Oral Histories | East Haddam Stories

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History Told by Those Who Lived It

Longtime residents share their stories of life in town and out

Sophie Blaschik

Anita Ballek: Farming, Town and the Environment Were Passions

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Anita Ballek (1930-2023) leveraged her gardening and farming expertise when she pivoted from her family's unsustainable dairy business lo start Ballek's Garden Center in 1969 on land her ancestors had acquired in 1662. She was a tireless champion for agriculture, smart land use, town history, and the environment, speaking at many local groups and schools.

Anita Ballek

Sophie Blaschik

Sophie Blaschik (1922-2023) was born in Moodus, the youngest of eight kids in a millworker family. She recalls that life was hard, with the family garden and animals supplying nearly all their food. After working at a number of corporate clerical jobs, she opened Sophie's Beauty Salon in 1965.

Sophie Blaschik: Working Hard, Being Kind

Master machinist and restoration blacksmith Dick Everett is an individualist with a strong point-of-view on many things. He and his wife Mary discovered East Haddam while competing in 1950s road rallies and moved here after finding a rundown 1704 house to rehab.

Dick Everett: Forging a Singular Life

Dick Everett

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Walt Golec knows a lot about East Haddam history and loves to share stories of its past. He recalls how farming, cotton mills, old Moodus center, and the resorts gave the town its sense of place.

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Walt Golec: Recalling and Sharing Town History

Walt Golec

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Since Karl Stofko became the town's municipal historian in 1985, he's unearthed more than 130 stories of little-known events, unsolved murders, and the reality behind local historical figures and folklore. He presents these deeply researched tales to packed audiences at his annual "Mysteries of East Haddam," at the Historical Society museum.

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Karl Stofko: From Town Dentist to Town Historian

Karl Stofko

Photo of Everett Homestead by Ken Simon

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