USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Litchfield > The history of the town of Litchfield, Connecticut, 1720-1920 > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41
Gc 974.602 L71wh 1227121
M, L:
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
----
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00075 1310
ヨ
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofl00whit_0
12T
J. Rulborn
54₸
27"
Nath" Woodruff. 20 a.
T Lee 10 a.s
STREET
T. Lee 10 a
N Allen. 20 a.
20 a
60 r.
STREET
STREET
NORTH
17T.
54
46 r
John Gay 20 a.
T. Seyınoir 10 a
GRISWOLD
4 Seymour 10 a
John Buell. 20 a
W Goodrich 20 a. cor
3Cr
Re.
40
30 г.
WEST
Joseph Peat
52 .John Man
12 Jona Buck
41 Edw. Culver
3 Tuno. Seymour
40 Hez~ Culver
NORTH
31 Thomas Lee
29 John Buell
28 John Buell
il Nath" Messenger
33 Sam" Lewis
30 г.
L
16 r.
STREET
MEETING HOUSE
Thos Griswoldyear
28,7
60T.
Joseph Birge
26
45
60 r.
60 г
ST
21
Nath! Smith
wezen Winchell.
1.2
Eleazer Strony
Juno Stanley
Joseph Waller
18
John Hart.
30
Nalli- Trinchell
1
39
60 г.
HILL
PLAN
5a.
.85
Caleb Chape ?. 34
50.
VILLAGE OF LITCHFIELD C
Caleb Chapel
and
VICINITY.
as laid out A.D. 1720, lo 1725, from plan annexed to the original deed, and from the original survey's. G.C.W. 1845.
Note, The numbers prefixed, or annexed to the names denote the Order in which the Lots were chosen.
Lith . G. Hayward. 1 Platt St, cor. Pearl St N.Y.
10
co
51
Jacob Griswold 13
Ezekiel Buch
"Nathan Mitchell
HIGHWAY
Isaac Judson
80%
buonas myclotns
$3
SOUTH GRISWOLD
John French
60₸
28 ₸
ST.
MIDDLE
Eben' Woodruff.
TOWN
of the
Jacob Gibbs
.17
Sam! Sedgwick
SOUTH
zor.
16 T.
HIGHWAY
80 r
Rev
KOT
NORTH
in
W"Evodrich
ST
20
Nalh' Smith' &
John Stoddard
Tho' Pier
STREET
WEST
STREET
STREET
1
TOWN
85
The History
of the
Town of Litchfield, Connecticut 1720-1920
Successor to the Litchfield
1856
1893
The Litchfield
Historical & Antiquarian
Society
and Antiquarian Society
County
Historical
COMPILED FOR THE LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BY ALAIN C. WHITE
LITCHFIELD, CONN. ENQUIRER PRINT
1 9 2 0
Schulte - $4.50
1227121
To GEORGE MORRIS WOODRUFF, who, as a citizen of Litchfield and as President of the Historical Society, preserves the interest in the traditions of the Town begun by his great-great-uncle, JAMES MORRIS, and continued by his father, GEORGE CATLIN WOODRUFF, this book is dedicated with admiration and esteem.
Preface
At a meeting of the Litchfield Historical Society, held on October 6, 1919, Miss Cornelia B. Smith, Miss Esther H. Thompson and Miss Florence E. Ennis were appointed a Committee to prepare a History of Litchfield in connection with the Bi-Centennial celebration planned for August, 1920. On November 10, this Committee asked me to undertake the work for them; and it was found necessary to have the manuscript ready for the printer to begin work in January. At first it appeared that it would be a serious handicap to endeavor to prepare a book of this character in so short a time; but as the work progressed it has proved in some ways a distinct advantage.
In the first place, the nature of the book has more or less shaped itself. There were clearly several things which the time-limit precluded the possi- bility of attempting ; but which otherwise would have required consideration. It was not practicable to undertake what might be called a biographical history. Litchfield has been fortunate in having had, in proportion to its population, a large percentage of men and women, many still living, whose biographies would be of general interest. To collect and classify these was clearly impracticable. It will be found, therefore, that many of our important names, past and present, are mentioned only casually, and in some cases not at all. Consequently, by the necessities of the case, this book is strictly the story of the township, and not the story of the individual inhabitants.
