Please handle this volume with care. The University of Connecticut Libraries, Storrs IF ■> - . * 3 T1S3 00EMMb3M ^1 ►TJ O O r-r^e. ~y^/ ._ J 9 && ~ ONE HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS OF MERIDEN 15° YEARS OF MERIDEN PUBLISHED IN CONNECTION WITH THE OBSERVANCE OF THE CITY'S SESQUICENTENNIAL JUNE 17-23, 1956 MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT: 1956 COPYRIGHT I956 BY THE CITY OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A. COMPOSED AND PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Table of Contents Foreword vii Bibliography ix Song of Meriden xii Pictorial Sections: Facing pages 52, 84, 116, 148, 180, 212, 234, 216 1. Colonization 1 2. Indians 6 3. First Meeting Houses 10 4. Place Names 18 5. Old Houses 21 6. « Roads and Travel 30 7. Early Schools 38 8. Meriden in the Wars 43 9. Old Customs, Old Ways and Progress 50 MO. Separation from Wallingford 58 11. Meriden Mines 64 12. Slavery 66 13. The Railroad, Past and Present 69 14. Industry of the 19th Century 81 15. The Civil War 93 16. City Government Before 1900 99 17. The Spanish War 108 18. Street Railways 111 19. Notes of a Spacious Era 113 20. The Century Turns 122 21. The Automobile Age 125 22. Theaters, Past and Present 127 23. Sports Celebrities 134 24. World War I 138 25. World War I Memorial and Boulevard 143 26. The Depression 148 27. City Government in This Century 152 28. Local Industry Since 1900 168 29. World War II 183 30. The Korean War 193 31. Labor Unions 194 32. Public Utilities 196 33. Meriden Newspapers 201 34. Financial Institutions 207 35. Retail Business 218 36. Parks and Playgrounds 227 37. The Meriden Post Office 235 38. Public Institutions 238 39. Organizations 249 40. Meriden Churches 262 41. Meriden Schools; 1860-1956 273 42. Building Meriden 299 43. The Sesquicentennial 301 Index 302 Foreword A city has many aspects, and these aspects change with advancing years. But one aspect of Meriden is as immutable as the forces of nature which brought it into being: its location in the pleasant valley rimmed by the unique formations of up-ended stone which are its heritage from the glacial age. These hills, with their wooded slopes, are the blessing and inspiration of today's generation as they were to the first inhabitants who set their homes and houses of worship upon the high land in the eastern section to overlook a morass which they were still unfitted to conquer. Eventually the swamp was covered and made firm. The city spread westward, wiping out all traces of the ancient wilderness. For more than half of the nineteenth century Meriden was a village, until, after 1867, it took shape as a municipality. By 1906 it had assumed much of the form we know today. Meriden is fortunate in many respects, not the least of which is its ability to retain some of the village's advantages while growing to its present population of 48,000. One of these advantages is the closely knit community spirit which binds and has always bound it together. It is this spirit which earned for the city, during World War II, the national title, officially bestowed by the U. S. Government, of the "Ideal War Community." And it is this spirit which promises well for future achievements as we look now, with pride, at the best which has gone before. The hundred years from 1806 to 1906, and the earlier era when Meriden was a part of Wallingford, have been recorded in previously published histories. But no book has been printed, until now, to cover the last 50 years. This volume, authorized by the General Committee for the Sesquicentennial, is the first effort to bring the story up to date. Its compilation and writing were entrusted to a committee of four, which has labored for months to sift past and present sources of information and produce a work as complete as possible within the limits of allotted space. The committee owes much to previous historians, and to vii numerous individuals of the present who have helped it to gather material. Thankfully, it acknowledges the services rendered by the following: Robert W. Seekamp, Russell H. White, Florence Minkwitz, F. Harold Grimes, Eleanor Dossin, Glover A. Snow, John F. Molloy, Barbara White, Cyrus Baird, Arthur Service, Arthur Barber, and members ,of the staffs of the Meriden Record and the Meriden Journal for assistance along the way. Technical advice on questions of publication and illustration was given by Spencer H. Miller of Miller-Johnson, Inc. and by Harold Hugo of the Meriden Gravure Company. The Committee Sanford H. Wendover Blanche Hixson Smith Elmo A. Decherd Charles A. Newton vui Bibliography A Gazetteer of Connecticut and Rhode Island (1819) Pease & Niles History of Connecticut — Its People and Institutions George L. Clark Facts About Connecticut Conn. Chamber of Commerce Connecticut Historical Collections John Warner Barber Story of Connecticut Charles W. Burpee History of Meriden & Wallingford C. H. S. Davis Century of Meriden Curtis — Gillespie Guide to History & Historic Sites of Conn. Crofut Story of Connecticut Lewis Sprague Mills The Beginnings of New England John Fiske Recollections of a New England Town (Faith) Frances Breckenridge Century of Silver Earl Chapin May Meriden's Centennial Celebration compiled by Atwater Historical Sketches of Meriden G. W. Perkins History of The Meriden Historical Society compiled by C. Marvin Curtis 1893-4 papers in collection of The Meriden Historical Society Connecticut Past and Present Odell Shepard Hartford Courant, Magazine section Jan. 1956 Railway Age (Article by Glover A. Snow) Charter and By-laws of the City of Meriden, 1931 Code of the City of Meriden Meriden Municipal Reports Meriden City Directories Records of the Meriden Chamber of Commerce Records of the Manufacturers' Association News from Home (Letter from Meriden U.S.O. to Meriden men and women in the service, copies from Nov. 1943 through Aug. 1955) Records of Meriden National Guard Companies in World War I Arthur A. Service ix City Records of World War II compiled by Ernest Kirkby Records of the Meriden Community Fund History of New Haven County Rockney Records compiled by the late Frank E. Sands Special editions and the newspaper library of the Meriden Record and Meriden Journal Sono- of Meriden In the heart of old Connecticut A few miles from the sea, There stands our city, Meriden, Ideal Community; Tims honored as our country'' s choice To share the pride we feel, That in the whole United States Our city is ideal. II One hundred fifty years ago, A small town was begun; Surrounded by protective hills And smiled on by the sun. The early settlers planted deep Their roots within this earth; And now, in nineteen fifty-six, We celebrate its birth. Ill The busy hum of industry Is heard from day to day; Our silvercraft and sparkling jewels Are all on world display. Although we're modern, up-to-date, We are old-fashioned, too; We love our concerts in the park, Sweet summer's rendezvous. IV Our City Hall commands a hill In strong democracy, From where a glance may rest upon A mountain or a tree; The Christian Church and Synagogue Stand closely side by side, In friejidly peace as God would wish All people to abide. To God we pray upon this day That faith in Him increase, To build for children after us An everlasting peace; That through all time we'll keep the name We are so prideful of, The Silver City of the world, The place of home and love. - LYDIA B. ATKINSON CHAPTER ONE Colonization One hundred and fifty years ago Meriden attained its identity as a separate community. It was in 1806 that the General Assembly in Hartford granted a petition from the residents of the northern part of the town of Wallingford asking recognition as an incor- porated town on equal footing with its parent, Wallingford. The first town meeting of Meriden was held in June, 1806. The history of Meriden, however, goes much further back. It must include not only the Wallingford background from which it stemmed. An understanding of the character of the people who founded Meriden depends upon knowing something of the causes of the migration which turned an erstwhile wilderness into cul- tivated farmlands. Meriden's history does not go back to the very beginnings of New England. Yet her character is shaped by the Puritan exodus from Europe as surely as is the charac- ter of Massachusetts where the colonists first took root. Those first settlers in Massachusetts were rugged individualists. Mayflower passengers were followed by a continuing flow of immigration caused by religious strife in England. In 1630 a thousand Puritan men found their way across the Atlantic with John Winthrop at their head, and the Massachusetts settlements were firmly established. These men were less in search of political liberty than of freedom to live by the Bible as they interpreted it. The Bible was to them a code of law. Anyone who would not accept their interpretation had no place in their community. Soon the seeds of discontent were sown. Massachusetts was fertile ground for them. A provision of the colonial government ordained that none but church members should vote or hold office. Dissenters began to speak out against this narrowed assump- tion of power. Not all the clergy approved of so much temporal power in the hands of churchmen. One of the most eloquent dissenters Was Thomas Hooker, a pastor in New Town, now Cambridge. He said that "in matters which concern the com- mon good, the general council, chosen by all, to transact busi- nesses which concern all, I conceive most suitable to rule and 1 COLONIZATION most safe for relief of the whole." This was in answer to Win- throp who had said: "The best part is always the least, and of the best part the wiser part is always the lesser." As the historian John Fiske writes, "It is interesting to meet, on the very threshold of American history, with such a lucid statement of the strongly contrasted views which a hundred and fifty years later were to be represented on a national scale by Hamilton and Jefferson." It was Thomas Hooker who led a hundred or more of his parishioners in 1636 to make a settlement in the Connecticut valley, and to bring with them what we now call the "Jeffersonian philosophy" of democratic government. Thomas Hooker's followers made the Hartford settlement and the separate existence of Connecticut began. The Hooker philos- ophy was contained in his powerful sermon at the opening of the General Court in 1638 when he said "the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people." In the spring of that same year, 1638, New Haven was founded under the leadership of another pastor, John Davenport. He had been "converted" by Hooker and others when, back in England, he had tried to dissuade them from their plan to emigrate to the New World. Accordingly he recruited a group of merchants from Yorkshire, Kent, and Hertfordshire to come with him. Their arrival in Boston coincided with some of the bitterest dis- putes between the tolerant and the intolerant. Davenport found Boston uncomfortable. His flock wanted a good harbor and a site with a commercial future. They also wanted a place where they could match their civil management to their own particu- lar interpretation of Scriptural guidance. Davenport and his followers heard about a place called Quinni- piack on Long Island Sound. Men who had been on a campaign against the Pequot Indians reported in glowing terms on the possibility of this location. So the Davenport party began their project which rapidly grew to spill over eventually into Wallingford and what is now Meriden. Also fresh arrivals from England settled Guilford, and a New Haven overflow settled Milford. When Stamford was added in 1640 the four towns united in a republic of New Haven similar to the confederation of towns around Hartford that constituted Connecticut. There the similarity ended. Connecticut followed Hooker's ideas that the choice of public officials "belongs to the people COLONIZATION by God's own allowance." In New Haven "pillars of the church" governed and were judge-and-jury all in one. The New Haven colony was less democratic than Massachusetts from which Hookerites had fled. The first settlers of New Haven were the wealthiest of any that came to any part of early New England. They built large and handsome houses similar to the ones they were accustomed to in England. Theophilus Eaton's house on Elm street, New Haven, had 19 fireplaces. John Davenport's just across the street had 13. One of the most interesting rooms in the Davenport house was the "study." Mr. Davenport spent so much time with his books that the Indians dubbed him "So Big Study Man." New Haven and Hartford had been settled for 35 years before the settlement of Wallingford was undertaken. It was a formid- able project at best. Unfriendly Indians were dangerous. Those who professed friendship were viewed with a wary eye. Wolves ran rampant and were a constant menace to man and beast. But men who had come to this New World to make new lives for themselves, had to have lands to cultivate, space to expand. Con- sequently a committee from New Haven granted lands held by New Haven for the new settlement of Wallingford upon the solemn promise of the planters to live the same sort of godly community life as the parent New Haven community did. Wallingford grew. Farmers moved out in a northerly direction. The north part of the town, though owned by Wallingford, was not a part of Wallingford, writes Dr. C. H. S. Davis in his history of Wallingford and Meriden. With transportation difficult and little more than pathways for roads, farmers in the northern area found it an increasing annoyance to attend church meetings in Wallingford proper. The trip was particularly arduous in winter. Probably as early as December, 1724, these Meriden farmers held their own church services in homes. Some say there were meetings in the Daniel Hall homestead prior to the building of a meeting house. During this same period Hartford was spilling southward in its parallel growth, not only to Wethersfield but to Berlin and on beyond. Thus did the Thomas Hooker influence from the north meet that of John Davenport from the south right here in Meriden. The melding here of the two communities is par- ticularly evident in what happened to the Gilbert — later called COLONIZATION Belcher — farm in the northern part of Meriden. The name of Meriden begins to figure in documents of Con- necticut's history as early as August 28, 1661, when Jonathan Gilbert was granted by the Connecticut Colony "a farm to ye number of three hundred acres of upland and fifty acres of meadow." When he took possession of the property, Mr. Gilbert called it Meriden, although the spelling appears variously in doc- uments as "Meridon," "Merrideen" or "Merridan." Mr. Gilbert who was a man of considerable means and wide interests did not occupy his farm personally. It was first lived on by Edward Higbee as tenant, and later in 1686 was pur- chased by Gilbert's son-in-law, Andrew Belcher. The name Belcher has clung to the area down to present days. By purchase and grant Mr. Belcher added to his holdings until the property extended to the top of Mt. Lamentation. In 1664 Edward Higbee rose in the world from his position as Mr. Gilbert's tenant to become a landholder in his own right. The land between the Gilbert property and Pilgrims' Harbour was deeded to him by a Hartford Indian. Records show that all the property north of Harbour Brook had been bought pre- viously by New Haven in about 1638 from Montowese. The land being more accessible to Hartford than to the New Haven Colony, and the original right of the Indian to sell being ques- tioned, positive ownership remained in doubt until Gilbert and later Higbee established their grants by occupation. The land reaching to the edge of the "Meriden Farm" had been deeded to Wallingford in 1683 by John Talcott who had purchased it from Adam Puit, who in turn claimed title through an Indian deed. When the area now known as Meriden had its petition granted to be a parish of that name as a part of its parent Wallingford, the chance for further controversy about title to the lands was officially ended. In years that followed attempts were made, successfully blocked by Wallingford where there was no desire to lose such a fast growing community, to separate the two parishes. While the struggle continued the part called Meriden lost to Berlin some parts of the original farm which gave the name to the community. The part of the original farm which extends from Corrigan's Corner to the southern part of Cat Hole Mountain went by petition to Berlin in 1798, and in 1803 another strip about a half COLONIZATION mile wide was added to Berlin in the same way. Although Meriden lost some of the "Hookerites" in this fashion, there was left enough overlapping into the New Haven Colony influence to change the character of the community. It might be said Meriden was a melting pot into which converged fragments from those original migrations of organic commu- nities to the north and to the south. In The Beginnings of New England, John Fiske says that in these movements, not of individuals, but of whole communities, "united in allegiance to a church and a pastor, and fervid with the instinct of self-government, we seem to see Greek History renewed but with centuries of added political training." He writes that the government of the United States is in lineal de- scent more nearly related to that of Connecticut than to any of the other thirteen colonies. Connecticut's strength lay in the fact that it was a federation of independent towns with the individual communities retaining all the attributes of sovereignty not ex- pressly granted to the General Court of the colony. In 1643 New Haven Colony joined with Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Connecticut to form the United Colonies of New England. Soon after this Roger Ludlow was requested by the Connecticut General Court "to take some paynes in drawing forth a body of Lawes for the governing of this Comon welth." His code of laws was adopted four years later. A quite different code was put forth by the Colony of New Haven. These are the two documents so often referred to as the "Blue Laws," both containing precepts popularly supposed to be stiff-necked. Connecticut Colony's John Winthrop was a man of great tact. Somehow he persuaded Charles II to sign in 1662 the Charter of Connecticut which gave that colony a freedom from the mother country enjoyed by no other British colony. It was possession of this Charter which persuaded New Haven Colony, albeit unwillingly, to unite eventually with Connecticut Colony. So it is that Meriden, sitting in the middle between the two sections, occupied by people stemming from both, is marked by a fusion of the spirit of both. Meriden's character always con- tained considerable respect for the aristocratic and theocratic features of the original new Haven Colony, but was from the first permeated with fervent devotion to democratic principles char- acteristic of the founders of Connecticut Colony. CHAPTER TWO Indians In no part of New England were the Indians so numerous as in Connecticut, says Dr. Davis in his history of Meriden and Wallingford. Deforest as an expert on Connecticut Indians esti- mated the number at from six to seven thousand. Other sources push the number considerably higher. (The quantity of fish, fowl, and game afforded by Connecticut made the area attrac- tive to the Indians.) At any rate when John Davenport and his followers arrived in New Haven they found red men in pos- session. The Mattabesitt tribe lived in and around the present site of Middletown, — "river Indians," they lived near the waterway but roamed for great distances. At the time of the settlement of New Haven, Sowheag was the great sachem of the Mattabesitt tribe ruling from a fort on high ground near the narrows of the Connecticut River, his power extending over what are now Meriden and Wallingford. It was this sachem who sold the land to Davenport and his company. To Sowheag, to the Quinnipiacs, and other Indians with any claim to the area taken over including East, North, and New Haven, Woodbridge, Orange, Branford, Cheshire, and Hamden in addition to Meriden and Wallingford, the well-to-do mer- chants from London via Boston paid in goods. Odell Shepard lists the payment to the Quinnipiacs at twenty-four coats, twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, two dozen knives, twelve spoons, twelve pewter porringers, and four cases of French knives and "sizers." The deed for the transaction with the Mattabesitts deals with the sachem's son Mantowese, whose mother seems to have been the actual lineal inheritor of the land transferred. To Mantowese Davenport, Theophilus Eaton, et al., paid eleven coats made of trucking cloth, one coat for himself of English cloth, made after the English manner, and one reserve piece of land for planting what his small band of followers might need. It all seemed very friendly with a mutual agreement to make reparation for any INDIANS damages incurred by either side — by the Indians' dogs on the white man's cows or by the white man's hogs on the Indian corn. Indians in this part of Connecticut actually welcomed the arrival of the English among them. They hoped to obtain assist- ance from the new settlers in defense against depredations of Pequots and Mohawks. Both of these tribes were constantly on the warpath and demanding tribute from weaker, less warlike peoples like the Mattabesitts. Meriden was never used as a permanent camping ground by any tribe, but it was the happy hunting ground of both the Quinnipiacs and Mattabesitts, says Robert W. Seekamp, past pres- ident of the Archaelogical Society of Connecticut and a Meriden resident. Mr. Seekamp has made an exhaustive study of Indian lore and Indian relics. We are indebted to him for the following information. The Quinnipiacs numbered some 400 when the Davenport party purchased the New Haven area. For centuries they had lived at the East Haven site on New Haven harbor during the rigors of cold winters. Milder temperatures along the Sound and access to salt water game and shellfish attracted them to make their permanent home on the coast. During milder and warm weather they journeyed up the Quinnipiac river, making tem- porary campsites near spring holes or where game was most plentiful. The trails followed by those Indians are today the highways we use. The road from Red Bridge to Cheshire was an Indian trail, as is also Capitol Avenue from West Main through the pass to Kensington, West Main to Milldale, East Main to the reservoir, and Preston Avenue from Baldwin to Westfield Road. Temporary campsites have left their marks in the presence of a profusion of old weathered clam and oyster shells, flint and quartz chips and Indian artifacts. Such reminders of the Indian past have been found on the old Raven farm at Meriden airport, around the spring on Meeting House Hill, in the vicinity of Red Bridge and up on Allen Hill, in the hummocks north of Peat Works Pond, at the base of Mt. Lamentation near the Houston property, Spruce Glen, and down on the lower reaches of South Broad street. The historian John Fiske says there can be little doubt that the material comfort of the Indians was for a time considerably im- INDIANS proved by their dealings with white men. Their want of fore- sight and thrift left them to face an annual struggle against famine during the harshness of winter. When the settlers came the In- dians had a good market for the skin of every fur-covered animal they could catch. If trade didn't provide them with all they needed, they could count on the white man's charity. Not only do Connecticut records show that every bit of land was obtained by honest purchase from the Indians, save for territory conquered in the Pequot war, but the general laws prove there was every intent to treat the Indians justly. No mat- ter how good the white man's intentions, his way of life, his very aspirations that had brought him to the New World, made him interfere with the ways of the Indian. Even the friendly Indians of this section of Connecticut where Meriden is located, Indians who remained allies of the English first in the Pequot war and later in King Philip's War, found themselves pushed out in the march of progress. After all it is hard to tell today how much the Indians actually understood what it meant to "sell" their property. They had known no such thing as private ownership of land as the white settlers understood it. They lived a tribal life. Their land be- longed to the tribe for the use of everyone. They shared hunt- ing and fishing rights on certain "preserves" with other tribes. Their idea of the "sale" of land on which Meriden now stands might very well have been that it was just a general invitation to white men to share the tribal privilege in return for which the white man would share his arts of defense against enemy tribes. We cannot be too smug about the purchase by which was acquired our Meriden heritage at the expense of the gradual eclipse of the red men who once hunted and fished the land and waters. Remnants of the Mattabesitts became pitifully few. Hardly more remained of the Quinnipiacs. Land was bought for them eventually up Farmington way among the Tunxis, after their last sachem died on the old reservation held in East Haven. The Hartford Courant magazine section of January 22, 1956, carried a piece by Lawrence C. Nizza about the four remaining Indian Reservations in Connecticut. Situated in North Stonington, Led- yard, Kent, and Trumbull, they comprise together 799 acres and contain 15 houses. Only 23 recognized tribal members live INDIANS on the reservations part-time, or the year-round. Most of the descendants of the original Indians have married with other ethnic groups. Integration is so complete that there seems no further need for reservations or special handling of "Indian affairs." How much of our Mattabesitts or Quinnipiacs from this section remains in the life blood of the present gen- eration is a question. But the little knowledge we have of their presence here when the white men came adds that aura of an- tiquity to our history which gives it color. As Odell Shepard says the possession of even a little Indian lore deepens the Connecti- cut landscape enormously by lending the dimension of time. Throughout Indian Connecticut, according to Shepard, it was believed that the men who lived in this place had a special access to the Divine. Indians here had a particular awe for stones. Indian lore has it that larger boulders in field and forest were kept always well supplied with offerings of corn or trailing moss. Huge rocks were chosen for council meetings. So we may believe that Meri- den's Hanging Hills and the rocky promontories of Mt. Lamen- tation still echo with reverent, philosophical tributes from the Indian orators of the distant past. CHAPTER THREE First Meeting Houses As early as 1679 the people of Wallingford voted to build a "meeting house," a building 28 feet long, 24 feet wide and 10 feet high. So small was the group, and so burdened were they by poverty and the business of merely living, that it took several years for the completion of this small building. Two years later there was another vote, "to go on and finish the house." As their population and wealth increased, they enlarged this first meeting house to 40 by 28 feet. This was in 1690 when the town had grown to 73 families. The following year it was voted to "ceiling the house" and to build two pews. This was evidence of great luxury because, before this, seating arrangements had been long hard benches, occupied on one side of the house by men and boys, and on the other by females of the congregation. Growth and change continued, even as they do today, and in April 1706, we find "The town chose Deken Hall, Samuel Roys and Goodman Culvert, a commetee to procure workmen to come and buld gallers (galleries) for the In largement of the meeting hous." During this time the people who lived on farms scattered about the north section of town had great difficulty in getting to meeting, especially in winter. Roads were scarcely more than paths through the woods and swamps, and horseback was the only means of transportation. Consequently, these devout people peti- tioned to hold their own religious services closer to their homes. On the town records of Wallingford, under the date of Decem- ber 1, 1724, appears the following: "In respect of ye north farmers the town voated that they may hire a Minister four months this winter on their own charge." This vote was the first act that in any way separated the area of Meriden from Wallingford, or that recognized that these north farmers num- bering 35 families, were a distinct community. That same spring, at the May session of the General Assembly, this resolution was passed: "Upon the petition of the north farmers in Wallingford and those inhabiting the land northward of said Wallingford, commonly called Wallingford Purchase 10 FIRST MEETING HOUSES Lands. This Assembly grants that they be a separate society for setting up and carrying on the publick worship of God among themselves, with all such liberties, powers and priviledges, as other such societies in this colony have and do by law enjoy . . . " In May 1728 the farm of Meriden was added, and the parish from then on was known by that name. Therefore, although there are no records to prove it, it can be assumed that after December 1724 the farmers of Meriden no longer made the arduous journey to Wallingford on Sunday, but had a place of worship in their own territory. There is a tradi- tion that these services were held in the Daniel Hall homestead until the meeting house was built. An entertaining tale, which may or may not be true, is often told in connection with the building of this first church in Meriden. According to the story, the farmers living in the most northerly section, along the old road, and those to the west, in Milking Yard and Pilgrim's Harbor, wanted the meeting house to, be located near the junction of Curtis and Ann Streets; but those living to the east, near Dog's Misery, insisted that it be built nearer them, on what has since been called Meeting House Hill. Finally, it was settled that the building should be placed on the western slope of this hill, and the materials were collected there, ready for the actual "raising." During the night a group of the other faction — presumably the Royces, the Robinsons, the Collinses, the Coles, the Fosters and the Merriams — brought , teams and hauled the timbers down the hill, over the brook, and westward, on what is now Ann Street, to the spot they preferred. This, naturally, caused a great furor, but eventually the Dog's Misery group won — the Yales, the Iveses, the Whitings, the Levits and the Halls. The men who had worked so hard in the night to carry out their scheme were forced to haul the material back up the hill in broad daylight, their ears, no doubt, ringing with the taunts of their adversaries. At any rate, in 1727 the meeting house "about thirty feet square and built in the very plainest style" was erected on Meet- ing House Hill. The site, at what is now the corner of Ann Street and Dryden Drive, is marked by a large boulder placed there in 1904 by the First Congregational Society. The first burying ground in Meriden was about fifty rods to the east, near the top of the hill. Two years later the society resolved to form a Church, 11 FIRST MEETING HOUSES and on October 22, 1729, after a day of fasting and prayer, the Church was duly organized with 51 original members. The Reverend Theophilus Hall, of Wallingford, was the first preacher. He still held this post at the time of his death 30 years later. Toward the end of his life his salary was raised, but for many years it was £50 and firewood — about $175 annually — a sum which might be paid in either money or provisions. Mr. Hall lived in a house at the southeast corner of Curtis and Ann Streets and he also owned a large farm in what is now the center of uptown Meriden. It was on a part of this farm, slightly east of the site of the present Center Church, that the second meet- ing house was erected, probably between 1752 and 1755. Un- fortunately, the society records until 1755 are missing. Under the date of December 11, in that year, is found the first entry relating to the new church — a receipt for £150 advanced by Mr. Hall for building. Thus, it appears that the church was built by Mr. Hall, and that the society gradually repaid him. This new meeting house, about 64 by 44 feet in size, replaced the earlier one which the society had outgrown in the 25 years since it had been built with such unchristianlike behavior on the part of its members. Originally, this second building had no bell nor steeple, but these were added in 1803. For 75 years this structure served continuously as a place of worship. In 1831 the present Center Church was built on almost the same spot. This was about the first building of any architectural pretensions to grace our town. Together with its neighbor, the First Baptist Church, built in 1847, it still adds charm and beauty to our city today. There was a division in the organization in 1848 when a part of the congregation moved with their pastor to the "Corner" in West Meriden and built a church there. Those who remained took the name of Center Congregational Church. The white colonial wooden church at the "Corner" was replaced in 1876 by the granite structure, located a little farther north on Colony Street, and known today as the First Congregational Church. The Baptists have the next longest history in this area. The church which was organized in Wallingford, with about 10 families, in 1735 (or 1739) was the third Baptist Church in the entire colony. This church, however, ceased to exist after a time, but some of the families continued to hold to their faith, and in 12 FIRST MEETING HOUSES 1786 another Baptist Society, consisting of 12 members, was organized in Meriden. For several years after this, meetings were held in homes in the southeastern part of town. Their first house of worship was a dwelling purchased near the present dividing line of Meriden and Wallingford to accommodate Baptists liv- ing in both towns. In 1815 the Meriden Baptists built a second meeting house, nearer the center, on a site which is now the south corner of Broad and Charles Streets. This building was sometimes spoken of in derision as the "Salt Box," from its un- pretentious appearance and scanty furnishings. Fifteen years later the society moved this house to a lot directly across the street, adjoining the Broad Street graveyard. At this time the structure was raised over a basement story, and was also adorned with a steeple. This remained the place of worship for the society until 1847 when they built the beautiful church which today stands almost next to the Center Congregational. Here again, there appears to have been some argument, and no doubt tempers once more were hot, because the Congregational Society placed an injunction to deter the construction of this new church so close to theirs. It was pointed out that there was no objection to the Baptists "as a Christian people, as good neighbors and worthy citizens." The Congregationalists' argument was that the Baptist minister had "a peculiarly sharp ringing voice, so that beyond a question, he would disturb their society in wor- ship." The Episcopal Church in Meriden was organized about 1789 in the Moses Andrews homestead on West Main Street, now the home of the Meriden Historical Society. Samuel Andrews, a brother of Moses Andrews, was the last missionary to the Episcopal Church in Wallingford, in the service of "The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." When the Revolutionary War broke out all Episcopalians were suspected of being Tories, and Moses Andrews was forbidden to leave his farm without special permission of the town selectmen. After his petition to attend church in Wallingford was denied, Moses decided to have a church in his own home. Using slabs and blocks of wood from a neighboring sawmill as benches, he in- vited his neighbors in for weekly services, at which he was the lay reader. With these simple beginnings, a society was formally organized in 1789, preceded by a declaration of conformity to 13 FIRST MEETING HOUSES the Church of England, and Moses became its first clerk. It was not until 1816 that a tiny wooden structure was built on the southeast corner of the old burying ground on Broad Street (probably the very spot where Olive Street is now) and con- secrated as St. Andrew's Church. Mrs. Frances A. Breckenridge in her charming book, Recol- lections of a New England Town, describes one of the festivals held in this first church: "In the very first years of the existence of St. Andrew's as a parish the yearly Christmas 'illumination', as it was then called, was with tallow candles. Wooden frames to fit the windows were so arranged that a candle was at each window pane. These panes were about seven by nine inches, and probably thirty panes to a window. The frames were carefully kept from year to year to be produced and used at the proper time. A chandelier of tin, precariously suspended from the arched ceiling in the center of the church, and side lights of tin fastened to the posts which supported the galleries, held the inevitable tallow candles. All of these that were accessible were duly vis- ited once in a half hour or so by someone armed with the 'snuffers'. The inaccessible lights had to be left with toppling wicks to drip tallow onto whomsoever it might fall. The last illumination was in 1833 or 1834. Until the later years of the century the festival of Christmas was only observed by the small congregation that worshiped at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Except, that persons from other denominations would attend there upon Christmas eve to hear the music. The little church was always crowded on these occasions, as their annual recurrence was the one musical event of the year." This earlier church was replaced by "a new and elegant Gothic church of brownstone" in 1848. Within twenty years the in- creasing membership of the parish made it necessary to build a larger place of worship. Therefore, in 1866, this second church was taken down and the stone from it used for erecting the present St. Andrew's Church on East Main Street. This, then, is the story of the three church societies estab- lished in Meriden during the eighteenth century, and of their houses of worship which, in the early days of the last century, clustered about the old burying ground on Broad Street. One other denomination, the Methodist, was established in town before the middle 1800's. About 1830 a meeting house was 14 FIRST MEETING HOUSES built on East Main Street. Mrs. Breckenridge has this to say about it: "Near the bars that lead into the East Cemetery is the barnlike Methodist Church, with its bare wooden benches and packing box pulpit. To this house, one bleak, snowy Jan- uary day, queer Treacher' Baldwin brought his infant child to be baptized by himself, his wife the only witness. He had the grace and mercy to borrow a bowl of warm water . . . The building . . . was bought, moved onto Curtis Street and made into a joiner's shop. It was finally set on fire by some children playing in the old pulpit, and was burned to the ground." Ac- tually, the Methodist Society was not organized until 1844, fol- lowing a series of revival meetings held in what was known as "Old Bethel," a long shop owned by Charles Parker. Here the congregation sat on boxes which gave them a good view of the preacher. In summer a large tent was pitched in an open lot be- tween High and Broad Streets. It was 1847 when the society built a wooden church on Broad Street near Charles. This was used until the First Methodist Episcopal Church, at the corner of East Main and Pleasant Streets, was erected in 1867. Perhaps we should digress for a moment to discover what "going to meeting" was like in these early days of Meriden. First of all, the houses of public worship were never heated. In- deed, to have done so would have been considered a sign of degeneracy, if not of actual profanation. Even as late as 1831, when the present Center Congregational Church was built, "it was with great difficulty that the society could be induced even to allow chimneys to be built, though they were to be erected gratuitously." In winter the temperature must have been bitter for the people, many of whom had traveled several miles on horseback or on foot to reach the meeting house. The only artificial heat allowed was that from the women's foot stoves, little square metal boxes filled with glowing coals from the home hearth. It has been told that men with bald spots were sometimes forced to put their mittens on their heads to keep warm; and preachers often complained that their voices were drowned by the noise of persons stamping their feet to keep them from freezing. The prayers, during which the congregation stood, were long and sermons even longer. In 1849 the Reverend George W. Perkins wrote, "As prayers and sermons then (before 1800) were much 15 FIRST MEETING HOUSES longer than 'moderns' will endure, the winter hearers of those days must have endured a species of martyrdom. ... As a partial relief to such suffering, some persons built near the church, what are often mentioned in the old records as 'Sabbath day houses' — little cabins about 10 feet square, finished with a fireplace, chim- ney and some chairs. Here the owner retired with his family at the intermission, and partook of some refreshment prepara- tory to the freezing process of the afternoon." There were probably several Sabbath day houses around the first meeting house, and one was plainly mentioned in a deed of 1740, as standing on land north of the church. But the second meeting house must have had a rash of them, because at least 13, and maybe more, stood east and north of the church. The first entry on the land records referring to these houses was made on July 23, 1757, when Theophilus Hall deeded to "Deacon Benjamin Whiting, Ensign Amos Camp and Bezaleel Ives a spot of land sufficient for three Sabbath day houses with stables adjoin- ing, of the dimensions of those now standing on said spot . . ." These men lived in the extreme southeast district, too far away for them to go to their homes during the "nooning" on Sundays. Also near the church stood two "Sabba' day" houses, each of which was 20 feet square and was probably shared by two or three families. According to Mrs. Breckenridge, "The one room had a fireplace, and the fuel and a barrel of cider were provided by 'joining'." This fireplace was also useful for replenishing the coals in the women's foot stoves. Even in the second Congregational meeting house the seats must have been mere benches, because the story is told of a restless little girl who "slipped from the seat and made her way under the benches, on all fours, to the door where finally she was captured by her dismayed pursuers on the last step." In addition to frigid temperatures in winter, hard seats and sermons "timed by an hourglass which was sometimes turned twice before the word 'lastly' was heard," the congregations of those days were plagued by the tithing man. He not only took up the collection, but kept order, particularly in the galleries, and tickled, with a fox tail or rabbit's foot on the end of a pole, those inclined to sleep, and also prevented anyone from leaving before meeting was ended. The singing, too, was very different from our present idea of 16 FIRST MEETING HOUSES church music. The two or three tunes, which never varied from one year to another, were keyed from a pitch pipe and were sung without benefit of instrumental accompaniment of any kind. In old records there was frequent mention of a curious custom, that of "beating the drum" on the Sabbath. Since the early meeting houses had no bells, a substitute was found in a drum. According to the records of 1673, one "Sam'll Monson shall be allowed 40 s. for maintaining and beating the Drum in good order for the yeare ensuing." 17 CHAPTER FOUR Place Names The name of Meriden derived from "Meriden Manor" by which Andrew Belcher dignified the estate he owned by purchase from Jonathan Gilbert. Since the property is referred to as Meriden before it was acquired by Mr. Belcher, the supposition is that the choice was Gilbert's. There is no proof of why he selected the name. It has been suggested it was because it means "pleasant valley" and consequently was, and still is, an apt de- scription of that part of Meriden. Perkins' Historical Sketches gives a totally different explana- tion which has long been a popular folk story here. He says the name is compounded of "merry" and "den." Since there were so many merry meetings of travelers in the old stone house over which Andrew Belcher presided as host of the inn, the place acquired the affectionate nickname of "Merry-Den." It is generally believed, however, that the true source of the name is Meriden, England. Nor is this assumption less prosaic than the folklore so suggestive of revels. Scenically, topographi- cally, Meriden in Warwickshire is very like this piece of Con- necticut. Furthermore it lies in the very center of England. One of London's great daily newspapers carried some years ago a feature article on the British Meriden which remains to this day a quiet little town, quite outstripped in population and industry by her American namesake in Connecticut. The writer of the piece illustrated his feature by a drawing which represented a cut-out map of England poised in perfect balance on the tip of a sharply pointed pencil. The spot thus demonstrated as the exact center of England was the village of Meriden. Meriden, Connecticut, is not the precise center geographically of its state. But its location earns the description of "central." Moreover it was certainly the center upon which converged the two strongest Puritan influences which fused into the democratic philosophy which in turn sired our American Constitution. There is a little story related by Odell Shepard in his Con- necticut Past and Present which says a visiting Frenchman in 18 PLACE NAMES Washington to study our form of government heard of one famous American after another who had been born in Con- necticut. He looked in an atlas to discover the location of this phenomenal place and found it to be "only a little yellow spot on the map." Years later he was called upon for a Fourth of July oration before a group of Americans in Paris. He spoke of Con- necticut as "that little yellow spot on the map that makes the clock-pedlar, the schoolmaster, and the senator. The first of these gives you time; the second tells you what to do with it; and the third makes your law and civilization." Meriden has produced its clock-pedlars, schoolmasters and senators. She is typical Connecticut. Odell Shepard also speaks of the way "Meriden crouches . . . beside her mounded hills." Between her hills there are valleys, ponds, and streams still known by names used by the earliest settlers. For instance Jonathan Gilbert's first grant of land was specified as in the "vicinity of Cold Spring." Derivation of that name is easily understood since waters welling out of masses of rocks there are sparkling and cold. Professor Silliman wrote about Cold Spring for the American Journal of Science back in 1821. He described a natural icehouse in the masses of fallen trap rock where "ice remains usually the year around." He said the small brook running to the south of the natural icehouse has "been known to the youth of the vicinity since the middle of last century, so they have been accustomed to resort to this place, in parties, for recreation, and to drink the waters of the cold-flowing brook." At one time Cold Spring was a projected spa on which considerable sums of money were spent for development. Nearby "Cat Hole" no doubt was so called because wild animals posed a peculiar threat in that narrow cleft between rocky hills through which one of the earliest known paths was trodden. According to Doctor Davis in his history, Crow Hollow, the "locality near Julius Parker's shops about two miles west of the city," has an equally obvious source. There were a great many crows wont to congregate in the vicinity. "Bangall" on the road toward Middletown derived its name, he says, from the fact that Captain Benjamin Hall who kept a tavern on the Noah Pomeroy place, said a party from Middletown continued their frolics there throughout one night and "banged all creation." 