USA > Connecticut > Connecticut yesterday and today : 1635-1935 : celebrating three hundred years of progress in the Constitution state > Part 13
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Final Edition
VOL. XCV. NO. 1.
24 PAGES
The Hartford Times,
HARTFORD, CONN. TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1935.
Final Edition
THREE CENTS
T is claimed in behalf of Connecticut that democratic government under a written constitution began here through the adoption in 1639 by representatives from the separate settlements of Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford of the so-called Fundamental Orders, which welded them into the Connecticut colony.
This formed the basis of government until 1662 when, feel- ing the need of royal title to the territory they occupied, the col- - onists sent their gov- ernor, John Winthrop, the younger, to London to secure a charter for the colony from King Charles II, which he accomplished. This charter which continued F. D. BOLLES Founder many of the provisions of the Fundamental Orders and contained extremely liberal grants for a royal charter, served as the gov- erning document of Connecticut even after the Revo- lutionary war and the establishment of the United States and indeed until even after the War of 1812. By the second decade of the nineteenth century, however, there was a pronounced feeling that the old royal charter was no longer adequate for the state.
The Hartford Times was born directly out of that situation. On January 1, 1817, Frederick Dunton Bolles and John Milton Niles, established it as a weekly newspaper, as the champion of the party of a new constitution and reform. Apparently the championship was effective for the following year, 1818, there was substituted for the charter a new constitution, which, with amendments, endures as the governing document of Connecticut.
In championing a new constitution the new pub- lishers sought equal rights for all and religious tol- eration. Niles was a young lawyer later to become postmaster general in the cabinet of President Van
Buren, a senator of the United States, an opponent of slavery, on which issue he left the democratic party, and one of the founders of the republican party. Bolles was a practical printer who chafed under necessity of paying tribute to the established church to which he did not belong.
Niles and Bolles operated the paper for a little more than a year when Niles became sole own- er, selling the paper the same year to John Francis and Samuel Bowles. Niles contin- ued to be identified with the paper for many years. Bowles Went to Springfield in 1824 and established the Springfield Repub- lican, taking Francis A. F. BURR Sixty-one Years Editor with him. Benjamin H. Norton of Boston acquired the paper in 1824, two years later taking into partnership John Russell. Mr. Norton retired from the partnership in 1828. Russell sold the pa- per in 1837 to Jones and Watts. On April 1, 1838, Jones-Charles H. Jones-became proprietor and in a few weeks sold out to Henry A. Mitchell, a law- yer, whose home was in Bristol.
At that time really began the modern history of The Times. A little less than a year later, January 12, 1839, Alfred E. Burr, who had been foreman of the printers in the office of the Hartford Courant, became a partner of Judge Mitchell. He was led to seek the connection because a proffer of similar ownership in The Hartford Courant had carried with it the proviso that he must join the Congrega- tional Church and support the Whig party. Possi- bly requirements that he adopt a given course of action were more repugnant to Mr. Burr than the actual proposals in themselves, although he certainly was not a Whig.
At the same time The Times became a daily paper which it remained for three months, or the dura-
1817
THE
HARTFORD TIMES
1935
tion of the year's polit- ical campaign. Two years later, January 1, 1841, Judge Mitchell sold his interest in the paper to Mr. Burr. Thereafter no one but Alfred F. Burr and his brother, Franklin L. Burr, and son, Willie (). Burr, ever owned the paper or any share in it until it was incor- porated in 1939, when several young men who were men- bers of the organization, were given an opportunity to acquire interests in the property.
An interesting incident attaches to the entrance of Alfred E. Burr into The Times. Gideon Welles, later secretary of the navy during the Civil War, had joined The Times as edi- tor and part owner in 1826, a connec- tion that continued until 1854. Welles was sitting in the office read- ing when Mr. Burr approached Judge Mitchell with his proposal to buy a part interest. When Mr. Burr had gone out Welles advised Mitchell to "accept that young man's proposition".
Two months after becoming sole proprietor Mr. Burr re-established The Times as a daily which it has since remained, although the weekly edition con- tinued to be printed until 1920. At first it was a morning paper, but working people urged that it enter the evening field, and Mr. Burr responded to their appeal on May 3, 1841.