Again, it was impossible to attempt more than a compilation from sources readily at hand. These sources, fortunately, were numerous, taken together astonishingly complete, and, what is especially important, in the main admir- ably written. Many chapters have written themselves by the simple process of quotation, and the temptation to rewrite such parts, which would have been no gain to the reader, has been removed by the pressure of the work.
The task, therefore, was to compile the story of the town on the founda- tion afforded by the earlier Histories of George C. Woodruff, 1845, and Payne Kenyon Kilbourne, 1859, with such elaboration as suggested itself, bringing the book more nearly to date. These two Histories are quoted throughout, the name: Woodruff or Kilbourne, followed by the page num- ber, being a sufficient reference. The Statistical Account of Several Towns in the County of Litchfield, by James Morris, while mnuch shorter in its contents, is also of extreme importance because of its early date. It forms pages 85 to 124 of a book called: A Statistical Account of the Towns and Parishes in the State of Connecticut, published by the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume I, Number I, New Haven, 1811. It appears, however, that Morris' section was not written until between 1812 and 1814. and that probably it was bound into the volume in 1815, the earlier date being retained on the title page. This little work must always remain the starting point for the historian of Litchfield. Morris, Woodruff and Kil-
viii
PREFACE
bourne laid little stress on the period after the Revolution, which to us now is one of the most interesting parts of the story. Fortunately other writers have supplemented this deficiency.
The work of Dwight C. Kilbourn on the Bench and Bar, 1911, with the many lights it throws upon the Litchfield Law School, and the Chronicles of a Pioneer School by E. N. Vanderpoel (Mrs. John A. Vanderpoel), 1903, with its fascinating picture of the life of Litchfield in the days of Miss Pierce's Academy as revealed in the diaries and letters which she has col- lected; the many graphic little sketches and anecdotes compiled by Rev. George C. Boswell in his Book of Days, 1899; Miss Alice T. Bulkeley's His- toric Litchfield; two works important for tracing Litchfield genealogies, George C. Woodruff's Residents of Litchfield, written in 1845, but not published till 1900, and Charles T. Payne's Litchfield and Morris Inscriptions, 1905; the many volumes dealing with single families or individuals, such as the splendid Wolcott Memorial, 1881, the two editions of the Memoirs of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, 1858 and 1902, and the Lyman Beecher Auto- biography, 1866; the records of exercises on particular occasions, including the County Centennial of 1851, and the Presentation of the Litchfield Law School to the Historical Society in 1911; the War literature, comprising the Litchfield County Honor Roll of the Revolution, published in 1912 by the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R., and the two Histories of the Litchfield County Regiment in the Civil War, by Theodore F. Vaill, 1868, and Dudley Landon Vaill, 1908; the published Sermons, especially those of a memorial nature; the several works on the County; the publications of the Litchfield County University Club; the books dealing only in part with Litchfield, Hollister's History of Connecticut, 1858, on the one hand, or the Personal Memories of E. D. Mansfield, 1879, on the other; the collections of County or State Biographies, such as Payne K. Kilbourne's Litch- field Biographies, 1851, and the Leading Citizens of Litchfield County, 1896; the files of the newspapers which have been published in Litch- field, and of the Morris Herald and the Northfield Parish Paper; the files of the Litchfield Historical Society, embracing the manuscripts of lectures, bound and unbound selections of letters, scrap-books and other collections, such as the Record Book of the Seth F. Plumb Post, No. 80, G. A. R., and the box of Civil War papers left by Dwight C. Kilbourn :- all these and others make up a body of material as rich as the most omnivorous lover of Litchfield's history could desire. There are even novels with their scenes laid in Litchfield and their incidents based on the history of the town and the character of its people, notably Harriet Beecher Stowe's Poganuc People and Jennie Gould Lincoln's An Unwilling Maid.
This book, then, is only a digest of so much of this material as time has permitted the sifting of, supplemented by contributions from, and the help of, many members of the Litchfield Historical Society and other persons.
I have been fortunate in securing the collaboration, throughout the preparation of the work, of Miss Dorothy Bull, who in particular has writ- ten the chapters on the Revolutionary War and on Modern Litchfield; and the assistance of Miss Florence Elizabeth Ennis and Miss Ethel M. Smith. Miss Ennis has written the chapter on the World War and has compiled
REV. STORRS O. SEYMOUR, D.D., LATE PRESIDENT, AND HON. GEORGE M. WOODRUFF, PRESIDENT, LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CAPTAIN EDGAR B. VAN WINKLE, LATE TREASURER, LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ix
PREFACE
five sections of the Appendix. Miss Smith has prepared the two other sections of the Appendix, and has rendered valuable and constant assist- ance in seeing the book through the press. To Miss Elizabeth Kenyon Coit, also, are due hearty thanks for aid in preparing a part of the manuscript.