19 PLACE NAMES Pilgrim's Harbor, sometimes without an apostrophe and some- times with the apostrophe after the S, was the name of the south- western part of Meriden through which Harbor Brook runs. It was called by that name in an Indian deed of 1664. Barber's history written in 1838 says the name came from a tradition about the regicides said to have stopped there in their wanderings. But the assumption now is that the name, antedating those flights of regicides from political persecution, came from the fact that the area offered some protection from cold and winds in the nature of a "harbor." Black Pond still earns its name without question. Dog's Misery nearby, south of the Middletown road, was a morass thickly covered with tangled vegetation where wild animals took refuge from the chase to the complete bafflement and sometimes to the death of dogs on their trail. Meeting House Hill naturally ac- quired its name from its selection as the site of the first house of worship in Meriden. Hanging Hills is another name entirely obvious in origin. Falls Plains and Little Plain were once in common usage for the sec- tion now referred to as Hanover and the upper section extend- ing toward the old main road to Hartford. The first title also obviously got its name from the falls in the river going through the plain — a plain that was apparently regarded most favorably by the pioneers since it was one of the first areas to be staked off into lots. Turning back to the northeastern section of Meriden, Mt. Lamentation broods over the landscape. The Reverend Charles A. Goodrich of Hartford writes the story of the source of that name. It is a grim tale about a man named Chester who lost his bearings one dark and stormy day. He wandered for two days and nights, barely escaped plunging off a precipice, and be- came slightly demented; and was loudly lamenting before a searching party found him. The Goodrich book in which this tale appears is called Stories on the History of Connecticut: De- signed for the Instruction and Amusement of Young Persons. If the Lamentation story is a good sample, the nature of the re- vered gentleman's idea of amusement might well be questioned by current censors of juvenile literature. 20 CHAPTER FIVE Old Houses There are still standing in Meriden today a number of homes which were built in the eighteenth century. Some have been carefully preserved through the years, others have been lovingly restored, and a few have been so altered that it is difficult to recognize them for what they are. The oldest house in town is undoubtedly the 1711 Club Inn, on North Colony Street. As its name implies, it was built in that year, by one Solomon Goffe of Wethersfield. His deed gave this indefinite description of the property, "the farm is in the woods and bounds west on the Country road and extends north, east and south." The chimneys in the cellar of this house are enormous and the stones are cemented with clay mixed with straw, as are the foundation walls. The old rafters, huge floor beams, and split laths also indicate the age of the building. The first addition to the house, which looks as old as the rest, was probably made by Jonathan Collins who bought the property in 1729. At present it is, as it has been for a number of years, a popular eating place. Less than a mile north of here, on the west side of the road, on a bank protected by a stone wall, stands the Stephen Bailey place. This was built in 1734 by John Dennie, a rich Boston merchant who never occupied the house but leased it and the farm to someone else. It, too, has an early addition on the north side. This place has been very well kept, and must look much as it did 200 years ago. Some little distance farther, at 1376 North Colony Road, is an old house belonging now to Wallace Miramant, florist. One of the most interesting things about it is that it stands on the site of the old Belcher Tavern. Although this house is unquestionably old, it is not known exactly when it was built, nor by whom. However, its hand-hewn white oak beams proclaim its age. In A Century of Meriden, Mr. Curtis suggests, as the result of a conversation he had with the granddaughter of Sidney Merriam, who came into possession of the inn about 1812, that in 1833 the old build- ing was moved to the rear for a wood shed and carriage house, 21 OLD HOUSES and the present house was erected on the ancient site. How- ever, it appears to be older than this, and the contractor who supervised its remodeling in 1949, felt that it was one of the oldest houses in town. At one time it had eleven fireplaces. The present owner has carefully stowed away in his attic an old sign, found in the place, bearing the words "Hotel Belcher." On the other side of the road, at number 1563, is the Yale place, built in 1788 by John, a grandson of that John Yale who, in com- pany with Jedediah Norton, bought the Belcher, or Meriden, farm in 1741. This house has had some additions and has had its clapboards replaced with shingles, but its earlier lines are clearly discernible. It is owned and occupied by the Staszewski family. Also in the north part of town, at 1065 Broad Street, near Britannia, is the Asahel Curtis place. This house was built, prob- ably by Joel Yale, in 1807 but was sold to Isaac Lewis and Asahel Curtis a few years later. In a building adjoining, these two men manufactured metal buttons. After a time Mr. Curtis bought the house from his partner. Here his son, George R. Curtis, was born. For many years now the place has belonged to Frank N. Wilcox. It has apparently changed little since its early days, except to improve. The Andrews Homestead, on West Main Street, now the home of the Meriden Historical Society, was built by Moses Andrews probably about 1760. The double overhang of the second and third stories indicates that it may be even older. This house, like so many others, was enlarged at an early date. When the sloping roof was raised to accommodate the addition in the rear, the old end rafters were left and are still visible in the attic. The massive timbers, sturdy wall planking, and wide floor-boards are still in remarkablv fine condition. In one of the bedrooms an area of the wall has been cut away so that the glassed-off section shows the construction — the hand-hewn beams, hand- split laths, hand-wrought nails, and wooden pegs. The place is an excellent example of a large, comfortable, colonial farmhouse. It follows the usual plan of that day — the small entrance hall, where the delicately turned bannisters contrast strikingly with the rugged stones of the huge center chimney; to the right the dining room, to the left the withdrawing room, each with its fireplace; and in the rear the keeping room, with its enormous cooking fireplace, complete with Dutch ovens. It was in this 22 OLD HOUSES house that the first Episcopal church services in Meriden were held. In later years the place passed through a succession of hands, becoming, at one time, a two-family house. It was acquired by the Board of Education for the City of Meriden, and in 1933 and 1934 was renovated as a federal project to serve as a kinder- garten for the Benjamin Franklin School, and a colonial museum for the city. In 1940 when the School Board relinquished con- trol of the property, two groups, the Andrews Homestead Com- mittee and the Meriden Historical Society, which had been defunct since 1895, united to save the old house. This was accomplished and the Homestead, repaired, redecorated, and furnished with antiques which had been given or loaned to the society, was the scene of an Open House, January 14, 1942. The following year, because of the war, the place was turned over to the city for a Child Care Center, and its furnishings were returned to their owners or safely stored for the duration. Then in 1952 the Meriden Historical Society was again re- vived and once more took over the Andrews Homestead. It has been beautifully redecorated and furnished, insofar as possible, with antiques of the period of 1760. In it, also, are housed col- lections of old books, papers, and souvenirs of Meriden's past. Certainly, Moses Andrews built well, and our town is fortunate to have such a fine old house for its historical museum. Meriden is likewise fortunate in possessing the Meriden His- torical Society in its reactivated form, destined to perpetuate and augment the house and contents of the Andrews Homestead. Originally the society was organized in 1893 after a year of planning for its proper functions. Papers were prepared for reading at subsequent meetings, many of which are preserved in a book housed at the Andrews Homestead and from which con- siderable information has been gleaned for this volume. Despite the obviously general interest in the organization's efforts to gather material on Meriden's past, there seems to have been no meeting after the one dated November 1, 1895. When the fate of the Andrews Homestead became a matter of public concern in 1940, the Meriden Historical Society was reorganized to include the already active Andrews Homestead Committee for the purpose of raising funds to maintain the property as a center of historic interest. For the two years before 23 OLD HOUSES the Andrews Homestead "went to war" the society more than fulfilled its mission. After 10 years of wear and tear in community service, the Homestead was in dire need of the attentions which only an active Historical Society could give it. The organization was again revived, its constitution brought up-to-date, and concen- trated work begun to make over this handsome relic of Meri- den's past. With financial aid from the Cuno Foundation, the work has been completed. It is unthinkable that the museum should ever again fall into other ways and other uses. The Meriden Historical Society has become a necessary and vital function in Meriden's affairs depended upon to carry on without interruption the preservation of Meriden's past as a symbol of all that makes Meriden happy and proud in celebrating in 1956 its sesquicentennial year. Still farther west, on Johnson Avenue at the corner of Eaton, stands the old Johnson place, now owned and occupied by the Carter Whites. This house, with its lovely Palladian window and hand-pegged divided stairway, was built by Israel Johnson about 1785. In the early days West Main Street, as we know it, did not exist and Johnson Avenue was the through street to the west and later the stagecoach route to Waterbury. Originally this house faced south on Johnson Avenue, but at a later period was turned to face east on Eaton. The Johnson family owned the mountain land to the north — all the way up to West Peak. They had hoped to develop the property into a valuable mining tract but, unfortunately, their prospecting did not reveal the wealth of gold and copper they had expected to find. In spite of this disappointment, however, the family lived in rather an elegant manner, and rumor has it that it was considered quite an honor to be invited to their home. On Coe Avenue, within a short distance of each other, are two good examples of eighteenth century houses. One is the home of Victor Lucchini, Coe Farm, which has just been sold to the city as the site of the new west-side high school. This colonial house was here when the farm was sold by Samuel Rice to Asa Barnes in 1795. Calvin Coe bought it in 1820 and it has remained in the hands of his descendants until now. It is to be hoped that this lovely old home can be saved when the high school appears in the place where the house has stood for over 24 OLD HOUSES 160 years. The second house is the Rice place, built in 1781, by Ezekiel Rice, Jr., a Revolutionary War soldier, on land given him by his father. Its style is somewhat different from most of the houses of this period, because instead of one large center chimney, it has two, one at each end, and has a hallway running through the center of the house. Until fairly recent years, this place was still owned and occupied by members of the Rice family. On Old Colony Road, at Archer's Corners, is the Deacon Robert Royce, or Rice, house. It was standing there in 1740 when the highway running west from this spot on the old Country Road to Hanover, now South Meriden, was opened. In the latter part of the last century the place was sold to the wife of Dr. H. A. Archer — hence the name Archer's Corners. In 1906 this house had a porch on two sides. Now that has been removed and so today, in spite of some recent shingling, the house probably looks more as it did originally. Just north of this old Robert Rice farm, on the site of Walnut Grove Cemetery, was the farm bought by Dr. William Hough, Wallingford's second physician, in 1730. Sometime between then and 1740, when he moved to Cheshire, Dr. Hough built a house on this property. His son, William, continued to live and conduct a blacksmith shop here for many years. About 1930 Mr. Russell White bought this Hough home from the cemetery association, moved it piece by piece, and carefully reconstructed it in its present location at the corner of Broad Street and Gale Avenue. There it may be seen today, exactly as it stood for almost 200 years in its first location — complete even to its oversized chim- ney and fireplaces. Looking at it, one would never guess that it had not been right there for all of its long existence. It is now the home of the Robert Bergers. A short distance up Broad Street, at 309, is the Benjamin Hart house, now owned by the John B. Kirbys. This was built in its present location just before 1800. The original house faced on Curtis Street and was built in 1729 by Captain John Webb. When Mr. Hart inherited the home he wanted it to front on the new turnpike, and so he tore it down and built the present house, using many of the beams and other material from the old house. Around the corner, at 54 Curtis Street, is the Benjamin Curtis 25 OLD HOUSES house, owned by John Molloy. The first Benjamin Curtis, in 1729, acquired from his father, Nathaniel, a 200-acre farm front- ing on this old street and spreading out fanlike to the east. For many years the Curtis family continued to inhabit this section of town, which accounts for the frequency of the name here. This house was built probably about 1795, by the second Ben- jamin when his own homestead, a short distance south, became too small to hold all of his fourteen children. The house has outwardly changed very little with the years. Five houses beyond is the home of iMrs. Charles N. Flagg. This is also reputedly a Curtis house, but when it was built, and by which Curtis is not certain. The back ell part was evidently the original house and the main building was added in front, somewhat later. The inside was extensively remodeled when the Flaggs bought the place about thirty-five years ago, but the outside still preserves its original colonial lines. Directly across the street is an attractive white-washed brick, which is now the home of Airs. William H. Race. The long, narrow, rectangular building was built originally for a spoon factory, probably by Edwin E. Curtis whose home was at 112 Curtis Street and is still standing. Later it was a dame school conducted by Miss Harriet Bradley. After awhile it fell on bad times and became a disreputable looking two-family tenement, referred to in the neighborhood as "the brick." About ten years ago the Races bought it and converted it into the serene and charming home it is today. One of the oldest houses in iMeriden is at 160 Curtis, the home of Mrs. Marion P. Heidel. It was built in 1730 by Lazarus Ives. In 1740 Daniel Bradley owned it and had his blacksmith shop here for a time. Then the house was sold to Daniel Hough, the father of Dr. Ensign Hough, who with his family lived in it for many years. After that it had a number of owners, and during the Victorian era was considerably changed. Some years ago the Heidels remodeled it and removed much of the ornateness, so today, although not quite in its original form, it still retains its early charm. Far down on Curtis Street, almost to the Wallingford line, stands a house which was built about 1778 or 1780 by Noah Yale for his son, Thomas. This house was originally on a lane which ran up to Yale Avenue, because this section of Curtis 26 OLD HOUSES Street was not opened until 1820. There is a story that in the early part of the last century this place was used as an inocu- lation hospital, on account of its remoteness, and because it was not on a highway. It can easily be located, since it is at present known as the Mother Goose Farm. Almost directly east of this house, on Yale Avenue, is one built by this same Noah Yale for himself in 1761. He was a grandson of the original Thomas Yale to whom a large farm in this section of Wallingford was granted sometime before 1702. Noah Yale's house was certainly a fine, dignified colonial farm- house, containing much good paneling and detail. Many meet- ings of the Congregational Society were held here before the Revolutionary War. This was also the home of the slave, Chatham Freeman, who earned his freedom by serving in the war in place of one of Mr. Yale's sons. Another story is told of this same slave. Mr. Yale had a female slave at his farm whom Free- man wanted to marry. His master said he would agree to the marriage if Freeman would work for him seven years. He did and then married the woman. Today, almost two hundred years later, this house is still owned and occupied by Noah Yale's descendant — his great, great, great grandson, David Yale. The Ephriam Berry house, now owned by Frederick M. Stevens, Jr., stands on the northeast corner of Parker Avenue and Ann Street. This house was almost certainly built in 1743. Its construction is excellent, there are fine details such as cup- boards and paneling, and it has been carefully preserved through the years. It is probably one of the finest examples of an early colonial home to be found in Meriden. There is, on the south side of Miller Avenue, a red house called the 1777 Rest Home, owned and managed by Mrs. Edward Punty. It is not certain who built it, but a story about it has been handed down from father to son in that section for years. According to this tale, the man could not decide just where he wanted his home built. One day he walked to the top of the hill on his property, and taking off his hat he flung it into the wind, which was blowing strongly from the west, and said, "Where the hat falls I will build my house." And so he did. This place was occupied in the last century by Richard Miller whose name re- mains in that of the street. On the northwest corner of Miller Avenue and Paddock, which 27 OLD HOUSES in the early days was called Misery Road, is the Silas Rice place. This house occupies the site of the dwelling of Captain Divan Berry, of Revolutionary fame, which was destroyed by fire in 1796. On October third of that year, Deacon Silas Rice bought the half finished house which was being erected on the same spot. Even now, appearing much as it did when the Deacon com- pleted it, this house is occupied by Robert S. Rice, a direct descen- dant of the builder. Farther north, on the east side of Paddock Avenue, is the large farmhouse which was built by Isaac Hall, son of the doctor of the same name, about the year 1770. For a long time this was known as the Rollin S. Ives place. In recent years its walls have been shingled, which helps to conceal its ancient character. Still farther east, away over in what used to be called Dog's Misery, is the old Noah Pomeroy place. The first mention of this house in the records was in March 1751, when Israel Hall and his wife deeded it and sixty acres of land to Phineas Hall. It is the same place where Benjamin Hall was later supposed to have kept the tavern which gave the section the name Bangall. About 1816 or 1817 it was bought by Noah Pomeroy. At that time it stood' at the junction of Pomeroy and Murdock Avenues, but many years ago it was moved a few hundred feet to the east, and now it stands at 24 Ives Avenue. It was in this old house that the Universalists first assembled in 1821. Some thirty years later the First Universalist Society of Meriden was organized. Dr. Sherburne Campbell owns a home on East Main Street, near the corner of Maple Avenue. This was apparently one of several houses built by Samuel Baldwin. The date is given as 1772, although it probably was earlier. The Almon Hall family was the first to live here. Two of his children, Russell and Fanny, continued to occupy the place for many years, until they died at an advanced age. The story is told that Miss Fanny, in her last years, became confused and was inclined to wander about. In order to keep her safely in the house, it is said, she was chained to an iron ring fastened into the floor of her room. In recent years this house passed through a number of different hands. It has been carefully restored, added to, and today is a perfect example of how an eighteenth century home can be adapted to comfortable, modern living. Another house, no doubt of somewhat similar style when it 28 OLD HOUSES was built about 1795, is the Orchard Guy place on the corner of East Main and Williams Street. A short distance east of here is the Abel Yale place which is considerably older. The first mention of it on the records was in 1737 when his brother, Moses, quit-claimed to Abel all his interest in the house and farm. During the years a number of additions have been built, and its appearance has changed considerably. It is on the corner of East Main and Horton Avenue. Some other early homes which have lost much of their colonial appearance through alterations and additions are the Edward Collins house (1738) at 596 Colony Street; the Abel Rice or William W. Plumb place (1733 or before) at 175 Hall Avenue, near the junction of Gale; the Comfort Butler house (1770) at 67 Kensington Avenue; and that of Levi Allen (before 1784) on Allen Avenue. One of Meriden's oldest houses has come to rather a pathetic end. It is now a three-family tenement, with a storeroom tacked on the front. This is the home built originally by Captain Na- thaniel Merriam, about 1730, on the present site of Saint Andrew's Church. In 1866 it was moved, around the corner, to Miller Street where it now stands, looking sad and forlorn, behind the Connecticut Electric Equipment Co. Probably no description of Meriden's old houses would be complete without mention of the stately Eli Birdsey mansion, even though it was built considerably later — not until 1830. It was the first imposing residence to be erected in town. It has now been made into apartments, but it is still dignified and beau- tiful today, in its commanding location at the head of East Main Street hill, almost across from the two colonial churches, and in Meriden's most historic section. 29 CHAPTER SIX Roads and Travel The first settlers in what is now iMeriden entered virtually virgin territory. This was not an area where Indians lived with any permanence. It was their hunting ground so there were some Indian trails winding in and out where moccasined feet had picked the way. Some of our streets today no doubt follow the general lines of such trails. Gradually those trails become trodden ways beaten down by men on horseback. Later they were widened into roads and new roads added as the settlement grew. In 1729, George W. Perkins tells us in his history, there were twenty-five families in Meriden. By 1770 the number had expanded to 123 families. Meanwhile some sort of rude roadway system was developing. One record shows that the General Assembly in Hartford in 1666 ordered Edward Higby thus: "for making and mainteineing the way over Pilgrums Harbour passable for man & horse, shall have his estate and farme free of Countrey (rates) for this yeare anp! next, he mainteining the way soe longe as aforesaid." As time went on a definite pattern emerged for reserving quite a wide strip of land for roads wherever new grants were made. For instance in 1707 the "towne chose Eliezer peeck, Joshua culver, David Hall, a commetie to see that dogs missery hiway may not be pinsht of the twenty rods in any place from the town to misserie whare it was not laid out before the graint was of said hiway." Twenty rods is often mentioned as road width. Still oftener the records speak of six rods for a highway. What the roads were like is another matter. Other records indicate that it was custom- ary for settlers adjacent to these "roads" to raise crops on this public property. Since the strips were cleared but not too well traveled, it was but a practical custom, quite "Yankee" in character. According to historian Perkins the first wagon was brought to Meriden in 1789. He says it was owned by Ezra Rice and was of rude construction, being simply a square framed box placed 30 ROADS AND TRAVEL on four wheels, drawn by two horses, with ropes for traces, and cords for the guiding or driving lines. Yet, he says, " it was then thought to be a very elegant establishment." Previous to the coming of that wagon, there had never been owned in the town more than three two-wheel carriages. These he describes as being very rude, awkward chaise bodies or uncovered seats hung on two wheels. And he adds incidentally that he had it on what he considered good authority, that of a man whose business took him at various times into every house in the town (could he have been a tax collector?), that in 1802 there was but one carpet in the whole town of Meriden. As a further commentary on Meriden's standard of living when she became a separate town, the Century of Meriden carries the note that when Samuel Yale died in 1816, the inventory of his belongings contains the first notice we have of a stove in Meriden. The item appears on that document as "stove and pipe" valued at $10. Among papers written by Meridenites for the historical society in the eighteen-nineties, is one by Allan B. Squire on the railroad. In it he says the "first stage in Connecticut ran through Meriden in 1784 on this old country road west of the central village where the railroad is now located." He adds that until the time the railroad was completed over half a century later the "good people of Meriden had no other means of communication with Hartford and New Haven except by private conveyance." On that subject of private conveyance Welcome E. Benham says in his paper in 1894: "I well remember that 60 years ago it was quite common for persons to travel from town to town, several miles on foot. I and others sometimes walked to New Haven and back, 32 miles, and quite frequently to church on Sabbath to Cheshire Center, four miles from home. . . ." "Horse wagons were nearly all of the lumber box order, with wood axletrees. The back chair seat was often supported on a wooden spring; the forward seats were plain flat boards resting on the upright sides. It was considered a luxury to have cushions or blankets on them to alleviate the jolting over stone. When elliptic springs were first introduced, they were considered a marvel, and set the body of the wagon up so high that some feared danger of toppling over. . . ." He describes the stages as "uniformly built in egg or oval body form, capable of seating from six to ten inside, and with additional 31 ROADS AND TRAVEL seats outside up back of the driver and on top." A large leather boot was built on behind to carry trunks and baggage, and also another in front to protect the driver. The whole was set on strong leather side straps called "thorough braces," suspended from elevated points front and rear, each resting firmly on the heavy four-wheeled running gear, and gave "an easy, rollicking motion to passengers when driven rapidly over rough places." The wide- awake drivers were "well skilled in handling their four lines and cracking their long lash stage whips over the backs of their forward span of galloping steeds. On approaching their stopping place they blew their shrill tin horn to notify hostlers to have fresh horses harnessed ready for exchange. There was one stage a day each way from New Haven and Hartford, a distance of thirty-six miles, running time four hours." When George W. Perkins describes travel in the earliest days, a century before the above, he says: "... you see a traveller starting from Hartford, on his way to New Haven. He is on horseback, with heavy saddle-bags depending from the saddle, and perhaps with pistols at his saddle-bow. After passing Wethers- field, he drives into the forest, where there is only a 'bridle path' cut through the trees. Slowly picking his way among stumps and swamps, with now and then some trepidation as an Indian crosses his path, he reaches toward nightfall the old stone house called Meriden, and is glad to find that its stout doors and shutters can resist all hostile attacks. The next morning, at early dawn, he commences another hard day's journey, and has hardly gone beyond the tavern door, when he spies a troop of gaunt wolves upon Mount Lamentation." One of the historical papers, written in 1893 by Albert H. Wilcox, adds this about the stone house: "As the journey between Hartford and New Haven formerly occupied 'two good days' the Belcher Tavern and another tavern in Wallingford became very notorious resorts especially during the French and Revolu- tionary wars. Afterwards a wooden addition was built which was kept as a tavern until the opening of the turnpike in 1799." He also speaks of Bartlett's "Hotel Belcher" being built in the 1820's near the old tavern and its adjoining forts. Perkins describes how the horseman, in prestagecoach days, was almost bemired in passing the swamp and unbridged stream at Pilgrim's Harbor. It was no wonder the regular horseback 32 ROADS AND TRAVEL trail from Hartford swung by way of Wethersfield rather than along the shorter route later taken by the railroad. As A. B. Squire describes that route it is obvious how much swampy ground had to be reclaimed. He speaks of the railroad passing by "Old Fly" and "Beaver Pond" through meadows called "Green Swamp" into Kensington parish and thence to its termination on Main Street in Hartford. The first step in progress from Indian trail to airplane came with the advent of freight wagons and stagecoaches. The pack- horse business had been profitable since it was the only means by which to transmit mail and goods. So owners of the pack-horse business were opposed to the "new-fangled" freight system which called for the building of roads, just as later the stagecoach companies opposed the coming of railroads, and railroads in turn look askance at trucking on highways. New highways passable for stagecoaches cost considerable in money and effort. Neither state nor towns could keep them up although some stretches were entrusted to the good offices of settlers receiving land usage or other benefits in payment. So the stage lines obtained charters from the state allowing them to establish turnpikes, either by taking over and improving existing roads, or by building their own with necessary bridges. The first turnpike through Meriden was completed in 1799, a big event in our history. Its building was the opening of what is known as Broad Street. It necessitated the filling in of a deep ravine which people called Nabb's Folly since a man of that name had tried to build a road across it and failed. According to Mrs. William Mackensie in a paper prepared some 30 years ago for the D. A. R., it was "an uncommonly deep chasm, through which ran a rapid, narrow stream of water." In her younger school days she says it was known as the "Gulf." The turnpike builders filled in the ravine enough to allow a narrow road across it, although people had previously thought it could never be filled and made safe. That sort of hazard was many times multiplied before Connecticut villages were finally connected by their network of turnpikes, now replaced by one of the finest and most comprehensive road systems in the nation. The north-south turnpike was soon traversed by an east-west route to the further advantage of the old Central Tavern as a convenient stopping place. Returning to Mr. Benham's paper we 33 ROADS AND TRAVEL find a description of the toll turnpikes where gates across the pike forced travelers to stop to pay their fee before they could continue. Generally the gates were of the high fence type that swung, some were pivoted on a pole, and others were raised by pulleys and weights from a high roof overhead. There were gatekeepers who took the toll to fill the coffers of the turnpike companies so they could maintain the system in at least passable condition. According to Mills in his Story of Connecticut the usual toll was from 25 cents for a four-wheeled pleasure carriage down to four cents for a rider on horseback. But people going to and from churches on Sunday were allowed to pass free, as were voters on their way to town meeting or farmers enroute to mills. Funerals were always free. Mr. Benham places one toll gate on the north-south turnpike on South Broad Street midway between Meriden and Yalesville and another north of the Berlin woods midway between Meriden center and Berlin. On the east-west turnpike he says one gate was about a "mile west at the old notch road corners just beyond the Parker foundry." The turnpike companies also erected milestones along these post roads. Some that once stood in the vicinity of Meriden are still preserved although not in their original locations. The Century of Silver recounts the recent story of two such markers. One was on Colony Street in front of the house occupied until her death by Miss Sally Collins, and since torn down to make way for new construction. Only a few feet south of the Post Office, this stone indicating 19 miles from New Haven was dear to "Miss Sally's" heart. To her horror one day she looked out just in time to see a steam shovel scoop the stone up in its gnawing way preparing for a new street surface job. Tearfully Miss Sally told the workmen of her shock. They were sympathetic and toted the chipped relic to land behind her house. Later she gave the stone to Roy C. Wilcox who subsequently located milestone 20 far out North Colony Street in front of what was Judge Dunn's house, the old Norton place. Mr. Wilcox, possessed of respect for Meriden's historical relics, has the two milestones flanking the doorway of his present residence on Allen Hill. Such stone markers have proved more durable than some of the many markings used in the early 1700's. Land records and 34 ROADS AND TRAVEL those covering space reserved for roads commonly use such terminals as "a heap of stones in the corner of the fence west of the Path" and a "walnut bush marked with stones" or a "white oak tree" to the "large chestnut stump." A trail ran from New Haven to Hartford down in the bottom of the valley through swampy land for a century before the turn- pike was built. This was developed into a road sometime after the turnpike came into being, roughly along the line of the present Colony Street. The sandstone hill on which the center of old Meriden grew, and its connecting ridges made far better terrain for the first full-fledged highway. John Warner Barber notes in his Connecticut Historical Collections that a road was constructed in the northwestern part of Meriden to Berlin sometime in the second decade of the 1800's. He says it went through "a narrow and romantic glen, between two ridges of the Blue Mountains; this pass, which is more than a mile in extent, is called Cat Hole." In some parts of the glen, continues Mr. Barber, there was barely room for a path because angular fragments of rock protruded at a forty-five-degree angle. He says the rocks were beaten down and covered with earth brought in for the purpose in order to make what might be called a road. He also calls attention to the elevated perpendicular rock on one side of the road which once resembled the profile of a human face, some saying it looked just like George Washington. Today one's imagination has to be pretty good to see what may have been far more sharply defined 150 years ago. But the Washington legend lingers. Stagecoaches took four days to go from New York to Boston. The second day out of New York meant the passengers and drivers had their noon meal in Meriden. This is why the Central Tavern became in reality the heart of the town, shifting the center from its former location at the junction of Curtis and Ann Streets. A Hartford newspaper dated May 31, 1838, carries the story of the fastest trip ever made from New York to Hartford as eight hours and five minutes, actual time by steamboat and stage. And the time consumed by stage from New Haven to Hartford was four hours and ten minutes, including stops for changes of horses and rest periods for passengers. The coming of the railroad changed everything. For a century and a half before it, communication between Meriden and the outer world 35 ROADS AND TRAVEL was a slow process. All travelers were of interest to Meriden townspeople. Some- times very important figures came this way. According to Mills in his Story of Connecticut, George Washington traveled from New Haven to Hartford on his way from Philadelphia to Cam- bridge in 1775, presumably on the route we call Colony Street. Again in 1789 he made a tour from New York and through New Haven and Hartford on his way to Springfield and Boston. One legend, entirely without authentication in any record, says that Washington stopped overnight on one of these tours in a house on North Colony Road that has long since disappeared from our landscape. Mr. Benham tells in the historical society collection of papers of the visit to Meriden of a later President. He writes: "I recall with interest the memorable occasion in about 1829 when General Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, made his tour through New England, and in going from New Haven to Hartford by carriage he stopped off uptown and gave an open air public reception from the stone steps of the Center church. He was greeted by quite a concourse of people, intro- duced by General Walter Booth, and shook hands with a large number of prominent men, passing one by one in line. He had bright eyes, his gray hair stood up above his forehead, and as a venerable, brave looking man he appeared worthy of his high position. After this brief patriotic reception he and his honorable escorts, including Martin Van Buren, re-entered their carriages and proceeded to Hartford. Dr. Isaac I. Hough was then landlord of the old Center hotel where the New Haven and Waterbury stages always stopped." The stage drivers were colorful figures themselves. It took considerable skill to manage the job. In addition the personality of the driver had much to do with making stagecoach travel popular. All sorts of legends surround those figures of stagecoach days, so imposing in their great coats and tall beaver hats. Quite naturally the drivers were "treated" by passengers at their stops at way stations. The story is that sometimes the drivers were sharp businessmen who arranged with innkeepers to get a cut on profits. In a sort of version of the "wooden nutmeg" legend it is said that it was a common custom for the innkeeper to serve the driver colored water when giving his treater the usual rum 36 ROADS AND TRAVEL or whiskey. Thereafter he and the driver could split the profit made on the harmless substitute. One of the famous stagecoach drivers lived in Meriden, Silas Lawrence, whose home was on Broad Street. Since the Central Tavern was a logical place for changing horses, there was a large barn nearby for housing them. That building was still standing until the second decade of this century. It was used for many years before by John Holmes' tinsmith shop. The stagecoach business was but a part of the turnpike's importance. Much freight was carried over the road, particularly in the winter months when the Connecticut River was closed to navigation by ice. The freight teamsters customarily made the Central Tavern an overnight stop. Freight was carried usually in long heavy wagons with high board sides and arched canvas tops, drawn by from four to ten horses according to the weight of the load and the depth of the season's mud. These wagons gradually disappeared from this area as new transportation methods devel- oped. They went westward and were later known as "prairie schooners" when figuring in the vast settlement projects that opened our continent. When we remember that Fulton's steamer made its trial trip in 1807, we can realize how essential stagecoach and freight wagon were to the economy of this part of the country well into the third and fourth decades of the 1800's. 37 CHAPTER SEVEN Early Schools As early as 1650 the General Court of Connecticut established a code of laws which ordered that every township within its jurisdiction comprising as many as fifty householders, should appoint a schoolmaster to teach the children to read and write. Thus, the school and the church took root together, and sprang up almost with the first log cabins in the forest. Although a school of sorts had evidently existed previously, the first allusion to schools in the town records of Wallingford was in 1678. At that time they voted "to allow for the encouragement of such a school master as the select men shall approve of, ten pounds a year in general, and three pence a week for all scholars, from six to sixteen, as long as they shall go to school." Apparently, a room was hired for this purpose, because it was not until 1702 that the town voted to build a schoolhouse. By 1722 it became necessary to have several schools, and so appeared the beginning of school districts. In the earliest days there was no mention of any subject but reading, writing, and spelling. It is quite probable that for a long time nothing else was taught except occasionally the rudiments of arithmetic. The books used in the schools were limited, both in number and scope. The New England Primer, the Psalter, Dilworth's Spelling Book, and Dilworth's Schoolmaster's Assist- ant for arithmetic were the only ones in use. The teaching of manners and respect for elders, particularly the dignitaries, was greatly stressed. And once a month the minister catechised the children in the meeting house, accompanying that catechism with many a stern reproof. The first schoolhouse in Meriden was a little low, red hut with four small windows, which stood at first near Ann Street, but was later moved to the slope between Gale Avenue and Holt Hill bridge. Another one, just as red and just as small, was built a few years after on the "old road," now Colony Street. Each one had a fireplace "for the alternate freezing and roasting process which the scholars underwent during the cold weather." Here 38 EARLY SCHOOLS the children learned the alphabet and were taught to call "Z" "izzard." The Primer for the younger pupils, and the New Testament for the older were the school reading books in the seventeen seventies. The first edition of this primer was strictly religious in its axioms. Thus: "In Adam's fall we sinned all." The woodcut was of an apple tree, beneath which were two figures having a remote likeness to humanity, one of them offering the other a big apple. Even as early as 1773 the town records show that Meriden was separated into school districts, because the taxes for school purposes were then divided proportionately between the districts. And by 1820 several schoolhouses had been built. In the western part of town there was a particularly substantial one, known as the Stone Schoolhouse. The uptown section had grown so populous by 1832 that there was difficulty in deciding the loca- tion of the Center School, and the question was settled by divid- ing the area into the north and south centers. The south center acquired for its school a small workshop at the northwest corner of the Broad Street Cemetery, on a lane which is now Charles Street. The North Center School was at a junction of Broad and Wall Streets. In 1835 a district was set off at the Corner, and a school was opened in a tiny building which stood just where the Main Street railroad crossing now is. This school was moved a few years later into the Lyceum building which was built on what is now Church Street. Our frequently quoted Mrs. Breckenridge attended the North Center School during the winter of 1834. Here is her descrip- tion of it: "The dimensions were probably twenty by twenty- five feet. A large butternut tree grew at the northwest corner of the building. Beneath this tree was the wood pile of logs to be cut for fuel as wanted. This was by no means as often as needed for warmth and comfort. Before the two doors, which gave entrance to the house, lay flat stones, which served as door steps. The doors gave access to two lobbies, where four or five children could stand at once if they stood close. In the lobbies or entries, as we called them, were kept the outer garments, the dinner pails and other possessions of the scholars. In the middle of the room a raised hearth or platform, about three feet square, made of brick and the thickness of a brick in height, supported a box stove. The room had four windows, two on a side. Around 39 EARLY SCHOOLS the room on three sides was a sloping counter which served as a desk, on which were kept, in more or less orderly fashion, the books and slates of the larger scholars. In front of this counter, on three sides, was a bench made of slabs, the flat side being uppermost. In front of these were low seats, with an apology for a back. On these the younger scholars and the very little ones were seated. The windows were shadeless; neither blind nor curtain tempered the glare. They were never washed, unless in summer some young woman teacher . . . essayed, with the help of the girls, a little housekeeping on her own account. The room was swept once a week by the girls in turn. "Oftener than not three dollars a week for a man teacher and one dollar and a half for a woman, for six days' teaching, was thought 'pretty easy.' An acceptable candidate for the winter school must be able to teach reading, writing (for this he must 'set copies') and Daboll's arithmetic, so far as or including the rule of three; to make a quill pen, and to 'govern' the large boys. "At nine in the morning those who loitered outside were called in by a vigorous thumping on the window sash with a ruler or ferule. This instrument was utilized as a timekeeper, to line copy books, and as a means of castigation whenever energetic disciplinary measures were in order. The pupils rushed in with all the racket and clatter that vigorous youth, shod in heavy cowhide boots and shoes, are capable of creating. The boys who entered later perpetrated a curious side-long jerk of the head, and the girls a perpendicular dip of the person, both contortions being supposed to indicate 'manners.' When fairly seated, Testaments were produced and school opened by the first and second classes reading two verses as it came the turn of each scholar. "The reading over, all the large scholars turned their faces to the wall and addressed themselves to Daboll's arithmetic, Wood- bridge's geography or their home-made writing books. Of course, the boys could turn on the long benches easily, but the girls had to take pains to perform the gymnastic feat properly. It was done by stooping and placing the hands on each side of the skirts, then by a quick, circular movement throwing the feet over the bench. This was usually done simultaneously. When called upon for anything by the teacher the whole class whirled back again. 40 EARLY SCHOOLS "Webster's New Speller was the class book for spelling in the school. The third class' having had their spelling lesson in words of two syllables set for them to study, the little ones were called up one by one to be ,taught their 'A, B, C's' .... It would now be time for the second class to read and spell. A whirl of feet and petticbats landed two rows of boys and girls standing on the floor facing the teacher, who gave the order, 'Manners!' and the jerking of necks and bobbing of skirts gave evidence that school etiquette was understood. The spelling came first, after- ward the reading from the same page, such things as: 'We burn oil in tin and glass lamps.' 