings recalled when trips by horse sometimes took all day. Kerosene lamps were used and basic foods were sold in small stores.

Curator Larry Billings remembered the animals on a farm, milking time and gathering eggs. He talked about the changes in Bethel where he grew up. He lived on Railroad Street in a house his father built.

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