Lou Sorrentino: Press/Reviews

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KATHY DAME, CT COL. ARBORETUM-
"Outstanding photography work...(i.e., faculty calendar 12/05 for "Door to the Sun" and a winner in the 2004 Capturing the Beauty of Nature contest) of the Connecticut College Arboretum...His original songs are outstanding...What amazed me most was his ability to take any situation, and turn it into an impressive song...with either piano or guitar...we commissioned him to do a song, currently still on our website. (http://www.conncoll.arboretum At bottom of page click Craig Vine retirement-hear Lou's song named 'Music Man'

New York Times:
January 25, 2004

SINCE he was a child, Louis Sorrentino has visited Devil's Hopyard State Park in East Haddam to go for a walk, take pictures of the scenery or
enjoy a picnic. His love for the outdoors merged with his interest in
history one day in the spring of 2002 when he spotted a large piece of a millstone in Chapman Falls in the park.

Curious about its origins, he called the municipal historian and checked out an historical marker near the stone. Both sources led him to the story
of the Sons of Liberty toppling a stone into the falls to intimidate a loyalist mill owner.

More than a year and some 30 hours of research later, Mr. Sorrentino, founder and vice president of the Friends of Devil's Hopyard, became
convinced that the stone he found in a restricted area of the park just 200 feet from the marker that referred to it was indeed a Revolutionary
War artifact.

''Apparently from 1881 on it got forgotten,'' said Mr. Sorrentino...

His rediscovery recently caught the attention of top state officials who are fascinated with the story behind the 229-year-old millstone and say it
could be used as a valuable teaching tool. The state archaeologist, Nicholas Bellantoni, who visited the park in the summer to see the stone, said while archaeological investigations would not be able to verify the story, it is significant that the millstone is down a slope from gristmill ruins, specifically the foundation.

Either the stone, which is about 50 inches in diameter, dropped into the
falls due to natural erosion at the site or it was thrown down, he said, adding the latter appears to be the logical conclusion based on
circumstantial evidence.

''We have the mill, we have the stone and we have a wonderful story to go with it,'' Mr. Bellantoni said. ''It talks about people's attitudes toward
each other at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and to tie it to an artifact is pretty cool.''

Mr. Sorrentino researched records at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford and at other libraries, reading newspaper articles, historic
commission reports and colonial period documents.

The story that unfolded from his studies goes like this:

The Sons of Liberty, a group of colonists organized to protest the Stamp
Act, were angry with Abner Beebe, a wealthy Tory mill owner who also
practiced as a physician.

Mr. Beebe's brother, Asa, was a lay leader in the Church of England who
pledged allegiance to the English monarchy at the start of his church
services, a common act for Loyalists but forbidden by the Revolutionists.

Both Beebes had another terrible shortfall, as far as the Sons of
Liberty were concerned. They drank tea, an English import boycotted by the
Colonists.

Ebenezer Punderson, a traveling minister of the Church of England who
preached in East Haddam and Norwich and who was an acquaintance of the
Beebes, also indulged in drinking tea.

''They were notorious tea drinkers, the crack smokers of their day,'' Mr.
Sorrentino said.

Mr. Punderson recanted his statements supporting England's right to tax
the colonies before the Committee of Norwich, Mr. Sorrentino said.

But Abner Beebe initially refused to recant, irking the Sons of Liberty
who tarred and feathered him, according to a 1774 letter about civil
unrest from Col. Joseph Spencer to Connecticut Gov. Jonathan Trumbull. His
brother, Asa, was also tarred and feathered, according to Dexter's Yale
Biographies of 1898.

They also destroyed Abner Beebe's personal property, according to his
complaint that was published in the Connecticut Gazette in 1775, Mr.
Sorrentino said. That same newspaper 106 years later referred to the
incident in which Revolutionists broke into a mill and rolled a
millstone down a hill. It was the last time public records indicated that
people knew of the millstone's whereabouts.

Asa Beebe and his family took off for a British colony in Canada, or what
is now Nova Scotia. They got as far as New Hampshire, where they settled.

''He more than Abner decided he didn't want to change his loyalties,'' Dr.
Karl Stofko, East Haddam municipal historian, said.

Apparently, the Sons of Liberty visited Abner Beebe several times. He
eventually sold the gristmill and nearby sawmill to John Chapman and left
the Church of England to join the Millington Congregational Church. After
the war, he bought back the mill. Still, he stayed in the area throughout
his ordeal because he wanted to be with his family, including his three
children, Mr. Stofko said.