'We can burn fish oil in lamps.' A geography lesson, if anybody had one, mending pens, attend- ing to sums and a playtime for the boys and one for the girls brought the morning session to a close. "The afternoon began by reading in the Columbian Orator. The National Preceptor came into use a few years later. To some of the scholars this was the best part of the day. More Daboll, a geography lesson, and more alphabet for the little ones. Poor little things! They sat patiently three hours on the hard benches, with nothing to do and nothing to look at. The one virtue re- quired of them was to keep still. More spelling by the first and second classes, and at one o'clock the school day's work was done. 'Manners' were required from each scholar on leaving the room, and the genuflection was aimed at the wall, the benches, the door or the teacher as it happened." During this same period Meriden could boast of several private schools. The first one in town was taught by an Episcopal clergy- man, the Reverend Mr. Keeler. In 1834 Miss Julianne Eddy opened a private school in the basement of the Center Congregational Church. At that time it was only one large, cold, gloomy room, filled with benches. The next year the school was moved into the basement of the old Baptist Church on the northeast corner of the cemetery, because the room here was lighter and warmer. Some years later, after Miss Eddy's marriage, Miss Henrietta Malone started a private school in Captain Collins' old house on East Main Street near the corner of Parker Avenue. And in 1840 John D. Post established the "Academy," a boarding school in a small way, on East Main at Elm. For a time this school had a fair patronage from other towns, although there were well- 41 EARLY SCHOOLS established boarding schools for young ladies in Hartford and New Haven, and Cheshire Academy enjoyed considerable prestige. 42 CHAPTER EIGHT Meriden in the Wars The terrible Pequot War was over before any settlement of white men took place in the Meriden area. By the time King Phillip's War was under way, Meriden was still a part of Walling- ford. The entire community set up regular guard service with a tight schedule for sentinels on duty throughout the dangerous period. There was an elaborate system for alarms, not like our present plans to warn of an atomic attack, but at least equally adequate for the times. . As has been said, the Indians in this neighborhood were friendly to the white man and as afraid of warring tribes as any settler worried for the fate of his family and property. But there was no telling when enemy propaganda might win over a neighbor Indian here and there. Those Indians knew the white man's property as well as the settler did himself. They had the run of the farms and were potentially too dangerous, in the event they should become renegades, for the peace of the white settler's mind. In the Joseph Wadsworth papers discovered around 1900 in an old pine box in the attic of the Wadsworth home in Hartford, that man credited with hiding the Charter in Hartford's famous oak tree says of King Philip's War that "fortunately Connecticut was not called upon to make any sacrifices in this troublous time, as aside from the burning of Simsbury there was no property lost in the colony and I always believed that it would not have happened if the people had remained in their homes instead of rushing off. . . ." However, many Connecticut men did "rush off." Of the 300 Connecticut Englishmen in the army of 1,000 raised for the Narragansett campaign, there were a few from this section. Some served in the disastrous Swamp Fort fight in Rhode Island. Some years later land was given to the veterans in recognition of military service. One of these was Samuel Hough, father of James who built the Meriden mill later known as Baldwin's in the north- eastern Section. His land in lieu of a pension or the more modern 43 MERIDEN IN THE WARS "GI benefits" was in the Norwich section of Connecticut where he lived at the time of his enlistment. Only one Meriden man is listed as being in the Louisburg expedition in 1745. He is Samuel Royce, son of Captain Ezekial who is recorded as having made a death claim after his son died in New London upon his return from Cape Breton. Quite a few Meriden-Wallingford names are on the rolls of the French and Indian Wars as participating in the Fort Ticonderoga campaign, — names familiar in our history such as Daniel Hough, Benjamin Curtis, Abraham Hall, Moses Curtis, Isaac Cook, Jr., and Benj. Rexford. Before recounting Meriden's part in the Revolution, the small part played in the War of 1812 by local people can be quickly told. This was not at all a popular cause in any part of New England. Trade was too important to the inhabitants tasting the early success of their manufacturing and merchandising talents. The embargo on the port of Boston was a serious setback. Never- theless a number of Meriden men enlisted for military service although there is no indication that they were ever actively engaged against the enemy. Their duty was apparently guard work in New Haven or New London, and even that was of short duration. The colonists' ties with England, which had been stretched taut for some years, reached the breaking point in 1775. The news of Paul Revere's ride, the night of April 18, and of the following day's fighting at Lexington and Concord spread like wildfire throughout the colonies. Patriots hesitated no longer and eager men hurried towards Boston. One company of 38 men, under Captain John Couch, went from Meriden. These men were out only seven days, hardly time to go to Boston and return. They doubtless received notice while on the march that their services were not needed. One Samuel Kilbourn rendered an account "for ferrying across Connecticut River at Hartford in the Lexington alarm Capt. Couch, of Meriden, with 18 men, 4 hourses and 1 waggon. Also Capt. Cook of Wallingford." Captain John Couch, probably Meriden's outstanding Revolu- tionary War hero, had come here in 1746 and bought a farm from Aaron Lyman. He was, therefore, not a young man at the outbreak of hostilities. He built his house on what is now the junction of Wall and North Wall Streets. The Ransom Baldwin 44 MERIDEN IN THE WARS place (1828) was once part of Captain Couch's farm. Shortly after the Lexington alarm the Legislature issued the first call for troops. The regiment was recruited in New Haven county, and about September 28, 1775, it marched to the Northern Department and took part in operations along Lakes George and Champlain. In this campaign Captain Isaac Cook, of Wallingford, commanded a company in which there were about ten Meriden men, including Lieut. John Hough and Sergt. Samuel Hall. In the expedition to Lakes George and Champlain, referred to above, many of the soldiers were taken sick and the following bills were paid by the state for medical attendance to Meriden men. Dr. Insign Hough presented a bill for going after Benjamin Austin to Stillwater, N. Y., on October 30, 1775: To Horse hire 130 miles at 2d per mile £1-1-8 To my time 8 days at 3/8 per Day £1-4-0 To cash paid expenses on said Journey 18-5 Simeon Perkins presented a bill for bringing home his appren- tice, Jared Benham, from beyond Albany. Lieut. Joseph Shailer was taken sick at Putney, Vermont, after the campaign and "was tended 16 days" at an expense of £1-10-0 and then was obliged to hire a man and a horse to bring him home, a distance of 190 miles, at an expense of £6-16-18. John Austin, of Wallingford, presented a bill for going for his sick son, Amos, six miles this side of Albany. A soldier on his way home from the campaign was taken sick at Edward Collins' home, on North Colony Street, in Meriden, and could go no farther, so there he remained helpless for six weeks, with Dr. Insign Hough and Dr. Isaac Hall attending him, and Mr. Collins furnishing nurses and watchers. The quantity of rum and brandy administered to this sick man was prodigious during the two weeks when he was "worst." He finally recovered and went on his way, but his name is not given in the bill. In the siege of Boston, which took place after the Battle of Bunker Hill, the only official record of service from Meriden is that of Captain John Couch. He was in Colonel Wadsworth's regiment which reached there towards the end of January, 1776. Probably there were with him several more Meriden men he had commanded during the Lexington alarm, but the names of only two have come down to us — Ezekiel Rice and Samuel Scovil. Letters from Ezekiel Rice, Joseph Rice and Joseph Shailer (or 45 MERIDEN IN THE WARS Shaylor), written while they were soldiers in the Revolution, are quoted in Curtis's A Century of Meriden. This Joseph Shailer served continuously in the army from the beginning to the end of the war and attained the rank of first lieutenant. He was in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, and took part in the storming and capturing of Stony Point under "Mad" Anthony Wayne, on July 15, 1779. His home was on Gravel Street, a little south of Baldwin Avenue. He later moved to Ohio. After the British evacuated Boston, General Washington and his army set out for New York. Captain Couch was at that time in Col. Bradley's battalion in General Wadsworth's brigade which "was stationed the greater part of the summer and early fall of 1776 at Bergen Heights and Paulus Hook (now Jersey City). In October it moved up the river to the vicinity of Fort Lee, then under General Greene's command. In November most of the regiment was sent across the river to assist in defending Fort Washington, which on the fall of the fort November 16, was captured with the entire garrison." Captain Couch was taken prisoner, together with the following Meriden men in his com- pany: Gideon Ives, John Pierce, Samuel Rice, Jonathan Hall, Benjamin Austin, Gideon Rice, Stephen Atwater, Moses Hall, and possibly Nathaniel Yale. Captain John Couch was in a British prison on Long Island for some time after this capture. In the State Library at Hartford, in Revolutionary War Documents, Vol. XII, are preserved various receipts for money conveyed by the state to men in prison on Long Island, 1777. John Couch's name is among the number of those signing. He evidently gained his freedom during the year, for he appears as captain of a company in a militia regiment ordered to Peekskill in 1777. Isaac Hall Jr., son of Dr. Isaac Hall, was apparently captain of a company of militia which was, in 1776, attached to a regiment of Light Horse. In 1777 he was in service in New York and "parts adjacent," and in 1779 it is recorded that some men were detached from "Capt. Isaac Hall's company to go to Greenwich." His name also appears on the roll of those doing service in the British invasion of New Haven in 1779. Divan Berry was second lieutenant of a company in Wads- worth's brigade, and was at Fort Washington, but it does not 46 MERIDEN IN THE WARS appear that he was captured. Later that same year he was at Ticonderoga under General Gates. In 1779 he was a captain on coast guard duty near Greenwich, during the time of the British expedition up the Sound under General Tryon. In 1780 he was a captain in the 17th regiment. John Hough, mentioned before as a lieutenant in Captain Cook's company in 1775, did service in this state during the years 1776 and 1777. In 1779 he was captain of a company which served in the Tryon invasion, and in 1780 he was a captain in the Seventh militia regiment. In the month of October, 1777, Lieut. Colonel Baldwin's regiment of militia was ordered to the Hudson at Fishkill to aid the Continental army. They were out perhaps 30 days, and probably saw no active service. In this regiment, besides this same Lieut. John Hough, were Captain Bezaleel Ives and Captain Dan Collins. Two Meriden slaves served in the Revolution. One was Chatham Freeman, who undoubtedly assumed this surname when he became free. He was the slave of Noah Yale, and the story is that he was offered his freedom if he would go to war in place of one of Mr. Yale's sons. Chatham served the enlistment, returned home and was freed. The second slave was Black Boss who belonged to Abel Curtis. On a report of the town of Wallingford 1779 in the State Library, appears the name of Boston negro, next to the name of Chatham negro. As the first enthusiasm of the war wore away it was found necessary to make an inducement for men to join the army. Accordingly, on March 31, 1777, it was "voted, that the town will give a Bounty to those that engage in the Continental service. Voted that each soldier that engages in the Continental service for the quota of Wallingford shall be paid by the town the sum of five pounds lawful money by the year for three years unless sooner Discharged: to be paid by the beginning of each year." This payment of bounty was carefully recorded, and in April, 1779, the town reported to the State War Department a list of all those to whom bounties had been paid. A second report was made in December, 1779 and at various times lists were furnished of those soldiers whose families were assisted by the town during their absence in the field. Several references have been made to the British expedition up the Sound, under General Tryon. This is probably as close as the 47 MERIDEN IN THE WARS war came to iMeriden, since New Haven is nearer than Danbury. The enemy came to anchor in New Haven harbor about midnight on Sunday, July 4, 1779. No doubt beacon fires and scurrying horsemen soon carried the news through the surrounding country, and probably by daybreak of the fifth, the various militia com- panies in this and adjoining parts of the state were on the march to New Haven. The British troops, about 3,000 strong, were landed at daybreak on the east and west shores, and New Haven was soon in posses- sion of the enemy. Several buildings were fired, a number of people were killed, and numerous outrages were committed. On the East Haven side there were many encounters with the local militia and sharp fighting a good part of the day. The swiftly gathering companies from up the state soon convinced the British that their position was untenable and on the evening of the sixth they embarked and set sail for New York, stopping on the way at Fairfield and Norwalk, where they committed greater devasta- tion and havoc than at New Haven. Two companies of militia from Meriden marched to New Haven, probably starting on the morning of July 5th. One was under the command of Captain Dan Collins and the other under Captain John Hough. No doubt other Meriden men saw service in the Continental army, but their names in the official records can not be positively identified as belonging to men from this vicinity. The lack of a middle name, an almost universal custom at the time, and the failure to give in the records the addresses of the great majority of the soldiers, makes it generally unwise to assume an address. Today in the Curtis Memorial Library hangs a large bronze plaque containing the following inscription and names: 48 meriden in the wars In Memory of the Soldiers of the American Revolution 1775-1783 — Parish of Meriden — Erected by the Susan Carrington Clarke Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Capt. John Couch Capt. Divan Berry Capt. Israel Johnson Capt. Isaac Hall Lieut. Joseph Shailer Sergt. Samuel Hall Sergt. Ezekiel Rich Stephen Atwater Abner Andrews Isaac Atwater Benjamin Austin Jared Benham Samuel Collins Ebenezer Cowles Joel Cowles Joel Hall Rufus Hall Capt. Dan Collins Lieut. James Hough Ens. Brenton Hall Sergt. Amos Ives Corp. Daniel Janes Corp. Ezra Rice Sanborn Ford Yale Bishop John Barnes John Couch James Cabon Abel Curtis Timothy Foster Daniel Hall Moses Hall, Jr. Bezaliel Ives Timothy Ives Samuel Johnson Benjamin Merriam John Ives John Miles June 1906 Nathaniel Douglas Chatham Freeman Phineas Hough Moses Hall Jonathan Hall David Hall Isaac Hall, Jr. Benjamin Hart Gideon Ives Isaac Livingston Phineas Lyman Asaph Merriam Ephriam Merriam Boston Negro John Pierce Israel Hall Isaac Rice Gideon Rice Wait Rice Justus Rice Jotham Rice Solomon Rice Joseph Rice Levi Robinson Benjamin Rexford, Sr. Benjamin Rexford, Jr. Thomas Spencer Nash Yale Nathaniel Yale Waitstill Yale Nathaniel Yale Jotham Hall Militia Jesse Merriam William Merriam Joseph Merriam Titus Merriam Caleb Merriam Stephen Perkins Elisha Scovil Capt. John Hough Lieut. Nathaniel Merriam Ens. Thomas Foster Sergt. Joseph Edwards Sergt. Jonathan Yale Sergt. Comfort Butler Sergt. Giles Griswold Willys Bishop Asa Brown Edward Collins Elisha Curtis Giles Foster Ozias Foster Jeremiah Farrington Phineas Hall Enos Hall Marshall Merriam Amasa Merriam Samuel Merriam Elisha Merriam Caleb Merriam Daniel Mekye Wyllys Mekye John Morgan Simeon Perkins John Robinson Samuel Rice Elijah Scovil David Scovil Moses Way John Yale Abner Way Amerton Yale Jesse Merriam Daniel Yale Many of these Revolutionary soldiers are buried in the old cemetery on Broad Street. Here in 1931, a boulder with a bronze tablet listing their names, was erected by the Captain John Couch Branch, Sons of the American Revolution. 49 CHAPTER NINE Old Customs, Old Ways and Progress Perhaps it would be interesting to consider what life was like in these old homes a hundred and fifty or two hundred years ago. Since Meriden was an isolated farming community — a suburb, really, of Wallingford — most of the homes were of the simple farmhouse type. Inside, as we have seen, there were often pleasing details, such as good paneling and attractive bannisters and cupboards. But the clapboards were nailed directly to the studding and, in the early houses, boards were used instead of plaster on the inside of the outside walls. In winter how the wind and cold must have whistled through the cracks! Blazing fires were kept burning in great fireplaces, but rooms were still draughty and cold. The bedrooms must have been almost unbear- able. No wonder warming pans and feather beds were considered necessities. Merely keeping alive was, in many respects, quite a difficult matter. Besides the hazards of Indians and wild animals, there was a great lack of medical knowledge, and physicians of any kind were few. The mortality rate was much higher then than now, particularly among young mothers. In reading over old records, it is very noticeable that many men had two, three, and sometimes even four wives. A woman was almost an economic necessity for a man, in those days, when she was not only his companion and the mother of his children, but when it was she, alone and unaided by any outside help or any mechanical gadgets, who kept his house clean, prepared every morsel of food he ate, and made every stitch he wore. Nearly every household had its great wheel for spinning wool and its small, or flax, wheel for making linen thread; plus a loom for weaving this thread into sheets, table linen, and cloth for underwear for the entire family. The wool, also, had to be woven into material, out of which the wife made suits for her husband and clothes for herself and the children. There were, in addition, socks to be knit from the carded wool. Until about 1810 nearly all materials for common wear were 50 OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS homemade. Besides all this, the housewife had to make her own pillows, feather beds, soap, and candles. Candle making was a serious affair. At first they were made by "dipping," then tin moulds came into use and a number of candles could be poured at one time. Even so, candles were used with the greatest economy. In the realm of food, the lady of the house, of course, churned butter, made cheese, baked bread, dried and salted food for the winter, and helped with the butchering, the chickens, and the vegetable garden. The old adage, "Women's work is never done," was certainly true then. The settlers in this area must have found an abundance of game, but as early as 1760 there was a colonial law forbidding the killing of deer from the first of January to the first of August. The penalty was four pounds for every offense. Several times, in old inventories, wild pigeon nets were mentioned. This indicates that people took advantage of the great annual flights of these birds, no doubt for food and to use the feathers for beds and pillows. Every family lived on the produce of its farm or by the proceeds of some useful trade, which was secondary to the work of tilling the soil. Among the various families there was little difference in the value of their possessions. There was no great wealth anywhere. Mr. Perkins speaks of the almost complete lack of money or circulating medium. In 1706 the entire circulating cash in gold and silver in the colony was only about 2,000 pounds. And, of course, there were no banks in existence. Bartering produce was the accepted method of doing business. Life was hard, in those early days, and pleasures were few. Even though the all-day church attendance seems severe to us, it provided a welcome change from the drudgery and monotony of the rest of the week. And the "nooning," particularly in summer, when it took on the air of a solemn and sedate picnic, gave the women almost their only opportunity to get together. In fact, the church, with its attendant ceremonies, provided most of the social life known at that time. There were the dinners and balls at the ordination of the minister, and the feasts, as at Thanksgiving (Christmas then did not count at all) and at weddings and funerals. At this time relatives and friends came from afar, and were expected to stay and partake of the funeral baked meats which custom required must be lavishly provided. Outside of this feasting, the funerals were dreary, indeed. The 51 OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS coffins, outlining as nearly as possible the shape of the body, were made by the nearest carpenter. Sometimes they were clumsily lined, but usually not; occasionally they were stained or painted a crude blue color, but most often the wood was left untouched. The term "bearers" was a literal one, because the coffin, with its burden was carried on men's shoulders the entire way to the roughly dug grave. Not a flower was ever used; it would have seemed indecorous to try to lighten the gloom of death. A quaint custom which has been lost with the years is described by Mrs. Breckenridge: "The very greatest and most important of all social functions was the ordination dinner and the ordination ball that followed. Both for the dinner and ball a liberal supply of liquors was supposed needful and proper. The last ordination ball given in Meriden was in 1803 when the Rev. Erastus Ripley was ordained. This ball was given in the old tavern ball-room. The last real ordination dinner was given when the Rev. Charles Hinsdale was installed in 1823. This dinner was at his own house situated on Broad Street. At this feast onions held an honorable and conspicuous place, and liquors were so copiously provided that it was whispered a prominent member of society became quite incoherent in conversation. . . . Ordination balls were very serious and stately divertisements, and very rigid and formal etiquette was observed; also, critical attention was given to the dancing steps." Naturally, these grand affairs did not happen often, and there was very little entertainment, as we think of it, in the lives of early Meridenites. There was scarcely even any reading material available to them. The Bible, of course, was read and reread, partly perhaps because of the scarcity of other books. The few printing presses in the colony printed sermons of eminent preachers. These were widely circulated and read. One of these was a sermon of the Rev. Theophilus Hall, delivered on August 10, 1760, entitled, "A Saving Faith Scripturally Explained." The annual almanac was a popular publication, since it provided reading for the entire family and served, besides, as a farmer's log book and weather predictor. There were few children's books, other than the New England Primer. But by 1796 Meriden had a small subscription library of 153 volumes, mostly relating to divinity and theology. It is 52 The Meriden City Hall o cc oc - <u C o u c o bo c p o J-i pq c 3 O 5-! 1/2 T3 <u N • S n u m-i o C/3 T3 O — as.<£ o u p U C C .2 ° OS <u bo.o u bo C. o U u <u 4-* c U G rt i-> a cs pq Uh c - > H — C <u U <u U V u> 03 O a H Andrews Homestead, 424 West Main Street Built circa 1760 Interior Andrews Homestead Meriden Historical Society hostesses in 18th century costumes Meriden Center about 1834 looking north from junction of Curtis and Broad Streets (From Barber's Historical Collections of Connecticut) Curtis Street elms, as they were 1711 Club Inn 677 North Colony Street, built 1711 Residence Dr. Sherburne Campbell 1074 East Main Street, built before 1772 Wiliemess. .Each. Houje .Lot" contcxins fix acres of laLneL. HIQH WAY Common. - ' p>5 Fields c £ >. <• 1 1 1 I u, z 2. £ j * r z m X <f. M r Burying Q rauna OU"X> COLONS "ROAD f rom HaTl^ord To New Howe*. 1% Common FteldL WEST aftertfie original by Perkins , l.it hog ro.pky . 128 Fulton St. N.M. Original plan of the Town of Wallingford JvUjrHtVILLIAGEl f?n ye Jt&i-St St&e */ye &*> _ I72t3 _ Map prepared by Joseph P. Beach of Cheshire OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS likely that this collection was housed in the basement of the old meeting house where the Center Church now stands. In the early part of the nineteenth century the only private libraries of any size were owned by Dr. Isaac Hough and Mr. Fenner Bush. Among the doctor's collection were the works of such English authors as Smollet, Fielding, Richardson, Sterne, Dean Swift and Fanny Burney. The American Lady's Preceptor, published in Baltimore in 1821, was another favorite of the doctor's niece, Mrs. Breckenridge, who says that he and Mr. Bush bought all the new books as they came out. In that far-ofl day, people in this little parish had no idea what was happening in the outside world until long after it had occurred. There was no newspaper, letters were extremely rare, and news was brought only by travelers going through, perhaps from Hartford or Boston to New Haven or even to Wallingford for, in the early days, it was considered one of the large towns in the colony. That our town was not a place given to luxury may be assumed from descriptions of living conditions in Perkins' Historical Sketches. Mr. Perkins stated that in 1802 there was but one carpet in all of Meriden. According to Mrs. Breckenridge, carpeted parlors were common by 1836, but she questioned if there were a dozen homes in town at that time where carpets were in use in the living room. We have come to think of these early settlers as exceedingly strict and righteous, but apparently they, too, had their small vices. In 1647 the colony ordered that no person under twenty years of age should use any tobacco without a certificate from a physician; and no others although addicted to its use, unless they were ten miles from any house, and then not more than once a day. Cider was the common beverage of the country, although some beer was drunk. Among some old records this strange entry was found, "It is ordered that there shall be one good hogshead of beer for the captain and minister." In early times rum was largely consumed. A half pint was given, as a matter of course, to every day laborer, especially in summer. In all families, rich or poor, it was offered to male visitors as a sign of hospitality, or just plain good manners. Women had their nip in the form of "Hopkins Elixir," which, at the same time, probably promised to cure everything. Crying babies were 53 OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS silenced with hot toddy because it was supposed to be good for colic. Every man imbibed his morning dram, and this was considered temperance. There is a story of a preacher who thus lectured his parish, "I say nothing, my beloved brethren, against taking a little bitters before breakfast, especially if you are used to it. What I contend against is this dramming, dramming, dramming at all hours of the day." Tavern haunting, especially in winter when there was little to do, was common, even among respectable farmers. A story is told of one man who frequently went to the old Central Tavern to meet some cronies. Late one cold winter night he said goodbye to his friends, wended his way home, and tucked himself snugly in bed before he remembered his patient nag left tied in the tavern shed more than a mile away. Now and then in records or recollections of the days when Meriden was in its infancy there is a reference to a "house painted red." The inference is that Meriden, like the run of old New England communities, was made up of houses unpainted for the most part, whose shingles were allowed to mellow with the weather. When paint was used, it was generally either bright red or equally bright yellow. Even the meeting houses usually glowed with the favorite red paint which was retained throughout succeeding years as a favorite barn shade. The fashion for white paint which is now so much a part of New England tradition, didn't come in until the second or third decade of the nineteenth century. A description in Mrs. Breckenridge's Recollections of the old Hough house so famous as a tavern is applicable on a smaller scale to the plan of houses in general use at the time. The front door opened into a square hall from which a narrow crooked stair rose to the second floor. On either side of the hall, doors opened into flanking rooms, each with its fireplace. From each of these rooms doors gave access to the big kitchen, the actual center of family life, its huge fireplace and brick ovens in constant use. The family ate in the kitchen, spent their evenings there reading, sewing, spinning, or knitting, commonly received their visitors there. In some homes the kitchen also doubled as sleeping quarters for a part of the brood growing too numerous for bed- rooms. Low ceilings were far more common than the high ones such as wealthier home owners affected. The furnishings were quite simple — usually a few straight-backed chairs primly lined 54 OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS against the wall, a dresser covered with an array of pewter and whatever lusterware the housewife could collect, a small table, a stand or two for candles, and a high-backed settee, maybe two, beside the fireplace. During the earliest days in Meriden, houses were provided with strong barricades for doors and windows as protection from marauding Indians. The Belcher Tavern was an example of the sturdy defense system necessary to the times. After the com- munity grew and the Indian menace was being forgotten, less protection was needed. Door latches were first wooden and later iron. The earliest ones had no thumb pieces. The latch was on the inside of the door to which a cord was attached and run through to the outside by way of a hole bored for the purpose. Locking the door was simply accomplished by pulling the string inside. Some houses were built with a wide front door made of two separated panels swinging in from each side. Such a doorway remains in the old Johnson house on Eaton Avenue now owned by Carter H. White. The simple handleless latch was no pro- tection for such a double door. Locking, in such cases, was accomplished by a stout wooden bar, longer than the width of the door frame, carefully fitted into equally stout wooden arms attached midway on the door casing, a device still in the old Johnson house. Ornamental trees on private property were neglected for many years after the first settlement. Landowners were too busy wresting a living from the stony land, which was actually a blessing in disguise since to it may be credited the developing of the creative, inventive genius of future Meridenites. But it was the custom from the beginning of road building to plant lines of trees to flank the highway. Lombardy poplars had a brief vogue, probably a bit of French influence, the last specimen of which was a scraggly tall skeleton near Hough's tavern felled in the 1890's. But poplars were never as popular as the stately elm so much better suited to giving shade and graceful ornamentation. Orchards were an early acquisition in the neighborhood. Fruit trees never objected to their stony surroundings. Many barrels of apples were stowed away in Meriden cellars. But more found their way into presses of the cider mills. As early as 1718 there is a record of official permission to one man to erect a cider mill. 55 OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS Before Meriden became a separate town, cider mills were dotted all around the community. Creaking machinery could be heard throughout the apple season as it squeezed the presses that drew sweet liquid from fleshy pulp. No doubt Meriden boys used to congregate around the tubs elbowing one another out of the way as each tried to get his sucking-straw into the golden juice. Full barrels of cider were carted home. Many families had cider on the table at every meal. Sweet-apple cider was also boiled down to make "apple- molasses" much desired in pies and puddings and sauces. Inciden- tally tea was a beverage used only for special company. Coffee, home ground of course, and sweetened with molasses, was far more commonly used. Just as "Yankee" became a synonym for ingeniousness, thrift, and careful bargaining, — as has been said a Yankee "is a born arguer, a born peddler, a Jack-at-all-trades and good at them all," — so is "Yankee housewife" a synonym for scrupulous cleanliness. Indoors in Meriden, neatness was the supreme rule. Perhaps with the advent of wallpaper and carpets and a great variety of furniture and knickknacks, the neatness which was the well- earned repute of the New England housewife took a bit of a backward step. But cleanliness was always solidly next to godli- ness. Mrs. Breckenridge gives a delightful description of the hustle and bustle of seasonal housecleanings by which the early Meriden housewife purged her house in almost the same fervor that found its outlet in a spiritual revival. When the settlers first moved into what is now Meriden there was little fencing done. Pasture lands were more or less common property during the days before threat from Indians was entirely laid at rest and while wild animals were making their periodic depredations on domestic breeds. Men found it safer to make a joint project of protecting herds and flocks. It was from this period that "Milking Yard" got the name that is still used for a tract partially included in Walnut Grove property today. It was out there a pen was built into which cows were driven at milking time where owners came to milk, each his own cows. Cattle were branded but strays from other areas now and then found their way into Milking Yard, and others were too carelessly marked for proper identification. One of the earliest requests for the separation of Meriden into a village with its own 56 , OLD CUSTOMS, OLD WAYS AND PROGRESS governmental system was based on the need for a more conveni- ently located "Pound" for caring for such strays. Driving cattle to Wallingford was far too irksome for the busy men of this neighborhood. Gradually the wilderness was being conquered. Soon it became feasible to divide land into parcels for private use. The tinkling of bells on cows and sheep that once had sent out merry tunes in common pasturage was reduced from mass orchestration to smaller units. Fences were built. Plenty of stone was at hand on Meriden hills for the purpose. Unhappily those picturesque piles of moss-grown, vine-covered rocks are fast disappearing. But in the early 1800's they were an integral part of the landscape. In the lowlands the usual fences were made by digging a ditch. On the ridge made by the excavated dirt a low barrier of rails, stakes, and brush was put up. Oxen did most of the heavy farm work like plowing and hauling. It was not until 1825 or later that horses took up that burden. Farmers worked from daylight to dark, from seed time to harvest. Tools were few and clumsy in the earliest days, but the very plentitude of stones put native ingenuity to work at devising new equipment, better than those of wood with rough iron edges and points — a talent that was quickly extended to the making of all sorts of handy gadgets that made the progress of Yankee peddlers welcomed throughout the countryside. There are many jokes about the wooden nutmegs, basswood hams, and white-oak cheeses, but the Yankee peddler's knowledge of his market, care in selecting useful goods, and integrity in rdriving what may have been a "hard bargain," planted the seed from which American industry has made its sturdy and phenom- enal growth. Some of the best seeds were planted by Meriden. Charles and Hiram Yale sent out peddlers with their tinware. The Twiss brothers marketed their Meriden-made clocks by peddlers. Pratt's ivory combs went to market with peddlers. Charles Parker got his start making and peddling household coffee-mills. 57 CHAPTER TEN Separation from Wallingford Not long after Meriden attained the dignity of being a parish society with a name of its own, some of the settlers began to agitate for a new step to importance and independence. Residents in the north end of the parish found it inconvenient to go to Wallingford to attend church, town, and freeman's meetings. Several petitions were sent to the General Assembly requesting permission to become a separate town, or at the least to be annexed to other towns nearer than Wallingford. By May 1786, feeling was waxing rather high on the subject. A formal petition went to Hartford over the signatures of three appointed agents^ John Couch, Sam Whiting, and Dan Collins. Citing how grievously the inhabitants were subjected to "great trouble, inconvenience & expence" in attending the "ordinary Business of the Town, Proxys, Town Meetings, &c." and upon their business at the County and Superior Courts, they asked that the parish become the town of Meriden and annexed to the County of Middlesex. Wallingford countered by sending a special and eloquent committee to speak against the petition, which they did success- fully. Again in 1794 another petition to the same effect was drawn up to be met with a counter proposal from Wallingford that it would be "highly reasonable and expedient and likely to unite the two Societies together and prevent a separation." Recognizing the "disagreeableness" suffered by the society of Meriden in attending meetings in Wallingford, it was proposed to hold one-third of the meetings in Meriden, and the rest in Wallingford. Still the inhabitants of Meriden were determined to be set apart. Attempts in 1803 and 1804 continued to fail, but Wallingford leaders either tired of the struggle or accepted the inevitable. It was voted to choose a committee of equal numbers from each Wallingford and Meriden to confer. At last the final petition went to the General Assembly in May, 1806, showing that Meriden constituted in extent, population, and property more than one- 58 SEPARATION FROM WALLINGFORD third of the parent town of Wallingford. Thereupon the Assembly passed the resolution that "The inhabitants living within the limits of the parish of Meriden be and they are hereby incorporated into and made a Town by the name of Meriden." The first town meeting was held in Meriden on the third Monday in June, 1806, which was the 16th, at one o'clock, and the town officers were elected. So it was that 150 years ago Meriden joined the federation of independent communities so distinctive of Connecticut, and in the direct pattern by which our nation was consitiuted and has waxed in the freedom of the self-governed. The moderator, George W. Stanley, was selected by the General Assembly. Under his chairmanship, clerk, selectmen, constables, tax collector, treasurer, surveyors of the highways, "fence viewers," pound keepers, jurors, and weight sealer were elected. That was an exciting day for Meriden. Some of the minutes of the meeting make amusing reading today. Voted, they say, that any person may wear his hat in Town meeting "Except" when addressing the Moderator. Voted, That Geese shall not be suffered to run at large on the highways unless they are well Yoaked. On that day it was also voted to "lay a Tax for the purpose of defraying the debts and expences to which this Town now is or may be liable." Five mills was the first tax rate. A paper on taxation preserved in the Historical Society's collection says the list for 1826 for collections made by Asahiel Curtis shows nine persons paid over eight dollars each for both town and state tax. There were only 21 others who paid more than five dollars. Some who were influential citizens paid much less. The two smallest taxes were for a fraction of a cent, and both of them marked on the record as paid. It is interesting to note that in 1800, coaches were assessed at $168, chariots at $134, phaetons at $75, curricles at $68, other four-wheel carriages on springs at $30, each gold watch at $34, other watches at $10, steel and brass wheel clocks at $20, clocks with wood wheels at $7. According to the same paper, dwelling houses back in 1702 were put on the books at $5 for each fireplace. Sheep that were sheared got a reduction on the list of 75 cents. There was a poll tax on citizens from 18 to 21 at $30, from 21 to 70 at $60. As George Munson Curtis said in his historical address for 59 SEPARATION FROM WALLINGFORD iMeriden's Centennial celebration, "There was little about the town in its early days which indicated that some day it would grow to a place of considerable size; it was simply a quiet, peaceful community, bent on getting a living as best it could from the rather sterile soil. . . ." It was still primarily a farming community when it attained its position as a separate town. There were a few business places begun by citizens who were looking for something other than an agricultural pursuit. The agriculture of Connecticut which had so recently fed Washing- ton's armies in Massachusetts and New York during the Revolution, was already of too little profit to satisfy the ambitious without sufficient love of the soil to compensate for its limited productivity and remuneration therefrom. Some were beginning to branch into other lines, to take what Judge Simeon Baldwin called "a spot of earth . . . rough hills, far from the sea, with no streams to furnish any considerable power, and by their inventive faculty, their quick eye and ready hand, their wise economy, their watch of markets and creation of markets. . . ." turn this community into a place of diversified industry whose products have a world-wide market. But in 1806 Meriden still looked very much the farm com- munity it was. Life revolved more or less around the tavern up on the East Main Street hill at the corner of Broad. It was in that tavern kept by Dr. Insign Hough that the town officers and selectmen had their headquarters. It was there, also, that the farmers gathered to talk over the news of the day and to discuss and argue community affairs. Moreover the tavern offered an opportunity for Meriden farmers to meet outsiders and to sample opinions from other parts of the country, because it was the popular stopping place for stagecoaches enroute from Hartford to New Haven or bound the other way from New York to Boston. Mrs. Breckenridge in her Recollections of a New England Town says also that the stages brought glimpses of city fashions as the passengers stopped at the famous "Hough's Tavern," the "Halfway House," to dine or sleep. So we can imagine that the tavern was a center of interest for Meriden women as well as the men burdened with the vote and hence obliged to keep up on the news. Most of the houses built in Meriden in the years immediately 60 SEPARATION FROM WALLINGFORD before and after the year it became a town are of modest construction and lacking some of the elegant touches in wood- work or appointment of those that came before and later. It seems obvious that Meriden was a bit on the "poor" side in that particular era — poor at least in what could be gleaned from the land, but rich in possibilities. Little shops began to spring up, places where one or two men working together were making things they could sell. George Curtis says that by 1820, 105 of the little more than 1,200 inhabitants were engaged in some sort of manufacturing. By the end of another two decades the proportion had increased to 21 per cent. Shops were larger; goods were durable, handsome, and useful; Meriden was making a name for herself in the commercial world. These were the sort of men to whom Meriden must be thankful for fashioning the shape which is our city's today. Back in 1849 Reverend George W. Perkins pays his tribute to the breed of men who founded Meriden, and their succeeding generations who built the community: ". . . those fathers of ours were men, Christian men, New England men." There is a pertinent comment in one of the historical papers written by Leland Ives to set down the history of his own family. He prefaces his factual genealogical account with the dry remark that in writing the Ives family history he was "by no means embarrassed with a superfluity of interesting material. A suc- cession of generations of most reputable New Englanders whose quiet lives were devoted largely to farming and mercantile pursuits, is not well calculated to inspire a stirring essay." In this present generation we can take exception to that judgment. It is so obvious now that the character of this city, which has been called an "ideal community," was shaped by the persistent efforts of the many "reputable New Englanders" who were not spectacular in their own day, but who left behind them a spectacular record. George W. Perkins in his history calls attention to a reply the Connecticut Legislature made in 1680 to a questionnaire from the mother country. "The country is a mountainous country, full of rocks, swamps and hills; and most that is fit for plantations is taken up," was what was in the report. Yet the whole state contained only about 10,000 inhabitants then. The men of "quiet lives", who were devoted to farming and their children and who used their ingenuity to manufacture 61 SEPARATION FROM WALLINGFORD desirable goods which could be made without an abundance of water power, wrested a good living and built the foundation for a happy life for succeeding generations out of meager resources. In another of the papers prepared for the early historical society, Henry Dryhurst reports that "when in 1806 Meriden was set apart from Wallingford, Amos White was named by President Jefferson as the first postmaster. The office was located in a one- story building ... on the southeast corner of Broad and East Main (this was the Eli Birdsey property). He was followed by Patrick Lewis who served until President Jackson appointed Levi Yale who served the next 12 years, transferring his office to 641 Broad. The West Meriden post office was established in about 1845 with Joel H. Guy appointed as postmaster by President Polk," — the office on West Main. The center of town life was up around the white churches on the top of East Main Street hill. Welcome Benham, whose paper for the historical society has already been quoted, recalls in 1894 his own memory of the downtown part of Meriden as being "a bog swamp extending from Colony Street on the west to beyond Veteran on the east and southerly to South Colony Bridge and northerly up to or beyond Cedar Street." H. S. Wilcox writes in his paper for the historical collection that for a period of over 125 years after the Boston merchant Andrew Belcher built his old stone fort there is no record of any merchant doing business in this place and "probably the early settlers bought their supplies in Wallingford and Middletown." Mr. Wilcox notes: "In the year 1792 John Butler started the boot and shoe business on South Market Street (now Broad) nearly opposite the Center Congregational Church. ... A few years later Amos White had a grocery and provision store situated a little south of the old Meriden bank. Mr. White was the first town clerk of Meriden. ... Eli C. Birdsey had a dry goods store on the corner of East Main and South Market