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Sunday 8 March 2009

Our Town


Song Commemorates
Architect Ithiel Town

On the occassion of a lecture, on 9 October 1995, by Richard Carreño on the early 19th century American architect Ithiel Town before the Thompson Historical Society in Thompson, Connecticut, town resident and Society member Jeffrey Barske composed a medley to honour Town, who was a Thompson native. The 'song,' is sung to the tune of My Kind of Town (Chicago Is).

A transcript of Carreño's lecture, Ithiel Town: An American Original, published by the Thompson Historical Society (Jane Vercelli, publisher) is available from Writers Clearinghouse Press for $1.99. See the website for shipping and handling details and payment via PayPal, or contact the Editor at Writers.Clearinghouse@comcast.net.

The following Barske's tune, My Kind of Town, old Ithiel Is.

My kind of Town, old Ithiel is;
My kind of Town, he built bridges;
He was born in Thompson 'CT;'
So trendy was he;
He built churches.

He travelled far,
From shore to shore;
Carolina to Ann Ar-r-r-bor;
One daughter yet lacking a wife,
Oh, what a life,
building bookshelves.

So through it all, no Philistine;
This guy was cool
In all his dreams
He lies in Pharoah's old tomb,
He grave is ungroomed,
Near Eli Whitney.

And so his mem-o-ry you know,
helps Thompson grow and grow and grow;
keeping writers off the hard streets,
off the food beats;
Hail, Carreño.

He's My Kind of Town!!!!!

[NB: Richard Carreño, now Junto Editor, was, at the time of the lecture, a restaurant critic for the Worcester Telegram in Worcester, Massachusetts. Like Barske, he was also then a Thompson resident).