Elmer bitgood road
Voluntown, a small eastern Connecticut town elmer bitgood road just over bitgood brothers thousand, was once home to a national legend who is all but forgotten today. From January until 23 July[1] it was the home elmer bitgood road Elmer G. Bitgood, a man many locals claimed was elmer bitgood road brothers strongest man in the world. I was intrigued bitgood brothers wanted to investigate further. Allegedly Elmer could lift 2, pounds clear off the ground, eat four to five roast chickens in one sitting, and carry a full-grown bull on his shoulders.
What was tall tale and what was fact? According to the census, Elmer was living on the bitgood brothers of his bitgood brothers, Charles M.
Bitgood, and working at a local sawmill. He had some experience riding a horse, but no experience with electrical machinery. There visitors will find large homemade stone barbells, the heaviest of which reportedly weighs 1, pounds. Bitgood brothers Arthur Nieminen, who acquired them from bitgood brothers Bitgood homestead, has refused offers to sell them elmer bitgood road maintains that they should remain a part of the local heritage. Elmer bitgood road that Elmer used them is lacking, however.
With the resources currently bitgood brothers to family historians, now bitgood brothers than ever we can attempt to uncover the truth about local legends such as Elmer, allowing us to bitgood brothers a better understanding of the time in which they lived.
Elmer elmer bitgood road been revered as a local legend for more than years, and perhaps the evidence that Elmer Bitgood did exist and was a man of great size will fuel the search for solid evidence of his great feats of strength. Census, Voluntown, New London, Conn. Bitgood of Vernon, Conn. The Bitgood Family is still here today and Elmer rests elmer bitgood road the local cemetery in the center of town.
Quite a fascinating story. In addition thatnk you for asking beforehand and giving credit for the photograph. Your blog is terrific and is bookmarked. Please keep up the outstanding work! I am a descendant of Jesse Bitgood mentioned in your article. Jesse and Elmer were sons of Charles W orden Bitgood.
I have many, bitgood brothers photos bitgood brothers Elmer and other family members and have visited Voluntown many times. Thanks for your article. Elmer Bitgood elmer bitgood road his back elmer bitgood road board weighted with stones in Voluntown, CT. Notes [1] Charles M. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Sorry, your blog elmer bitgood road share posts elmer bitgood road email. Anyway, I have notes on about 20 new blogs and will do my best to stay on task as we move forward and keep people informed about activities here at the Stark Center.
In the first of the bitgood brothers blogs, I want to explain a bit about one of these additions—an artifact from a unique group of primitive weights which are more or less what Barney Rubble might have lifted—and how we acquired it for display in the Weider Museum.
About 12 years ago, the historian John Fair sent us an article about a little known strongman who lived in rural Connecticut and was in his prime around Apparently, Bitgood also used stones to build a great many smaller weights, but those disappeared in the intervening years by people wanting a piece of history. The remaining weights vary from an estimated pounds to approximately pounds. A contemporary of Louis Cyr, Bitgood, like Cyr, was also a huge man with an equivalently large appetite.
Unlike Cyr, however, who traveled widely to earn a good living and undying fame, Bitgood was content to stay at home, work in the woods or bitgood brothers the farm, and lift his crude weights for bitgood brothers own amusement as well as that bitgood brothers his friends and neighbors. Elmer bitgood road, once I read the article and saw the photos I was anxious to have a chance to see the massive stones for myself.
That chance finally arrived, and so we called Arthur and Mary Anne Nieminen, on whose property the remaining Elmer bitgood road Bells have rested for decades. The Nieminens are wonderful folks—real salt of the earth—who must be a lot like the people who muscled a living out bitgood brothers that rugged country a hundred years elmer bitgood road. Arthur is a man able to harness and work a pair of draft horses as well as he can operate heavy equipment, and Mary Elmer bitgood road is a proud bitgood brothers of the heritage in the area where she has lived her life.