Help in matters of detail has been given by so many persons, that it is impossible to acknowledge all. I wish, however, to thank in particular Hon. George M. Woodruff, President, and Mrs. John A. Vanderpoel, Vice- President and Curator, of the Litchfield Historical Society, for their con- stant help, encouragement and suggestions in the work; Dr. Arthur E. Bostwick for the contribution of the original reminiscences forming Chapter 22; Mr. Albert M. Turner, Mr. Herman Foster, Miss Edith L. Dickinson, and Mrs. Henry C. Alvord, for materials relating respectively to Northfield, Bantam, Milton, and Morris; Mrs. John Laidlaw Buel (Elizabeth C. Barney Buel), for the loan of three manuscript lectures; Professor Henry S. Munroe and Miss Mary Perkins Quincy, for the use of their Lectures on the Trees of Litchfield; Mr. Frederick K. Morris, for an account of the geological history of the region; Professor James Kip Finch, for information regard- ing the local topography; Miss Anna W. Richards, for material relating to the Congregational Church; Miss Esther H. Thompson, for reminiscences of former days; Mrs. Dwight C. Kilbourn, for access to her husband's Library; Mr. R. Henry W. Dwight, for an account of the early Mission movement in the County; Miss Cornelia Buxton Smith, Rev. William J. Brewster, Hon. Thomas F. Ryan, Mr. Travis A. Ganung, Mr. George H. Hunt, Mr. Frederick Deming, Mr. George C. Woodruff and the Wolcott and Litchfield Circulating Library Association, for the loan of books and manuscripts; Miss Clarisse C. Deming, Miss Mabel Bishop, Mrs. L. P. Bissell, Mr. Cornelius R. Duffie, and Mrs. George McNeill, for the loan of photographs; the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R., for per- mission to quote from the Honor Roll of Litchfield County; Mr. Howard W. Carter, Secretary of the Litchfield County University Club, for permis- sion to quote from the publications of the Club; and Miss Mary Alice Hutchins, Assistant Curator of the Litchfield Historical Society, for much help and many valuable suggestions during my researches at the room of the Society. Finally I am indebted to the courtesy of the Litchfield Enquirer, and in particular to the energy and unflagging interest of its superintendent, Mr. S. Carl Fischer, for preparing the work in the limited time available, and to Mr. George C. Woodruff, editor and proprietor, for much assistance in proof-reading.
In quoting directly from older texts, the original spelling has been pre- served, no matter how incongruous to the modern eye. The punctuation has, however, sometimes been modified.
Absolute accuracy in a work so hastily compiled is improbable, and notification of any errors that are discovered will be much appreciated. Supplemental material relating to the history of the Town will always be welcomed by the Litchfield Historical Society and all contributions of such material will be filed for future use. As the history of a community is embodied not only in books but in the objects that have played a part in the life of the community, the reader is urged to visit the rooms of the
x
PREFACE
Society, if this volume awakes in him a desire to understand more fully the spirit of the two centuries here described. Contributions of new objects of historic or scientific interest are always valued and are assured a permanent place in the collections of the Society.
A. C. W.
Litchfield, Conn., May 17, 1920.