Streets, occupying the front portion of the brick building now standing there (paper dated in 1893) and Alanson Birdsey occupied the rear part with a stock of groceries." The Century of Meriden notes there was a store run by Amasa Curtis and Isaac Lewis in the former's house which stood at the fork of Broad and Curtis. Across the street and a bit to 62 SEPARATION FROM WALLINGFORD the north was Seth D. Plum's tavern. There was also a big barn just east of the Central Tavern where the stagecoach horses were kept. With the many residences in the area, this was Meriden's busy center of activity. Another "center" was growing down the hill near Harbor Brook, where Perkins' Blacksmith Shop appears on the map of that era and houses were scattered along the way up old Liberty Street hill past Cowles' stone-cutting yard and toward a tannery still further to the northeast. But the hilltop was the nucleus of the new town of Meriden. Another of the same 1894 collection of historical papers that fails to bear the name of its writer says: "Just what the state of religion was in Meriden at the beginning of this century we don't know, but soon after the Revolutionary War and during the hard times and the unsettled state of the country following that period, we have every reason to think it was at a low ebb. For 74 years there seems to be no record of a revival of religion in this town." This anonymous writer refers with admiration to the "great and wonderful reviving" that had occurred under Jonathan Edwards in 1735. Also he expressed himself as being deeply impressed by the revivals of 1852-53 under the same Perkins who wrote our charming old history of Meriden. It is Mr. Perkins who has something to say about that gap in Meriden's spiritual growth. "So far as the morals of the town are concerned," he writes, "there are some rather curious facts. The number of taverns was astonishingly great. In 1790, and for some time before, when the whole population of the town was not more than nine hundred, and as late as 1812, there were five if not eight taverns within the limits of Meriden. As those taverns always kept ardent spirits, and as the population of the town was small, and as the amount of travel then was much less than it is now (1849) these facts indicate a low state of morals." He continues by contrasting his own era with the old, pointing out that but two taverns served Meriden in his day, a Meriden with a population of 3000, and at only one of those "are spiritous liquors sold." 63 CHAPTER ELEVEN Meriden Mines Meriden once had its era of seeking hidden wealth in the ground. Soon after the town was settled, people began to think of what riches might lie hidden in the rocks of our hills. As early as 1712 the legislature passed a law for the protection and encouragement of potential miners in this area and in Simsbury. Shafts were sunk in Meriden and some vigorous prospecting done, but by whom nobody now knows. In 1737 a company was formed to try again in the abandoned works located in "milking-yard hill." Papers carefully copied by G. W. Perkins in his Historical Sketches indicate the search was for gold as well as for copper. He further relates that men who were "old inhabitants" in his time said that in their boyhood it was a matter of current belief that gold had actually been found here. The story also went that the "foreigners" working the mine appropriated and kept for themselves what gold was found. Anyway the means for smelting ore was not at hand. One attempt to ship ore to England for smelting resulted in disaster when the ship was lost at sea. Once more the mine was abandoned, never to be tried again. This was called the Golden Parlor Mine. Several records of contracts for work were preserved into Mr. Perkins' time. They indicated that what was then a very considerable sum of money was expended on a futile search. The Golden Parlor in the Walnut Grove section was not the only such venture. Land south of the Belcher property amounting to some 50 acres was leased in 1735 "for digging all manners of metals." A good century and a half after that ended as an unprofitable operation, Meridenites fre- quently found fragments of good crystal quartz in the old pits — some recollect discovering bits of "lovely blue quartz." Still another try for buried treasure was made near the Hanging Hills by Dan Johnson who is reported to have lost a small fortune. His shafts were in what was then called Mining Hill — what is now the island at the south end of Merimere, since waters were backed up around it for our reservoir. It may seem incongruous to us in this day and age to find our 64 MERIDEN MINES canny forebears had what seems to us a pipe dream. But copper was successfully mined in Granby and iron in Salisbury. In fact the Salisbury mine and works were well known. The guns of the Constitution and other early American warships were cast at Salisbury out of iron mined there. Gold, silver, mica, lead, asbestos, copper, and cobalt have been found not too far from Meriden. None of it was ever in amounts that would fire a miner's imagination today. Sandstone such as was used to make the old turnpike milestones went from this neighborhood to build some of the lush structures of New York's earlier days. The one profitable product from Meriden's rocky surface is the trap rock, which has given being to substantial businesses for many years and with that we are content. Meriden's prosperity stems from the minds and skills of the men and women who call it "Home." 65 CHAPTER TWELVE Slavery In colonial days Connecticut and New Haven colonialists thought it was as proper to buy, sell, or keep slaves as to do the same with cattle, horses, or chickens. There are records of public auctions of slaves in Middletown. Slavery began in Connecticut in 1639 when one colored lad from Dutch Guiana was held as a slave in Hartford. Many of the Pequot Indians captured in the war with that enemy tribe were held as slaves. But Indians made unwilling workers so the practice was discontinued, although there was no hesitancy on the part of Connecticut people about selling Indians who were captives into slavery in the West Indies. But one of the first anti-slavery societies in the nation was formed in New Haven in 1833, evidence that people in this area were not backward in their awakening to the wrongs of the practice. In Meriden the abolitionist movement was sparked by a small group of "men of property and influence." Believing that slavery was a "monstrous sin," they sought to convince other Meridenites by bringing in a famous anti-slavery minister to speak at the Congregational church. There was also a strong and bitter anti-abolitionist feeling here and the leaders on that side of the controversy determined to break up the meeting. There ensued what is known as the "Meriden Riot" when two brothers named Thompson, imports to the community for the occasion, battered down the church door with a log picked up in a neighboring woodpile. Eggs, rotten and otherwise, and some stones were used as missiles. Women fainted, there were many scuffles, and much excitement. But apparently nobody was seriously hurt. It was, however, a cause celebre in Connecticut, almost resulted in the summary dismissal of the minister, and took many years to heal breaches caused in local friendships. An interesting postscript to this "Meriden Riot" incident is that one of the Thompson brothers is said to have seen a local young lady in church with whom he fell instantly in love. Against her family's wishes and the advice of friends, she finally married him 66 SLAVERY — we assume after he served the six months' jail sentence imposed for his part in the riot. Needless to say the couple left Meriden for some unidentified place "in the West." The slavery controversy boiled in Meriden for a long time. Mrs. Breckenridge in her Recollections tells about the persecution of two of Meriden's early manufacturers — Harlowe Isbell and Homer Curtis who owned a shop for making door latches. These two men were at the time the only local persons voting the anti- slavery ticket. Twice their factory was set on fire and burned down with all contents. Many word-of-mouth anecdotes have been handed down through the years about the part these men took in helping escaping slaves on their "underground" route to freedom. The root of the trouble in Meriden lay in disruption of trade with the South. By the time of the outbreak of the Civil War few if any slaves remained in what could be called a state of bondage in this neighborhood. No Meridenite was to suffer loss of personal property, valuable assets, by the freeing of slaves. But Meriden's very existence depended upon continuing employment of crafts- men and laborers in the variety of businesses finding ever wider markets. Sudden disruption of trade with the South, a ready market for some of Meriden's finest quality products, hit where it hurt. When the inevitable came to pass, many a family faced some extremely lean years before a subsequent readjustment restored trade which was, and still is, Meriden's life-blood. The shortages normal in war times were many times compounded by unemployment. It was very natural that the moral issue of slavery was confused in local minds by intrusion of serious dislocation in budding industries. Actual slavery in Meriden itself was of too small an extent to make it a great local issue. Meriden was stirred in the controversy by theoretical and religious conviction mainly. Perkins in his history says only a few slaves were owned here. But their condi- tion, living as they did singly in the families of their owners and working side-by-side with them, was very different from that of slaves worked in gangs under overseers as was done in the South. Meriden slaves were considered members of the family and baptized as such on the plan of "household baptism." Mr. Perkins lists many records showing such baptisms and the no less carefully recorded deaths. From 1728 to 1766 he says 67 SLAVERY 29 deaths out of 316 were so worded as to indicate they were slaves. He also notes that slave trade as such never existed in Meriden although there were some transfers of slaves made in the same manner as transfers of other personal property. Emancipation by proclamation made little difference in Meriden. Some of the local slaves had already been freed before the great national decision was taken. Others were living in the promise of early release and with the knowledge their children would not be born into slavery. There was not a hitch in the transition to the enlightened era for which the Civil War was fought that was caused by slaves themselves, or by owners reluctant to change their status. There were, however, honest differences of opinion among Meriden's rugged individualists about the issues that culminated in the bloody, heart-breaking war. These left scars as deep if not as notorious as that made by the "Meriden Riot." 68 CHAPTER THIRTEEN rijrwrwvr The Railroad, Past and Present When the first "iron horse" snorted into Meriden on December 3, 1838, the stagecoach horses in the stable on Broad Street may have pricked their ears and trembled with fright as the strange sounds of its coming drifted up the hill. But the trainload of dignitaries, pulled by a primitive locomotive, which arrived to mark the opening of the new railroad, marked also the beginning of the end of stagecoach days here. The horses were soon to be retired from the business of hauling travelers between New Haven and Hartford, and the mechanical steed was to take over this task permanently. No single factor has played a larger part in shaping the pattern of Meriden's growth than the course taken by the railroad through the low lands at the valley's deepest depression, where Harbor Brook nows sluggishly on its way to join the Quinnipiac River. The tracks were laid over a swamp, and there was quicksand under the rails where they crossed East Main Street, a condition which was to cause much trouble to maintenance crews in later years. But an early proposal to run the line east of Broad Street, then the center of the town, was strongly opposed, and the thinly settled section of West Meriden was chosen. The westward trend of the town's expansion was thus established. The railroad was incorporated by the State Legislature in 1833, when Andrew Jackson was still President. But the project did not come to life until several years later. The interval was filled with the loud complaints of those who saw their means of liveli- hood threatened by the proposed line: tavern keepers, holders of toll gate privileges, the center and fringes of the stagecoach enterprise, including its many stockholders. Two Meriden men, both large property owners in West Meriden, were influential in backing the plan to run the railroad through that section. They were Major Elisha A. Cowles and Judge James S. Brooks, who sold part of their holdings to help the railroad establish its right of way. With an eye for future possibilities, they had assisted in pushing the bill of incorporation 69 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT through the State Legislature, and were well prepared for the later moves. Judge Brooks was an especially interesting figure. At the age of 12, he had been bound out to a tavern keeper in Haddam, but ran away after he had been threatened with a beating. He trudged the 25 miles to Meriden with all his belongings wrapped in a bandana, and his sister, who lived here, took him in. For a time, he worked on a farm in Westfleld. He spent his spare hours studying and finally was admitted to the Connecticut Bar. Gradu- ally, he accumulated considerable property, and his farm, through which the railroad was to run, was known as one of the finest in Meriden. In selling land for the right of way, he made an astute move, for, as business began to develop in West Meriden, he was able to subdivide his property into business and residential streets. Today, many of Aderiden's business blocks stand on the original farm site. The First Congregational Church is located on land once owned by him, and the factories and business blocks on State Street are also placed on the Brooks farm lands. Brooks Street took its name from the judge. Until her death in 1949, his granddaughter, Miss Sarah Collins, lived in a little brown house, filled with heirlooms, at the side of the tracks. This property has gone the way of other old landmarks, so many of which were effaced as business advanced. An old cow barn stood for years on Miss Collins' property, converted into a garage. A viaduct was incorporated into the deed to the railroad company so that the judge's cows could be driven under the tracks to their pastures. The judge, when selling his land, insisted on a provision that all passenger trains stop in Meriden, and this proviso has been brought forward at times when the railroad was considering curtailing the number of station stops for express trains. Rockney's History of New Haven County states that the first depot was in Rogers Hotel from 1840 to 1842, when it was moved across the street to the rear of Conklin's Hotel beside the railroad track, where the "Railroad Refectory" contained the ticket office and a waiting room for passengers. A paper prepared by Allen B. Squire, when paymaster of the New Haven Railroad, contradicts this version. Addressing the original Meriden Historical Society in 1894, Mr. Squire stated that the first passenger station in Meriden was on what is now Railroad Avenue, and was in connection with Capt. Conklin's Hotel, which fronted on Main 70 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT Street. This building, he reported, was destroyed by fire, and the station waiting room was temporarily located in the northeast corner of the building which stood at the corner of East Main and South Colony Streets. Major Cowles and Dr. Isaac Hough owned the land and the building, which was later remodeled into a hotel run by Hervey Rogers. In its later history, it was known as the Rogers Block and contained Connors' Segar Store and a shoe-shining establishment, until it was torn down to permit the widening of the corner which is now the beginning of the Loop. In November 1842, Nelson Merriam and H. M. Foster issued a poster bearing the picture of the hotel which then occupied the corner of East Main Street and Railroad Avenue, part of the land on which the present Cherniack Building stands. It showed the "Railroad Refectory" protruding beyond the rear of an engine, with the freight station opposite, where the present railroad platform is located. The poster announced "respectfully" to "friends and the public generally" that this "new and spacious establishment, eligibly located at the Depot of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, is now open for the reception of Company." It boasted that "the House has been furnished throughout with New Furniture, and every arrangement has been made for the comfort and conveni- ence of guests." Particular attention, it stated, "will be devoted to Parties of Pleasure," and boasted that a "Refectory is con- nected, where a variety of Refreshments are prepared for the accommodation of PASSENGERS BY THE CARS." The advertisement was signed by N. Merriam and H. M. Foster, proprietors. Like Judge Brooks, Major Cowles was a prosperous local businessman who could look into the future and see visions of even greater prosperity. The two men had engaged in a joint transaction some years before the railroad route was planned. They had bought seven acres, including the site of the present Derecktor Building at the corner of West Main and Colony Streets. In 1831, they conveyed to the town a strip of land 20 feet wide on the west side of Colony Street as far as the present Wilcox Block to widen the street from a narrow road to its present width. Both became directors of the new railroad, and Judge Brooks was acting president in 1856 and signed the annual report in 1859. Eli Butler was a director in 1868 and in 1909 John 71 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT L. Billard was a director. After the lease of the Boston and Maine Railroad, Charles F. Linsley and Mr. Billard were directors of that railroad. All these connections of local men with railroad enterprise arose from the spadework done by the Cowles-Brooks combination of interests in the early period. South of Main Street, the railroad traversed the land it had purchased from Major Cowles. North of Main Street, it ran over property bought from Judge Brooks. Major Cowles, one of the incorporators, served as a director for a number of years. The line between New Haven and Meriden was the first link in this section of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad system. For a year after this link was completed, stagecoaches carried the passengers on to Hartford. Eventually the Hartford & New Haven, as it was called, combined with the later-built Hartford and Springfield, and finally with the New York & New Haven to form the New York, New Haven & Hartford. The New York end was completed in 1849. In 1847, Judge Brooks was elected president of the Springfield, Hartford and New Haven Railroad, which had its southern terminus at Belle Dock, New Haven, where connections were made with New York and other places by steamboat until train service to New York was established. But in the Meriden of 1838 these possibilities were only guessed. The tracks ran here and stopped, and business began to gather in that neighborhood. A tavern was not the ideal location for a station, although it did offer accommodation to travelers in the way of quick refresh- ments. Dr. Hough and the Major could compete with the Central Tavern uptown on rather favorable terms, for the trains could hold more passengers than the stagecoaches, but the stages ran more frequently than the trains at the beginning of this new era. The railroad at the start was a great novelty. The puffing locomotive seemed like a great monster from another world. People were awed by its appearance and the clamor of its coming. Horses plunged and reared as they came near the crossing. John Ives, who was to become a prosperous dry-goods merchant when he grew up, often told the story of the day when he first heard the steam engine whistle. He was then a boy on a farm in the southeast district. The whistle blew as the train came through Holt's Hill cut, and John ran home in fright to tell his mother 72 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT that some great beast was making terrible sounds in the woods. But it didn't take long for the feeling of strangeness to wear away, as the business possibilities in connection with the railroad's location were recognized. Meanwhile, the railroad was making some progress in its own operations. The income for the first three months was $15,500, which dropped to $8,000 during the next three months when the Connecticut River was open. During the first summer, receipts were $8,500, giving a gross income of $32,000 for the first nine months. The road had four locomotives, valued at $18,000 for the lot. Five four-wheel freight cars were valued at $1,500. In the summer of 1845, T rails were substituted for the old iron bars on the southern part of the line. During 1843, a little more than $1,000 was expended in Meriden for station and depot improvements. In 1846, the fare was reduced from a little more than four cents to three cents a mile. In 1850, a branch track from Berlin to Middletown was placed in operation. In the same year, double track was laid from Meriden to Berlin. A second track was laid on the southern portion of the road about 1852, and in 1854 double tracking of the whole main line was completed. The business center of Meriden was to be well started toward its present development before the railroad was to have a station of its ownjln 1854, the railroad bought from William Hale for $3,000 a tract of land then known as the Hale "garden plot." It faced Colony Street and extended through to the railroad tracks. On this land, the present site of the Colony Building, a brick station was erected which was to be used for 28 years. The place was later known as Winthrop Square. Surrounding the station was an open plaza, where large elm trees flourished on the Colony Street frontage. Majestic elms lined Colony Street at that period, and remained undisturbed for many years. They survived the leisurely horse-and-buggy era, and were removed only when they were recognized as an obstacle to the curbside parking of automobiles in front of Colony Street stores. But parking was no problem in the nineteenth century, and the railroad plaza was not congested with traffic. Merriam's hackstand near the station drew its patronage from the trains. It was the 73 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT forerunner of the taxicab companies which compete for business near the present station. In 1864, fire destroyed most of the buildings on the east side of Colony Street, and the station was badly damaged. It was repaired and continued in use for 19 more years. When a new passenger station was built in Wallingford in 1878, Meriden was envious. Agitation was begun for a new station here, and the railroad decided to meet the local demands. In 1865, a new freight station had been erected on State Street extension, and the site occupied by the old freight station, across the tracks from the old passenger station, was chosen as the site for new passenger facilities. The new station was much larger than the station which now serves Meriden. It had a mansard roof and cupola, two almost inevitable details of the florid architectural style of the period. Along the side nearest to the tracks ran a long platform covered with a canopy upheld by iron struts. The interior was poorly lighted and the general effect was depressing, especially so after the building was allowed to run down in the course of the years. But in the seventies, when all was new, the station was regarded as one of the finest on the line. The Winthrop Hotel was built not long after the big station was opened to the public. A private way between the depot and Colony Street was established along the southerly border of the tract on which the old station stood, and the public was quick to take advantage of the short cut. The narrow passage provided a convenient route between the station and the hotel. The hotel porters trucked trunks and baggage over it for many years. This sort of traffic has ceased, but the passage is still used by many pedestrians, and any hint that it might be closed has always aroused a storm of protest. As the years passed, pride in the station declined. More than 20 years ago, sentiment began to gather for a new station better suited to Meriden's needs. The old station was too large for the volume of passenger traffic served, railroad officials admitted. It was also dingy and unattractive in all respects, and all too little attention was devoted to keeping it clean. Eventually, local efforts to induce the railroad to build a new station were successful. The present brick building, a much more compact structure, was erected in 1942, and formally opened on 74 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT September 21 of that year. It contained all the necessary facilities, including an attractive waiting room. Combined with it is a comfort station, built at city expense, and operated by the city for the convenience of the public. A small building for the Railway Express agency was built at the north end of the railroad area. Considerable thought was devoted to improving this area to provide easy access to the station while interfering as little as possible with the flow of traffic on State Street. A wide sweep of concrete-paved driveway leads to the side of the building on the east, and there is room here for the Hartford, New Haven, and Middletown buses to take on and discharge passengers when connecting with trains. A division separates this driveway from State Street, giving a place for one taxi stand. Another taxicab company is allowed to use space along the platform south of the station. On the north side of the building is a railroad parking area, where short-time parking is permitted. But the great increase in traffic in the last ten years has produced new problems in connection with the station's location, and the proposal to re- locate it, which arose in 1955, was an attempt to solve them. If the plan had gone through as outlined, the present freight station on State Street Extension would have been converted into a passenger station. The International Silver Company offered to purchase from the railroad the site of the passenger station and the adjacent land bordering its own property. Part of the land thus acquired was to be re-sold to the city for an off-street parking area. The Public Utilities Commission refused to approve this transaction, believing that the new passenger facilities to be provided would be inferior to the existing facilities. Its action appears to have put a period to the negotiations. Such problems as these were more than a century away from the stuggling railroad of the 1840's. They were still undreamed of when the railroad attained a virtual monopoly on transportation here at the close of the Civil War. But there were other problems just as serious. The railroad had given a new aspect to Meriden. It had fostered the growth which was to result in the incorporation of the city in 1867. But the growing pains were acute, and some of them, local industrialists and businessmen believed, were due to the highhanded way in which the railroad was being managed. 75 the railroad, past and present The Short Lines The first attempt to break the railroad monopoly came in 1869, when a special town meeting appointed a committee to seek pas- sage through the Legislature of a bill to authorize the town to subscribe $100,000 to the capital stock of a proposed Meriden and Cheshire Railroad. A little later, the town of Cheshire authorized a subscription to the same enterprise. At that time, the only independent north and south railroad was the New Haven and Northampton Railroad, the Canal line, and it was probable that the proposed line was to connect with it and thus form a new route to New York, which would provide competition and lower rates. But the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad acquired control of the Canal line, and the scheme for the Meriden and Cheshire Railroad was effectually blocked. The local manufacturers were still determined to find some way of beating railroad rates, which they considered discriminatory. The cost of bringing in coal and heavy supplies was a heavy burden on manufacturing. A proposal was advanced to build a railroad from Meriden to the Connecticut River at Cromwell, there to connect with boat and barge service on the river to New York and ports along the Atlantic coast. The announcement of this plan in 1881 triggered immediate and unexpected results. The Consolidated, as the New Haven Road was then known, reduced freight rates to Meriden by 25 per cent. Local businessmen were warned that this was just a trick, and that the advantages might be only temporary. Sentiment for a competitive railroad con- tinued strong, and one of Meriden's foremost industrialists did all that he could to encourage it. This man was Horace C. Wilcox, pioneer and leader in the rapidly growing silver industry. The original capitalization of the proposed road was set at $300,000 of which $230,000 was pledged before the first organization meeting. Mr. Wilcox declared himself ready to take any remaining stock, but he hoped that the stock could be spread throughout the business com- munity. About 150 citizens of the Meriden area attended the initial meeting July 5, 1882, when 17 directors were elected, who, a few days later, elected Mr. Wilcox as the president of the line. The air was full of optimism. One newspaper comment was: 76 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT "It is fair to hope that the sound of the locomotive whistle will be heard on the road before the snow flies." This was the summer of 1884, when the route of the new line was being mapped. The railroad was actually built during the following eight months, with terminal facilities established in Cromwell. At this end of the line, there was some dispute over the terminus site, but it was finally decided to place the passenger and freight station and the yards between Camp and Center Streets, the site now occupied by the New Departure Division of General Motors. The right of way skirted Brookside Park, then called Camp's Meadow, and the south edge of Pratt's Pond. The road purchased 40 freight cars, one passenger coach, and one light engine, planning to buy a heavy engine later. On April 1, 1885 the State Railroad Commission made a trip over the line and pronounced it fit for service. On April 6, service actually began. The timetable gave the trains 35 minutes to make the run to Cromwell, with flag stops at Highland, Smith's crossing and Westneld. There were three round trips daily, timed to connect with the Hartford-New York boats on the Connecticut River. If shippers got their freight to the Meriden station by 5 p.m. it would be delivered in New York the next morning. The Meriden and Cromwell line also tried to foster passenger traffic by advertising excursions to New York via the Hartford and New York steamboats. Such excursions were popular in the eighties, and the down-river runs attracted large crowds. One favorite run was via the steamer "Sunshine" to Sag Harbor, Shelter Island, and Niantic. There was also a "circular" trip, by way of Cromwell, the river run, and back by boat to New Haven, leaving New York at 3 p.m., and reaching Meriden by the "steamboat train" at 9 p.m. This gave a day in New York and consumed a little more than 24 hours. The initial success of the Meriden and Cromwell line, which was able to show a small profit after nine months of operation, produced many proposals for extensions to New Britain, Plain- ville, Wallingford, and even New Haven, as well as to Bristol, Waterbury, and Middletown. "The one with the most steam behind it," according to Glover A. Snow whose exhaustive article on the subject of early railroads in this vicinity was published in the August 1953 issue of Transportation, was "a projected extension to Waterbury." 77 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT In Waterbury, this proposal led to citizens' meetings, stock- selling efforts, and a bid for legislative approval of consolidation of the Meriden and Cromwell with the projected Meriden and Waterbury railroad. It was pointed out that the Consolidated freight rates were actually higher than they had been before the announced 25 per cent reduction in 1881. And they had prac- tically been frozen at high levels by the original Interstate Com- merce Commission Act of 1887. But, when it came to picking up a share of the check for the new line, Waterbury citizens held back. The road was financed with great difficulty, and Meriden had to take a much larger part of the investment than originally contemplated. The new line took off from the Meriden and Cromwell tracks east of Twiss Pond in Meriden, went under Britannia and Broad Streets, passed over North Colony Road just north of the old city line, bridged the tracks of the New Haven, then turned southwest and crossed numerous streets. Iron bridges were used at North Colony Street, the crossing over the Consolidated, and at Gracey, Kensington, and Lewis Avenues. Beyond Lewis Avenue, the tracks were almost at street grade, but overpasses were erected at street crossings. Land was purchased north of West Main Street for a passenger station, yards, engine house, shops, and turntable. The most difficult feat of construction was in laying the tracks from West Cheshire to Summit, a distance of three miles, with an elevation reaching 549 feet. Before the line could be completed, Horace C. Wilcox had to rescue the financing by pouring into it much additional capital of his own. He and other Meriden men dominated the enterprise, although Charles Dickenson of Waterbury was elected president. There were many squabbles over the right of way between the new railroad and property holders along the route. After numerous delays, one of them occasioned by the famous blizzard of 1888, the Waterbury line was finally completed in the spring of that year. On May 24, 1888, the Meriden and Cromwell and the Meriden and Waterbury were consolidated as the Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad Com- pany. Horace C. Wilcox was elected president of the combined lines. Among the directors were Abiram Chamberlain, later governor of Connecticut, and George R. Curtis, both of Meriden. 78 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT The road earned seven per cent for its investors the first six months it was in operation. A large volume of freight traffic barged up the river to Cromwell was carried over the new line. But the next six months told a different story. In March 1889 the directors authorized an issue of $400,000 in second mortgage bonds to obtain more capital. The expense of operating the Meriden-Waterbury part of the line had proved much heavier than was expected. Horace C. Wilcox again found the needed funds. The waiting room and ticket office at the West Main Street station were opened June 17, 1889. But for passengers it was a crude type of railroading. If a car went off the track, a rather frequent type of accident, the people aboard had to get off and walk or catch a ride in a horse-drawn vehicle. There were no telephones with which to summon aid. After the death of Horace C. Wilcox, August 26, 1890, the road was without its strongest source of support. The Wilcox estate held $176,000 and the Meriden Britannia Company, of which he was president, $100,000 of the total capital invested, or $276,000 of the $375,000 in stock which represented the invest- ment of Meriden stockholders. The road was mortgaged for $1,000,000. The subsequent chapters in the line's history told a sad story. In 1892, a syndicate headed by New York and Boston financiers with large railroad interests obtained control, but several Meriden men, including Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Curtis remained on the board. The New York, New Haven & Hartford and the New York & New England railroads were both suspected of having a hand in the deal, but the Consolidated spokesmen said they didn't want it. Later, it was discovered that the New York & New England had obtained a lease, but its validity had to be tested in the courts. Somehow the road struggled along, but the New York & New England went into bankruptcy and its assets were sold. As a result, the New Haven obtained control, and all the special rates for which Meriden had fought were abrogated. The purpose of the line had been defeated. For two years, operations ceased, and the line was threatened with the loss of its charter. This brought action, and a new corporation was formed in 1898 under the name of the Middle- town, Meriden & Waterbury Railroad Company. Ownership was 79 THE RAILROAD, PAST AND PRESENT in the hands of "friends of the New Haven Railroad," which really controlled the line. The section between Westfleld and Cromwell was abandoned. Trains were run into Middletown from Westfleld over the Middletown-Berlin branch of the New Haven instead of going into Cromwell. The first train from Meriden to Waterbury went over the line on December 5, 1898. Mixed trains of freight and passengers were run, and there was considerable traffic. From 1902 on, the line was operated under direct lease by the New Haven. By 1906, much of it had been electrified, and high- speed cars were used. Instead of running to the West Main Street station, a connection was made at Brookside Park with the city trolley tracks on Pratt Street, and the New Haven Road's Meriden station was the terminus for the Middletown interurban cars. The Meriden to Middletown service was operated by the Connecticut Company, the street railway subsidiary. The Meriden to Water- bury part of the road had not been electrified with the rest of it, and service was cut on that line until it finally went out of operation on June 24, 1917. Meriden to Middletown hourly service was continued until 1927, when buses took over. But trolley service ran as far as Westfield until 1932. Most of the roadbed of the old line, which furnished so many picturesque incidents in the history of Meriden transportation, is now covered over with trees, bushes, and weeds. Hikers still tramp along parts of the right of way, but only the old-timers among the walkers realize that they are passing along the route of an ambitious venture, which had its high moments, but flopped when the demand which brought it into being finally ceased. 80 CHAPTER FOURTEEN fWWWW Industry of the 19 th Century "Such is the surface of our town, so much of it covered with rocky and barren ridges, or with swamps unfit for tillage, that if we had remained exclusively an agricultural town, our popula- tion would not have increased, probably for the last thirty years, and our pecuniary circumstances would have been equally cramped. . . . one who was acquainted with this place 35 years ago, wearing every appearance of stagnation and dilapidation, must, with high gratification, contrast that decay with the life, thrift and taste now so characteristic of Meriden." So wrote G. W. Perkins, historian of early Meriden in 1849, when the industrial life of the community was in first bloom. Whether or not the poverty of the land was the main incentive, it is certain that the trend of occupations was away from agricul- ture and toward manufacturing in the 1820's and the 1830's, and that industry had been established as the chief source of livelihood here by 1845. In that year, the records of the time showed that 640 Meriden men, out of a population of about 3,200, were engaged in manufacturing. The town had grown by more than 1,000 residents in the previous 20 years, but growth was much more rapid after that, and the growth of industry was the principal reason. The early stages of manufacturing here began with the appli- cation of waterpower to turn the wheels of crude machinery for finishing goods. The plants were scattered along the reaches of Harbor Brook, from near its sources in the eastern part of the town to where it joined the Quinnipiac. In 1825, these little establishments included a carding and filling mill for processing wool brought from surrounding towns, placed nearly where the brook crosses the Middletown road; the sawmill of Asahel Baldwin near the Westneld road, and a grist mill close at hand; the ivory comb factory of Howard Pratt & Co. near the New Haven and Hartford turnpike; the door latch factory of Isbell & Curtis about two miles farther downstream; and a sawmill at the crossing of the old Hanover Road, the last on Harbor Brook 81 INDUSTRY OF THE 1°TH CENTURY before it joined the Quinnipiac. Sodom Brook had no industries. Another tributary of the Quinnipiac was the little stream of Crow Hollow which gave power to the brass works of Lauren Merriam and the ivory comb works of Walter Webb & Co. Near the Cheshire border, the power of the stream was utilized by Henry Griswold for the manufacture of bone buttons. At Hanover, the abundant water power turned the wheels of the factory of Brooks & Tibbals, who made augers. Half a mile below was the plant of Sanford Parmelee & Co., manufacturing augers and skates. The factories just enumerated comprised the whole list of Meriden plants in 1830 that were operated by auxiliary power, except the tannery works of John Butler at the corner of Liberty and Broad Streets, and the pewter works of Ashbil Griswold at his residence on Griswold Street, each of which used a horse attached to a sort of merry-go-round to move light machinery. In addition to the products of these factories were the products turned out in little shops which were family affairs. The Curtis family especially was noted for its production of pewter table- wares. Nearly every Curtis, man and boy, acquired skill at this trade. Several larger shops produced tinware, including Patrick Clark & Sons of Clarksville, Goodrich & Rutty, south of the center, and Noah Pomeroy on the east side. This was the type of goods marketed by the peddlars with their wagons. These family businesses laid the foundation for the great industry which was to give Meriden the name of the Silver City. But Meriden was not a silver town in 1840. Its chief industry at that time was the manufacture of ivory combs, with tinware J a close second. The tinware apprentices worked 12 hours daily for about 75 cents, and their wages were considered high. Julius Pratt & Company, successor to Howard Pratt & Co., became the leader in the comb industry. To this plant the great elephant tusks, weighing from 60 to 80 pounds apiece, were brought to be processed into combs in about 20 operations. Blanks were fed to automatic machines which stamped out the combs complete. In the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D. C, is a solid ivory cane with gold mountings made by Julius Pratt & Co. and presented by the firm to President John Quincy Adams. The plant of Walter Webb & Co., at first in Crow Hollow and later at Hanover, was a Pratt auxiliary, with purchases and sales 82 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY for a joint account. In 1848, the Pratt factory was destroyed by fire, and the Webb plant operated night and day for more than a year to supply the demand for ivory combs, showing a profit of 100 per cent on the invested capital. The Pratt plant was rebuilt and continued in operation until profits went out of the ivory comb business due to the substitution of cheaper and eventually more satisfactory materials. At one time, three fourths of the ivory combs made in America were turned out by the Pratt interests. There was a constant search here during the 40's and 50's for products that would sell easily from peddlars' wagons. Carpetbags, hoop skirts, and balmorals, a kind of woollen skirt, were turned out by Jedediah Wilcox. A peculiar article of neckwear called a "stock" was once manufactured extensively by Allen and Hezekiah Rice. It was made of silk or satin over a framework of bristles, three or four inches wide, and clasped with a buckle at the back of the neck. Ira Twiss & Brother built a factory at the head of Prattsville Pond late in the 30's, and there turned out wooden wheels for clockworks. These clocks were distributed by peddlars who took care not to visit the same home twice, for expansion and contraction of the wooden works made the clocks erratic time- keepers. This industry declined rapidly after Chauncey Jerome of Bristol in 1835 devised machinery with dies for stamping out clock wheels, and thus furnished a springboard for the manufac- ture of cheap clocks that would really keep time. The Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Company here turned out brass clock wheels for a brief period about the middle of the century. Meriden could establish a claim to priority in the manufacture of table cutlery, but the industry here was 16 years in developing. Julius Pratt & Co. had made bone handles for this type of ware, brought to the United States by two Englishmen, Evans and Longdon, in 1836. At first, production was "farmed out" to convict labor at Wethersfield Prison in an attempt to overcome the differential between the cost of American and English labor, but the effort proved a failure. Walter Webb & Co. at Hanover acquired the process, and the firm of Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co. was formed in 1845 to turn out the product. Ten years later, the Meriden Cutlery Company was organized to continue with the line, and bone-handled table cutlery remained an important 83 INDUSTRY OF THE 1°TH CENTURY Meriden product for a long period. But large-scale manufacture here awaited the introduction of steam power. According to Julius Pratt, who returned to Meriden for the Centennial celebration in 1906, the first steam engine used here was installed before 1840 by Remick K. Clarke in his small tinning factory, which was destroyed by fire shortly afterward. Charles Parker, who founded the Charles Parker Company in 1832, the only manufacturing concern of that period which has survived to the present day, is credited with being the first successful user of steam power here. As late as 1847, he was still the only local user of steam to turn factory wheels. But the practical application of steam was not the only "first" for Charles Parker. His name stood for pioneering enterprise in many fields. He was public spirited throughout his long career, and ahead of his time in the quest for civic improvement. He was one of the group which turned Meriden from a little country town into an incorporated city, and he became its first mayor. Mr. Parker was born on June 2, 1809 in Cheshire, and was "bound out" to work on a farm. In 1828, he came to Meriden and was hired by Patrick Lewis to make coffee mills. In December 1829, he went into business for himself with a capital of $70, taking a contract for 1 3 months to make coffee mills for Lewis & Holt. By 1831, he had accumulated enough capital to purchase land near Broad Street and build a shop which was finished in 1832. The original power plant of the shop was a blind horse hitched to a pole sweep, and the horse plodded hour after hour in a circle in the rear of the shop. The principal product of this small enterprise was coffee mills. In 1844, in an enlarged plant powered by steam, Mr. Parker is reported to have been the first local manufacturer to plate spoons and forks. Some holloware was also made. Another enterprise with which he was connected was the manufacture of steam engines, printing presses, and machinists' tools. In this he was jointly engaged with Oliver Snow, an ingenious mechanic. There was also the C. and E. Parker Company which made brass and iron castings. By 1860, the various concerns in which Mr. Parker was interested employed about 1,000 men and 100 women, with a monthly payroll of S3 0,000 to $40,000, large-scale business for those times. 