The History of the Village Center Traffic Triangle

The traffic triangle at the intersection of Summit Street, Main Street and Barton Hill Road in the East Hampton Village Center is a special place to East Hampton Belltown Garden Club members.  It was with great regret that we first viewed the loss of the Bradford Pear after the October 2011 nor'easter.  It looked so different without the tree that the garden club planted in 1974.  For 60 years, garden club members have tended to the garden under that tree. At first it was a garden of annuals that required constant care and watering in the growing season.  In 2000, the garden club added perennials

for year-long interest and less maintenance.

The Bradford Pear (seen in full glory in the slide show on the main page of this garden club blog) was reduced to a stump when town maintenance crews had to remove the four pieces of the former tree from the traffic triangle.  The ten inches of heavy, wet snow from the October storm damaged the tree beyond repair.

This is what the traffic triangle looked like in 1974 before the planting of annuals beneath the Bradford Pear tree and the building of a stone wall.  The photo is from the Belltown Garden Club's scrapbook which serves as an archive and history of the club since it's founding in April 1950.

This is the traffic triangle planted with annuals growing beneath the Bradford Pear tree and the first stone wall in place. The traffic triangle now has a surrounding walkway with bricks inscribed with donors' names and a more permanent wall raising the garden bed.  The raised bed keeps the plants from damage by winter plows and chemicals and allows the addition of manure and compost each season to maintain the soil naturally.

In October 1974, the town of East Hampton expressed appreciation of the Belltown Garden Club's civic project maintaining a garden in the traffic triangle to beautify the town.

Also from the scrapbook:

Belltown Garden Club legend has it that the Garden Club President in 2000 threatened to chain herself to the Bradford Pear tree when the State of Connecticut and/or the Town of East Hampton considered removing the tree because it had grown too large and obstructed the view of drivers using the rotary.  Whether that is true in every detail is unknown, but we do know that there was talk of removing the tree and the garden club presented their permit from the State of Connecticut dated 1951 as evidence that the garden club had the right to plant and maintain the garden bed at the intersection, traffic triangle, or village center rotary.

In May of 2010 resident Josh Piteo commented on signs being placed in the traffic triangle in the village center. He also knew that the garden club had permission to plant in the area. See the minutes of the Town Council meeting here.

Recently, the Yellow Ribbon Committee, headed by resident Ann McLaughlin, has used the tree and the traffic triangle garden to honor local military personnel.  See blog postings on this site from April 6th and April 29th for more details.  Use the right hand column to navigate previous posts.

In a letter to the editor of the Hartford Courant dated June 15, 2011, Ann McLaughlin wrote:

Many thanks to the following: VFW Post 9095, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, the Memorial Day Parade Committee, the CFW Color Guard, the CFW Auxiliary Color Guard, the East Hampton Police Color Guard, the American Legions from East Hampton and Marlborough, the music by Karen Johnsmeyer, the wonderful ribbon makers and the cooperation from the East Hampton Garden Club.

Articles on the Yellow Ribbon ceremonies are available at ct.patch.com, middletown press.com, and easthampton.htnp.com as well as articles in print in the Rivereast News Bulletin.

http://easthampton-ct.patch.com/articles/another-welcome-sight

http://easthampton-ct.patch.com/articles/an-east-hampton-homecoming#video-6823757

http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/05/28/news/doc4de049c933ee3935443365.txt

http://easthampton.htnp.com/?s=Yellow+ribbon+tree

Most recently, the Bradford Pear was mentioned and photographed in an article by Michael Bartolotta of ct.patch.com on the day after the October storm.

Among the trees destroyed in East Hampton, was the one in the Village Center used to tie yellow ribbons to acknowledge local military members serving overseas. Ceremonies to put ribbons on the tree were first held May 31 and as recently as Oct. 1. The Yellow Ribbon Committee was created through the hard work of Ann McLaughlin, who has overseen the Yellow Ribbon ceremonies as well as the Welcome Home ceremonies.
"Of all the trees in town, it had to be that one," McLaughlin said. "I walked around and all the flags have been destroyed ... I saw a few ribbons on the ground under the leaves, but I'm sure they're all destroyed." McLaughlin, who hopes to try and salvage some of the ribbons and flags that might remain before public works cleans up the tree, remained upbeat. "You know what, I have a wonderful Yellow Ribbon Committee and those ladies will just make some more and we'll find another tree somewhere," she said.

The members of the Belltown Garden Club who haved tended to the tree and the garden beneath it as a civic project since 1951grieve the loss of that beautiful Bradford Pear. It stood in the traffic triangle (or rotary) in the East Hampton Village Center for 37 years and created a sense of pride in our community that only a living, growing thing can.  We wonder what will happen to the area we haved cared for since 1951.