Table of Contents
1. Introductory 1
2. The Settlement of Litchfield 7
3. The Indians 16
4. The Church on the Green 27
5. Colonial Days 38
6. The Age of Homespun, by Horace Bushnell 50
7. Litchfield in the Revolution, by Dorothy Bull 65
8. The Golden Age 92
9. The Litchfield Law School 98
10. Miss Pierce's School
110
11. Amusements - 121
12. Industries and Merchants; Newspapers - 128
13. The Wolcott Family - 141
14. Slavery - 151
15. The Temperance Movement : 156
16. Federalists and Democrats - 162
17. Trees and Parks; Domestic and Wild Animals - 168
18. South Farms; the Morris Academy; Northfield; Milton; Bantam - 178
19. The Churches: the Third and Fourth Congregational Churches; the Episcopal Church; the Methodist Church; the Baptist Church; the Roman Catholic Church; the Cemeteries - 195
20. The Old Order Changes - 204
21. The Civil War - 217
22. Impressions and Post-Impressions, by Dr. A. E. Bostwick 230
23. The World War, by Florence E. Ennis - 245
24. Modern Litchfield, by Dorothy Bull - 263
APPENDIX-By Florence E. Ennis and Ethel M. Smith - 277
List of Illustrations
I. Plan of the Village of Litchfield, 1720-25 - Frontispiece
2. The Rev. Storrs O. Seymour, D.D., late President, 1893-1918; and the Hon. George M. Woodruff, President, 1918-, of the Litchfield Historical Society - viii
3. Captain Edgar Beach Van Winkle, late Treasurer, the Litchfield Historical Society, 1895-1920 -
ix
4. Mrs. John A. Vanderpoel, Vice-President and Curator, the Litch- Historical Society, 1898-, Portrait by W. J. L. Foster -
xvi
5. The Bronson Store, 1819; First Home of the Litchfield His- torical Society, 1893-1901 ; now occupied by the Sanctum Club, 1906- - - - I
6. The Litchfield Hills, from Chestnut Hill; Photograph by Wil- liam H. Sanford - 4
7. Bantam Lake from the North; Photograph by Wm. H. Sanford 5
8. North Street
14
9. South Street; Photograph by W. H. Sanford
15
IO. Primeval Oak, still standing West of the Gould House on North Street; Photograph by W. H. Sanford
24
II. Litchfield from Chestnut Hill; from Barber's Historical Collec- tions, 1836
25
12. The Second Congregational Church, 1762, from a sketch by Miss Mary Ann Lewis, copied by E. N. Vanderpoel; from Chroni- cles of a Pioneer School. (The building in right of picture is the Mansion House !) 32
13. The Rev. Lyman Beechen, Pastor of the Congregational Church, 1810-1826 - -
33
14. Ebenezer Marsh House, 1759. Site of the Wolcott and Litch- field Circulating Library - 48
15. Samuel Seymour House, 1784. Now St. Michael's Rectory - 49
16. The First Episcopal Church, formerly situated a Mile west of the Center, 1749. From a drawing by Chas. T. Payne - 58
17. The Rev. Truman Marsh, Rector of St. Michael's, 1799-1829 - 59
18. Governor Oliver Wolcott, Signer of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. Portrait by Ralph Earle, 1782; From the Wol- cott Memorial 68
19. Mrs. Oliver Wolcott, (Laura Collins). Memorial. Painted by Enis, 1782. - -
- From the Wolcott
- 69
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
xiii
20. Major Moses Seymour. From a Portrait by Ralph Earle, in the collection of Hon. Morris W. Seymour
21 .The Moses Seymour House, 1735. Site of Residence of Hon.
George M. Woodruff -
79
22. Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge; from a Portrait by Ralph Earle, in the collection of the Litchfield Historical Society - 86
23. Mrs. Benjamin Tallmadge. (Mary Floyd, after whom was named the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R.) From a Por- trait by Ralph Earle, in the collection of the Litchfield His- torical Society
24. The Tallmadge House, 1775. Residence of Mrs. John A. Vanderpoel
25. Milestone erected near Elm Ridge by Jedediah Strong, 1787
26. View of the Center about 1860, showing Mansion House, 1800, and the Second Court House, 1798 -
27. Preparing the Winter's Woodpile for the Mansion House - 28. Chief Justice Tapping Reeve, from an Engraving by George Catlin
29. Moving the Reeve Law School from its original location on South Street to West Street in 1846 -
- - IOI
30. Judge James Gould. Portrait by Waldo. From Hollister's History of Connecticut -
- 104 -
31. The Gould Law School, after it was removed one mile west of the Center on the Bantam Road and used as a Tenement. It has since been destroyed by fire - -
- 105
32. The Tapping Reeve House, 1774; later owned by Hon. Lewis B. Woodruff, and now the Residence of his grandson, Lewis B. Woodruff (Jr). - 108
33. The James Gould House, built in 1760 by Elisha Sheldon; later the Sheldon Tavern, where General Washington visited ; afterwards owned by Senator Uriah Tracy, son-in-law of Judge Gould; Professor James M. Hoppin of Yale bought the house in 1871 from Judge Gould's daughter. It is now owned by Hon. John P. Elton, and it has recently been rented as a summer home by Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Sothern (Julia Marlowe) - 109
34. Miss Sally Pierce - II2
35. The Litchfield Academy, 1827
-
- II3
36. Miss Lucy Sheldon (Mrs. Theron Beach). From a Miniature by Anson Dickinson, born in Milton, 1779, afterwards a dis- tinguished miniaturist in New York City - II6 - T
- 37. Miss Lucretia Deming. From a Miniature by Anson Dickinson II7
38. The United States Hotel. Formerly and now again known as Phelps' Tavern 122
39. Dr. Daniel Sheldon - - 123
40. Julius Deming Esq. 136
78
87 92 93 96 97 100
xiv
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
41. The Lindens, built by Julius Deming in 1793; later occupied by his daughter, Miss Lucretia Deming, and afterwards by his grandson, Hon. J. Deming Perkins; now the Residence of the Misses Kingsbury - I37 - -
140
43.