84 Residence Frederick M. Stevens, Jr. 304 Parker Avenue, built 1743 Residence Carter H. White 203 Eaton Avenue, built circa 1785 FALLS Plain DIVISION. February 49? ■* 90 j&lS? *5*^ ^i /& » * 7ziertzic<?<£. from. Ori^zn^-L — Residence Robert S. Rice 651 Paddock Avenue, built 1796 Lucchini Homestead 234 Coe Avenue, built before 1795 Daniel Hough, or Alfred P. Curtis Homestead • Curtis Street Horsecar Residence Robert Berger 164 Broad Street, built circa 1735 * -5 a a m'f ar ?i 2 2 * a a *t d^"' VJ^ft^J «ar The Old "Spoon Shop" East Main Street, Middletown Road V' •. j T * * \ V T « ^ v. - - v- VjB V - • i r « us p v^ v* V2* • v^ • 5 i • ( t V" ' 5 V . • ^ V-A E I V r- * ; ; ;': ^ • s ^ fc=J bo G T3 C D O - 0 bo c pa DC o <W{ The Eli Birdsey House Corner East Main and Broad Streets, built 1830 William H. Race Residence 93 Curtis Street, a spoon factory in the early 19th century East Alain Street, circa 1885 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY To the original coffee mills of the Parker Company, a varied line had been added by the mid-century, including German silver knives, forks, and spoons, tobacco boxes, sewing birds, silver plated spectacles, vises, waffle irons, miscellaneous hardware, sewing machines, locks, and presses. With the Civil War, the Parker Company turned to the production of military rifles for the Union armies. They manu- factured the regular standard breech-loading single-shot musket used by the Northern troops, and also developed one of the first repeating military rifles, which was used by the Kentucky Militia and drew Confederate protests that it was a barbarous weapon. After the war, the famous Parker gun was the result of the experience the company had acquired in the manufacture of firearms. It was continued as a local product until 1934, when the business was sold to the Remington Arms Company of Con- necticut. Parker guns are still highly prized. Mr. Parker was his own salesman in the busy period after the Civil War. He made one trip during the year, starting immediately after New Year's Day, and visiting the wholesale hardware houses which were accustomed to giving him orders for their full yearly requirements. Meriden in the 1840's was shaking off the old, crude methods of small shops and turning to the first trials of multiple machine processes. Skilled craftsmanship, however, was to remain a mark of Meriden products, and the best features of the old skills have been retained up to the present. Their retention has helped to uphold the reputation for quality which has always gone with the goods sent out from here to circle the world. Meriden's greatest industry — silver manufacturing — was still in the embryo stage when the 40's began. It did not spring to life as a fledgling of recognizable breed. At first, it was a sort of hybrid creature with tin wings, a pewter body, and a head faintly coated with a semblance of silver. This was the offspring of the little shops. Ashbil Griswold and others were making pewter kitchen utensils in Meriden as early as 1808. Difficulty in obtaining tin had interfered with the production of britannia metal by processes known even earlier. Pewter ware was a sort of bridge to overcome the scarcity of tin, and when tin became more plentiful, britannia entered its day. It was more brilliant in appearance, harder and 85 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY more resistant to wear, and could be cleaned and polished to a high lustre. The peddlars were able to sell britannia articles in quantity to housewives. By 1850, Ashbil Griswold, the pioneer, was producing britannia ware in North Meriden or Fraryville. James A. Frary and Couch & Benham made similar wares nearby. In East Meriden or Bangall, Isaac C. Lewis, George Curtis, and Darius Bingham, Jr. turned out britannia ware in addition to pewter. The Curtises, Edwin E. and Lemuel J., were making britannia on Curtis Street. Enos Curtis had a britannia factory at the north end on Britannia Street. The pewter shop of William W. Lyman was also on Britannia Street. S. L. Cone and L. G. Baldwin were also engaged in britannia manufacture. The contribution of Charles Parker has already been mentioned. Some factories employed 40 or more hands. The expansion of the silver industry in the 50's and 60's was being duplicated on a somewhat lesser scale by other Meriden industries during the same period. It was a period of pioneering in new lines of goods and new methods for making them. Jedediah Wilcox was one of the manufacturers who seemed to be making rapid progress. Starting in 1848, with carpetbags as his first product, he founded J. Wilcox & Co. in 1853, and began making leather belts. He was his own salesman, and soon managed to run up his gross sales to $300,000 a year. Hoop skirts and corsets were added to the line. The factory, at the corner of Pratt and Camp Streets, employed more than 500 hands in 1860. In 1865, just as business was pouring in, the factory was destroyed by fire. It was replaced with a new brick structure on the other side of Pratt Street. About this time, Jedediah's interests turned from woollen goods to silver. On Dec. 23, 1865, with his brother Horace, Charles Parker, Aaron Collins, Hezekiah Miller and others, he established the Wicox Silver Plate Company for the manufacture of holloware. The company was installed in the plant where woollen goods had been made. Another Meriden concern which had its beginnings in the same period took root and grew so flourishingly that it survived all the vicissitudes which forced some other local plants to wither and fade before the century ran out. Edward Miller & Co. was incorporated in 1866, with a capital of $200,000, with Edward Miller as president, F. J. Seymour as secretary and W. H. Perkins as treasurer. The first products were lamp trimmings, for oil, 86 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY fluid, and kerosene lamps, together with numerous articles of brass, copper, German silver, iron, and britannia. Edward Miller, who had begun his career in the 40's making candlestick springs, using foot and horse-power, was on the road to becoming one of the city's foremost manufacturers. His company went through every stage in the evolution of lighting equipment, from the earliest types of oil lamps to the most modern systems of fluorescent illumination in use today. With the advent of electricity as a lighting source, it turned to the manufacture of electric lamps, and the business has never ceased to progress with the changing times. The later history of the company will be considered in another chapter. Foster, Merriam & Co., incorporated in 1866, is only a memory today, although it survived for more than 30 years of the next century. John SutlifT was president, when the corporation began, and Albert Foster was secretary and treasurer. The original product was furniture casters. The company employed 60 persons about 1870. It was the outgrowth of a business which dated back to 1835. Foster Merriam sold out the caster business in 1927. In 1914, the company had been reorganized with a new group of men over its operation. A further reorganization followed in 1926. In 1933, part of the plant was destroyed by fire. J. B. Coggins bought the remaining buildings in 1940. The business today is operated by the J. B. Coggins Mfg. Company, with J. Blaine Coggins as president. His son, Leslie Coggins, is associated with him as vice president of the firm. In 1849, a year which might be designated as opening the first period of rapid industrial growth here, there were 35 principal manufacturers, employing approximately 540 hands. The stage was being set for greater enterprise when Horace C. Wilcox took to the road with the Yankee peddlars. He was an energetic young man with a keen eye for business, which he kept open for saleable lines of merchandise to add to the stocks on his neat wagon. Born in Westfield Parish, Middletown, in 1824, he had tired early of the life of the farm, and decided to undertake selling peddlar's wares. His brother Dennis had similar inclinations, and had done some peddling of tin between farm crops before Horace owned his first wagon. The two brothers were to become super-salesmen, and they never lost the touch of 87 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY master salesmanship even after many years of service as executives of the industry they helped to found. While still a peddlar, Horace became acquainted with the Rogers brothers of Hartford, who had developed a new process for the plating of silver. They imported German silver spoons and forks which they were able to coat with pure silver. These were most attractive articles for the peddlars' markets, and Horace added a stock of them to his line, finding that they sold well. They helped the Wilcox brothers to accumulate the capital to participate in the founding of a new local enterprise. This enterprise was the Meriden Britannia Company, organized in 1852 by Horace C. Wilcox, Dennis C. Wilcox, Isaac C. Lewis, William W. Lyman, Lemuel J. Curtis, John Munson, and James A. Frary. The next year, Samuel Simpson of Wallingford entered the group as an associate. The idea behind the project was to produce a more practical and economical plan for selling the products of the various shops. Horace and Dennis, with their practical experience in selling, had much more to contribute than their small stake of capital. The first office and warerooms were in a building owned by Horace C. Wilcox. It stood at the corner of West Main and South Colony Streets. The office was under the supervision of Horace and Dennis Wilcox and Isaac C. Lewis, and the entire business was directed from this headquarters. West of the building, where the Palace Block now stands, was the residence of Horace C. Wilcox. His son, George H. Wilcox, who was to rise to the presidency of the industry which developed from these beginnings, was born in this house a few years after the Aieriden Britannia Company was founded. Soon after the company began business, it started experimenting with the process which the Rogers brothers in Hartford had proved practicable. These experiments were conducted in a building previously used as a barn. It was located on Hanover Street, just south of the Wilcox residence. A short time later, the company erected its first buildings for finishing, assembling, and plating on the southeast corner of State and Miller Streets. This plant was in operation by 1855. But until the early sixties most of the actual manufacturing of britannia holloware was conducted in the small, individual plants which had 88 INDUSTRY OF THE 1°TH CENTURY been taken over in 1852. In its first full year of operations, Meriden Britannia sold wares made by its own plants and purchased from the other manuf ac- . turers amounting to more than $250,000 gross. By 1862, the Rogers brothers of Hartford were in financial difficulties, and the Meriden Britannia Company bought their equipment, including tools and dies, and moved all of this material to Meriden. An arrangement was made with William, Asa, and Simeon Rogers whereby they were to direct and supervise the manufacture of 1847 Rogers Bros, silverplate in Meriden. Thus one of the most famous brand names of American industry became identified with this city. The Civil War had begun, but war did not stay the progress of the organization which had just passed its first decade. It needed more manufacturing space and equipment. On July 1, 1863, ground was broken on the west side of State Street for the first brick building. Soon, other large additions were made, including a building to house the power plant, and a factory chimney which was to stand for more than three-quarters of a century. People were begining to call the State Street plant the uBig Shop," a name which is heard to this day. But there was still more than a trace of the primitive in the character of its trade. Many miscellaneous items were carried in the line, including japanned tinware. Britannia shipments were made in exchange for fur, feathers, or cordwood. In 1858, the company sold $32,408 worth of Lyman patent fruit jars. Another popular item was the sewing bird for home seamstresses, of which $30,000 worth were sold in 1853. By 1860, the company employed 320 hands and produced half a million dollars worth of plated wares annually. Agencies had been opened in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco and products were being shipped overseas. By this time, the general office of the company was adjacent to the doorway, still in existence, almost opposite Miller Street. Isaac C. Lewis and George R. Curtis occupied this office until 1 866 when a one-story office building was constructed at the south end of the plant. It was raised to four stories in 1 899. An additional section was built in 1876 for the use of executives and directors of the company. 89 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY In 1877, the business of Rogers, Smith & Co. of New Haven, which the company owned, was moved here into a new building erected for it on State Street. The selling ability of Horace and Dennis Wilcox proved fruitful for the company from the beginning. Both men, with James D. Frary, made frequent sales trips and arranged for the establishment of the various branches in large cities. Meanwhile, the company's wares were winning favorable attention wherever they were displayed. At the Centennial in Philadelphia in 1876, in New Orleans in 1885, in Paris at the Universal Exposition in 1889, and at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, they received high awards. In 1869, Parker & Casper Co., a small local concern, was pur- chased and consolidated with the Wilcox Silver Plate Company. Samuel Dodd was secretary and treasurer, and remained in that capacity until the International Silver Company was organized in 1898. Isaac C. Lewis, who had been president of the Meriden Britannia Company from the beginning, as well as its general superintendent, retired from both positions in 1866. He was a quiet gentleman of many accomplishments, who made a deep imprint upon Meriden affairs. He served as mayor for three years, and as a representative in the legislature four times in the last century. Horace C. Wilcox was elected to succeed him in the company and Dennis Wilcox became secretary. Since acquiring the Rogers Bros, trademark, sales had risen rapidly, reaching a volume of $2,500,000 annually by 1878. To care for the growing volume of business, a factory was erected in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1879, and placed under the management of J. H. Parker, formerly associated with various Meriden industries. George R. Curtis, treasurer of Meriden Britannia, and a director of the Wilcox Silver Plate Company, was another leader in company affairs and a community leader as well. He became president of the Meriden Horse Railroad and of the Meriden Gas Light Company, a director of the Home National Bank, and served as alderman and councilman in the period between the 70's and the 90's. His son, George M. Curtis, began as a clerk with Meriden Britannia and rose to become a director of the company. He was a director also of the Home Bank and the 90 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY Curtis Library, which was presented to the city by Mrs. Augusta Munson Curtis. Horace C. Wilcox was president of Meriden Britannia from 1866 to 1889. He died in 1890. During his fruitful career, he was also president of the Wilcox & White Organ Company. His interest in the short line railways absorbed much of his time and capital in his late years. He was Meriden's fifth mayor, and served in the State Senate in 1877. Prior to the formation of the International Silver Company, the lines of the Meriden Britannia Company and the other local silverplate company had already become the most important in the entire silverware industry. In 1898, 13 independent companies, not including those in Canada, were consolidated. The next year, four were added, and several more in the years that followed. The names of the companies participating in the consolidation into the International were the Meriden Britannia Company, including Hall, Elton & Co.; Rogers, Smith & Co.; Forbes Silver Co.; Wilcox & Evertsen; Rogers & Bro.; Middletown Plate Co.; Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co.; Wilcox Silver Plate Co., including Parker & Casper Co.; Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co.; Simpson Nickel Co.; Meriden Silver Plate Co.; Rogers Cutlery Co.; Derby Silver Co.; Manhattan Silver Plate Co.; Holmes & Edwards Silver Co.; Barbour Silver Co., including Hartford Silver Plate Co.; Rogers & Hamilton Co. Norwich Cutlery Co.; Watrous Mfg. Co.; C. Rogers & Bros. LaPierre Mfg. Co.; E. G. Webster & Son; American Silver Co. Rowley Mfg. Co.; Southington Cutlery Co., silverware depart- ment; Silver City Plate Co. Many of these concerns operating separate factories were shortly combined or consolidated with others, and a new cutlery plant was established in Northampton, Mass. With the incorporation of the International Silver Company in 1898, the following officers were elected: Samuel Dodd president; George H. Wilcox, first vice president; George C. Edwards, second vice president; C. A. Hamilton, third vice presi- dent; Samuel Thomas, treasurer; George M. Curtis, assistant treasurer; George Rockwell, secretary. Directors were: Samuel L. Barbour, George M. Curtis, Samuel Dodd, George C. Edwards, C. A. Hamilton, H. J. Lewis, G. D. Munson, Edwin M. Post, George Rockwell, E. R. Thomas, O. F. Thomas, W. H. Watrous, Frederick P. Wilcox, George H. Wilcox. 91 INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH CENTURY Most of the directors were actively engaged in the business. Only five of them had no active part in its operations. On the list will be recognized the names of men whose descen- dants have continued to play an important part in the affairs of the company to this day. By 1890, Maltby, Stevens & Curtiss Co., headed by Elizur Seneca Stevens, Chapman iMaltby and John Curtiss, were making silverware in Wallingford in a plant built by Hall, Elton & Co. Their output was silverplated by Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co. of Hartford. Through this association, George D. Munson, a long- time employee of W. H. Watrous and member of an old Wallingford family, was brought into the new company. After its affiliation, the Wallingford plant became Factory P. The factory of Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co., makers of Rogers Brand silverware, was also acquired, and this plant became the center for the manufacture of sterling silverware. The further progress of the company, chronologically, belongs in the industrial history of Meriden during the twentieth century. i i i The Curtiss Way Company, large edition printers, was formed by the late James A. Curtiss and William H. Way in 1899. The late Roy J. Warren was president from 1915 until 1942. The business was sold in 1942 to the Eastern Color Printing Company of Waterbury, which retained the Pratt Street plant and erected a new bindery on Gracey Avenue. The Meriden Gravure Company, which specializes in full-tone picture reproductions, was established in 1888 by the late J. F. Allen. It has won national prominence by its illustrations for fine books. The firm is still in the control of the Allen family. E. H. Hugo is vice president and general manager. The Journal Press was established in 1886 by The Journal Publishing Company, and was sold in 1918 to the Connecticut Calendar Company. Until 1956, the firm occupied quarters in the Journal's old mechanical plant, which has been torn down. It now occupies a new plant on South Broad Street. The business is operated by Charles G. Dossin. The Hull Printing Company was established in 1891 at 134 Hanover Street by the late Charles C. Hull, and has been owned and operated for many years by his son, Charles C. Hull, Jr., who erected the present plant at 35 Meridian Street. 92 CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Civil War The expanding Meriden of the middle of the last century had opened Southern markets for local products through the trips of its enterprising peddlars into the South. These lively but thoroughly respectable vendors were the forerunners of the traveling salesmen and manufacturers' representatives who carried the story of Meriden to all parts of the country in later eras. Although they operated from wagons and did business along country lanes, they built up a surprisingly large volume of trade. They were an important link in the somewhat feeble line of communications between North and South, for they acted as unofficial roving ambassadors carrying portfolios of good will — but they could do little to quiet the seething controversies of the times. Meriden stood on the side of the Union and against the con- tention that rights of the individual states should outweigh the principles on which the Union was founded. Meriden was strongly opposed to the institution of slavery. Manufacturers and other business interests here were quite capable of sacrificing trade to uphold their opinions on these issues. They expressed themselves vehemently as the debate gathered and spread. But there were some in Connecticut who thought differently, and who proposed to hold a convention to issue resolutions favorable to the Southern cause. One representative of this group called upon Julius Pratt, well known local comb manufacturer, urging him to sign the call for the meeting. Mr. Pratt not only refused to sign; after listening to the arguments that it was to his interests to do so, he spoke up sharply. "If the people of the South do not want to buy our Meriden combs because of what we think, then let them go lousy." A country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln was a rising figure in the middle west, but Meriden knew little of him until the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 brought his name into promi- nence, and even then the interest in him here was slight. When Abraham Lincoln came to Meriden March 7, 1860 to 93 THE CIVIL WAR address a Republican rally in the town hall, few would have been willing to concede that he had any chance for the presidency. Although he had been mentioned as a possibility for the Repub- lican nomination, his real strength was unsuspected. The famous Cooper Union address had been delivered February 27, but its effects had hardly begun to accumulate. He had spoken in New Haven the day he came here, repeating some of the sentiments he had uttered at Cooper Union, but there is no record of what he said at the town hall. The only local newspaper of the day was the Meriden Banner, a Democratic weekly published by A. B. Stillman. It did not print the text or even excerpts from Lincoln's address, but gave its own interpretation of his remarks. For example, this passage: "The speaker, on being introduced to the audience, commenced the exordium of a tediously dull and uninteresting speech. It was commonplace in the extreme, and the principles (or ideas) he labored to enforce were narrow, bigoted and fallacious, directly antagonistic to the legislative action and official decisions of the government from its inception down to the present time." There were few flourishes in connection with Lincoln's reception, but a quartet sang during the intervals of the program. Its members were Arthur Alfred Barker, partner in the clothing firm of Barker & Finnegan, E. B. Everitt, agent of the Wilcox Realty Company, and William K. Butler and Elisha K. Bradley, both of whom left iMeriden years later to reside in Hartford. The event was commemorated 88 years later, when a Lincoln plaque, designed by Louis Gudebrod, local sculptor, was placed on the city hall. This memorial was dedicated May 30, 1948, when it was presented to Mayor Howard E. Houston, repre- senting the city, by Francis C. Upham, representing the Lincoln Memorial Committee. Mr. Upham is a son of Col. Charles L. Upham, one of Meriden's outstanding soldiers in the war which was to follow Lincoln's visit here by only 13 months. On March 4, 1861, Lincoln was inaugurated as President. The war clouds were gathering fast and spreading over Meriden as they spread elsewhere. The Confederate States cf America had been formed at Montgomery, Alabama, early in February, and Jefferson Davis had been chosen president of the Confederacy. The first incident of war occurred when Fort Sumter was attacked on April 12, and the immediate effect was the President's 94 THE CIVIL WAR call for 75,000 volunteers ato repossess the forts, places and property which has been seized, and to maintain the perpetuity of popular government." By that signal, Connecticut was drawn into the struggle beside the other loyal states of the Union, and Meriden began preparing at once to do its part. On April 16, Governor Buckingham called for volunteers to form one regiment of infantry to serve three months. The Meriden Light Guards, under Capt. Theodore Byxbee, was the only military organization in Meriden. The morning after the governor's proclamation was issued, Capt. Byxbee reported to the adjutant general in Hartford that the organization was ready to respond to the call. A war meeting was held in the town hall on April 19. The Hon. Charles Parker, who was to become the first mayor of the incorporated city only eight years later, presided over the meeting. Patriotic speeches were made by Orville H. Piatt, Dexter R. Wright, the Rev. D. Henry Miller, and G. H. Wilson. It was unanimously voted to instruct the selectmen to call a town meeting immediately for the purpose of appropriating $5,000 to equip the Meriden Light Guard. Mr. Parker, according to the Century of Meriden, "announced his purpose to give each member a Colt's revolver." The $5,000 was voted in due course, with part of the money to be devoted, if necessary, to supporting the families of the volunteers. Isaac C. Lewis, John Parker, Humphrey Lyon, and Moses Waterman were named as a committee to supervise the expenditure of the funds. The Light Guard was required to reorganize as a company of volunteers and was mustered into the state service on April 22, 1861. It was assigned to the First Regiment, Connecticut Volun- teers, as Company F, and left for Washington May 10, the first body of men from Meriden to enter the struggle. A second company to serve three months went into rendezvous April 29, and was assigned to the Third Regiment as Rifle Company B. It departed May 23. These Meriden companies were in Keyes' Brigade, Tyler's Division. They met the rebels at Bull Run, showing great gallantry. Upon their return to Meriden after serving out the term of their enlistment, a grand parade and ball were held to mark their homecoming. In the summer of 1861, another company was formed, and 95 THE CIVIL WAR assigned to the Seventh Regiment as Company C. This company was in the expedition to Port Royal, was the first to land, with its flags first on the soil of South Carolina. Company K of the Eighth Regiment was recruited late in the summer of 1861. It left the state October 17, and became part of the Burnside Expedition. From North Carolina, it was sent to reinforce the Army of the Potomac when Lee invaded Maryland. At the battle of Antietam, these volunteers advanced farther than any other Union forces in their part of the field. Their losses exceeded 50 per cent. Company B of the Ninth Regiment was composed of Meriden residents of Irish descent. It left the state November 4 for Lowell, iMass., and was sent from there to Ship Island, Mississippi Sound. It served with credit in the Department of the Gulf until 1864. It was then sent to Bermuda Hundred and, in August 1864, to Sheridan's Army in the Shenandoah Valley. It took part in the battle of Cedar Creek, and was finally mustered out of service on August 3, 1865. Companies A and F of the 15th Regiment were organized during August 1862. While in camp August 25, women of Meriden, represented by the Misses Helen Bradley and Mary Brooks, presented the company with a silk flag, and Orville Piatt made the address of presentation. Col. Wright of the regiment responded. To him a black stallion was presented by a group of Meriden men, represented by the Hon. Charles Parker. The regiment participated in the battle of Fredericksburg, the siege of Suffolk and of Virginia by Longstreet, and in engage- ments in North Carolina. It lost many men during an epidemic of yellow fever and also lost severely in the actions before Kingston, N. C, in 1865. The regiment was mustered out at New Berne, N. C, and returned to New Haven July 4, 1865. Company G of the 27th Regiment enlisted for nine months and was mustered into service in October 1862. The regiment became part of the Army of the Potomac. Its members were actively engaged at the battles of Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. They were composed only in part of Meriden men. The regiment was mustered out of service July 27, 1863. Due to transfers from one military unit to another, it is difficult to determine the exact number of men from Meriden who served at one time or another during the Civil War, but the 96 THE CIVIL WAR companies mentioned mustered 671. Meriden men connected with other units of the armed service numbered 286, omitting substi- tutes who deserted. According to Davis' History of Wallingford, Meriden and Cheshire, published 1870, 108 Meriden soldiers lost their lives in the struggle to preserve the Union. Many local soldiers won commissions, the records show. There were one general, three colonels, one lieutenant colonel, two majors, three chaplains, 14 captains, 16 first lieutenants, 19 second lieutenants. The losses, especially among those who served in the later phases of the war, were severe, and the strain upon Meriden to furnish recruits, in response to the ever-increasing demand, was severe also. To meet the demand, since service continued on a voluntary basis, various expedients were adopted. Paying bounties for volunteers became common practice, and Meriden town meetings again and again grappled with the problem of making such inducements sufficiently attractive. A town meeting held July 16, 1862 voted that the town of Meriden appropriate the sum of $50 bounty to be paid to each recruit enlisting in any Connecticut regiment then in the field, or in any subsequent regiment organized in the state in answer to the President's latest call for 300,000 men. Payments were also to be made to mothers and other dependents of such recruits, to supplement the payments from the state for the support of wives and children of volunteers. A town meeting on August 23, 1862 increased the bounty to $100 for nine-month volunteers. There was still another problem for the town when Congress on March 3, 1863, approved "an act for enrolling and calling out the National forces and for other purposes," which meant that a draft was imminent. On August 24, 1863, a special town meeting took action to meet this situation. It voted that the selectmen be authorized to pay to each man who "may be hereafter drafted into the service of the United States" the sum of $300 when mustered in. It also voted to pay to any man drafted who could furnish an acceptable substitute to serve in his own place a sum not to exceed $300 when the substitute entered the service. This was an encouragement to a practice which had already become rather common, and which 97 THE CIVIL WAR seemed to carry no stigma, probably because there was still considerable opposition to service under compulsion. Another town meeting on August 11, 1864, passed a resolu- tion offered by the Hon. O. H. Piatt to appropriate $20,000 to encourage enlistments and pay the expenses of Meriden under the call for additional men. Up to $300 would be paid for a three-year enlistment. Only two weeks later, a town meeting raised the inducement to $600 for a three-year enlistment, and $300 for a less period, the extra money to be raised by subscription. The four banks of the town were requested to loan in equal amounts, temporarily, the funds to put the resolutions into effect. But the war was drawing to an end. If the practice of offering bounties had continued much longer, Meriden might have bankrupted itself. The surrender of Lee to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865 put an end to the fighting, and there was no longer reason to pledge the town's funds to gain new soldiers. Instead, the town could turn to the problems incident to the resumption of normal ways of life. Many of the Civil War veterans were to become outstanding citizens of their generation. In the days ahead, they were to help promote Aieriden's economic well-being, to become active in every form of business and professional life and to assist in turning the town into an incorporated city. That event was only two years in the future. 98 CHAPTER SIXTEEN City Government Before 1900 Between 1840 and 1850, the leisurely little village of Meriden was being taught to recognize some of its prospects for future growth through the advancement of its industries. In the 50's, the pace swiftened and the population practically doubled. The census of 1860 placed the figure at 7,426, which was to increase to 10,495 by 1870. In 1866, with the Civil War in the background, the first efforts to obtain a city charter were made. It was argued that, under a charter, the community could have water works, street lights, police and fire departments, and a program of street improvement. For the first time, there was a sense of integration in the local community, inspired in part by the veterans who had returned from the war with restless energies that sought an outlet in civic advancement. They banded with older leaders to improve con- ditions here. On June 7, 1867, Charles Parker and 644 other local residents signed the petition for a charter, which was presented to the General Assembly for approval. The Legislature granted the charter only a little more than a month later. The new city had an area of four square miles, and the list of taxable property was $4,415,000. A rather complex system of local government was installed at the beginning. The city then consisted roughly of what is now the second taxing district lying within the town, and the town itself was divided into school districts, each governed by a district committee which levied and collected its own school taxes. This condition existed until July 1896, when the school districts were consolidated. But consolidation of the city and the town did not take place until January 1, 1922, after a long battle to be recorded later. The city government at first consisted of four aldermen and 16 councilmen forming the common council. At first, there were only four wards, but later a fifth was added. In June 1924, the fifth ward was divided into two districts. In June 1927, the 99 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 second and third wards were similarly divided, and in 1941 the fourth ward was also split into two parts, leaving the first ward the only one with a single voting place. The new city government began at once to make city bylaws, but these were not printed until 1870 together with certain amendments to the charter to give the authority needed. The only known record of this action is preserved in the Curtis Memorial Library. A copy printed in 1875 is filed in the office of the city clerk. There are no known copies of the original charter in existence, although the common council ordered that 100 copies be published. The charter has been frequently amended and was reprinted in 1900. Another revision was printed in 1931. The bylaws have been reprinted, but no new edition of the charter has appeared since 1931. Charles Parker, the stalwart pioneer of local industry, entered a new phase of his career as Meriden's first mayor. For him, 782 votes were cast in the first election against 17 "scattering." John H. Bario, afterward colonel of the Second Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, was elected city clerk with 808 votes in his favor, and only three "scattering." The other city officials elected were Asahel H. Curtis, treasurer; Joel H. Guy, auditor; Samuel O. Church, collector; Patrick Garvey and James E. Belden, city sheriffs. The aldermen elected were William J. Ives, Hiram Butler, George W. Lyon, and Jedediah Wilcox. Councilmen were O. B. Arnold, Lemuel J. Curtis, Charles L. Upham, Charles A. Roberts, Eli Butler, Eli Ives, Hezekiah H. Miller, Augustus C. Markham, Aaron L. Collins, Isaac C. Lewis, Jared R. Cook, Horace C. Wilcox, Dennis C. Wilcox, John Byxbee, Walter Hubbard, and Jared Lewis. Local manufactures and other forms of business were well represented in the governing group, which contained a liberal sprinkling of veterans as well. There was much to be done, and the new city government lost no time in going into action. One of the first necessities was for the provision of an adequate water supply system. For this, an amendment to the new charter was found necessary. It was approved July 24, 1868. But long before that date a controversy had arisen over reservoir locations. Mayor Parker on April 6, 1868 appointed a committee to search out and recommend sites. The relative merits of West Mountain 100 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 and Black Pond were debated vigorously. Meriden had suffered frequent water famines, and pumping had to be done from outlying ponds. The problem of recurring water scarcity was not to be solved overnight, even after it had been approached in a concentrated and orderly manner. The West Mountain location was approved, and in June 1869 a bond issue of $20,000 at 7 per cent was authorized. Construction of Merimere, the first reservoir, was begun. By 1873, it was reported that 1,554 families were being served with water through the pipes of the new system. In 1890, Kenmere reservoir was added, and Hallmere came next in 1895. In 1905, the Taylor farm of 96 acres was purchased for additional watershed. A further important step was taken in 1907, when the city bought the Fellows farm on Johnson Hill for a storage reservoir, but the storage basin was not completed, with pumping facilities, until 1913. In the follow- ing year, pipes were connected with Kenmere, and the new set-up was ready for service. It has served satisfactorily since that time, with certain changes and improvements as water demands increased. But the largest single water source to supply Meriden had already been made available to form a link in the system. On February 1, 1909, the Broad Brook property of 23 acres was purchased for $5,000, a bargain if there ever was one. The city appropriated $350,000 in 1913 for the development of this reservoir, which was placed in service October 2, 1916. A filtration plant was added at Broad Brook in 1927. A new pumping station was built at Kenmere in 1931. Meanwhile, the growth of the city was making constantly increasing demands upon the water system. Insufficient water pressure on the east side was an almost constant complaint in dry seasons. Taking advantage of the plentiful labor to be obtained at low cost, with government aid, during the depression, a pumping station was built under WPA at the corner of Charles Street and Parker Avenue for the low figure of $6,205. This proved only a partial solution to the problem. Residents on the high hills of the eastern section continued to complain of low pressure, especially during the summer months. During the administrations of Mayor Francis R. Danaher, a remedy was proposed in the form of a "Memorial" water tower, from which water could be fed by gravity to the east side. But nothing was done to place this measure in effect. Subsequently, 101 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 it was discovered that water pipes of small diameters were impeding the flow of water. The system was overhauled at many points to replace the pipe of old mains with pipe of larger diameter. Even earlier, the work of pipe laying had not been neglected. Under FERA, 9,655 feet of pipe were laid, and WPA installed 8,438 feet. In 1933, 13,378 feet of water pipe went under the ground, water sheds were cleared, and much of the system was practically rebuilt. But there has been no let-up in the demands for more water, and the future has to be considered. Under iMayor Henry Altobello, the problem has been inten- sively studied by state and city engineers, and an independent firm has been engaged to make a survey. The full results of that survey are still to be made known, and action awaits the final recommendations of the engineers. But one measure has been advocated repeatedly under the present administration: the con- struction of a storage basin on the summit of one of the eastern hills. The use of Black Pond water, to be fed by way of New Dam, with a hook-up to Foster Lake could keep such a basin filled, it has been argued. Measurements of the water potentials of these sources has been made. But active steps to set the project in motion have not been taken up to the time of this writing. Many years have been spanned in this consideration of the water system. But many other phases of the city's development began in that period when Mayor Parker and his official family were wrestling with the beginning problems of city government. Fire protection was afforded on a haphazard basis by the old volunteer companies, who fought fires vigorously, but were more concerned in competing with one another than with quenching a blaze under competent direction. Police protection was lacking, also. Unpaved streets became seas of mud after every heavy rain. The few sidewalks were crude, and afforded uncertain footing. Street lights were missing altogether. There was no system of sewers. The cesspool was only a short distance from the well in many yards. All of these conditions called for immediate correc- tion, but progress toward correcting them was slow. Mayor Parker could only make a start. Police Department To police Meriden in its earliest days as a city, a new department was created in September, 1868, when the common council, with 102 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 Mayor Parker presiding, voted to replace the constabulary with a permanent and regularly paid force. The department consisted officially of a chief and three patrolmen. William Hagadon was the first chief, and under him were Roger M. Ford, George Van Nostrand and Samuel N. Beach. Beach succeeded Hagadon the first year, and served until 1876. Other chiefs in order, during the remainder of the century, were Albert I. Otis, Frank G. Bolles, Roger M. Ford, and Captain George Van Nostrand, who had been with the department from the beginning, and continued as its head until 1906, shortly before Meriden celebrated its Centennial. The department had no headquarters when it started. The lockup was in the basement of the town hall, and was a planked-in enclosure. The chief was on duty from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the patrolmen served from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., an arrangement of shifts which could only provide the most desultory police protection. But there were no large traffic problems to be dealt with, and serious crimes occurred infrequently. At the beginning, the men wore badges but had no uniforms. The most distinguishing article of their dress was the large hat, with flaring brim upturned at the side. Each man carried a club, a revolver, and "twisters" of catgut and wood, used in place of handcuffs. The chief received $2.75 a day and the men $2.50. In 1869, soon after Chief Beach's appointment, the department was quartered in a city- owned building on Pratt Street, where the fire department was also stationed. In 1883, it was moved into a room in the Rogers Block, at East Main and South Colony Streets. Four years later, headquarters was established in the remodeled town hall. The Gamewell signal system, by which patrolmen on beat were able to make contact with headquarters periodically, was installed in 1890, and was considered a great advance in police methods. The plodding policeman on his beat was the mainstay of the force, but the limit of his speed in pursuing criminals was the limit of his running ability. A few horses and wagons helped to raise the limit as time went on, but it was not until much later that automobiles were employed. Of course, the crooks of the last century were equally handicapped in the matter of going places in a hurry, and some Meriden policemen came to be known as fast runners. 103 city government before 1900 Fire Department The organization of a fire department was delayed for a number of years after the incorporation of the city. The event which spurred its creation was the great Meriden Britannia Company fire which broke out early in the morning of July 16, 1870. Plans had been made for a convocation of volunteer fire companies on that day, and local citizen-firemen had met the preceding evening to make plans for receiving visiting firemen from Middletown. The first sack and bucket brigade, organized in 1849, was still going strong, but more as a social body than a group of serious fire fighters. Many other outfits of a similar nature had sprung up during the years. Active in 1867 were the Washington Engine Co. No. 2, Washington Hose Co. No. 2, the E. J. Doolittle Truck Co., Parker's Engine Co. No. 3 and Parker's Hose Co. No. 3. All of these had crude equipment, with pumps operated by hand. These were connected with wells, streams, or ponds until the installation of the water system made it possible for them to draw water from city mains. The "Big Shop" fire was first noticed shortly after 1 a.m. by the pressroom foreman of the Daily Republican, which was already being run off the press. He and the editor rushed toward State Street, where smoke had already begun to billow. The engine of a southbound train, just drawing into the station, let off its whistle in long blasts and a gong sounded somewhere within the burning plant. Aleriden's volunteers came running, dragging their feeble engines, and from that time on it was a wild scramble in which the rival companies were all engaged until the police had to break it up. At first more water was poured by the firemen on themselves than on the fire. Then the pumps of Meriden Britannia went into action, but by that time it was too late. The blaze was finally under control at about 6 a.m., but the plant was wrecked. The damage to building and machinery was estimated at $250,000, most of it covered by insurance. Meriden had never seen a fire of such proportions, and the lesson was not to be ignored. The confusion displayed by the well meaning but undisciplined volunteers on this occasion moved the Meriden Literary Recorder to comment, "If there had been any head or tail to the fire depart- ment, if John Byxbee or Charlie Warner had been chief engineer, 104 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 the fire would have been extinguished." The words were prophetic, for John C. Byxbee became chief engineer when a paid fire department was installed in 1873. He received $500 a year, and was chief for two years. Edward A. Roark succeeded him. Other chiefs of the century's last quarter included Linus Moses, John F. Butler, Isaac B. Hyatt, Owen Horan and John Tracy. Tracy, who became chief in 1893, introduced white rubber coats and hats for the men of the department to distinguish them in the groups that always gathered at fires. The first horses to be used for drawing apparatus were stabled at the Charter Oak fire house. Hyatt was the only chief to serve twice. After resigning in 1888, he came back to the department in 1890, and was reappointed chief after a turn of the city administration in 1894. Frank L. Cowing was made chief shortly before 1900 and served until his death in 1903. William L. Lucas, who had grown up with the department, succeeded him. By 1906, Meriden had a department consisting of 91 men. There were 16 fire horses to pull the heavy equipment, and 9,000 feet of hose. The apparatus then consisted of one hook-and-ladder truck, one Silsby steam fire engine, four hose wagons, and the chief's wagon. One two- wheeled hose pumper was held in reserve. The total property was valued at $100,000. There were few changes in this picture until the introduction of motorized apparatus and the beginning of a whole new era in the development of more effective fire-fighting methods. But the fire companies, since the humiliating lessons of the Meriden Britannia fire, have always done well. Chief Byxbee, when he took charge, instituted the ward system of fire alarms. The Britannia Shop's big gong sounded one, two, three or four times to indicate in which of the four divisions the fire was located. In 1881, a fire-alarm telegraph system was introduced. St. Andrew's Church bell was used at first. Later a tower bell was installed at the old firehouse on Pratt Street. E. B. Baker, then manager of the Southern New England Telephone Company, was the first fire-alarm superintendent. Streets There were no paved streets in Meriden until the nineties. Photographs taken between 1870 and 1894 show the rutted, muddy or dusty surface of the principal thoroughfares even in 105 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 the center of the city. In 1894, Belgian block paving was laid on West Main Street. The blocks were of creosoted wood, and were especially slippery in wet weather, but they were a great improve- ment over the gravel which had been used previously. The blue- stone blocks employed for crossings at intersections were re- moved. In 1897, Hanover Street was paved, and the next year the whole "Corner" section was macadamized. Colony Street was paved in 1899, partly with asphalt and partly with Belgian block. In 1901, paving was completed on State Street. For the East Main Street hill, brick paving was selected, which remained in place for many years. The trolley tracks in the center of the street, where they abutted the bricks, were traps for automobile wheels, and caused frequent skids. Paving bonds to the amount of $200,000 were authorized by the Legislature in 1913. State Street was widened in 1914 near its intersection with East Main Street. A permanent paving program was instituted at that time, and many streets where paving was badly worn, were repaved. Another extensive program was approved and carried out in 1931, when East and West Main Streets, Hanover, Pratt, State, and Crown Streets and Cook Avenue were completely resurfaced. For the next decade, most of the work on streets was done as part of WPA projects. In 1941, practically all that was left of the old brick paving was removed and replaced with composition paving. Rails left from the era of trolley street transportation were buried or taken away. A new road between Chesire and Meriden was opened in 1929. The Chamberlain Highway between Meriden and New Britain, named for former Gov. Abiram Chamberlain, a native of Meriden, was opened in 1935, and the Westfleld road was rebuilt the same year. In 1941, the construction of a four-lane parkway from North Broad Street to the Berlin line began. Eventually this route was widened all the way to Hartford. The Wilbur Cross Parkway, joining Route 5 into Hartford, was constructed during the 40's, and took the bulk of through passenger-car traffic away from Broad Street, although truck traffic continues to follow the old route where the stagecoaches once ran. Efforts to obtain state aid for the construction of an east- west by-pass of the city, to relieve the steadily increasing traffic congestion on East and West Main Streets, have so far been unavailing. The State Highway Depart- ment has refused to give this proposal priority in its program. 