An outstanding incident of The Times' history is its attitude during the Civil War, which it opposed, holding with ex-Governor Thomas H. Seymour and others, that the South should be conciliated rather than fought, and the slavery issue settled without re- course to arms. Naturally this position brought The Times the enmity of the war party, but it sur- vived.
Its independence of thought was also revealed in 1896 when it refused to follow the free silver ideas
JOHN F. ROLFE Publisher
C. C. HEMENWAY Editor
FRANCIS S. MURPHY Business Manager
of William J. Bryan and bolted the demo- cratic party, supporting the Palmer and Buck- ner gold democratic ticket.
The Burrs, Alfred E. and Willie O., owned The Tones or were actively connected with it from 1839 until 1922, a period of eighty-three years, and a remarkable record.
When The Times was incor- porated by Willie O. Burr in 1909, Everett C. Willson, Clayton P. Chamberlin, Clayton W. Rowley, Francis S. Murphy and the late Frank Heussler, long time employes, became stockholders. Clifton L. Sherman, for many years managing editor of The Hartford Courant, was engaged as managing editor of The Times in 1919 and became a stock - holder. He assumed the editorship on the death of Willie O. Burr and continued to hold it until his retire- ment from active newspaper work in 1929.
The corporation was known as the Burr Printing Company until January, 1928, when it was sold to Frank E. Gannett of Rochester, N. Y., publisher of the Gannett group of newspapers in New York state, Illinois and New Jersey. He later organized the Gannett Company to take over his newspaper hold- ings and of that he is the head, as well as president of The Times. Frank E. Tripp is General Man- ager of the Gannett newspapers and vice-president of The Times; John F. Rolfe is publisher, C. C. Hem- enway, editor, and Francis S. Murphy, business manager.
For many years the home of The Times was in the vicinity of the corner of Central Row and Main Street. Later it was established at Main and Grove Streets, and in 1920 the newspaper occupied its present home, the pillars and terra cotta brick of which were formerly in the Madison Avenue Pres- byterian Church, of which Dr. Charles H. Park-
%106}
Established ISIT
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FRANK E. GANNETT President
hurst was long pastor. The church was designed by Stanford White, the Times building by the late Donn Barber.
The present home of The Times stands partly on land occupied by the homes of the founders of Hart- ford-the Reverend Thomas Hooker and the Rev- erend Samuel Stone. The site was included in the first parcels of land acquired by white men from the Indians; by Dutch traders in 1632 and the English settlers in 1636.
Length is not the true measure of public service. Celebrating the one hundred and eighteenth anni- versary of the establishment of The Times, we should not emphasize the number of its years but for the conviction, shared we hoped by its readers, that the years have been fruitful of achievement in the in- terests of the community it serves. Cynics allege that newspapers are published solely to make money. No newspaper management minimizes the importance of the commercial aspect of its enterprise; but all in- telligent newspaper publishers know that a newspa- per to survive and prosper, as The Times has sur- vived and prospered for more than one hundred
FRANK E. TRIPP Vice President
years, must identify itself with movements and with men commanding the confidence of the community. There must be policies and purposes appealing to the highest class of citizenship to secure in return from that class a moral support upon which must rest any enduring material prosperity.
The present editorial policy of The Times is worthy of its best traditions, conserving those prin- ciples which time has fused indissolubly with good government. Those principles which The Times, in the past, fought so courageously to establish, and which have meant so much for the rights, culture and prosperity of man are now defended with an outlook to the future so this newspaper and com- munity may endure and progress. Its news content is based upon fairness, tolerance and truth. Its fea- tures, supplementing the local and world news, are from the pens of outstanding artists and interpreters of our habits, customs and world events. The Times is a daily visitor and enjoys the respect and confi- dence of over ninety-three per cent of the homes in greater Hartford and has wide influence throughout the state and nation.
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FIRST
UNITARIAN
CONGREGATIONAL
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Upper Left- Church of Our Saviour; Asylum and Trumbull Streets, N. E., 18 17-1859. Inset-Rev. Samuel J. May of Brooklyn, Conu. Upper Right-
Res. Joseph A. Harington, fost set- ded Unitarian minister in Hartford. Lower Left-Part of the Parish Register. Lower Right-Unity Church, 1881-1924, 68 Pratt Street.
Parish Register
Names- Date July 27th 1844
1. James HWells ..
2 Miles Olmsted - 3 . Chas. H. Olmsted
4 J. Saltmarsh.
"
6 Cheminer Smith
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1 Monatun Goodwann ..