42. George C. Woodruff (Jr.), Editor of the Litchfield Enquirer - Frederick Wolcott Esq. Portrait by Waldo, 1835. From the Wolcott Memorial
14I
44. The Wolcott House, built in 1753, by Governor Oliver Wolcott Senior ; later enlarged by his son, Frederick Wolcott, now the Residence of Miss Alice Wolcott. From an old Print. - 150
45. The Wolcott House, from a modern Photograph in the Book of Days - - -
- I51
46. The First National Bank, showing the Drug Store taken down in 1914 and replaced by the Annex occupied by the Litchfield Savings Society 166
47. Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr. From a Crayon Sketch by Rem- brandt Peale. From the Wolcott Memorial - 167
48. The Beecher Elm, marking the approximate location of the Beecher House, which is no longer standing - - -
170
49. The Whipping-Post Elm and Litchfield County House and Jail, erected 1812 and added to 1896 171
50. Morris Woodruff. From a Portrait by Anson Dickinson - 178
51. Maplehurst, the Residence of Horatio Benton in South Farms, later the South Farms Inn, demolished 1917 179
52. The old Marsh House, Northfield Hill I84
53. The Major David Welch House, Milton, 1745 185
54. The Third Congregational Church, 1827-29; removed to the Tor- rington Road in 1873, and known as Armory Hall; now Colonial Hall - -
- 194
55. The Fourth (Present) Congregational Church, 1873 - 195
56. The Third ( Present) St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 1851 198
57. The Fallen Steeple at St. Michael's Church, April 11, 1894 - 199
58. The Second (Present) Methodist Church, 1885 - - 200
59. Interior of the Second (Present) St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church, 1888 20I
60. The Blizzard of March 12, 1888, showing the Snowdrift near the House of Dr. Henry W. Buel 206
61. South Street after the Ice Storm of February 20, 1898 - 207
62. Hon. George C. Woodruff - 210
63. The Centennial Celebration of Litchfield County, 1751; from an old Print - 211
64. Chief Justice Origen Storrs Seymour -
65. Judge Lewis B. Woodruff - 215
- 214
XV
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
66. Dwight C. Kilbourn - - 220
67. Presentation of Colors to the Nineteenth Connecticut Infantry,
- by Hon. William Curtis Noyes, September 10, 1862 - 221
68. Charge of the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery at the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1, 1864. From an old Print in D. Vaill's The County Regiment 224
69. The Triumphal Arch on East Street, August 1, 1865 225
70. Hon. J. Deming Perkins
232
71. Dr. Henry W. Buel - 233
72. Judge Edward W. Seymour
238
73. Mrs. Edward W. Seymour (Mary Floyd Tallmadge) - 239
74 Mrs. John Laidlaw Buel (Elizabeth C. Barney Buel), State Regent, Daughters of the American Revolution - -
- 248
75. Charles H. Coit, Chairman, Liberty Loan Campaigns - 249 - -
76. Dr. John Laidlaw Buel, Chairman, American Red Cross Home Service Bureau - - 260
77. The Morgan-Weir Post, American Legion: Front row, standing left to right: Eugenio Cucchi, Gino Valmoretti, Frank B. Weir, William L. Herbert, T. Joseph Kelly, James H. Catlin, Clarence E. Perkins, Colombano Sassi, William Mooney, Albert W. Clock, William F. Slawson, William M. Foord; Second row, standing left to right : Thomas F. Weir, Charles H. Turkington, James E. Conroy, Charles I. Page Jr., Clif- ford H. Danielson, Sutherland A. Beckwith, Macklin Cun- ningham, William D. Roberg, Alexis Doster, E. Carroll Johnson, James L. Kirwin, Philip W. Hunt, Arthur D. Deacon, Archibald A. MacDonald, John F. Barrett, Thomas Carr, James W. Drury, Edward J. Brahen, Frederick Noz- zioli, Clarence F. Ganung, Edward A. Brennan, Edwin B. Perkins, Thomas J. Knox, Timothy F. Higgins, James F. Burke, Albert S. Fabbri