106 CITY GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1900 Repeated efforts have been made to induce action by the Legisla- ture on the project, but all have fallen flat. Sewage Disposal No attempt was made at the time when the city was incorpor- ated to provide a municipal system of waste disposal. Not until 20 years later was the first action taken in this direction. In 1887, the common council ordered the first sewers installed on Main and Veteran Streets, but the vote to establish a sewer system was recorded September 23, 1891. On November 13 of that year, the city bought 150 acres of land in South Meriden for sewer beds, and the contract to construct the beds was let May 26, 1892. These beds served, with little further improvement, until complaints were made in the 30's that the Quinnipiac River was being contaminated from underground seepage. In 1937, the present sewage reduction plant was built, and opened March 18, 1938. The growth of Meriden since World War II has overtaxed the system of sewers. One of the questions now confronting the city is that of a complete overhauling of the system, and the construction of a new plant for final disposal. It is a question which calls for an answer in the near future. 107 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN nvwvww The Spanish War The peaceful life of Meriden residents in the 90's was interrupted by the Spanish War, which began in 1898. The sinking of the U. S. battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, February 15, 1898, made banner headlines in newspapers across the country. Indigna- tion was almost universal, and the event was feverishly discussed in many Meriden homes. War sentiment gathered rapidly. President William McKinley demanded the withdrawal of Spain from Cuba. A blockade of Cuban ports was placed in effect on April 24. The next day, Congress declared that a state of war had existed since April 21. Company L, consisting of Meriden volunteers, was organized under Capt. Charles B. Bowen in the summer of 1898, with Delbert Jones as first lieutenant and Raymond Keeney as second lieutenant. It was assigned to the First Connecticut Regiment and mustered into service in July at the town hall. The company was then transferred to Fort Knox, Maine for training, and was sent from there to Niantic. It wound up in Camp Alger, Virginia, where the local volunteers remained until their return to Connecticut, where they were mustered out on October 31. Although not actually engaged in combat at any period of their service, the men of Company L underwent many trials, for conditions in military camps during the war were far from what they should have been. Rations were indescribably bad. Sanitary conditions were even worse. Many in the local company became ill, and some of them felt the after-effects for years. The Spanish War has been minimized in some accounts through comparison with some of the other conflicts in which this country has engaged, but it was serious enough for those who had a part in it. Followed by the Philippine insurrection, it lasted for four years and two months, compared with four years for the Civil War and one year and seven months for World War I. In it, 450,000 of our troops were engaged, exceeding the number in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War and the War of 1812. Losses in deaths from all causes were 4.3 per cent as compared 108 THE SPANISH WAR with six-tenths of one per cent for the Civil War. These statistics and others were furnished by Captain Charles B. Bowen Camp, United Spanish War Veterans when it held an anniversary observance April 25, 1936. Since the death of the last Meriden veteran of the Civil War, the Spanish War veterans are the senior group among all organi- zations of veterans, and wear their responsibilities with becoming vigilance and patriotic fervor in spite of their diminishing numbers. There has been no event in commemoration of Meriden's participation in the various wars in which these members of U. S. W. V. have not played an organizational and inspirational role. The Bowen Camp was organized in 1900, and became affiliated with the U. S. W. V. on April 18, 1904. The organizers were mainly men of Company L, but the group also included men who had served in Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and China, as well as in the U. S. Navy and various camps in addition to Camp Alger. Mementoes of the Spanish War are in various parts of the city. A shell received from the War Department, as the result of efforts by the late Thomas L. Reilly, who was mayor of Meriden and later congressman and sheriff* of New Haven County, was placed in City Park. There also is a large granite stone with a nameplate in honor of Capt. Bowen. In the club room of the organization is a bronze tablet, made of metal taken from the wreckage of the battleship Maine. But the most striking memorial of the services of the Spanish War veterans is the Hiker Shaft on Memorial Boulevard, Broad Street. On November 13, 1940, Francis R. Danaher, then mayor, received a request from Past Commander Edward B. Hall, memorial chairman of the Bowen Camp, for $3,000 of city funds to be applied to the erection of this monument. Dr. Ernest W. Spicer, adjutant of the camp, supplied a list of 206 names to be inscribed upon it. The list was compiled by the late William G. Hiller. The monument consists of the bronze figure of an infantryman holding a rifle across his body. The figure is eight feet high, and stands on a Barre granite base. It was placed on the second green of the boulevard. When the Hiker Memorial was dedicated, November 23, 1941, the event was marked by a parade containing units of all veterans groups and sons and daughters of veterans, with ceremonies held 109 THE SPANISH WAR afterward when the monument was unveiled. At that time, 18 members of Company L were alive, but the number has dwindled since. During World War II, on October 8, 1942, the Bo wen Camp contributed to the scrap drive then in progress one of its cherished mementoes, the cannon "Asaltador," which had helped to defend Morro Castle on Havana Harbor. 110 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Street Railways While the battle of the "short lines" was moving toward a climax through the extension of interurban railroads set up to compete with the New Haven, Meriden was entering a new phase of transportation within the city limits. The street railway system began with the horse as its source of motive power. The Meriden Horse Railroad started operations in 1886, with lines along the principal streets of the city. The growth of population and the spread of local industry assured its success almost from the start. Horses, although slow, were reliable, and riding the cars was a great improvement on walking to and from work. For two years, the system did well — until the great fire of January 10, 1888. The Pratt Street barns, where the horses were stabled, burned to the ground with the loss of 79 horses, and total destruction of property valued at $43,000. This disaster did not put the road out of business, but it did result in its electrification. On February 26, 1888 the Daft system was adopted. Daft was an appropriate name for it, in view of the defects of its design. Two sets of small wheels ran on parallel overhead wires, the current from which was drawn through a pole attached to the roof of the car. These wheels were often dislodged, and the car's crew had to put them back into place. The jiggling poles were a strain on the car's roof, and leaks developed. In rainy weather, water poured down on the heads of passengers. The new system went into operation July 11, 1888, and the troubles began amost at once. After several months, the company decided it had had enough of Daft, and went back to horses. On September 17, 1892, John W. Coe and C. W. Cahill, both connected with the Swift packing interests, bought out the horse railroad. They owned it until October 18, 1893 when a Phila- delphia syndicate purchased it, and set plans in motion to electrify it. The electrification was successful. Overhead wires were used as before, and the current was carried through poles in the same manner, but the connection to the wires was firm, and the cars 111 STREET RAILWAYS proved reliable in service. Nine new cars were put into operation in January 1894. The horses were sold. One hundred of them went to one purchaser. A party of officials took the first trip over the line and attended a gala performance of "Pinafore" at the Meriden Opera House. The first accident to be recorded occurred January 6, 1894, at Wallace's bridge, when one of the cars hit a wagon, but the only damage was a broken axle on the wagon. The Meriden trolleys ran until 1932, when all street railway service was abandoned here, and the buses of the Connecticut Company took over the assignment of providing public transpor- tation within the city limits and to the suburbs. The trolley rails were removed in some places and covered over in others. The routes in service while the system was in full operation included Colony Street, Britannia Street and Griswold Street as far as Cambridge Street, with turn-outs opposite the Bradley Home, then the residence of Clarence P. Bradley, and near the center, about opposite Mosher's Drug Store; also the length of East and West Alain Streets, with cars running as far east as Pomeroy Avenue. A branch line served Curtis Street and adjacent streets. Another line ran up Pratt Street to Broad, and through cars followed the old route through Brookside Park, across Broad Street and on to Westfield. There was also electric car service on Hanover Street and to Hanover Park, which flourished as an amusement park through the first quarter of the century, although its heyday was probably in the "gay nineties." 112 CHAPTER NINETEEN Notes of a Spacious Era The three decades which closed the nineteenth century and the opening decade of the twentieth century were an era of spacious, leisured living. During these 40 years, plus a few extra for good measure, Meriden was growing up. A pattern of industrial growth had been established. The city was pushing ahead, but the pressure applied was easy and natural. It was the difference between shaking the reins over the old mare's back and cramming a heavy foot upon the accelerator that lets loose the power of 200 horses. There was probably never a time before or since when the average citizen could get so much fun out of life with a minimum of nervous strain. The so-called horse-and-buggy age was also an age of bicycles, open-sided trolley cars in summer, basket picnics for the whole family, band concerts, firemen's parades, special excursions on the railroads and the short lines, Turner festivals, Saengerbund conventions, and boating under the moon over Hanover Pond. There was roller skating at the iVIeriden rink on Hanover Street, near the corner of Randolph Avenue, with instruction for patrons who needed it, and music in the evenings. Exhibitions of speed and fancy skating were held weekly. Roller polo, a game for agile assassins, who banged at one another as much as at the puck, provided added excitement. Roller polo leagues were pro- moted for profit, and some of the individual stars gained a statewide reputation. It was a game as fast as hockey, but even rougher. Masquerade parties were also held at the rink. The German-American Society sponsored some of the largest of these events. From the 80's on, the carriage horse had a mechanical rival that brought individual transportation within the reach of almost everybody. It was the bicycle, which multiplied the possibilities of the leg muscles for getting from place to place. The bicycle, originally called a velocipede, had been designed as far back as 1865. A velocipede, ridden by a Frenchman named Lillement, appeared in New Haven in 1871. The front wheel was enormous, 113 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA but the back wheel was about the size of the wheel of a baby buggy, and it was all too easy to take a "header" over the handle- bars. Nevertheless, there were plenty of young men in Meriden willing to take a chance with one of these contraptions. Meriden came in early in this sport, largely because of the Meriden Wheel Club, organized December 18, 1880, when there were only about a dozen local citizens who had ever ridden a bicycle. At first the club met in the office of Dr. T. S. Rust, dentist, but in 1882 moved into quarters in the Palace Block, which it occupied until after its 25th anniversary, when the group was disbanded. The organization charged only 25 cents a year dues and gained a membership of about 200. It was the oldest and easily the most active of the wheel clubs of the state, exerting a powerful influence for legislation favorable to cyclists. Henry T. King, state representative, later to serve as Meriden's World War I mayor, was secretary. With J. E. Brainard, president of the club, he was instrumental in the organization of the Connecticut Federation of Cyclists. They took the lead in drawing up, intro- ducing, and supporting bills for the regulation of bicycle traffic and the improvement of roads for the benefit of bicycle riders, promoting the construction of graveled bicycle paths paralleling the main highways. Other outstanding members of the club were Dr. Rust, Max E. Miller, William Collins, Frank A. Stevens, Reuben J. Rice, Wells McMasters, Joseph Hyde, E. J. Pooley, Harry A. Stevens, Albert L. Stetson, John W. Lane, and C. Win King. The League of American Wheelmen held their national con- vention here one year in the old city hall that was destroyed by fire in 1904. The local pioneers of bicycling were soon joined by many others, both men and women. Introduction of the safety bicycle, with wheels of the same size, popularized the sport with women. When tandem bicycles came along, husband and wife, boy and girl friend could go far into the country on Sunday afternoons, with other companions or just as a twosome. The more zealous cyclists took part in "century runs," covering a hundred miles or more in one trip. Some even went touring on their vacations astride of wheels. A party consisting of A. H. Wilcox, W. H. Squire, J. E. Brainard, 114 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA L. C. Evarts, the Rev. J. W. Logan, W. F. Hutchinson, Arthur E. Hall, G. N. Shepley, Charles Bryant, and George Brown took a trip by wheel from Meriden to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1894. They covered more than 500 miles on their bicycles, traveling the rest of the way on boats and trains. The gentlemen riders, who took it easy and managed to survey at least part of the countryside, were sometimes forced off the road by the speed demons known as "scorchers." These were the equivalent of the more reckless "hot rodders" of today. Wearing loud caps and tight-fitting jerseys, they bent low over the handle- bars, and made the dust and chickens fly. There were real speed artists, the genuine article, who competed in regulated contests. Meriden had a number of outstanding wheelmen in this class, among them Arthur M. Curtis, who held the New York to Boston record, and Daniel J. Canary, who became world-famous as a trick cyclist as well as a fast rider. He traveled all over the United States, in Britain and the countries of Europe, giving exhibitions of his daring and skill. Some local sportsmen liked to stage impromptu contests for side bets. Arthur Curtis was once induced to take part in a novel race with a running horse owned by Charles H. Cheeney as his competitor. The race started from the corner of Cook Avenue and Hanover Street, and the finish line was at the post office in Yalesville. The horse was hitched to a sulky. Curtis was paced by the tandem team of E. K. Brainard and W. L. Barnard, which dropped out at Walnut Grove cemetery. By that time, the horse was out of sight. But the cyclist put on an extra burst of speed and caught up to the rig at the culvert in Yalesville. A little farther along, he passed the horse, and crossed the finish line as the winner by a considerable margin. Tennis, often called "rackets," was becoming popular here in the late 90's. At the old courts on Lincoln Street, some of the well- known young business and professional men of the city liked to play in the late summer afternoon. Abiram Chamberlain, presi- dent of the Home National Bank was reported to be "no mean adversary." Willis J. Prouty, of the high school faculty, was another staunch contestant. Robert W. Carter, Dr. E. W. Pierce, James P. Piatt, A. B. Mather, John W. Coe, and Buell Goodsell were among the regulars of the period. The Meriden Lawn Tennis Club was formed in 1887, and promoted the sport 115 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA vigorously for a decade or more. Golf had its beginnings here a little later than tennis. The Meriden Golf Club was organized in 1898 at the residence of Dr. E. T. Bradstreet. A golf course in those days was known as a "links," because the holes were laid out like a string of link sausages bent into some peculiar shapes. The first golf links was on North Colony Street, just beyond the railroad underpass. It consisted of nine holes, hewn roughly out of cow pasture. Gutta percha or "feather" balls were used, with a range, for the best players, of 50 to 60 yards. When a new ball was invented that would carry 150 to 175 yards, some of the players objected to it because it could be lost too easily. The second golf course was in Bradley Park, a nine-hole layout which was in use for a dozen years or more. The former club- house is still standing. The Highland Country Club in Westfield was built in 1915. In its early days, the membership was divided between Meriden and Middletown residents. But the Middletown members with- drew to found their own course in Cromwell, and the burden of supporting the club eventually became too heavy for the Meriden membership. The 18-hole course, a most picturesque layout, was owned by the Wilcox Realty Company, which also owned the clubhouse. After the club disbanded in the 30's, the course was allowed to revert to its natural state, and few traces of it remain. During World War II, the clubhouse was converted into apartments for war housing. It was demolished after the war. But golf was an exercise for the few during its early period. The majority of residents took their exercise in other ways, including baseball. Many baseball teams were promoted here, and some excellent players were developed. Thomas L. Reilly, mayor at the time of the Centennial, and Cornelius J. Danaher, when he was an aggressive young attorney, were two ardent promoters of the sport. In Meriden and near its outskirts were several popular amuse- ment resorts. Hemlock Grove and Terrace Garden drew crowds in the summer evenings and over the week ends. But Hanover Park, offering a greater variety of pastimes and more space in which to indulge them, was the principal center of attraction. There was a merry-go-round, with a double circle of animals, almost life-size, and a mechanical source of music, powered by 116 Meriden Freight Depot and engine in the 1860's Meriden, Cromwell & Waterbury Railway Locomotive .'.■ •' •„ .,„.. „, »^:|fraMrV The Meriden House after the Blizzard of 1888 Corner of Colony and West Main Streets Locomotive at Meriden Railroad Station, same storm to rz U Corner East Main and State Streets when location was known as "Paddock's Corner" $Sr& t*imJf" v. $s* \mfr % '% . \] _ m Meriden's Business Center "The Loop" before 1880 Perkins Street, looking east. Crown Street in background Parade on East Main Street in the 90's Meriden Y.M.C.A. on Colony Street Building stood on present site of Boynton's, Inc. fe::; Y.M.C.A. Clubhouse and Tennis Courts OfT Lincoln Street, early in this century Looking south from the corner of Church Street, about 1885 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA steam, in the center of the ring. After the park had been dismantled, one of the big lions from the carousel was borrowed by the Meriden Lions Club and used for the crowning piece on its float in the Tercentenary Parade of 1935. Vaudeville acts, balloon ascensions, exhibits of various kinds were weekly features at Hanover Park. Some fast baseball games were played on the adjacent ball field. In one of these games, on April 4, 1890, the New York world's champions met the Meriden Resolutes, a semi-pro team made up of local stars. There were manv others. Hanover Park, which comprised 30 acres, could also boast of its boating facilities. The boat house near the pavilion housed 36 rowboats and a naphtha launch in 1895. The sail around the lake and up the Quinnipiac River on this launch, the "Amelia," was available at the price of one dime per passenger. Roller skating and dancing in the Casino were other diversions. With its numerous concessions in action, the place looked like a small section of Savin Rock. But there were wide lawns and big trees to shelter the families which spread out basket picnics in the shade. The electric cars brought them in swarms when the weather was favorable. Every seat was crowded with adults and youngsters, and some perched precariously on the running boards, where they impeded the progress of the conductor as he edged his way along to collect fares. Smokers occupied the last seat in the car or the rear platform. The styles in dress, for both men and women, were rather elaborate in this period. In 1890, a fashion article in the Meriden Journal stated: "The girl of the year will be shaped in a new way. She will have knees. To make knees, a woman has only one resort, which is tying back the dress around the figure just at the line of the knees. If you want to get yourself up to look exactly like the extremely up-to-date girl of the year, begin at your underwear and have it shaped as tightly to your figure as possible. If necessary, wear tights. Have the dress fitted closely around the hips, and have it begin to flare just below the belt in the back. Have the flare set out like a great fan, taking care there is no fullness at the sides." Many seasons were to pass before skirts would creep upward to the knee line and even above — in the "flapper" fashions of the turbulent 20's. The pancake hat, the peach basket hat, the wide- 117 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA brimmed sailor hat, the pompadour stuffed with a "rat," the Princess gown, the sheath gown and many other vagaries of style were to come and go. The snapshots in Meriden family albums would show a long procession of these styles, all of which appear strange to the modern eye — until they are revived by some couturier claiming an "original" creation. But the men of the 90's had their vanities, too. To quote from The Journal of December 7, 1895: "Is there a break in the front crease of your trousers just above the shoe tops? Well, there should be. Notice the next dozen well-dressed men you meet. If the break is there, they are not only well dressed but correctly dressed, so far as their trousers go. This year's derby has a full crown, brim of medium width and well curled. A silk hat should always be worn with the Prince Albert coat, and of course with full dress. The cutaway is still the thing for business. New styles in cutaways are often worn with waistcoats of contrasting material. The new topcoats are in box effects — very striking." Meriden business and professional men were careful about their dress. Bankers, lawyers, and doctors wore somber black or gray, but the young bloods of the city broke out in checks and plaids. The derby hat crowned two men out of three during the colder months. The others wore caps. Hard straw hats with wide brims were affected, especially by the younger men, after the weather turned warm. No man went without a hat. Nearly every man had some sort of facial adornment in the form of whiskers. Those without beards grew moustaches trained in handle-bar shapes or allowed to droop at the sides of the mouth. Few moustaches were closely trimmed. Barber shops displayed rows of shaving mugs which were the individual property of their regular customers. The mutton-chop whisker, edging down the cheek, was the special tag of the banker, and at least one Meriden banker sported this type of whisker until his death after the close of World War L Just as a fast sports car today is a possession for the young in heart, so the fast trotting horse was a property for men with sporting blood and youthful spirit before the automobile came along. During the winters, when there was good sleighing, many a trotting duel took place on the wider streets, some of them spur-of-the-moment affairs; others arranged to draw out side bets. 118 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA During the summer, such activities were transferred to the old trotting park at the north end, near Bailey Avenue. Traces of this layout may still be observed from the air according to persons who have flown over it recently. Adjacent to the track were the fair grounds, where annual fairs were held for many years. The Connecticut Agricultural Society purchased the property, off Kensington Avenue, in 1890. But the fairs began to wane in popularity not long after that, and were discontinued in 1895. During the Centennial in 1906, the trotting park was sold by the Meriden Park Company to Albert N. Butler and Leonard Suzio for about $10,000. The purchasers said they intended to subdivide the 56 acres of land, between Kensington and Bailey Avenues, into building lots. They stated also that the building on high land near the grandstand would be retained as a clubhouse to be rented for socials and outings. Much of the tract has been built over, but the structure which once housed agricultural exhibits, baked goods and fancy work, entered in competition for prizes, is no longer standing. The spaciousness characteristic of the era distinguished the homes which were built by men of substance, and even those in the middle income brackets were able to erect houses of eight rooms or more. The dwelling of the average family was a sprawling affair, with broad verandahs and bay windows on the sides. Usually, there was a cupola to rise about the roof line, and a port-cochere extending over the carriage drive. Inside, the instincts of the period for over-elaborate decoration were given full scope. Furniture in ungainly shapes crowded the living room. Dark draperies hung beside the windows, with lace curtains at the sash. Antimacassars on the backs of chairs caught the pomade which might rub off the head of the over-barbered man. Whatnots, covered with sea shells, little porcelain figurines, and curios of all kinds stood in the corner. The hearth was flanked with screens hand-painted by mother or one of the girls. A French ormulu clock, covered with a glass dome, probably stood on the mantel. The wallpaper might be dark green or red. The woodwork was always dark, and generally of mahogany, cherry, stained oak or black walnut. In such sombre rooms, the life of the family was by no means gloomy or dull, for there were all sorts of parlor diversions. 119 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA Musical evenings, when everyone gathered around the Wilcox & White "pneumatic symphony" or self-playing organ, occurred often. These organs, a much-prized possession in many Meriden homes, were a local product. They could be played by hand, or a perforated paper roll could be run through the mechanism to produce "the most intricate and beautiful music without touching the fingers to the keys." The player piano was a later development of the same company in its factory on Cambridge Street and was manufactured until the concern finally disbanded. The Aeolian Company, at Tremont and Cambridge Streets, also made players and went into the phonograph record business in its later operations here. The parlor organs and player pianos were gradually displaced by the phonograph which, in turn, suffered a decline with the advent of radio broadcasting. Meriden homes could be and often were well equipped with local products before the dawn of the new century: silverware from Meriden Britannia; lamps and lighting fixtures from a number of companies, including the Miller Company, the Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Company, the Handel Company, the Meriden Bronze Company; table knives and forks from the Meriden Cutlery Company; porcelain and glass novelties from the C. F. Monroe Company; nickel silver specialties from the E. A. Bliss Company; cut glassware from the J. D. Bergen Company or T. Niland & Co.; silver-plated napkin rings and salts and peppers made by Wilbur B. Hall. Some of these names have been all but forgotten, but they represented manufacturers important in the Meriden of that day. Meriden had its share of total abstainers, whose lips never touched anything stronger than coffee or tea, but there were also plenty of families which served beer and wine sold through local enterprise. The Meriden Brewing Company, an affiliate of the Connecticut Breweries Company, produced large quantities of beer in its plant on South Colony Street, abutting on the line of the Consolidated Railroad. It had a capacity of 100,000 barrels a year. Its "Golden Pale Ale" and "Pale Extra Lager" were in large demand in the 90's, but the business lapsed later. Attempts were made to revive it at different periods, but the old brewery finally fell into disuse for its original purpose. E. J. Burke's tire recapping plant occupies part of the old buildings. The California Wine Company, operated by J. A. McHugh 120 NOTES OF A SPACIOUS ERA in 1894, sold "real, pure and unadulterated California wines such as are often purchased by physicians for medical purposes." But it may be assumed that a doctor's prescription was unnecessary to obtain them here. Distilled liquors were likely to be kept out of sight in Meriden homes of this period, for the cocktail before dinner had not become an institution, and young people were never allowed to partake. The man of the family, if he wanted to "wet his whistle," as the saying went, had his choice of a large number of saloons, or could drop in at his club. The old Winthrop bar was always well patronized in the late afternoon, when businessmen gathered there on their way home. There was practically no "night life." The earliest sign of it was at the cafe operated by Claude Terrell on Colony Street, in the building which formerly housed Liggett's Drug Store. The Ponselle sisters were entertainers there for a brief period some years before Rosa took the path to stardom with the Metropolitan Opera Company. This chapter should not be concluded without reference to a strange character who roamed these parts in the 70's and 80's. He was known universally as the "Old Leather Man," and never divulged his real name. His garments were fashioned entirely of leather, tailored by himself, and much patched to hold them together. Wherever he stopped, people were glad to feed him and give him a lodging in some barn or shed. Never did he utter a word, and the question as to whether he was dumb has never been answered. There were numerous explanations of his garb and behavior, some of them fantastic. His habitual itinerary covered many parts of the state, and many feature stories have been written about him. He died of exposure during a winter storm in a barn in upper New York state. 121 CHAPTER TWENTY The Century Turns Whether or not there is truth in the old saying that the first hundred years are the hardest, Meriden emerged from its first century as a separate community with few scars from its worst experiences and a rugged constitution that had proved itself able to survive every test. Its city government was well ordered and ran smoothly. Its manufactures were thriving, and Meriden products were favor- ably known throughout the world. Its people had proved themselves industrious and thrifty. The business district was spreading out, and stores offered a reasonable variety of mer- chandise. The principal streets had been improved with new paving. Street lighting had been greatly extended. Railroad and street transportation facilities were even better, in some respects, than at present, and there was a network of electric lines to nearby communities. The school system did not suffer by comparison with the systems of other cities near JVieriden's size. Banks were strong and able to respond to the financial demands of growing business and industry. There was no problem of unemployment. The time had come for the city to review its past and take stock of its present while sending out feelers for the future. It was the psychological moment for a celebration that would give an opportunity for a display of civic pride and call attention to local achievements. The occasion was ready-made, just as at present, for in 1906 one hundred years could be counted since the first town meeting. The Centennial was a masterpiece of organization, so well constructed that the group which planned the Sesquicentennial for the current year was able to draw valuable hints from the planning done 50 years ago. At least a year was devoted to arranging the details. Invitations were sent far and wide to reach former residents. When the period of the celebration arrived, June 9 to 16, the town was filled to overflowing with visitors. Hotels and boarding 122 THE CENTURY TURNS houses were packed. Private homes opened their doors to take in guests, many of whom came not for just a day or two but for the entire week. Factories closed at noon on June 9, to remain closed for the duration of the observance. Main Street, east and west, Colony Street, State Street, Pratt Street, and many residential streets were decorated lavishly. Store fronts wore red, white and blue bunting, which draped from the roofs and framed every window. Bands were so numerous that the air was filled with music nearly all day long. Small boys ran themselves out of breath trying to keep up with the parades. It was a holiday time for all, but there were serious moments, too. The churches conducted special services to open the week. The historical side of the occasion was amply presented in addresses by those who knew it best. Incorporation Day, which wound up the week, was marked by a reproduction of the first town meeting. The late Sherman F. Johnson was the author of the script, which was based on the record of that historic event, so far as it could be pieced together from old documents. By authority of the general committee, "A Century of Meriden" was published as an official souvenir of the Centennial. The book was divided into three parts, each fully indexed. The early history of the town was written by George Munson Curtis. The remaining content was compiled by C. Bancroft Gillespie. A portion of the receipts from this volume, which was widely sold, helped to defray the expenses of the celebration. Fifty years later, there are still occasional demands for copies, but few who possess the book can be persuaded to relinquish it. Another book issued at the time was entitled "Meriden's Centennial Celebration" In 400 pages, it contained a full account of the occasion and many photographs. Although a special town meeting had appropriated $5,000 to defray expenses, the revenue received from other sources made it unnecessary to draw more than $600 from this fund. The general committee had more than $16,500 at its disposal to pay for the event. There were carnival aspects to the affair which brought in large sums for the special licenses issued to vendors. The sports program was almost continuous, with ball games, a golf tournament and racing at the old trotting park, with field 123 THE CENTURY TURNS events at the adjacent fair grounds. An industrial exposition was held at Hanover Park, where there were also evening band concerts and displays of fireworks. Several state conventions were held here during the week, including the Connecticut Bankers' Association at the Home Club, at which ex-Governor Abiram Chamberlain, president of the association and also president of the Home National Bank presided. On "Labor's Big Day," Wednesday, June 13, a mammoth street parade was held, in which dozens of handsome floats were entered. Thousands of labor union members took part. Meriden's veterans of the Civil War, although aging, were still vigorous. They were hosts for the Department of Connecticut Grand Army encampment here on two days of the celebration. On another day, two large parades were held: one by the 32 drum corps in the Connecticut Fif ers' and Drummers' Association; the other by the Second Connecticut Regiment of the National Guard. The drummers began marching shortly after daybreak, and were still marching at the noon hour. The United Spanish War Veterans also held an encampment here, extending over two days. Wallingford's place in connection with Meriden's early history was not forgotten. One day of the affair was set aside as Walling- ford Day. The Putnam Phalanx of Hartford came here to do honor to the occasion, with its members in their ceremonial uniforms carrying out the colonial tradition. They marched up the hill to the city hall singing the song of the noble Duke of York, and carrying flintlock muskets, each weighing eleven and one-half pounds. The Colonial Ball was held that evening, and proved one of the most spectacular features of the entire celebration. Meriden's Centennial attracted wide attention and received favorable editorial comment in newspapers throughout the state. It was so successful that there was serious discussion of the proposal that the city hold some sort of public celebration annually to proclaim its progress. Before a year passed, this proposal had been forgotten. Other matters were more pressing. But memories of the Centennial lingered with those who were here when it was held, and older residents still like to recall it. 124 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE The Automobile Age The automobile Age had barely begun when the current century was ushered in. There were only two cars in Meriden in 1900: one, an Olds runabout owned by Wallace F. Bowe of A. Bowe & Son; the other, a steam-powered car, make unidentified, belonging to Dr. H. L. Patzold, a dentist. But the urge to own an automobile spread rapidly. In 1903, there were 38 cars registered here. It was the custom of the state at that time to issue numbers to the possessors of motor vehicles and let them make their own number plates. Some used slabs of wood, others patent leather with brass figures, or painted oilcloth with a stiff backing. Three years later, at the time of the Centennial, there were enough new cars to make an impressive showing in the street parade. Some of them cost as much as $7,500, and the average cost was more than half that sum. First prize for the most handsomely decorated car went to the late Dr. F. L. Murdock, dentist, for his "big Thomas car," covered with a blanket of flowers arching above the heads of the passengers. Among the early dealers were Wilbur F. Parker, agent for the Thomas "Flyer"' and Thomas "40," and Arthur Meeks, who handled several makes including the Cadillac "one lunger." The purchase of an automobile was considered real news in those days, and sales were reported regularly in the press. The demand for cars grew each year, and more and more businessmen joined the ranks of automobile dealers. Some of them had gained mechanical experience tinkering with bicycles. The Meriden Auto Station is, by long odds, the oldest agency in the city. It was founded by Adam Englehart, and is still conducted by his son Leon J. Englehart. The original garage was where the Connecticut Light & Power Company building stands today. Later in the Yost Block, it was moved finally to 231 West Main Street. For most of these years, it has handled the same make of car — the Buick. John F. Miller engaged in business in 1911, handling the 125 THE AUTOMOBILE AGE air-cooled Franklin, and was still selling Franklins when the company went out of business about 1934. F. N. Hastings was another early dealer, representing the Oakland car. His garage was in the rear of his home on Griswold Street. Charles H. Cheeney began to sell Studebakers in 1916, and was one of the earliest Chevrolet dealers. There were numerous others in the period just before and just after World War I. The first great line-up of local dealers occurred in 1922 when the first automobile show in Meriden was presented at the New Departure plant shortly before it opened for production. After that year, shows were staged annually for a long period at the state armory. The incentive to hold them began to disappear when most dealers opened showrooms of their own, where they could display a variety of models. Scores of makes of automoblies have been handled in Meriden during the last 50 years, and the names of many would be remembered only by older residents who knew what it was to fumble through a tool kit while trying to make repairs on the road, or to change one of the old clincher tires under similar conditions. Among the older agencies listed today is Gilmartin Motor Sales Corp., Dodge and Plymouth, founded by the late John Gilmartin in partnership with the late John F. Day, as Gilmartin & Day, and now conducted by John Gilmartin, Jr. The garage at 127 Colony Street was built in 1910. John J. Scanlon, now handling Chrysler and Plymouth at 34 Miller Street, began business in 1924. Max's Automotive Service, DeSoto, Plymouth, at 172 West Main Street, established 1933, is owned by Max Katz, whose connection with the automobile business began much earlier when he was a mechanic for Charles H. Cheeney. The Alderman Motor Co., 65 Cook Avenue, Oldsmobile and Cadillac, began business in 1923 at the corner of Cook Avenue and Hanover Street, and later was on Pratt Street before moving to the present quarters. The Ford agency of D. W. Flint, Inc. was once in the same building. Later, the agency passed to Budd Motors and finally to Danaher Bros., whose garage is on Parker Avenue. Other automobile dealerships here have much briefer histories. 