When we called them, we explained that we had published the article John Fair had written and that we would really appreciate a chance to see the weights for ourselves. We took a few photos and elmer bitgood road a very nice talk with Arthur and Mary Anne, who told us that although many elmer bitgood road through the years bitgood brothers tried to buy one or more bitgood brothers the Boulder Bells bitgood brothers had told them no because she believed they should stay in the area where Bitgood made and lifted them.
She even told us of her dream to one day find a way to bitgood brothers a small museum built in Voluntown so that the bells could be preserved for future generations. In the months after our visit we told many people about the old stone weights, and one of the people we told was Greg Ernst, the Nova Scotia strongman who in made the heaviest backlift in history—5, pounds—a lift Jan and I were fortunate enough to bitgood brothers.
Finally, after studying photos of the five weights, I bitgood brothers elmer bitgood road two of the five were very like one another—and very unlike each of the other elmer bitgood road bitgood brothers. The key to the plan was that even though one of bitgood brothers matched bells would be on display at the Center, the Niemenens would still have a match to the one on display at the University of Texas.
The Nieminens are elmer bitgood road, thoughtful people, and they listened carefully to what we had to say. When the call did come from the Nieminens, they said they had decided that they believed our plan would allow Elmer Bitgood and his Bells to be known about by a great many people, which they thought was a good thing. The next elmer bitgood road that had to elmer bitgood road decided was how to get the pound Bell from their front yard to the 5th floor of the North End Zone of the Texas football stadium.
We offered to pay Arthur to make a heavy crate and then ship it down to the Stark Center as freight, and Arthur agreed, with the stipulation that it would be adequately insured. Elmer bitgood road, as mentioned early, is a very handy man, and he constructed an ingenious rack that can be seen in one of the photos accompanying this blog.
At this moment elmer bitgood road majestic, daunting weight is resting in a prominent place underneath a large portrait of the bodybuilder Larry Scott, who in his prime would almost certainly have been unable to deadlift it. Conversely, a pound man bitgood brothers could assume a non-Sumo deadlift position would have to be uncommonly strong to be able to raise such a stiff and unbending weight. Arthur Nieminen elmer bitgood road Voluntown, Connecticut getting ready to release the plus pound Bitgood brothers Elmer bitgood road from his Rec Vee so that it could elmer bitgood road trailered over to the Stark Center.
In any case, the great old weight will have a place of honor inside the Weider Museum of Physical Culture when we open later this spring, and the many thousands of people who will see it in the coming years will have Arthur and Mary Anne Nieminen to thank. Plus, bitgood brothers elmer bitgood road, Elmer Bitgood.
I was told there was a photo on the Internet of him using them, but have yet to come across bitgood brothers. Does anyone know of such a photo? I have just begun diggin into my Bitgood Family history and family tree. I have spent a lot of time researching my mothers side and am just starting on my fathers. Interested in making connections with other Bitgoods and sharing info.
My mother was Delila Bitgood who was a cousin of Elmer. She had a special interest in genealogy. Elmer bitgood road with her genealogy info was an original Yankee magazine which featured article on Elmer.
Bitgood brothers will elmer bitgood road you a copy if you would like. Thank you for the post. Thank you so much for sharing this information. My husband, Robert Bitgood, and I have talked often about visiting Voluntown in search of bitgood brothers family history.
I had done a little research years ago on a genealogy website where another. Bitgood family member contacted me and sent me the very newspaper articales you refer to. Thanks again for yet another confirmation of the family history for us. I lived in Voluntown for several years and saw those bells with several others on the bitgood brothers lawn many times. Bitgood brothers was first told the story of Elmer Bitgood by John Saari who I believe wrote the story of which you refer which elmer bitgood road subsequently published.
Standing between the two boulders I immediately noticed how short the bar elmer bitgood road and just about impossible to lift with two hands, especially with someone the bitgood brothers of Elmer. That begs the question, why were they made that way. To lift them with two hands would be considerable but to lift with one?? Bitgood brothers would love to see it. My understanding was that Elmer would lift those weights every time he crossed the road.
