Mount Bitgood
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Anyway, I have notes on about 20 new blogs and will do my bitgood to stay on task as bitgood 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 bitgood 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 bitgood was in his prime around Apparently, Bitgood also used stones to build a bitgood many smaller weights, but bitgood 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 Bitgood, 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 bitgood, work in the woods or on the bitgood, and lift his crude weights for his own amusement as bitgood as that of his friends and neighbors.
However, once I read bitgood article and saw the photos Bitgood was anxious to bitgood a chance to see the massive stones for myself. That chance finally arrived, and bitgood we called Bitgood and Mary Anne Nieminen, on whose property the remaining Boulder Bells have rested for decades. The Nieminens bitgood wonderful folks—real salt bitgood the earth—who must be a bitgood like the people who muscled a living out of that rugged country bitgood hundred years ago.
Arthur is a man able to harness and work a pair of draft horses as well as bitgood can operate heavy equipment, and Mary Anne is a proud 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 bitgood and that we would really appreciate a chance to see bitgood weights for ourselves.
We took 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 bitgood of the Boulder Bells she had told them no because she believed they should stay in the area where Bitgood made and lifted bitgood.
She even told us of her dream to one day find bitgood way to have a small museum built in Voluntown so that the bells could be preserved for future generations. In the months after our visit we bitgood many people about the old stone weights, and one of the people we told bitgood Greg Ernst, the Nova Scotia strongman who in made the heaviest backlift in history—5, bitgood lift Jan and I were fortunate enough to witness.
Finally, after 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. The key to the plan was that even though one of the 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 intelligent, thoughtful people, and they listened carefully to what we had to say. When bitgood call did come from the Nieminens, they said they had decided that bitgood believed our plan would allow Elmer Bitgood and his Bells to be bitgood about by a great many people, which they thought was a good thing.
The next thing that had bitgood be 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 bitgood that it would be adequately insured. Arthur, as mentioned bitgood, is a bitgood handy man, and he constructed an ingenious bitgood that can be seen bitgood one of the photos accompanying this blog.
At this moment the majestic, daunting weight is resting in a prominent place underneath a large portrait bitgood the bodybuilder Larry Scott, who in his prime would almost certainly have been unable to deadlift it. Conversely, a pound man who 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 of Voluntown, Connecticut bitgood ready to release the plus pound Boulder Bell from his Rec Vee so that bitgood could be trailered over to the Stark Center.
In any case, the great old weight will have a place of honor inside the Bitgood Museum of Physical Culture when we open later this spring, and bitgood many thousands of people who will see it bitgood the coming years will have Arthur and Mary Anne Nieminen to thank.
Plus, of course, Elmer Bitgood. I was told there was a photo on the Internet of him using them, bitgood have yet to come across it. Does anyone know of such bitgood photo? I have just begun diggin into my Bitgood Family history and family tree. I bitgood spent a lot of time researching my mothers side and am just starting on my fathers.
Interested in making connections with bitgood 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 bitgood was an original Yankee magazine which featured article on Elmer. I will forward you bitgood copy if you would like. Thank you for the post. Bitgood you so much for sharing this information. My husband, Robert Bitgood, and I have talked often about visiting Voluntown in search of the family history.
I had done a little research years ago on a genealogy website where another. Bitgood family member bitgood me and sent me the very newspaper articales you refer to. Thanks bitgood for yet another confirmation of the family history for us. I lived in Voluntown for several years and saw those bells with several bitgood on the front lawn many times.
I was first told the story of Elmer Bitgood by John Saari who I believe wrote the story bitgood which you refer which was subsequently published. Standing between bitgood two boulders I immediately bitgood how short the bar was and just about impossible to lift with two hands, especially with someone the size of Elmer. That begs the question, why were bitgood made that way. To lift them with bitgood hands would be considerable but to lift with one?? I would love to see it. My understanding was that Elmer would lift those weights every time he bitgood the road.
It was reported that he could pull a single point plow hooked to a bitgood. I hope that you will weigh bitgood stones so that we bitgood exactly how heavy they are. Good for Voluntown, A great little town. Great article about a man Bitgood knew little about. Glad that the 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. Maybe all—or at least most—of the hungers of our youth are sharper and, therefore, more memorable than those we experience in the fall bitgood 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 bitgood hope to open in the late summer or early fall.
As for the post by Lorna Bitgood Dorr, what a wonderful surprise and early Christmas present that she somehow bitgood 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 Bitgood 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 bitgood stongmen and women practice and bitgood 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 bitgood 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 bitgood strength exhibits ready to enjoy? The birth I know is bitgood difficult but anxiously awaited. An interesting aside is the back lift by Mr. I have enjoyed this article and learning of Elmer Bitgood.
I bitgood forward to visit and see this monster weight bitgood 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 v visit Dr. Jan Todd asked bitgood about Bitgood 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.
FairNovember 11, Shannon DowNovember 11, Karen Bitgood FrazierFebruary bitgood, Sandra BitgoodBitgood 16, Tom LumbJuly 10, Dave HartnettBitgood 12, Lorna Bitgood DorrDecember 17, Kurt W Edeker D. Richard Sorin bitgood, December 15, Bob HornickDecember 15, Leave a comment Your email address will not bitgood published. Name E-mail Comment Submit.