78. Frederick Deming Esq. -
79. The Ruins of the Mansion House and Business Block, after the Fire of June II, 1886 - 267
80. John Arent Vanderpoel - 270
81. The Noyes Memorial Building, showing the Sign-Post Elm. Built in 1901, enlarged in 1906. Home of the Wolcott and Litchfield Circulating Library, and of the Litchfield His- torical Society 271
82. Rear-Admiral George Partridge Colvocoresses 272
83. Colvocoresses Day, November 10, 1899. Presentation of Sword 273
84. Hon. Morris Woodruff Seymour -
85. The Ozias Seymour House, 1807. Later occupied by Chief Justice Origen S. Seymour ; now residence of Hon. Morris
261 266
274
xvi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
W. Seymour - 275 86. Hon. James P. Woodruff, Judge of Court of Common Pleas, 1920 300 87. Philip P. Hubbard, Town Treasurer, and Hon. John T. Hub- bard, Judge of Probate, 1920 - - - - 301 88. Miss Cornelia Buxton Smith, Clerical Assistant to the Clerk of the Superior Court, 1920
304
89. Frank H. Turkington, Sheriff, 1920 - 305
90. John H. Lancaster, County Commissioner, 1920 - 306 91. Board of Selectmen, 1920. Seated : H. M. Richards, P. C. Burke, H. T. Weeks ; standing : C. L. Dudley, W. M. Murphy - - 307 92. George H. Hunt, Town Clerk, 1920 - 308
93. Hon. Thomas F. Ryan, Postmaster, 1920
- 309
94. Parade of the Litchfield Fire Company, July 4, 1892 -
-
- 334
95. Picnic of the Sanctum Club, 1910: Front Row, seated: J. C. Barnard, R. C. Swayze, Dr. J. E. Keller, Dr. J. L. Buel, William H. Sanford; Second Row, seated : S. L. Husted Jr., Rev. S. O. Seymour, D.D., William G. Wallbridge, Seymour Cunningham, William Ray, H. R. Towne, L. A. Ripley, Rev. John Hutchins, A. R. Gallatin; Third Row, seated : J. H. Bronson, Col. A. E. Lamb; standing: B. S. Clark, John Lindley, William Colgate, G. M. Woodruff, Frank Blake, E. D. Curtis, J. P. Elton, C. H. Coit, A. A. Kirkham, C. R. Duffie, C. T. Payne, Abbott Foster, H. B. Lewis 335 - 96. Floyd L. Vanderpoel, President, Trumbull-Vanderpoel Company 340
97. William T. Marsh, President, Litchfield Water Company - 34I
98. Hon. Winfield Scott Rogers, Chairman, Bantam Ball Bearing Company
99. Miss Nellie M. Scott, President, Bantam Ball Bearing Company 343
100. View of the Center, about 1860 - - 350
IOI. View of the Center, 1920 - - - H. Sanford
342
102. Country Road in Winter, Litchfield. Photograph by William - 360
35I
MRS. JOHN A. VANDERPOEL, CURATOR, LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
8
-
-
FIRST HOME OF THE LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1893-1901
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
The town of Litchfield is the county-seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, and is situated among the Litchfield Hills, which form the south-eastern foothills of the Berkshires. The Soldiers' Monu- ment in the Center Park stands in Latitude 41º 44' 48" North, Longi- tude 73º 11' 25" West of Greenwich. The exact elevation of the Center above sea-level has, strangely enough, not been accurately determined. The Government survey in 1889 gave an approximate elevation of 1,080 feet, while a later private survey showed 1,113 feet; but as other points on the Government map are decidedly too high, and some on the private map somewhat too low, the dis- crepancy is still unexplained. It would be a simple matter to determine, as the Engineering classes at Camp Columbia, the sum- mer school of Columbia University, which is located at the southern end of Bantam Lake, have brought a series of very accurate measurements as far as the north end of the Lake.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.