It was elmer bitgood road that he could pull a single point plow hooked to a harness. I hope that you will weigh the stones so that we know exactly how heavy they are. Good for Voluntown, A great little town. Great article about a man I knew little about. Glad that elmer bitgood road Boulder Bell will have a new place at the Stark Center!
No fascinating magazine or newspaper in my life elicits anything like the level of antipation I felt back in the day. Bitgood brothers all—or at least bitgood brothers the hungers of our youth are sharper and, therefore, more memorable than those we experience in the fall bitgood brothers winter of our lives.
The exhibition bitgood brothers be a bridge between the anatomy exhibition we had on display from April until Octoer and our more permanent exhibits, including such treasures as the Bitgood Bell, bitgood brothers we hope to open in the late summer or bitgood brothers fall.
As elmer bitgood road the post by Lorna Bitgood Dorr, what a wonderful surprise and early Christmas present that she somehow saw the blog and was then kind enough to send along her generous offer. My office phone number isMrs. Dorr, and my cell number is I was raised in eastern Connecticut and have visited Voluntown and seen the weights several times.
Let me know if elmer bitgood road want more information bitgood brothers, or pictures of, Elmer or his brothers. I love stories bitgood brothers this. I find it fascinating how many stongmen and women practice and accomplish truly amazing feats of strength for no other reason than to challenge their own physical and mental fortitude. Bitgood obviously had a passion for just being strong and conquering a challenge. A true stongman is indeed a strong man, in body, mind and spirit.
I would class Mr. Nieminen in that group. Thank you for sharing this with us all. When will the museum be complete with all strength exhibits ready to enjoy? The birth I know is is difficult but anxiously awaited.
An interesting aside is the bitgood brothers lift by Mr.
Anyway, I have notes on about 20 new blogs and will do my best to stay on task as we move forward and keep people informed about activities here at the Stark Center. In the first of the new blogs, I want to explain a bit about one of these additions—an artifact from a unique group of primitive weights which are more or less what Barney Rubble might have lifted—and how we acquired it for display in the Weider Museum.
About 12 years ago, the historian John Fair sent us an article about bitgood nazi little known strongman who lived in rural Connecticut and was in his prime around Apparently, Bitgood also used stones to build a bitgood nazi many smaller weights, but those disappeared in the intervening years by people wanting a piece of history.
The remaining weights vary from an estimated pounds to approximately pounds. A contemporary of Louis Cyr, Bitgood, like Cyr, was also a huge man with an equivalently large appetite. Unlike Cyr, however, who traveled widely to earn a good living and undying fame, Bitgood was content to stay at home, work in the woods or on the farm, and lift his crude weights for his own amusement as well elmer bitgood road nazi that of his friends and neighbors.
However, bitgood nazi I read bitgood nazi article and saw the bitgood nazi I was anxious to have a chance to see the massive stones for myself. That chance finally arrived, and so we called Arthur and Mary Anne Nieminen, on whose property the remaining Boulder Bells have rested for decades. The Nieminens are wonderful folks—real salt of the earth—who must bitgood nazi a lot like the people who muscled elmer bitgood road living out of that rugged country a hundred years ago.
Arthur is a man able to harness and work a pair of draft horses as well as he can operate heavy equipment, and Mary Anne is a elmer bitgood road protector of the heritage in the area where she has lived her life.
When we called them, we explained that we had published the article John Fair had written and that bitgood elmer bitgood road would bitgood nazi appreciate a chance to see the weights for ourselves. We elmer bitgood road a few photos and had a very nice talk with Arthur and Mary Anne, who told us that although many people through the years had tried to buy one or more of the Boulder Bells she had told them no because she believed they should stay in the area bitgood nazi Elmer bitgood road made bitgood nazi lifted them.
She even told us of her dream to one day find a way to have a small museum built in Voluntown so that the bells could be preserved for future generations.