Mr. Punderson went bankrupt and also left for England, returning after the
war when the state legislature granted him safe passage home after he
explained that the reason he left was he feared for his safety.

Mr. Stofko said just three people in town were loyalists. Mr. Stofko said
when Abner Beebe complained of his treatment to the town and the state he
did not name names.

The Sons of Liberty also raised a liberty pole and flag at the site of the
Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. The pole, one of the tallest in Connecticut in
more than 140 feet high, was designed to alert visitors that the town was
pro-independence.

''Today we would call them renegades,'' Mr. Stofko said of the Sons of
Liberty. ''They were a group of young men who decided to take the law into
their own hands. They more or less disappeared after the
Revolutionary War got started. It was an important time in history.
Outside of the liberty pole, it's one of the few stories we have of the
Sons of Liberty. They probably existed in every town.''

Mr. Bellantoni said he would be opposed to moving the stone because its
location is part of the story. His office, the Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection and the Friends of Devil's Hopyard are
discussing how to promote the millstone as a minor attraction. Mr.
Bellantoni said a new trail that would allow visitors to see the stone and
pamphlets that tells its story are two possibilities.

Mr. Sorrentino has permission...to redo several kiosks at the park that
inaccurately credited a certain Captain Aaron Fox with overthrowing the
stone.

David K. Leff, deputy commissioner of the D.E.P., said the stone
underscored the history found in many of the state's parks, including
Gillette Castle State Park, also in East Haddam, and Fort Trumbull in New
London.

''You can't go very far in the New England woods without running into a
cellar hole or stone wall with historical significance,'' he said. ''In
these days of renewed patriotism that millstone, while it is a very
ordinary object, carries with it a very powerful symbol of the struggle
for freedom.''

John Ostrout, director of Cultural Heritage Tourism in Connecticut, has
also visited the millstone. Mr. Ostrout is working on creating a
Revolutionary War Trail in the state that would feature historic sites and
artifacts for tourists to visit in a systematic way. He said the millstone
would be ideal for such a trail.

''We know there is a rich history of the American Revolutionary War period
in our state,'' said Mr. Ostrout, who created the Connecticut
Impressionist Art Trail several years ago. ''It's time to dust off these
existing treasures.''

Mr. Sorrentino admires the Sons of Liberty but not for what they did to
the Beebes. He said it is important for young people today to realize the
atrocities Americans have done in the name of freedom. The Beebes' freedom
of speech was denied amid the flurry of zealous colonists at war, he said.
''I think we need to keep the story alive,'' Mr. Sorrentino said. ''We
have the seeds of squelching liberty even before 1776.''

Copyright 2005" Louis Sorrentino spotted a millstone. (at Devil's Hopyard State Park, East Haddam, CT); thrown in Chapman Falls by the Sons of Liberty in 1774, over a year before the Revolutionary War's first shot) State Archaeologist, Nicholas Bellantoni said... ''We have the mill, we have the stone and we have a wonderful story to go with it,'' ''It talks about people's attitudes toward each other at the beginning of the Revolutionary War and to tie it to an artifact is pretty cool.'' Mr. Sorrentino.. (had signage corrected) that inaccurately credited..Captain Aaron Fox...David K. Leff, Dep. Com. of the D.E.P., said "that millstone,...a very powerful symbol of...freedom.'' Mr. Sorrentino said "It is important to realize the atrocities Americans have done in the name of freedom. I think we need to keep the story alive. We have the seeds of squelching liberty even before 1776.'' (exact text- Events/Articles-, display up- date in News)

In response to mr. Sorentino's suggestion, the Museum held a symposium on Northeastern Natives in the Revolution on Sept. 23-24, 2005. Mr. Sorrentino's contributions played a major role, underscoring the vital role that people of all ethnic backgrounds played in our struggle for independence. The following quote is per Dr. Kevin McBride-"Those are great ideas; we have got to do them. You are a real scholar. We really appreciate your contributions."

Thank you so much for your packed house program with Jon Ault, Head Archivist at the Pequot Museum. I remember the first day we worked.You were investigating an Aaron Fox. I drove home and saw a red fox, who looked at me then bounded into the field. An hour later, he was right back in the same spot. He stared me down. I took the fox's behavior as a sign of the truth and goodness of your project.

The Society was lead on a journey ...Louis Sorrentino is especially charismatic in his quips, anecdotes and radiant energy... mesmerized his audience with his original lyrics and music... The presentation “Uncovering a Millstone” by Louis Sorrentino accompanied by Jon Ault is highly enlightening and entertaining...