126 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Theaters, Past and Present The centennial celebration was handicapped in one respect. Arrangements had been made to hold a number of the most important gatherings in the Meriden Theater on Church Street, more generally known, through long tradition, as the Delavan Opera House. But the old theater, which was practically the only place of theatrical entertainment here for a quarter of a century, burned down on March 27, 1906, forcing a revision of all the plans to connect it with the program less than three months away. The building so inconveniently destroyed had once housed religious services. It was erected by the First Congregational Society in 1847, when a portion of the membership of the uptown church broke away to establish a new place of worship down- town. It was used continuously as a church until 1879, when the last communion was held on March 2. Then located at the corner of Church and Colony Streets, the building was moved to the rear and turned to face Church Street. The present First Congre- gational Church on Colony Street was constructed at that time, and the former church was purchased by Horace Wilcox. After the removal of the edifice, he proceeded to erect the Wilcox Block on the corner site. Meanwhile, the conversion of the church into a theater proceeded, and the work was finished in time for the scheduled opening performance on December 4, 1879. The first play presented was "Our Bachelors," produced by Robinson & Crane. It was written by Joseph Bradford, brother-in-law of J. S. Norton, cashier of the Home National Bank. Charles S. Perkins, later to fill the same position and to rise to the presidency of the bank, was appointed manager of the theater by Mr. Wilcox. Mr. Perkins remained as manager through the first season, but was replaced the following year by Thomas Delavan. Delavan did not remain long in charge. He left town. But his wife succeeded him and directed the theater until the summer of 1901, when Jean Jacques, who conducted a theater in Waterbury, took over the lease. The Jacques management lasted until 1904. Ira W. Jackson and William D. Reed of New London then assumed the lease, 127 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT changed the name to the Meriden Theater, and ran it until it burned. Many of the great and the near-great actors of the nineteenth century played at the Delavan Opera House during its heyday. The old productions required licenses, and records at the city hall contain the illustrious names of Edwin Booth, E. H. Sothern, Joseph Jefferson, Mary Anderson, Fanny Davenport, Modjeska, Januschak, Emma Abbott, Pat Rooney, Sr., Sol Smith Russell, Denman Thompson and Buffalo Bill. The mainstay of the old theater was the "stock company." A long succession of these companies performed such standard plays of the period as "East Lynn," "Two Orphans," "Only a Farmer's Daughter," "Pirates of Penzance," "The Old Home- stead" made popular by Denman Thompson, "Rip Van Winkle" with Joseph Jefferson in the title role, "The Celebrated Case," "Bess, the Waif," "Peck's Bad Boy," "Black Flag," "Power of Money," "Wages of Sin," "The Black Crook," and many more. "Uncle Tom's Cabin," based on the famous book by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was presented on numerous occasions. Minstrel performances were frequent attractions, always pre- ceded by a "mammoth street parade." Light opera companies with casts of 40 to 50 persons came here often to present the equivalent of today's musical comedies. After Mrs. Delavan gave up the lease in 1901, the character of the shows began to change. Under Jackson and Reed, a decline in attendance was noticeable, but by then motion pictures had begun to offer some competition. The Meriden Theater began to show movies to fill in the week's bill about a year before it burned. The management promised to build a new theater, but could not obtain the backing necessary for the venture. Only a few traces remain of this once celebrated playhouse, to be seen by those who look for them carefully. The entrance, now boarded up, was at the east end of the Horton Printing Company building. An archway of brownstone marks the spot. A small area of much-worn marble flags may be noticed just inside the archway. Near the ceiling are traces of ornamental iron work in relief, the material which lined the lobby. Through this entrance, theatergoers passed directly back to the box office and from there to the auditorium at the rear. A yard, partially enclosed by small garages, occupies the space where the audiences were 128 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT seated. The stage was at the west end of the auditorium, near the retaining wall which rises to the municipal parking lot. Entrance to the top balcony was gained by means of a door on the alley which runs between the printing company's building and the rear of the Wilcox Block. At the corner of Church Street and High School Avenue stood Austin's livery stable, where Mrs. Delavan kept the horse which drew her light buggy and the heavier wagon used for bill-posting excursions, and to convey scenery for the performances from the railroad station to the theater. The wagon was backed up to an alleyway which led from Church Street, and from there was unloaded into a storage room beside the stage. The stage entrance was beside this passage. Meriden missed the opera house and the types of entertainment which had been presented there. Not long after the fire, the Meriden Board of Trade, predecessor of the Chamber of Com- merce, started a movement to gain backing for a new theater. Early in 1907, this effort was successful, for S. Z. Poli of New Haven, who had already started a chain of theaters in New England, told a local committee, headed by C. H. Tredennick, that he would invest capital if a company could be formed to erect a theater here, taking a long term lease on the house and guaran- teeing a rental that would give investors a good return on their money. The Meriden Theater Company was organized, with a capital of $100,000, and C. W. Cahill, owner of the Cahill Block, agreed to build the theater in the rear of this property, with a lobby opening from East Main Street. On August 17, 1907, the first brick of the new theater was laid by Mayor Thomas L. Reilly. The theater had 1,700 seats, originally, on main floor and first and second balconies. The stage was 40 feet deep and the proscenium arch measured 36 x 27 feet. The decorations were ornate and the appointments impressive. Few theaters in New England could match it at that period, and to it some of the best legitimate attractions in the country were brought during its earlier period. But even before World War I the competition of motion pictures was making it unprofitable to send the better class of road companies on tour into the smaller cities. Vaudeville and variety shows were still in the ascendant. The Poli Theater compromised by booking road shows occasionally while concen- 129 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT trating, through most of the season, on combination programs of vaudeville and motion pictures. By that time, the S. Z. Poli chain had access to the best acts in vaudeville. The bills changed twice and sometimes three times weekly, and the house was well filled throughout the fall and winter. In 1920, Mr. Cahill offered $100,000 for the theater, its site, and the equipment, and the offer was accepted by the directors of the Meriden Theater Company, which then proceeded to disband. After the collapse of vaudeville, due mainly to the advent of movies with sound, the Poli Theater became a motion picture house entirely, except for occasional performances by amateurs, such as the annual Charity Club show and the Fellowcraft Minstrels, presented there for a number of years. In 1928, the theater lease was taken over by the Loew interests, combined with what was left of the original Poli enterprise. The death sentence for the 45-year-old theater, which had often served for community gatherings, such as war bond rallies during World War I, came in 1952, when William J. Cahill, Jr., mayor at that time, announced that the building would be razed. It was torn down in 1953. The Loew Poli Palace Theater on West Main Street is the successor to a theatrical enterprise which began in 1921, when the late Esidor Derecktor signed a contract with the Sutherland Construction Company of St. Louis to construct a theater in the rear of a business block which he owned. The St. Louis concern agreed to put up the building for $225,000 and to sign a lease for a term of 50 years. Some local capital, in addition to that furnished by Mr. Derecktor, had been attracted to the venture, and the enterprise was named the Community Playhouse. Its life under these auspices was short. Even before the first year was out, it was apparent that mistakes had been made, both in the design of the theater and in its management. Built all on one floor, with no balconies, the acoustical properties of the auditorium were found to be deficient. Much space was wasted in the lobby, where a fountain played. Some big names of the theatrical world had been featured in occasional legitimate productions there, but the general run of attractions brought poor to only fair attendance. In 1922, Patrick F. McMahon, a former resident of Meriden, and Nathan and Samuel Derecktor bought practically all of the stock 130 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT in the company, and took full control. But their reign was also short. The Sutherland Construction Company was still in the picture, through the arrangements made originally, and it had the deciding voice. The Community Playhouse was sold in 1924 to the S. Z. Poli Theatrical Enterprises. Mr. Poli himself was still active. The move gave him control of two theaters in Meriden, for he was still operating the older house. Although still young, the Community Playhouse was already showing signs of wear, and Mr. Poli gave orders for its entire renovation and for alterations to improve the arrangement and acoustics. This work was completed, and the theater, entirely changed in the interior, was opened for the first performance on August 11, 1924, rechristened the Meriden Poli Palace. Due to a combination between the Fox and Poli interests, the name was again changed in 1930, when the theater became known as the Fox-Poli Palace. Later the Fox name was dropped, after a financial reorganization which brought the famous theatrical name of Loew into the picture, and placed it beside the name of Poli, which was equally well known in New England. The Loew Poli Palace Theater has continued the successful policies which were inaugurated after the Community Playhouse venture failed. M-G-M productions are featured, but a wide range of selections from Hollywood's best is offered throughout the year. The Capitol Theater on Grove Street is strictly a local enter- prise. Originally called the Life Theater, the name was changed to its present form in 1930, when J. M. Ricci, owner of the property, decided to operate the business, and placed his son Leo Ricci in charge. During the spring and summer of that year, the theater was enlarged and entirely renovated. It underwent further alterations in 1937. While they were in progress, the staff was moved to the East Main Street Poli Theater, and the programs were presented there. The personnel returned to the Capitol as soon as the work was completed, and the house was reopened December 17, 1937. Since then, it has been completely renovated several times. In 1950, an addition was built, measuring 103 feet in depth, 35 feet wide at the front and 22 feet wide in the rear, to provide a new entrance and a new lounge. Air conditioning was 131 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT also installed. Leo Ricci has continued to manage the theater since 1930. The latest addition to Meriden's theatrical enterprises is the Meriden Theater on South Broad Street, near the Wallingford town line. It was constructed on a portion of the old Watrous farm. Three New Britain men, Nick Kounaris, A. Tolles, and George Ulysses were originally involved, but there have been changes in ownership since. The structure was designed to seat from 950 to 1,000 persons in an air-conditioned auditorium. It was completed in 1949. There have been other theaters in Meriden since motion pictures became a popular form of public entertainment. Among them were the Star, Bijou, and Crystal which were opened in the period between 1910 and 1920. All these were small movie houses. For a time, an open-air theater was in operation on Church Street, during the summers. Known as the Air Dome, it was under the same ownership and management as the Crystal Theater on Colony Street, opposite the Winthrop Hotel. Many older residents had their first introduction to the movies in these tiny theaters, which went out of business many years ago. Meriden is the home city of many who rose to become celebrities in the world of entertainment. Among them, none achieved greater fame than Rosa Ponselle, born Rosa Ponzillo, often rated as the finest dramatic soprano ever to join the Metropolitan Opera Company. At the height of her career in the 20's, she sang with Enrico Caruso, Gigli, and other stars who have never been excelled. Her sister, Carmela, was well known as an opera and concert singer. Both sisters, when in their teens, sang between movie reels at the old Star Theater on West Main Street, and appeared frequently before various local organizations. George Sklar, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ezak Sklar of this city, began his successful career as a playwright when he was still in Yale University. He has written a long succession of plays and novels and adaptations for the screen. In some of his books, a Meriden background was recognizable. In the field of vaudeville, when it was in its prime, Meriden produced many headliners of their day, among them Milton Bros., acrobats; Vesta and Teddy Wentworth; Jack and Dennis Hag- gerty and their trained dog; the Savoys, another dog act; Kennedy & Kramer, famous dance team, of whom the survivor, James 132 THEATERS, PAST AND PRESENT Kennedy, is still in Meriden and connected with the circulation department of the Record- Journal; Eddie DeVoe, contortionist; John Potts, celebrated clown; Walter Brasyl, dancer with Prim- rose Minstrels; Harry Bolden and Hattie Sharp, singing and piano; Eddie Dowling, with Dockstader's Minstrels; Charles Nellis, Jr. with Guy Bros. Minstrels; Lee Harrissier Bros., with Guy Bros.; Bill Dunham, singer; Mike Carron, acrobat; Eddie Garvey of Girard & Garvey; Morris Slater, singer with Guy Bros.; Freddie Miller, dancer; and George Rollins, dancer. LeRoi McCafferty, well-known magician of the "big time" made his home here for many years. 133 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Sports Celebrities Meriden's interest in all forms of sports has always been keen. Many celebrities of the sports world have been born and bred in Meriden, and others, equally famous have become local citizens by adoption. Space does not permit the enumeration of all the greater and lesser stars who have lived here at one stage or another of their careers, but a few of special importance may be men- tioned. There was the beloved Connie Mack who came to Meriden about 1884 as a lanky young catcher, signed by a local promoter also know as Connie. Cornelius J. Danaher, then a youthful attorney with a flair for arranging sports events, picked Cornelius McGillicuddy to play on the Meriden team which was giving a rub to many teams of the state in games at the old trotting park off Kensington Avenue. Both Connies made good in their separate ways. Connie Mack hit a triple the first time at bat. He later caught in Hartford and graduated to Philadelphia, where he rose to fame as manager and principal owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. Mack's original sponsor, Connie Danaher, gained dis- tinction as Connecticut's Labor Commissioner and in his long career before the bar. He is the father of former Mayor Francis R. Danaher and of John A. Danaher, who was elected U. S. senator in 1938. At that time another Meriden man, the late Francis T. Maloney, was also in the U. S. Senate. John Danaher is now judge of the U. S. Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. Jack Barry, born in Meriden in 1887, starred in sports at Meriden High School and later at Holy Cross. He was signed by Connie Mack directly from the Holy Cross campus in 1908 as regular shortstop, and became an integral part of the illustrious "$100,000 infield" which included Stuffy Mclnnis, Eddie Collins, and "Home Run" Baker. When the quartet was disbanded, Barry went to the Red Sox, and helped to spark the winning of pennants in 1915 and 1916. He managed Boston to second place in 1917. At present he is regarded as one of the nation's top 134 SPORTS CELEBRITIES coaches at Holy Cross. Sam Babcock, outstanding amateur and semi-pro hockey player, has turned to officiating, and is now in his 16th year as National Hockey League linesman. He is the oldest official in NHL in term of service. Lois Felix, Meriden tennis star, learned the game in Brookside Park, in the rear of her home. She became local, state, and New England champion without benefit of formal coaching. Miss Felix participated in the Nationals at Forest Hills and also played at Wimbledon in England. She was once ranked eighth nationally in singles by the U. S. Lawn Tennis Association and was rated fifth nationally in doubles. Julius Woronick, Meriden's No. 1 professional wrestler, appeared under the name of the Great Mephisto. He won the recognized light heavyweight world's wrestling championship in the early 1930's, and is still in competition. In Canada he is a special favorite. "Big Ed" Walsh, born in 1881 in Plains, Pa., came to Meriden when he was 21, and played for this city in the old Connecticut League. During his first year in Aieriden (1902) he won 15 and lost 5. The White Sox of the American League bought him from Newark after he had compiled a 9-5 record in 1903. In his first season with Chicago (1904) Walsh won 6, lost 3. Chicago paid $750 for him, probably baseball's greatest bargain. He gained the height of his fame in 1908, when he won 40 games, lost 15, appeared in 66, struck out 269, walked only 56 and worked 464 innings. His top salary was $3,500. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. His son, Young Ed, who seemed destined for a brilliant future in baseball, died in 1937. Louis "Kid" Kaplan retired as undefeated featherweight champion of the world. He is regarded as one of the greatest of all time in his division. Nicknamed the "Meriden Buzzsaw," he won the title on Jan. 2, 1925 from Danny Kramer on a kayo in the eighth round. Kaplan began fighting in Meriden in 1921 and had nine bouts that year; six in Meriden, three in Hartford. He won all on decisions. His first fight was July 1, 1921 against Sammy Waltz, which he won in 12 rounds. He retired Feb. 23, 1933, three days after he lost a 10-round decision to Cocoa Kid in the New Haven Arena, a fight which did not cost him his title. Harry Costello, regarded by many as the greatest football 135 SPORTS CELEBRITIES player in the history of Georgetown University, was termed by "Pop" Warner, the famous coach of the Carlisle Indians, "for his inches, one of the finest players who ever lived." Joe Beecham, former West Point coach, said of Costello, "He's the best football player we had at West Point for as long as I can remember." He could punt, pass, run, and drop kick with equal facility. At Georgetown, he starred during the seasons 1910-1913. Dennis McMahon, known all his life as "Dinny," was the manager of world's champion Kid Kaplan. He is one of the few to hold the coveted Gold Key awarded by Connecticut sports writers. He is now State Athletic Commissioner. Walter Surowiecki, one of Meriden's all-time great bowlers, won the national singles bowling championship against thousands of the country's top keglers with 445. Steve Carr, born before the era of television, was the best of his day in the light heavyweight division. He was undefeated in 1932 and 1934. Ben Zajac, one of the city's finest basketball players, captained Meriden High to the state and New England championships in 1935. He became a successful basketball coach at Wilcox Tech. In schoolboy sports, many interesting chapters have been written here. The three major sports, football, basketball, and baseball have dominated the scene at Meriden High School, while tennis, soccer, swimming, and golf have always been rated there as minor sports. The high school's greatest successes have been scored in football and basketball. The achievements of the 1916 and 1926 football teams and the 1934 and 1935 basketball teams are best remembered by the older graduates. Coach Frank Barnikow, who served M. H. S. from 1926 to 1946 is credited with one of the best coaching records of the kind in the state. He gave the Red and Blue two state and New England championship basketball teams in 1934 and 1935, and the second unbeaten and untied football team in M. H. S. history in 1926. Intersectional games were not taboo in high school sports in those days, and Meriden beat Nashua, N. H. in 1926, the first out-of-state journey ever taken by an M. H. S. eleven. Meriden's first intersectional game was played earlier in the 20's, when Jimmie Fitzpatrick, a star on the first M. H. S. team ever to attain a perfect record, came here from Portland, Maine for a clash at Hanover Park which drew a crowd of 2,000. 136 SPORTS CELEBRITIES The first paid coach at Meriden High School was Pat Meskell, who was appointed to coach football in 1917. In recent years, Little League baseball and Junior League football have become popular in Meriden. A baseball park for the Little Leaguers was created on Britannia Street, where games are played throughout the season. Teams are uniformed and sponsored by local business concerns. Meriden in 1954 was the scene of sectional play-offs in Junior League football. In 1955, the Meriden "All Stars" were sent to Redondo Beach, Cal., for the play-offs there. The local eleven lost the big game by a close margin, but gained more ground than their opponents. The expenses of the trip were defrayed through local contributions. 137 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR World War I The assassination of an Austrian Archduke and his wife on June 28, 1914 was an event so remote from Meriden that none could have guessed its implications, so far as this city was concerned. But the deaths of Francis Ferdinand and the Duchess of Hohenberg led to conflict between Austria and Serbia. The rivalry of great European powers, already primed for war, soon burst into full flame. On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia, and against France on August 3. The German armies invaded Belgium on August 4. This is not the place to record the titanic struggle which raged up to the time the United States entered the war on April 6, 1917. But from that moment, Meriden was involved, along with the rest of the country. Meriden companies of the National Guard had been seasoned a year in advance, when the border troubles with Mexico began in 1916. The State Armory here had been dedicated December 15, 1908, and the local guardsmen had received the standard peacetime training in the form of drills and maneuvers. But the Mexican border forays under the bandit general, Pancho Villa, had cost American lives, and Gen. John J. Pershing, with 12,000 troops, was sent into Mexico. On June 6, 1916, Meriden guardsmen were mobilized and sent to his support. On October 16 of that year, the local soldiers returned, and were ready when the next duty called. There was a hard core of experienced men available to form the nucleus of the forces summoned from here as America's entry into World War I. When the break in diplomatic relations with Germany occurred on February 3, 1917, the National Guard was mobilized. Two days later, the local companies were on guard at the Westinghouse plant at the north end, where large defense contracts were being rilled. On March 8, there was full mobilization, and Companies I and L were sent to Bridgeport for guard duty on April 1 with the 3rd battalion of the 2nd Connecticut Infantry in anticipation of the declaration of war, which came only five days later. At that 138 WORLD WAR I time, Company I was in command of Capt. William H. Whitney, with John R. Feegel as 1st lieutenant and Company L was under Capt. Frank H. McGar, with Samuel Tyler as 1st lieutenant. The Meriden soldiers served in Bridgeport until July 25, when they were moved to Yale Field in New Haven, where the 2nd Connecticut Regiment was assembled. On August 25, the 2nd Connecticut Infantry became the 102nd U. S. Infantry of the 51st Brigade, 26th Division. Company L was increased to a strength of 250 men and six officers, with comple- ments from Company L of the 1st Connecticut Infantry, Company K of the 1st Vermont Infantry and casuals from the 6th Massachusetts Infantry. Company I was undergoing much the same process. The Meriden soldiers, with other units of the 102 nd, entrained from New Haven for Montreal, Canada on September 14, and from there sailed to Europe. They landed at Liverpool, England on October 2, and moved by way of Southampton to Le Havre, France. On October 7, they arrived at Certilleaux, Vosges, and were part of the 1st Corps Reserve until February 6, 1918, when they were sent with other infantry units of the 26th Division to Chassemy Wood, Vailly, France, in the Chemin des Dames sector. The next transfer was to the American sector on the Toule front. They arrived in Ansauville on April 1. On July 3, they were drawn into the thick of the fighting in the sector around Chateau-Thierry. Following the Champagne, Marne, and Ainse-Marne operations, they were moved to Perrefette and Rupt en Woevre for the St. Mihiel offensive, which began September 5. After the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient, the men from Meriden were in the movement through Verdun to Bois des Ormonte for the closing engagements of the war, ended by the Armistice on November 11, 1918. After that, they were held in Army reserves near General Headquarters, Chaumont, until cleared for return to the United States. They sailed from Brest, France, on April 1, 1919, and arrived in Boston, April 7. The local units were demobilized at Camp Devens, Mass. on April 29. The engagements in which Meriden soldiers took part were the gas attack at Pargny-Filain, March 17-18, 1918; Seicheprey- Toule front, April 20-21; Xivray-Marvoissin, Toule front, June 16; jump-off from Moresches for Chateau-Thierry counterattack, July 18, to Epieds Trugny Aug. 4; St. Mihiel operation from 139 WORLD WAR I Woevre to Vigneulles, September 12-13; Wadonville, Saulx and Marcheville, September 15-26 as diversion attacks and a feint at Metz to cover preparations for the Meuse-Argonne offensive; in the Meuse-Argonne offensive their assignment was to protect the right flank of the 1st American Army at Bois d'Ormonte October 16, and they helped to press the attack through to clear the enemy from this area and push him back from the last of his strongly entrenched positions. The losses of Meriden men in the last phases of the war were heavy. Eighty-four names are inscribed on the World War I Memorial. Throughout the war, the home front in Meriden was lending all possible assistance in the support of the fighting forces. One of the first essentials here was a uniformed force to replace the National Guard in protecting war plants. On March 30, 1917, the state called for enlistments in the State Guard. Several companies were formed here, later reduced to two companies of infantry, and Major Joseph DeCantillon was placed in command of the Meriden battalion. Captain H. DeForest Lockwood, after- ward promoted to major in the Medical Corps, formed an Ambulance Corps. He was one of those who had seen service with the National Guard at the Mexican border. A uniformed Motor Transport Corps of five battalions was organized, and Frank E. Sands was commissioned as major in command. All of these companies drilled regularly at the State Army and engaged in maneuvers from time to time. As the war proceeded, many of the younger men in them became affiliated with the fighting forces, and older men filled up the gaps. In the fall of 1917, the Meriden War Council was organized as an arm of the State Council of Defense. Liberty Loan drives became frequent. The second such drive went over the top on October 27, 1917, the third in April 1918, the fourth a few months later, and the fifth in April 1919. Shortages in various essential commodities began to appear in the fall of 1917, but the first real pinch occurred on January 18, 1918, when factories here had to close for five days because of lack of coal. It was an exceptionally severe winter, and many homes were without fuel on some of the worst days. Again, during the following August, deliveries of coal were reduced. On September 21, 1917, for a period of about a month, "gasless 140 WORLD WAR I Sundays" were enforced, and no automobiles were allowed on the roads except for the most essential uses under permit. Newspapers had to be reduced in size to conserve newsprint. On March 21, 1918, daylight saving went into effect for the first time. On February 28, 1918, dispatches received here carried the first news that Meriden troops were engaged in action. On March 9, 1918, the machine gun company from Camp Devens entrained here. Full war production in local plants was not achieved until the summer of 1918, although war materials were shipped, in some instances, in May. Long before that time, Meriden had been almost stripped of its young men, except those who had received exemption from the draft because of physical defects or essential war service. The first registration day was on July 5, 1917, and the first draft came on July 20. The second registration day was held on September 12, 1918, embracing those who had reached the age of 21. On September 17, all female aliens were required to register. On September 16, 1918 the whole force of the Connecticut State Guard was ordered to New Haven for review. Home front activities appeared on every side in which women, as well as men, took part. On May 8, 1918, a meeting of citizens decided to organize a War Chest, covering many of the local agencies which were taking part in war work. The drive was a great success, and the inspiration carried ten years into the future, when the Community Fund was formed. The news of the Armistice broke prematurely, and was greeted with wild rejoicing, but the crowds reassembled in even greater number when the official announcement was published on November 11, 1918. A large parade wound through the city's principal streets. On November 11, 1918, Mayor Henry T. King appointed a Committee of Ninety to arrange a welcome home for Meriden soldiers. The committee went to Boston the following April to meet the first arrivals from overseas. A "Welcome Home" monument was erected on Winthrop Square to serve until the form of a permanent memorial could be decided upon. During the war, a board with an honor roll had been placed on this site, which was an open plot of land until 141 WORLD WAR I the present Colony Building was erected on it. A long period was to ensue before Meriden's plans to honor its war dead matured. Organizations of World War I veterans were formed rapidly after the war, however, and took part in the deliberations. On March 19, 1920, Meriden Post No. 45, American Legion, sponsored a memorial service in the city hall auditorium to pay tribute to those who had lost their lives in the struggle. On that occasion, French awards to Meriden soldiers were presented, some of them posthumously. Lt. Robert Leconte represented the French High Command. Mayor Daniel J. Donovan spoke for the city, and Dr. David P. Smith, then commander of the Legion Post, opened the ceremonies. The immortal Yankee Division, the 26th, in which so many Meriden men had served, was made up originally entirely of volunteers. When hostilities ceased, barely 15 per cent of them remained. To its credit were nearly 150 citations, and more than 7,000 of its men were cited individually for their bravery. Meriden soldiers had their full share of these honors, from their own country and from the French Government as well. 142 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE World War I Memorial and Boulevard The committee of Ninety, appointed by Mayor King, had as its first duty the task of arranging a suitable reception for the veterans, but it also looked forward to the time when the sacrifice of those who could not return would be suitably marked with a lasting memorial. The committee voted on April 1, 1919 that any balance of funds remaining after paying the expenses of welcoming celebra- tions should be devoted to paying "part or the entire expense of a suitable bronze memorial or — the entire expense of suitable separate grave markers or monuments" in memory of the dead. A canvass for funds resulted in donations of $9,813.70. After paying for the welcome home exercises and the maintenance of a Soldiers and Sailors club room in Journal Hall, a balance of $3,262.20 remained. At the same time Aaayor King appointed the Committee of Ninety, he appointed another committee "to inquire into and report to the people concerning a memorial to those who entered the service of their country from Meriden." This committee reported in favor of erecting a memorial building on the site of the Charles S. Palmer residence, later the home of P. T. Ives. This proposal did not meet with favor, and the smaller committee took no further action. Another plan for a large stone with a bronze plate affixed, to stand at the southwest corner of the city hall was also rejected. A third proposal was rejected because the chosen site was that occupied by the G. A. R. monument to Civil War veterans. Thomas L. Reilly, former mayor, moved that the council be requested to appropriate "as much as was necessary of $25,000" for the erection of a memorial. Additional suggestions for various forms of memorials and various sites were appearing frequently, but all fell flat, for one reason or another. 143 WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL AND BOULEVARD Six years had passed, and the city seemed to grow weary of argument. No further proposal appeared until May 1928, when the plan to make a portion of Broad Street into a Memorial Boulevard, and to place a monument at the interesection of Broad and East Main Streets was brought to the attention of the Chamber of Commerce by Lorenzo Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton had drawn plans to accompany his suggestion, and the Chamber's directors appointed a committee to take up the matter with Mayor Wales L. deBussy. The plans were submitted to the State High- way Department, which approved Mr. Hamilton's design. Through further conferences between local and state officials, agreement was reached for the construction of Memorial Boule- vard. The state was already committed to the repaving of Broad Street as a state highway, and consented to assume the cost of the strip on the east side of the dividing plot in the center of the boulevard, assessing the cost of the west side against the city. The state would also take and pay for any land needed to widen the southeast corner of East Main Street where it intersected with Broad Street, and the city agreed to acquire the land needed for improving the opposite corner, west of Broad Street. The residence of Daniel J. Donovan, which occupied the site where the old Central Tavern had stood, had been sold, and was to be removed to make room for a gasoline station. The new owners came to an agreement with the city which permitted the widening of this corner. Nothing further stood in the way of the proposed Memorial Boulevard, but the question of the monument was still unsettled. On January 7, 1929, the council approved the appointment of a committee of five aldermen to be known as the World War I Memorial Committee, "whose duty it shall be to select a suitable memorial and site . . . said committee to have full powers to act in any manner in regard to this memorial." Mayor deBussey appointed Mrs. Mildred Williams as chairman, Alderman Horace F. Doolittle, secretary, and Aldermen Castelow, Quinlan and Ficken. The committee's membership was later increased by the appointment of 36 other citizens. Additional sub-committees were appointed on site, ways and means, the memorial, publicity, dedication, and reception. The site committee reported favorably on the Broad Street location, and on June 11, 1929, the general committee passed the 144 WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL AND BOULEVARD following vote: "that Broad Street from the junction of East Main Street to the junction of Curtis and South Broad Streets be adopted as Memorial Boulevard and the site of the World War I Memorial, and that the memorial itself be placed as near the junction of East Main and Broad Streets as practical." The council gave the committee power to take the necessary steps. The ways and means sub-committee reported that the funds should be raised by general taxation and favored the laying of a one mill tax for the purpose. The Board of Apportionment and Taxation followed this recommendation by laying a half mill tax in 1930, with the understanding that the second half mill would be applied the following year. The contract for the Broad Street route was let to the L. Suzio Construction Company of this city, and work was started on November 30, 1929 at the north end of the junction of Berlin Road and Broad Street. The roadway laid was 20 feet wide, of reinforced concrete eight inches thick. The second contract, with the same company, was signed June 17, 1930, and provided for the central or boulevard section and the cut-off at Yalesville leading to the old railroad underpass. The Southern New England Telephone Company placed an additional contract for under- ground conduits, and the city contracted for the laying of sewers. The state contracts amounted to nearly $400,000, the telephone company's to $220,000 and the sewer bill to $5,200. After inspection of many monuments and designs, the sub- committee on the form of the memorial recommended the design submitted by the Gorham Company of Providence. A model was exhibited, and the design was formally adopted. It was the work of sculptor Aristide B. Cianfarani. Another decision was made that the names to go on the monument should be only those of the war dead, and another contract was made with the Gorham Company to erect a Roll of Honor on the section of the central parkway strip south of the monument. Later, it was proposed that a flagpole be erected nearby in honor of the Gold Star mothers, and a committee was appointed to investigate this plan. The World War I monument consists of a granite column, surmounted by a bronze eagle and flanked at its base by four bronze statues representing the Doughboy, the Marine, the Sailor 145 WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL AND BOULEVARD and the Nurse. The granite column is decorated with stars and stripes, symbolizing the American flag. The eagle is conceived as lighting on the top of the column with a laurel wreath of Victory clutched in his talons. On the buttresses beneath each statue are inscribed the names of those who died in service. The buttress beneath the Doughboy, which faces down East Main Street, is inscribed: "Dedicated to the Memory of Those from Meriden Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in the Service of Their Country During the World War." There are four star-embellished bowls mounted on tripods which illuminate the monument at night. These tripods are mounted on heavy granite pedestals on which are inscribed the names of the battles in which the Meriden men participated. The extreme height of the monument from the street level is approxi- mately 50 feet. The granite for the memorial was quarried at Barre, Vermont. This striking monument was dedicated November 8, 1930 with ceremonies witnessed by thousands. The parade passed in review before Governor John H. Trumbull and Major General Clarence Edwards, commander of the Yankee Division. The reviewing stand was filled with scores of men and women prominent in all phases of the community's life. Mrs. Mildred R. Williams, general chairman of the memorial committee, presented the memorial, which was accepted, after unveiling, by Mayor Francis T. Maloney on behalf of the city. General Edwards delivered the dedicatory address. The monument and the boulevard, overlooked by the two historic white churches, constitute a scene which has probably been more admired than any other feature of the more thickly settled portions of Meriden. It is a scene which appeals at any time of day or night, and at any season of the year. The boulevard is illuminated by long rows of lights. When the churches are also illuminated, the sight is doubly impressive. It is best of all, perhaps, at the Christmas season. The names of the World War I dead inscribed upon the monument under the words "These Laid Down Their Lives" are: Leslie H. Anderson James Bambax Verner Anderson Fred M. Barsneck Norman M. Angevine Leslie C. Bemis 146 WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL AND BOULEVARD John W. Berberich Frank Bonarek Constantine J. Bournique Felix E. Brenner Nicholas Briscoe Richard H. Brown John B. Bulluss Henry G. Burbank James C. Call Edward Casey Homer F. Cashen Joseph H. Collins Jesse M. Curtis Joseph G. Cyphers Lorenzo D'Amico William DeLuca Antonio DeSandre John J. Doran Frank Dworak Joseph H. Felix Joseph Ferraro John F. Fielding Fred J. Gershefski David Goldsmith Joseph L. Gorman Nathan Hale Joseph E. Hall Leroy C. Higginson Nelson Hitchcock Charles W. Jackson H. Raymond Jopson Adam Kaczynski Anthony Kalinowski Frederick H. Kantack Otto C. Ketelhut James C. Killeen Jesse M. King Edward J. Kline Joseph Kowalski Hugo W. Kruth Henry E. LaCroix Ernest A. LaRochelle Everett E. Learmont James V. Lizzi Aiichael Louisi Edward T. McCarthy George C. McKenzie Leonard F. Meiklem Stanley Mesiak Nicholas Mezzanotte Joseph A^rozek George W. Mueller Daniel E. Murdock Walter Nalewajek Stanley Nurawski William L. O'Donnell Raphael Paone Harold K. Patten Walenty Ptak H. Leslie Pulver William J. Recican Arthur A. Rehm Earl L. St. Arnauld Thomas J. Siaflas Horace G. Staniland Harlan J. Stretch George C. Summer John Swider Emil J. Tro trier William J. Ulbrand Joseph C. Underwood William H. Washington Stanley B. Wheeler Henry F. White Peter Wieszcholek Charles E. Wilkinson Harry Wooley Emil W. Zabel 147 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX The Depression The depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929 spread rapidly throughout the country. Meriden began to feel its effects during the spring and summer of 1930. By January of 1931, the problem of the unemployed had become acute. Mayor Francis T. Maloney proposed a bond issue of $250,000 for financ- ing a program of public improvement, which was approved unanimously by the council. The approval of the legislature was necessary, and, by the time the General Assembly met, other programs had begun to take shape. A campaign to determine the amount of public work that could be done here was undertaken after Mayor Maloney created the Research Commission in February 1932. The survey produced a figure of $666,253. By September 1932, there were so many residents without jobs that a conference of city officials, bankers, and manufacturers was called to devise a plan to raise $400,000 for relief. In October 1932, the council voted a bond issue of $200,000 for sidewalks and other improvements. On March 4, 1933 came the "bank holiday," when all financial institutions were closed. Four days later emergency measures were taken by the state legislature. Many banks in the country went to the wall, but all of Meriden's financial institutions were found to be in sound condition. They were allowed to reopen on March 1 3 . NRA was set up by the federal government, and pledges were issued in accordance with this plan on July 27, 1933. The next day the factories here adopted the code, and on July 31a group meeting of merchants was held to agree on a code. By August, the famous "Blue Eagle" symbol was displayed every- where. Two hundred women and 150 men had canvassed for converts to the program. For nearly two years, the program was generally accepted, but on May 27, 1935 the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional. On December 13, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pronounced NRA at an end, and the 148 Meriden Roller Skating Rink Formerly near corner of Hanover Street and Randolph Avenue Early ambulance, Meriden Hospital '.M ■ - I- It- Wi o o fa 3 First horsecar on Colony Street, 1887 Burning of the second Town Hall, 1904 The Meriden Trotting Park as it was, off Kensington Avenue ^AS^JSi^A Fruit Pavilion, Meriden Fair Grounds Broad Street Fire House Horse-drawn fire apparatus in the 90's Fire Headquarters Pratt Street Police Department, 1883 Left to right: Capt. George Van Nostrand, Chief Frank G. Bolles, Roger M. Ford, who succeeded Bolles as Chief Chief Michael B. Carroll Pointing to Civil Defense Map The Town Hall that burned in 1904 Stores decorated for the Centennial, 1906 THE DEPRESSION Blue Eagles came down even more rapidly than they had been posted. As early as 1933, the federal government had to come to the aid of distressed home owners. The Home Owners' Loan Corporation was opened here on August 28 of that year, and by January, 1935 there were 301 HOLC mortgages written for a total of $1,201,454. The work committee of the Research Commission, consisting of Charles N. Flagg, William S. Clark and Paul F. Fagan, was actively engaged in devising jobs for the unemployed. A muni- cipal employment bureau under DeLloyd E. Beebe as manager was set up, and many hundreds of the jobless filed applications. The Community Fund set a goal of $119,687 in 1931, with $35,000 of it as a job fund. The goal was oversubscribed. A benefit card party was staged by city employees to help the jobless, and the Meriden Teachers Association voted to raise $1250 for the cause. Unemployed were set to clearing the reservoirs and salvaging firewood for the needy. By permission of the Connecticut Light & Power Company the wood was stored at its yard on South Colony Street. These were bitter years for many, but the city administration, under Mayor Maloney, who had been Commissioner of Charities before his election as mayor, and who was to go on to a national career as U. S. Representative and later U. S. Senator, was doing everything possible for the relief of the distressed. Made-work projects appeared on every side. The Lewis Avenue dump was cleared and later turned into the city athletic field known as Columbus Park. Nine additional holes were constructed at the municipal golf course, giving employment to nearly 100 men at a cost of $28,000. Total placements of the jobless in January, 1932 amounted to 1,248 out of the 1,870 who had registered by that time. In spite of extra grants of $117,933, the city's auditors found a surplus of $24,216 in February 1933, and the tax rate was fixed at 24% mills, representing a half -mill cut. The city, however, was tightening its purse strings in other ways, with cuts in the salaries of city employees, including the teachers. It was announced in March 1933, that Meriden had been able to reduce its bonded indebtedness during a period when many other Connecticut cities were in "hot water," and this in spite of the fact that more than $500,000 had been spent on public 149 THE DEPRESSION improvements since the depression began. In March 1933, Post No. 45 of the American Legion promoted a drive against depression under Capt. W. S. Alexander, then its commander. The Legionnaires conducted a citywide survey of property owners, who declared themselves ready to spend many hundreds of thousands of dollars on improvements and in purchases. In June 1934, there was a grant of $105,400 for WPA to be applied toward building a road through Cat Hole Pass. The road was completed at a total cost of $256,621, and was dedicated October 9, 1935 as the Chamberlain Highway. In October 1934, there was a bond issue of $75,000 and in September 1935, ERA and WPA announced appropriations here of $504,853. The federal government granted $133,534 in November 1935 for improvements to the airport in South Meriden. Additional allotments included $157,571 for the laying of concrete sidewalks, $18,911 to replace old water pipes, $25,996 for new water pipes, and $74,090 for concrete curbs. The city was making large contributions also. An extra half mill was added to the tax rate for relief. The Community Fund was called upon to raise large sums after the drive in 1931, which provided $35,000 for the purposes of the Research Commission. In 1932, the amount was $90,000; the same in 1934, and $40,000 in 1935, a total of $225,000 from this source. WPA hit a high mark in 1938 with 1,100 engaged here under this agency. Among the projects were reconstructing the drive to West Peak, the start of playgrounds in the north end, repairing and oiling of streets, the municipal parking lot on Church Street, Kenwood Camp for the Girl Scouts, Washington and Columbus Park extensions and improvements, the cleaning of brooks, repairing and repainting schools and other public buildings, con- struction of new sewer beds, the Washington Park Fieldhouse, and others. The repairing of Hanover Dam, which had been swept away in the hurricane of 1938, caused considerable trouble after it had been proposed as a project. WPA approved, but army engineers objected to the plans. After work had been started in 1939, a "stop order" came through from Washington, and the city had to finish the job. By May 1937, 127 families had been dropped from relief. By 150 THE DEPRESSION September the WPA was providing 415 with work, a considerable reduction from previous figures. In October 1937, the Murdock Avenue water main project was approved for $26,427. The load seemed to be eased somewhat until a new crisis of unemployment arrived in November. So great was the demand for work that the state armory had to be used to accommodate the crowd of applicants. By March 1938, 4,048 had applied. Relief expenses doubled. Many lost their homes through HOLC foreclosures. In the following year, the strain eased. By August, there was a sharp decrease in relief costs. By October, the situation had so improved that there was actually a shortage of WPA labor. In that year, $200,000 in bonds provided money to rebuild streets, and $80,000 was appropriated for a sewage disposal plant. In January 1940, 14 new projects were announced, and WPA approved another $48,861 for water mains. But by April of that year, WPA rolls were down to 80 persons, and by midsummer a labor shortage was reported. Employment began to pick up here in November 1939. By March 1940, the New Departure Division of General Motors announced a 51.1 per cent increase in payrolls. By late 1941, the number of employees in 25 of the principal factories had increased from 6,508 in 1934 to 10,691, and payrolls had risen from $104,630 to $450,075 for the same group during that period. Much of this increase was due to the defense contracts received by local industries. The depression was over, but the country was about to enter World War II, with new problems even more serious than those which had been left behind. Bad as it was, the depression was far less severe in its effects here than in many other Connecticut communities, for which diversification of industries may be considered partially respon- sible. Most factories were able to survive the period. There were no bank failures, and business collapses were few. Relief was ably administered, and the city's financial stability was never in doubt. 