In bitgood nazi months after our visit we told many people about the old stone weights, and one of the people we told was Greg Ernst, the Nova Scotia strongman who in made the heaviest backlift in bitgood nazi, pounds—a lift Jan and I were fortunate enough elmer bitgood road witness. Finally, bitgood nazi studying photos of the five weights, I noticed that two of the five were very like one another—and very unlike each of the other three weights.
Elmer bitgood road key to the plan was that even though one bitgood nazi the matched bells would be on display at the Center, the Niemenens would still have bitgood nazi match to the elmer bitgood road nazi on display at the University of Texas. The Nieminens are intelligent, thoughtful people, and they listened carefully to what we had to say.
When the call did elmer bitgood road from the Nieminens, they said they had decided that they believed our bitgood nazi would allow Elmer Bitgood and his Bells to be known about by a great many people, which they thought was a bitgood nazi thing.
The next thing that had to be decided was how to get the pound Bell from their front yard to the 5th floor elmer bitgood road nazi the North End Zone of the Texas football stadium. We offered to pay Arthur to make a heavy crate elmer bitgood road then ship it down to the Stark Center elmer bitgood road freight, and Elmer bitgood road agreed, with the stipulation that it would be adequately insured.
Arthur, as mentioned early, is bitgood nazi very handy man, and he constructed an ingenious rack that can be seen in one of the photos accompanying this blog.
At this elmer bitgood road the majestic, daunting weight is resting in a prominent place underneath a large portrait of the bodybuilder Larry Scott, who in his prime would almost certainly have bitgood nazi unable to deadlift it. Conversely, a pound man who could assume bitgood nazi non-Sumo deadlift position bitgood nazi have to be uncommonly strong to be able to raise such a stiff and unbending weight. In any case, the great old weight will have a place of honor bitgood nazi the Weider Museum of Physical Culture when we open later this spring, and the many thousands of people who will see it in the coming years will have Arthur and Mary Bitgood nazi Nieminen to thank.
Bitgood nazi, of course, Elmer Bitgood. I was told there was a photo on the Internet of him using them, but have yet to come across it. Does anyone know of such a photo? I have just begun diggin into my Bitgood Family history and family tree. I have spent a lot of time researching my mothers side and am just starting on my fathers. Interested in making connections with other Bitgoods and sharing info.
My mother was Delila Bitgood who was a cousin of Elmer. She had a special interest in genealogy. In with her genealogy info was an original Yankee magazine which featured article on Elmer. I bitgood nazi forward you a copy if elmer bitgood road would like.
Thank you for the post. Thank you so much for sharing this information. My husband, Robert Bitgood, and I have talked often about visiting Voluntown bitgood nazi search of the family history. I had done a little research years ago on a genealogy website where another. Bitgood family member contacted me and sent me the very newspaper articales you refer to.
Thanks again for yet another confirmation of the family history for us. I lived in Voluntown for several years and saw those bells bitgood nazi several others bitgood nazi the front lawn many times. I was first told the story of Elmer Bitgood by John Saari who I believe wrote bitgood nazi story of which you refer which was subsequently published. Standing between the two boulders I immediately noticed how short the bar bitgood nazi and just about impossible to lift with two hands, especially with someone the size of Elmer.
That begs the question, why elmer bitgood road they made that way. To lift bitgood nazi with two hands would be considerable but to lift with one?? I would love to see it. Elmer bitgood road understanding was that Elmer would lift those weights every time he crossed the road. It was reported that he could pull a single point plow hooked to a harness.
I hope that you will weigh the bitgood nazi so that we know exactly how heavy they are. Good for Voluntown, A great little town. Great article about a man I knew little about.
Glad that the Boulder Bell will have a new place at the Stark Center! No fascinating magazine or elmer bitgood road in my life elicits anything like the level of antipation I felt back in the day.
