A little about Frank H. DeMars
Mr DeMars lived in Northwestern Connecticut. He was born in 1872 in the Robertsville section of Colebrook. He spent most of his life in Winsted and died there in 1942 at the age of 69.
“Like so many of the small entrepreneurs of the period, his background was eclectic. While in high school, he made and sold paper pads and Burpee seeds. … He helped in his father’s garden from which they sold vegetables and fruit and … kept a garden of his own. …He worked at the Boston store in Winsted from 1890-1892 and did odd jobs as far away as Norfolk, like painting, papering and carpentry work.”
“By 1904 he was running an art store, which he had taken over by another artist, at 700 Main Street which featured picture framing. The woman he was to marry, Martha R. Harrison, worked for him in the store. …In 1908 he was advertising ‘postal cards, wholesale and retail’. … By 1912 his store had expanded to 711-715 Main Street.” “DeMars was an amateur photographer and took photographs of the region around Winsted, which were sold in his store, both as ‘real photographs’ and as lithograph cards printed in Germany. After selling the store [in 1914], he continued taking photographs and selling photographic post cards [for a 5 cents each] on an itinerant basis.”
Frank DeMars gave an interesting talk on ‘Winsted’s Diamond Mine’ at a Rotary meeting. He told of the mountain laurel in Winsted and suggested to the group, that Winsted adopt the name ‘The Laurel City’. He said more laurel grows within 20 miles of this city than anywhere else in the world." It is thought that a group of individuals got together to request Winsted adopt the nickname: The Laurel City. It is also thought that women could have had something to do with this process as typing would have been involved and not many men did secretarial type tasks at that time in history.
As told by his daughter, Martha Ruth DeMars Richards, February 22, 1989:
"My father kept busy not only with his business, but was also very much involved with Winsted community activities. He started the Parent-Teachers Organization in schools in town. I’m sure he did for Greenwoods, and I’m pretty sure for Pearson. He was kept pretty busy with all that, and was active in different programs that were put on by the PTO.
Father was on Winsted’s Planning and Zoning Committee. It was he who started the "Laurel Festival", with the crowning of a queen. That ceremony was usually done on a laurel-covered hillside up in Winchester at Cornie Johnson’s Platt Hill area.
History:
BASED ON INTERVIEW WITH OUR TOWN HISTORIAN:
The Winsted Laurel Queen portion of the festival has changed a few times over the last 81 years. Before there was a Northwest Regional 7, students from all over the Northwest Hills attended The Gilbert School, thus, there may have been winners from other towns, because they attended TGS. For Instance, Elinor Rowley, was from Riverton. When NWR7 was established, the thought that the Laurel Queen should reside in The Laurel City came about. There have been patches of change over the decades, but it has since gone back to the original tradition of a girl residing in Winsted. Age ranges have also changed. Especially considering the first queen was 12 and nominated by her classmates/peers!
Information from research done at Beardsley and Memorial Library:
Winsted gained the name "The Laurel City" in 1930, after a resident, Frank H. DeMars and other members of the community, noted the abundance of mountain laurel in the area. In 1932 the Winsted Horticultural Society was formed and the seeds were planted that would eventually produce The Laurel Festival. The first Laurel Queen, Gladys Weaving, was crowned in 1934.