151 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN \^m City Government in This Century Henry D. Altobello, now serving his second term, is the 28th mayor of Meriden since the city was incorporated in 1867. He has the honor of presiding in the city's Sesquicentennial year just as Thomas L. Reilly, the 18th mayor, had the honor of being the chief administrator when the Centennial was observed in 1906. The complete succession of Meriden mayors is as follows, the date given being the year of election: 1867, Charles S. Parker; 1869, Russell S. Gladwin; 1870, Isaac C. Lewis; 1872, Charles L. Upham; 1874, Horace C. Wilcox; 1876, H. Wales Lines; 1879, George R. Curtis; 1881, E. J. Doolittle; 1886, C. H. S. Davis; 1888, Wallace A. Miles; 1889, Benjamin Page; 1891, A. W. Tracy; 1892, G. H. Wilson; 1893, Amos Ives; 1899, E. E. West; 1901, George Seeley; 1905, Thomas L. Reilly; 1911, Daniel J. Donovan; 1915, Joseph A. Cooke; 1917, Henry T. King; 1919, Daniel J. Donovan; 1921, Henry T. King; 1925, Wales L. deBussy; 1929, Francis T. Maloney; 1933, Stephen L. Smith; 1937, Francis R. Danaher; 1947, Howard E. Houston; 1951, William J. Cahill, Jr; 1953, Henry D. Altobello. Originally, mayors were elected for a term of one year. The term was extended to two years about the turn of the century. Daniel J. Donovan, elected in 1911, served two terms, and was replaced by Dr. Joseph A. Cooke in 1915. He ran again in 1919, and was successful, serving one more term. Henry T. King, elected mayor in 1917, served one term, and was defeated by Donovan in 1919. In 1921, he was again elected, and served two terms. He was defeated by deBussy in 1925. These have been men of diverse personalities, of different political faiths, and various conceptions of the manner in which the office of mayor should be administered. Each man left his mark upon Meriden's history, and the present mayor will be no exception, for the city is entering upon a new phase of its development, with new programs to meet the demands arising from its enlargement. When Charles Parker began his term, municipal government 152 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY was housed in the original town hall, sometimes called the "town house/' which had been dedicated December 5, 1855, with a "Grand Congratulatory Festival." Its placement, on the site of the present city hall, had been much disputed. Residents of the east side, the oldest section of Meriden, wanted it built on or near Broad Street. Residents of rapidly growing West Meriden, where the railroad ran, sought just as earnestly to have the city hall placed in that section. The East Main Street site, abtfut half-way up the hill, was a compromise. As it turned out, the location was sensibly chosen — far enough from the business center to avoid extreme traffic congestion, yet near enough to the heart of the city to be accessible to residents east, west, north, and south. The first town hall served until 1889, when evidences were found of structural weakness, and it was pronounced unsafe for further use. An ornate building, similar in its general appearance to the high school annex at the corner of Liberty and Catlin Streets, was erected to replace it. In February 1904, this building was destroyed by fire. A long discussion ensued as to the type of building best suited to the needs of expanding city government. The principal ground for contention was the proposal to erect an auditorium as part of the new city hall. Some considered this feature a needless expense, and an injunction was sought to prevent its construction. But the opposition was overcome and the plans were carried out, resulting in a structure which has been a source of pride for many years. In appearance, there are few more appealing public buildings in New England, even today. Architecturally, the city hall fits perfectly into its setting. The lines are unostentatious, but the very simplicity of the design carries its own charm. The gold- crested dome, rising above the clock tower, sparkles in the sunlight, and the illuminated tower sends out radiance after dark. The tall, marble columns flanking the entrance are graceful and dignified. Their shafts are solid pieces of stone quarried in Vermont. Such columns are generally fluted and in lengthwise sections, or, if round, are in sectional blocks pieced together horizontally. Architects have been known to visit Meriden just to study this feature, which was considered unusual when the city hall was constructed and is even more rare today. From any angle the building gives an impression of solidity and strength. It is unfortunate that the space provided within it 153 t CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY has become inadequate to the needs of the greatly enlarged city departments. In the immediate vicinity of the city hall are buildings important to the cultural and religious life of the city, including the Curtis Memorial Library, the First Methodist Church, Temple B'Nai Abraham, St. Andrew's Church and the First Universalist Church. The broad sweep of East Main Street, joined by Liberty Street, Pleasant Street, and Catlin Street at this point, with Norwood Street connecting East Main and Liberty, place the seat of municipal government in an island position surrounded by streams of converging traffic. The tides of many civic interests are naturally drawn toward its shores. The city hall cost 1212,000. Under the dual form of government still prevailing when it was erected, the city paid $150,000 and the town contributed $62,000, which defrayed the cost of the four marble pillars and other features of the facade. The building was formally accepted by both branches of government in 1907, although part of it had been placed in use the previous year. The auditorium was rushed to completion to house various portions of the Centennial program. The population of Meriden at that time was 28,695, and the building was designed to serve a maximum population of 35,000. It was estimated that this figure would be reached in about 20 years. By now it has been far exceeded, since current estimates place the population at 48,900. Many rearrangements of space have failed to solve the problem of overcrowding in the city hall. Early in 1956, the mayor announced a proposal which, he hopes, will relieve the congestion eventually. Under this plan, the police department, the city court and the probation department would be moved into the old welfare building, once the high school, where the education department is now quartered, and where certain high school classes are still held. The plan cannot be placed in effect until space is gained in the present high school building through the construction of a new high school on the west side. Under Meriden's form of government the mayor has wide powers. As the chief executive officer he appoints the heads of departments, with the exception of the education department, which is under the elected Board of Education and its appointee, the superintendent of schools. He is, ex officio, a member of all 154 ClTY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY boards and usually presides at the meetings of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation. The Court of Common Council is an elective body, made up of aldermen elected from each ward. It has the power to make, alter, and repeal ordinances, and may take property for public use by right of eminent domain, assessing benefits and damages. It is also empowered to authorize the treasurer of the city to obtain temporary loans and emergency loans. It passes upon bond issues, and its approval must be obtained before the annual budget of the city can be made effective, following review by the Board of Apportionment and Taxation. Regulation of the inspection of buildings, inspection of plumbing, inspection of milk and other foods, and the licensing of vendors and dealers, are among the other powers of the council. The council meets monthly to consider the various proposals brought before it, and often refers such proposals to committees within its membership for study before action is taken. In practice, matters are often decided in the caucus which is usually held before each meeting, and the vote later is only a formality. This system has prevailed since the days of the town meetings, which were ended by consolidation of the town and city in 1922. In the town meetings, citizens had the privilege of the floor when recognized by the moderator, and could present their views. The public hearings held today on questions of importance do not take the place of the town meeting. The views presented by citizens at these hearings are merely for the guidance of the council which alone has the power of final action. The old system of dual government died hard. The first proposal to replace it was made at a regular town meeting in 1892, when a vote was passed to form a committee to take steps toward consolidation. The committee named consisted of Levi E. Coe, Seth J. Hall, Wilbur F. Davis, E. A. Merriman, George M. Howell, George B. Murdock, Andrew J. Coe and George L. Hall. The next town meeting tabled their proposals. A new committee was named by a town meeting October 12, 1896. This committee recommended on January 6, 1897 that a bill be introduced in the next General Assembly to authorize the consolidation of city and town, but this proposal was defeated. In 1899, Mayor Ives appointed a committee to draft a con- solidation charter. The committee was authorized to act for the 155 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY city and town in attempting to obtain the approval of this charter by the state legislature. On March 9, 1899, a turbulent town meeting voted to rescind the action of the previous meeting. The committee was instructed to oppose the bill instead of favoring it. Again in 1902, a town meeting voted opposition to consolida- tion. A committee appointed by Mayor Reilly shortly before the Centennial made no headway with the proposal. The subject lay dormant until 1913, when a consolidation bill was presented to the legislature, but a special town meeting on April 9 of that year instructed a committee to inform local members of the General Assembly of its opposition to the bill. In spite of this, the measure was passed and submitted to local voters in a referendum in connection with the regular town election October 6, 1913, when the proposal was defeated. In the next session of the Assembly a new consolidation charter was presented. It drew the specifications for a commission form of government, a much more radical proposal than the form eventually adopted in 1921. Under this plan, the government would consist of a mayor, ten city "directors" or commissioners, and the various boards. The selectman's duties were denned as extending only to the admission of electors and entering or erasing names from the registry lists of voters. Provision was made for a city superintendent (whose duties corresponded with those of the present city engineer). Other officers included a tax collector and a health officer. This charter was approved by the state legislature but defeated in a local referendum. However, some of its provisions have since been adopted, among them the payment of taxes in two install- ments, and the creation of a board of charities, now the welfare commission, as well as the appointment of a full time health officer. The final, successful effort for consolidation began in 1919, instigated by the Chamber of Commerce. The motivating factor was the rescinding by a town meeting of an appropriation passed by a previous meeting to defray the expense of war gardens which had been promoted by the manufacturers. A large part of the sum voted had already been spent when the appropriation was snatched away. This action aroused much indignation, and a mass meeting was called, under the Chamber's auspices, to take steps toward doing away with dual government. Henry C. Bibeau, well- 156 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY known Colony Street grocer, was named chairman of a committee appointed to launch the effort. Judge Thomas P. Dunne, Charles F. Rockwell and C. R. Gardinor were appointed a sub-committee on copying features to be retained from the old charter. The general plan was for one tax district to include the whole terri- torial area of Meriden. A plan for a school board to consist of five members was set up, with candidates to be nominated by each party. The executive committee, with Mr. Bibeau at its head, consisted of Dr. E. T. Bradstreet, Robert G. Church, C. R. Gardinor, Joseph A. Greenbacker, Howard B. Hall, E. E. Smith, David Higgins, William J. Luby, Victor E. Lucchini, Harry W. Lyman, and William A. Schenck. The legislature approved the charter, which was submitted at a special election July 12, 1921, when a majority of the local voters gave its endorsement. The "thirty years war" for consolidation had ended. But it was not long before charter revision again became a live issue. Under Mayor Stephen L. Smith in 1934 a charter revision committee was appointed with Robert M. Dowling, then a representative in the state legislature, as its chairman. It was non-partisan, with members chosen from both parties. Some of the group were sympathetic to a city-manager type of govern- ment. Eleven amendments were proposed for submission to the legislature, but the effort died, and a dozen years passed before a serious study of charter revision was attempted. Early in 1948, another charter revision committee was ap- pointed, and organized with Foster M. Johnson as its chairman. The group voted on February 20 to ask city officials and others to submit recommendations for charter changes not later than April 1. It also voted to bring all proposed changes before the Court of Common Council, urging that public hearings be held. The committee early announced that it favored consolidation of the two tax districts, with one tax rate for the entire city in preference to the system, still in vogue, of two tax districts with a lesser tax rate in the outer district. It also discussed the city- manager form of government. Proposals for a full-time fire marshal and a permanently appointed building inspector have since been adopted. In May, the committee decried the apparent lack of local interest in charter revision. It sent out a questionnaire in an effort 157 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY to collect public opinion on controversial points. One change favored was to hold city elections in November at the same time as state and national elections, instead of in December. Public hearings were held as recommended. Group meetings heard well qualified speakers discuss the subject. Francis R. Danaher, former mayor, opposed holding a referendum on consolidation on the date of the national election, preferring a special election. Howard E. Houston was then mayor, but Mr. Danaher, at the beginning of his last term, had pronounced in favor of consolidation of the two tax districts. On July 6, 1948, acting on a recommendation from the committee, the council voted to hold a special election, but set Tuesday, December 7, as the date. The proposals were voted down, but the question was not dead. The charter revision committee continued its efforts. Mr. Johnson appeared before the cities and boroughs committee of the legislature on March 13, 1951 to explain a series of bills which had been introduced to bring about revision. Controversial provisions were submitted as separate bills. Special attention was given to Section 9 of the charter. In the opinion of bonding companies, this section was so worded that it interfered with bonding for improvements, other than schools, in the outer tax district. When the present charter was drawn in 1921, the first or outer district consisted largely of farm lands, and it was felt that a lower tax rate was justified for this type of property. A more equitable distribution of the cost of fire and police pro- tection was considered desirable by the committee. On June 14, 1951, Gov. John Lodge signed five bills to be voted on in a Meriden referendum on June 26. The first covered the question of the World War II Veterans Memorial Hospital. Next came the codification of the charter with changes which had been inserted by the Democratic senate. Another bill covered the change in election dates from December to November. The consolidation of the tax districts and the creation of a parking authority completed the list of measures to be submitted to the local electorate. Under state law, 5 1 per cent of the qualified voters had to cast ballots in the referendum before the majority endorsement of any bill could be accepted as placing the measure in effect. This meant, as it turned out, that more than 6,200 votes of those cast 158 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY here had to be in favor of the revised charter and the parking authority. More than 24,600 persons here were eligible to vote. Former A4ayor Henry T. King urged a "no" vote on all five questions. He said that charter revision could be attained through a few simple amendments, and saw "jokers" in the bills proposed. Consolidation of the tax districts, he thought, should be fought out as a separate issue. The codification proposal was defeated in the June referendum, although the voters did approve a more equitable apportionment of fire and police expenditures between the two districts, thus opening the way to gradual consolidation. The results of the vote on the five proposals in a second referendum that fall included approval of the building of the Memorial Hospital with the city to supply part of the funds, approval of the change in election date, defeat of the revised charter, defeat of the extension of the second distirct, and a tie vote on the question of a parking authority. In the second referendum, only 7,000 votes were cast on these questions, although more than 18,000 voted on the candidates whose names were submitted in the regular election held on the same date. Charter revision had been defeated twice in one year. In June 1954, Mayor Henry D. Altobello, then in his first term, declared the appointment of a new charter revision committee unnecessary, as the recommendations made by the committee headed by Mr. Johnson could be presented to the legislature with few changes, wherever it was considered advisable to do so. Section 9 remained as a stumbling block to improvements in the outer district, and this obstacle was seen as even more serious because of the need to extend a sewer and water main to the new plant which the International Silver Company is constructing on South Broad Street. The impediment was removed when, on December 1, 1955, in a special flood relief session of the legislature, the cities and boroughs committee reported favorably on an amendment to Section 9. The bill, introduced by State Senator William J. Cahill, former mayor, was passed the following week and signed by Gov. Abraham RibicofT. It permits the extension of sewer and water mains into the outer district without restric- tions. Although many of the changes in the charter sought by the various committees mentioned have been adopted, through 159 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY evolutionary processes, the charter in its published form remains as it was in 1931. In that year it was printed as a paperbound book by authority of the city. The second section contained all the by-laws in force December 1, 1931, and this section, much of which had become obsolete, did undergo complete revision. In 1950, a clothbound book was published by order of the council, containing the general ordinances of the city enacted as a whole March 6, 1950, and effective May 1 of that year. This book is entitled The Code of the City of Meriden, Connecticut. The administrative officers of the city consist of the mayor, the city and town clerk, the comptroller, the treasurer, the tax collector, the chief of police, the chief of the fire department, the superintendent of fire and police signal services, the city engineer, the superintendent of public works, the superintendent of schools, the director of the Curtis Memorial Library, the superintendent of recreation, the superintendent of public welfare, the health officer, the food and milk inspector, the restaurant and housing inspector, the corporation counsel, the building inspector, the fire marshal, the judge of probate, the judge of the city and police courts, the deputy judge of the city and police courts, the city attorney, the assistant city attorney, the clerk of the city and police courts, the probation officer, the city sheriffs, the pound keeper and dog warden, the sealer of weights and measures, the tree warden, the superintendent of parks, and the chief clerk of the board of assessors. The boards and commissions are the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, the Board of Public Safety, the City Planning Commission, the Board of Plumbing and Heating Examiners, the Welfare Commission, the Board of Electrical Examiners, the Board of Oil Burner Examiners, the Park and Recreation Com- mission, the Board of Trustees of the Memorial Hospital, the Board of Public Works, the Health Board, the Meriden Housing Authority, the Parking Authority, the Library Board, the Aviation Commission, the Board of Education, the School Building Com- mittee, the Board of Building Commissioners, the Public Cele- brations Commission, the Francis Maloney Scholarship Com- mittee, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Jury Commission, the Citizens Committee on Sub-Standard Housing, the Investigation Committee on Comic Books, the Civil Defense Council and the Board of Assessors. 160 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY The Court of Common Council is made up of 20 members, four from each of the five wards. Its standing committees are finance, by-laws, street, printing, claims, license, water, lighting, fire-police, parks-recreation, Memorial Hospital, and sewer. A few of the commissions were created to deal with special situations, and have become inactive since the particular need was covered. But the majority of the boards meet regularly and have much to do. Their composition is likely to change with each incoming administration, although mayors in recent years have tended to retain or to appoint a certain number of commissioners not of their own party. The Board of Apportionment and Taxation is non-partisan, with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats and some members not registered in any political party. The City Clerk One of the busiest and most important offices in the City Hall is that of the city clerk, Miss Ruth E. Payne, who has held that position, uncontested at elections, for many years. In her charge are all the vital statistics of the city's population, both births and deaths, as well as all records of real estate transactions, including purchases of property, sales and transfers. These records, with the exception of births and choses in action, are open to the public. Lawyers and newspaper reporters must consult them frequently. The land records stored in the city clerk's vaults date back to the year when the town government was established, 1806 and, in at least one case, even earlier. The first birth recorded was that of Homer Foster, born to Matthew and Charlotte Foster, April 12, 1806, and the first property transfer was from Moses Barnes to Eli Barnes, August 24, 1804. The office also issues the required licenses for marriages, dog licenses, and hunting and fishing licenses. Its duties multiply each year. In only one respect has the city's clerk's work decreased. She need no longer conduct title searches and make out legal papers connected with such searches. These tasks are now performed by lawyers and pro- fessional title searchers who require frequent access to the records on file. The Department of Health The Department of Health, under Dr. John E. Stoddard, director, 161 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY has more than 20 employees, including physicians, health nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, sanitary inspectors, and a secretary. The immunization program of the department ranges from kindergarten through high school, and a program for adminis- tering Salk vaccine against infantile paralysis was set up last year. School cafeterias are inspected monthly. Food sanitation is an important feature of the department's work, and public eating establishments are visited regularly. Many recommendations for the protection of public health are made annually. Meriden Housing Authority The Meriden Housing Authority, created in 1943, consisting of five commissioners and an executive director, has charge of the public housing projects of Johnson Farms, Yale Acres, and Chamberlain Heights, all erected with state aid. The Gale Terrace project, built during World War II to relieve a pressing need, was continued after the war for a much longer period than had been contemplated when it was planned. Consisting of temporary housing units, it was intended for short-term occupancy. The units were finally vacated and cleared in 1955. Welfare Commission The Welfare Commission is under Charles L. O'Brien, superin- tendent, and deals with cases requiring relief. It has charge of Cold Spring Home. Heavily loaded during the depression, the pressures upon the department have diminished greatly since that time, and the city's contributions toward the support of distressed families and individuals have fallen year by year. Board of Public Works Fred H. Edwards is director of public works and C. Perry Prann is city engineer. The department has more than 100 employees. It has charge of the maintenance of the city's streets, bridges, basins and drains, snow clearance, trimming and removal of trees, garbage collection, dump maintenance, sewers, and sewage treatment. Water Department The Water Department, also under the Board of Public Works, has charge of the city's water system, and the reading of water meters, as well as their installation. 162 city government in this century Engineering Department The Engineering Department makes all surveys, maps, and profiles for the establishment and record of all streets, buildings, walks, curb lines and grades. It prepares reports for the Board of Public Works, and the sewer and street committees of the Court of Common Council, and also assigns house numbers whenever applied for. The department is also responsible for keeping the assessors' maps up-to-date. Board of Assessors Robert H. Hallbach is chief clerk of the Board of Assessors, which records duplicates of all building permits and appraises the value of local property, both real and personal. It must inspect new buildings covered by permits, and furnishes the information from which the Grand List is made up. The Board of Tax Review hears the complaints of aggrieved taxpayers and decides as to whether taxable lists shall be reduced. The Zoning Board of Appeals holds public hearings on appli- cations for variances submitted in accordance with the zoning laws and general statutes. Comptroller, Treasurer, Auditors Matthew P. Kuta is city comptroller and Harold H. Flynn is city treasurer. The office submits an accounting for General Fund operations each year. It records cash receipts and disbursements, and handles the city's payroll. It also examines the tax collector's transactions, and is responsible generally for the administration of the city's finances. Thomas J. Moroney is tax collector. Tax bills, issued in the spring, are payable in two installments. The accounts of the city are audited annually by a firm of certified public accountants. Police Department In 1956 The Police Department is headed by Chief Michael B. Carroll, who became chief August 1, 1932. It consists of 88 superiors and patrolmen and 25 active supernumeraries. Fifty years ago, the force was composed of 18 men. Chief Carroll is the 12 th chief to serve since the appointment 163 - CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY of William Hagadon as the first chief in 1886. When he took command of the department, there were no police cruisers, no teletype machine, no radio system and only three telephones for police use. Today the department has seven police cars, of which one is used by the chief and another by the Detective Bureau headed by Capt. Walter L. Kurcon, who is also deputy chief. The department now has a teletype machine and its own radio system for communication with the cruisers equipped with two- way radios. An important phase of police work is fingerprinting. The National Bureau of Identification was started in 1928, and the Meriden department became a contributing member. In 1928, when the direction of automobile traffic had become a serious problem, the department was equipped with automobiles and motorcycles to facilitate the work. Today it has a parking meter division, with a station wagon used in the collection of coins from parking meters. It also has three specially designed motorcycles to help in checking on parking violators. The Police and Fire Signal Department is headed by Capt. Charles Zimmer, who has charge of the installation and mainten- ance of traffic lights, the signal system, and road signs. A recent creation is the Records Division, headed by Lt. Lewis V. Aloia as superintendent of records. The functions of the department have multiplied many times in recent years. In addition to traffic control and the investigation of major and minor crimes and nuisances, it handles school patrol, the policing of fires, investigation of traffic accidents, accidental deaths and suicides, escort duty, search for missing persons, obtaining physicians in emergencies, and furnishing testimony in court. Fire Department In 1956 The Meriden Fire Department in this Sesquicentennial year is composed of 72 full-time officers and men, headed by Fire Chief Leonard A. Petrucelli, who was born in 1906, when the city celebrated its Centennial. The department consists of five companies: Engine Company Three, Broad Street; Engine Company Four, Colony Street; Engine Company One, Butler Street, and Engine Company Two and Truck Company One, fire headquarters, Pratt Street. 164 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY The motorization of the department began in 1910, and by 1913 it had been completed. The five horses were replaced by mechanized apparatus. The age of horse-drawn fire engines had passed, never to return. In 1913, the department had a ladder truck, a Webb pumper manufactured in 1910, a Pope-Hartford fire engine and two American LaFrance trucks. Today it has eight vehicles for fighting fires, the oldest a 1930 American LaFrance pumper. The latest purchases were two 1955 pumpers of the same make. The present 75-foot aerial ladder truck is of 1932 vintage. However, the city has an appropriation of $32,000 for the purchase of a new aerial truck. The chief's car, a 1947 sedan, will be replaced during the current year. The Fire Department now has 72 regular firemen and a number of substitutes. Of the regulars, five are engaged in duties other than the actual fighting of fires. One is Fire Marshal Joseph R. Rogoz. Another is Deputy Fire Marshal Capt. Harry Drucquer, and the other three are connected with the Police Fire and Signal Department. They are Capt. Leonard Gudain and Firemen Rodney Zimmer and Theodore Burdacki. The rest of the men compose "the fire force," to use Chief Petrucelli's term. Twelve men are permanently assigned to each fire station (exclusive of headquarters), plus four substitutes. At fire head- quarters there are 15 regulars plus four substitutes. At head- quarters, also, are stationed the chief and three assistant chiefs. A two-platoon system was introduced in 1924. After 12 working days, a fireman had a full day off. This plan replaced a system under which a fireman was stationed at a firehouse day and night, and was allowed to go home twice a day for meals and to attend church services on Sunday. In October 1951, the three-platoon system was installed. Fire- men now work 56 hours per week, alternating on a schedule of three days and three nights, with off-duty time in the interim. Fire Chief Petrucelli is on call around the clock, and answers all box alarms. His driver is always posted on the whereabouts of the chief. The Meriden Fire Department is today efficient and well- organized. Its effective work has received many compliments 165 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY locally and from municipal officials in other communities. Like the Police Department, it is under the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Safety, which makes the appointments and promotions in the department besides fixing policies and deciding on questions of discipline. The Building Department The Building Department, under the building inspector, is heavily loaded with work as a result of the tremendous increase in building here. Permits are required for all types of construction, which must be in conformance with city regulations. Properties are inspected while under construction. Under a revised building code, recently approved by the council, boards of examiners have been created for all trades to insure competence of workmen. The examiners have been appointed by the mayor, and copies of the new code are now available to tradesmen. Maloney Memorial Scholarship Senator Francis Maloney served the city of Meriden and the nation faithfully and brilliantly, first as mayor of Meriden, then as Congressman from this district, and later as United States Senator. The beginning of the new year of 1945 found Meriden people infinitely saddened by the Senator's sudden and untimely death. Immediately a citywide desire to establish a special and significant memorial to this distinguished native son took shape. Mayor Francis Danaher appointed a Maloney Memorial com- mittee under chairmanship of Dr. James F. Walsh to explore the various proposals offered. Upon the recommendation of this committee a petition was submitted to the Court of Common Council at its April 2, 1945 meeting, and unanimously adopted. It provided for the establishment of the Francis Maloney Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $500 annually for four years to be granted each year to a properly selected Meriden resident qualified to continue the type of higher education of his or her personal selection. The question of legality of this unique memorial whereby the city would be pledging $2000 for all future years, once the full quota of deserving students should be recipients of the scholar- ship, had to be settled. On May 17, 1945 the Connecticut Assembly suspended its rules and passed bills presented by Senator Harold 166 CITY GOVERNMENT IN THIS CENTURY C. Hall and Representatve William Jacobs authorizing the city of Meriden to establish the scholarship in perpetuity. Accordingly, in October of the same year, Mayor Danaher appointed the first Maloney Scholarship committee of five with Dr. Walsh its chairman. In 1946 the first Meriden High graduate was selected for the honor. Each succeeding year has seen a local boy or girl accepting the grant and the responsibility attendant upon its acceptance. The scholarship plan was originated because of Senator Maloney's personal feelings on the subject of sufficient formal education as preparation for life. He was forced to become self- supporting and to assume partial support for others in his family before he could finish high school. He never ceased to feel that his shortened years of schooling constituted a lack in himself. Life and experience and his extraordinarily keen mind had more than compensated, but it remained his regret. Consequently the scholarship was offered to perpetuate his memory and in the belief that it would, and will continue to encourage young men and women of outstanding ability to emulate Senator Maloney's character and to follow in his footsteps of great and wise public service. The memorial is unique in its character and unprecedented in the record of municipal action. It has been widely acclaimed by leaders in the field of national public service impressed by Meriden's independence of action and selectivity in designing a tribute to the man who was known in Washington as the "Senator's Senator." 167 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Local Industry Since 1900 The industrial picture of Meriden at the beginning of the new century included many details which have since been erased by the changing course of events. But the substantial elements remain unimpaired. The firms which have vanished into the misty past have been replaced by others, painted in strong new colors. The total number represented has been greatly increased, and the total output has been multiplied many times. Industries in 1900 were in a transition stage, from old to new methods of production. Water power, by which the wheels of the earliest factories were turned, had been replaced by steam power, and many plants had already converted from steam power to electric power. Industrial leaders were looking ahead and studying ways and means of meeting competition with better quality products made as economically as possible. The basic materials used here were wood, ivory, bone, horn, iron, steel, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, silver, gold and glass. Alloys were still in their infancy, but were applied as experimentation proved their worth. The automobile industry was newly born, but showing evidences of healthy growth. The internal combustion engine had great potentials, it was recognized. It might, in time, supply the new power factor needed. The success of Meriden's Centennial observance gave the city new confidence. The new model automobiles seen in the parades of 1906 had more significance than the novelty of the spectacle. They were the heralds of an entirely new enterprise with enormous possibilities of growth in which Meriden later would share. The list of factories in Meriden at the time of the Centennial, with the years of their establishment, follows: A. H. Jones, 1901; Jennings & Griffin, 1880; the Kelsey Com- pany, 1872; Edward Miller Co., 1844; Meriden Cutlery Company, 1855; C. F. Monroe Co., 1886; Meriden Curtain Fixture Co., 1869; Miller Bros. Cutlery Co., 1870; Meriden Fire Arms Co., 1905; Manning Bowman & Co., 1872; Morehouse Bros., 1898; Meriden 168 LOCAL INDUSTRY SINCE 1900 Braid Co., 1906; Meriden Machine & Tool Co., 1889; J. J. Niland Co., 1902; Elias Oefinger, 1900; Charles Parker Co., 1832; M. B. Schenck Co., 1887; Silver City Glass Co., 1905; Charles E. Schu- nack Co., 1891; Wilcox & White Co., 1887; Frank Wheeler & Son, 1889; F. J. Wallace, 1876; Wm. Wheeler Co., 1891; Webster & Brigmann, 1891; Helmschmied Mfg. Co., 1903; A. J. Hall Co., 1899; Foster, Merriam & Co., 1850; Fritz Bros., 1903. Before the entry of America into World War I, a new class of production had become established. Soon after the war began in Europe, it became apparent that the United States would be called upon to supply large amounts of war materials to the combatant nations. As it became apparent that this country would be drawn into the conflict, preparations of a defensive nature became urgent, and the government began to issue large contracts for armaments to equip its own forces. Other classes of products were needed also, as the armed services grew. Before the war ended in 1918, most Meriden industrial firms were fully engaged in war pro- duction, and many companies which could not be strictly classified as industrial, were contributing largely to the war effort through the service of supply. Among them were many mentioned previously in this chapter, and some established after 1906. A survey, made especially for this volume, records the names of A. H. Jones; the Jennings & Griffin Mfg. Company; the Kelsey Co.; Julius Katt; Kennedy & Ragone Co.; Wm. J. Luby; Landers, Frary & Clark (purchased the Meriden Cutlery Co. in 1919); S. C. Lewis (wood planing and turning); Edward Miller Co.; Meriden Cutlery Co.; C. F. Monroe Co.; Miller Bros. Cutlery Co. (succeeded by the Meriden Knife Co.) ; Manning, Bowman & Co.; Meriden Gravure Co.; Morehouse Bros.; Max Merklinger; Meriden Press & Drop Co. (established 1911, successor to A. H. Merriman) ; Merriam Metal Patterns and Model Works; Meriden Braid Co. (succeeded by Pioneer Braid Co.); Meriden Optical & Jewelry Co.; Meriden Jewelry Mfg. Co. (established 1914); Meriden Machine & Tool Co.; J. J. Niland Co.; New England Pottery Co.; New England Westinghouse Co. (in war pro- duction 1916 to 1918, followed by the Colt Patent Firearms Co. in the same building, now the International Silver Com- pany's north end plant); Elias Oefinger; the Charles Parker Company; The Penfield Mfg. Company (established 1911 to 169 LOCAL INDUSTRY SINCE 1900 make automobile spotlights); the Peerless Mfg. Company (estab- lished 1917 to manufacture brass articles); the H. E. Rainaud Company (1913 to 1929); Rockwell Silver Co.; Remo Co.; M. B. Schenck Co. (a division of the Bassick Company in 1917; removed in 1928); Silver City Glass Co.; Charles E. Schunack Co.; Saviteer Memorial Works; J. H. Sanderson (electroplating); Tredennick Paint Mfg. Company; W. H. Thompson Candy Co.; Tillinghast Silver Co.; Henry B. Todd (X-ray machines and appliances); Universal Music Co. (music rolls and records); Vacuum Specialty Co.; Vocalion Organ Co.; Wilcox & White Co. (closed 1921; recording laboratory and studios open until 1925); Frank Wheeler & Sons; F. J. Wallace (saddlery hardware); Wolf's New Process Abrasive Wheel, Inc. (1919); Wm. Wheeler Co. (photoen- graving); White, Bottrell & Page Co. (printing); Webster & Brigmann (glass cutters); Waterbury Clock Co. (branch); Andrew Young & Sons (machine tools); Doolittle Box Co. (1918; purchased by J. R. Hall 1930). The Meriden Electric Light Company and the Meriden Gas Light Company, then operated as separate companies, were naturally all-important to the war effort as sources of light and fuel. Some concerns arrived shortly after the war period, just too late to play a part in war production here. The principal company to be noted in this class is New Departure, which began pro- ducing in Meriden in 1920. Lemke & Reiske, metal work, was established in 1924. The Meriden Rug Company, now the Perry Rug Company, began business in 1929. Handley Bros. Co., founded in 1922, was part of the local business picture until 1949. Production of goods for civilian consumption was resumed soon after the war, and proceeded in growing volume until the depression — dealt with in another chapter — began to curtail demand. There were some industrial casualties in the years which followed, among them the Handel Company, lamp manufacturers, established in 1883. The factory ceased operations about 1935, and the corporation was officially terminated in 1941. But in the meantime, other companies had arrived to occupy most of the building. Most of the companies previously mentioned, which had played a part in World War I production and supply, had another opportunity to serve as contributors to the new effort 170 LOCAL INDUSTRY SINCE 1900 which began as World War II loomed. By that time, there were additional concerns to augment local industry, including wholesale supply and other forms of business outside the retail picture. Among them were Goodman Bros., who moved into the former Morehouse Bros, plant; Miller-Johnson, Inc. (established 1936); the Meriden Buffing Company; Mero Mfg. Co. (established 1926); Metallic Potters Co.; Mederick Marchand; Meriden Wire- frame Co.; Monowatt Electric Corp.; Nutmeg Press; Ellmore Silver Co. (established 1924); the General Electric Company (branch factory established here in 1931, removed in 1948); Packer Machine Co., automatic buffing and polishing machinery, (established 1925); the W. J. Packer Mfg. Company; Charles W. Parker, printer; Phillips Mfg. Company (established 1929); Rich Display and Plastics (established 1929); Rockwell Silver Co.; H. E. Rainaud Co.; Rubber Specialty Co.; Herco Art Mfg. Co. (1927-1944; successor to H. E. Rainaud Co., now in Wallingford); John R. Sexton Co., tinsel cord (established 1927); Henry E. Shiner Co.; Storts Welding Co.; Standard Cutlery Co.; J. SchaefTer Co., lamp shades; Tillinghast Silver Co.; Hyman Tanger Co.; Lutz Co., silver products (1947-1952); Lambson Specialty Co. (established 1942); Meriden Bedding Co.; Oregon Silver Co. (established 1941); Puffe Tool and Die Co.; N. W. Parks Co. (purchased C. E. Schunack Co. in 1944); Production Equipment Co. (established 1939); Price Pattern Shop; James E. Bunting, Jr.; Brooklyn Thermometer Co.; R. Bemont & Son; Chandler-Evans Corp. (established 1940, removed 1945); Sonora Record Co. (sold to Connecticut Record Mfg. Company, removed 1948); Con- necticut Gas Products; Daylight Mfg. Company; Franklin Dress Co. (established 1941); G. H. French & Co.; T. D. Hotchkiss Co.; W. H. Leaman Co.; Meriden Electroplating & Finishing Co.; Albert Mitchell; Meriden Welding Co.; R. & H. Machine Shop (1943-1956); Shaw Paper Box Co.; Vincenzo Torchia; Frank M. Whiting Co. (1939); E. C. Wilcox Corp.; F. L. Waller Co.; Youngberg Bros. Among the companies which have entered the local field since the end of World War II are the Meriden Foundry Company, in 1946; Meriden Precision Screw Products in 1947; the Muirson Label Company, which took over the former Chandler-Evans plant in South Meriden in 1949 after it had been vacated by the 171 LOCAL INDUSTRY SINCE 1900 Nestle Lemur Company, which had occupied it from 1945; Rose Window Products in 1950. Larger Industries The International Silver Company The alliance of silver manufacturing concerns which had taken place in the last decade of the 19th century was in a strong position in 1900 to proceed to even greater gains. As the Inter- national Silver Company, the consolidation had attained the advantage of unified corporate management, and the best experi- ence of each concern could be exploited for the benefit of all, while weaker spots could be strengthened or else incised. George H. Wilcox, first vice president when the new concern was organized, succeeded to the presidency in 1907, and served in that office until 1928, when he became chairman of the board. Under him, the company made steady, consistent progress in expanding sales and improving manufacturing processes. He died in 1940. Clifford R. Gardinor, who had been Mr. Wilcox's assistant for seven years, was elected president in 1928. He had joined the company in 1909 as purchasing agent. His death occurred in 1935. Vice President Evarts C. Stevens, who had come up from the bench in the silverware industry, was elected to succeed Mr. Gardinor. His elder brother, Frederick M. Stevens, and his younger brother, Maltby Stevens, were among his executive associates. The Stevens family had a long tradition of silver- making, dating back to the earliest days of the industry. The new president set up an organization in which Executive Vice President Roy C. Wilcox, elder son of George H. Wilcox, was made responsible for the purchasing and traffic departments in addition to other specific duties. From 1915 until his death in 1928, George D. Munson had been active in the company, serving as a member of the executive committee and first vice president, and taking part in general management. His son, Vice President Craig D. Munson, was made general sales