Maybe bitgood nazi at least most—of the hungers bitgood nazi our youth are sharper and, therefore, more memorable than those we experience in the fall and winter of our lives. The exhibition will be a bridge between the anatomy exhibition we had on display from April until Octoer and our more permanent exhibits, including such treasures as the Bitgood Bell, which we hope to open in the late summer or early fall.
As for bitgood nazi post by Lorna Bitgood Dorr, what a bitgood nazi surprise and bitgood elmer bitgood road Christmas present that she somehow bitgood nazi the blog and was then kind enough to send along bitgood nazi generous offer.
My office phone number isMrs. Dorr, and my cell number bitgood nazi I was raised in eastern Connecticut and have visited Voluntown and seen the weights several times. Let me know if you want more information about, or pictures of, Elmer or his brothers. I love stories like this. I find it fascinating how many stongmen and women practice and accomplish truly amazing feats of strength for no other reason than to challenge their own physical and mental fortitude.
Bitgood obviously had a passion for just being strong and conquering a challenge. A true stongman is indeed a strong man, in body, mind and spirit. I would class Mr. Nieminen in that group. Thank you for sharing this with bitgood nazi all. When will elmer bitgood road museum be complete with all strength exhibits ready to enjoy?
The birth I know is is difficult but anxiously elmer bitgood road. An interesting aside is the back lift by Mr. I have enjoyed this article and learning of Elmer Bitgood. I look forward to visit and see this monster bitgood nazi one day. I am nearby, in Jollyville, but have not had the chance to visit since way back when York stopped publishing Strength and Health magazine. During that bitgood nazi visit Dr. Jan Todd asked me about Andy Jackson and you were busy moving the gym used by UT athletes We agreed that the demise of Strength and Health was a sad thing.
Name E-mail Comment Submit. Bitgood nazi Anyway, I have notes on about 20 new blogs and elmer bitgood road do my elmer bitgood road to stay on task as we move forward and keep people informed about activities here at the Stark Center.
Voluntown, a small eastern Connecticut town of just over two thousand, was once home to a national legend who is all but forgotten today. From January until 23 July[1] it was the home of Elmer G. Bitgood, a man many locals claimed was the strongest man in the world.
I was intrigued and wanted to investigate further. Allegedly Elmer could lift 2, pounds clear off the ground, eat four to five roast chickens in one sitting, and elmer bitgood road a full-grown bull on his shoulders. What was tall tale and what was fact? According to the census, Elmer was living on the farm of his father, Charles M.
Bitgood, and working at a local sawmill. He had some experience riding a horse, but no experience with elmer bitgood road machinery. There visitors will find large homemade stone barbells, the heaviest of which reportedly weighs 1, pounds. Owner Arthur Nieminen, who acquired them from the Bitgood homestead, has refused offers to sell them and maintains that they should remain a part of the local heritage. Documentation that Elmer used them is lacking, however.
With elmer bitgood road resources currently available to family historians, now more than ever we can attempt to uncover the truth about local legends such as Elmer, allowing us to get a better understanding of the time in which they lived. Elmer has been revered as a local legend for more than years, and perhaps the evidence that Elmer Bitgood did exist and was a man of great size will fuel the search for solid evidence of his great feats of strength.
Bitgood household, U. Census, Voluntown, New London, Conn. Bitgood of Vernon, Conn. The Bitgood Family elmer bitgood road still here today and Elmer rests in the local cemetery in the center of town. Quite a fascinating story. In addition thatnk you for asking beforehand and giving credit for the photograph. Your blog is terrific and is bookmarked. Please keep up the outstanding work! I am a descendant of Jesse Bitgood mentioned in your article. Jesse and Elmer were sons of Charles W orden Bitgood.
I have many, many photos of Elmer and other family members and have visited Voluntown many times. Thanks for your article. Elmer Bitgood elmer bitgood road his back press board elmer bitgood road with stones in Voluntown, CT.
Notes [1] Charles M. Leave a Reply Elmer bitgood road reply. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.