David Clark -
.
11
14 George H. Braucis "
11 11
16 Nery Dessous . 11
SOCIETY O F H ARTFORD
CHARLES GRAVES
JAMES H. WELLS
SETH SALTMARSH
HISTORICAL, LANDMARKS
First Unitarian sermon in Hartford by the Reverend Samuel J. May of Brooklyn, Conn.
4-13-1830
Hartford Unitarian Association organized at the home of James H. Wells, 15 Prospect Street.
In 1832, the Reverend Francis Cunningham was stationed in Hart- ford as missionary of the Unitarian faith.
7-27-1844
First Unitarian Congregational Society of Hartford organized at the home of Dr. Seth Saltmarsh, 95 Main Street.
4-22-1846 Church of Our Saviour, N. F. Corner of Trumbull and Asylum Streets, Dedicated.
1857-1876
Regular services suspended.
Unity Church, 68 Pratt Street, Dedicated.
4-3-1881 11-30-1924 Unitarian Meeting House, 215 Pearl Street, Dedicated.
12-14-1930 First Broadcast of service, Station W DR C
LIST OF SETTLED MINISTERS Minister Period
I. JOSEPH HARRINGTON
2. FREDERICK HINCKLEY 1853-1855
3. JOHN A. BUCKINGHAM 1856
4. MARTIN K. SCHERMERHORN 1877
5 . JOHN C. KIMBALL.
1878-1888
6. PERRY MARSHALL
1899-1891
7. JOSEPH WAITE 1892-1906
8. JABEZ T. SUNDERLAND 1906-1911
9. ALBERT C. DIEFENBACH
1911-1918
IO. CHARLES GRAVES 1918-
1846-1852
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Unitarian Meeting House 215 Pearl Street
11091
1-24-1830
HORALE BUSHNELL
MEMO
EDICATED : :: :: rytme of Hartford's great citizens, the M.rice Bushnell Memorial Hail has, since its completion in 1930. increasingly fulfilled the purposes and ideals of its donors. Today it is famous the country over not only for its architectural beauty and modern facilities but for the program of civic service which its trustees and management have pursued.
Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell, whose name has been given to this great structure, was a many-sided genius. Born on April 14, 1802 in the Litchfield Hills, he received the best schooling available in his day, eventually being graduated from Yale ready to begin the practice of law. Believing, however, that his future lay in the ministry, he forsook what would almost certainly have been a brilliant legal carcer, and in May of 1833, was ordained as minister of the North Church in Hartford.
llis eloquence and sincerity, and the great power of his mind were at once made manifest. Ilis congregation grew apace with the development of his influence in the community, and except for periods when recurrent ill-health forced him to remove to more temperate climates, he served in the ministry until his failing strength no longer per- mitted. When he died on February 17, 1876, Hartford lost one of its noblest and most distinguished citizens.
It is as a lover of his city, and as a planner for its future that Dr. Bushnell is best remembered here. Always a practical man, he could turn his hand and mind to many ends. He was at once a journalist, a lawyer, a theologian and an artisan. He could wield a scythe, build a dam and invent a furnace. Ile had a passion for good roads. Art, music and good conversation were a joy to him, and he strove always for the economic better- ment of his fellow-nien.
It was to the vision and energy of Dr. Bushnell that Hartford owes in large part the beautiful park in the center of the city which now bears its name. This park was once a noisome dumping place, and must have remained so for years longer had not Dr. Bushnell fought vigorously for its metamorphosis.
The conception of the Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall dates back more than fifteen years. The late Mrs. Appleton R. Hillyer, daughter of Dr. Bushnell, had for a long period cherished the plan of raising such a memorial to her distinguished father. Associated with her in this plan were her daughter, Mrs. Charles F. T. Seaverns and Mr. Scaverns. After careful study, it was decided that the present structure should be built and that its purpose should be to perpetuate the cultural influences of Dr. Bushnell in the life of the city.
Completed and dedicated in January of 1930, the building was at once recognized as a magnificent contribution to the architectural beauty of the city. A steel frame structure, enclosed with masonry, it has a base course of rustic buff Indiana limestone and walls of Colonial brick. The whole mass is topped by a cornice of stone and a copper roof. A distinctive gold tower caps the southern end, facing Capitol Avenue. The dominant features of the auditorium front Trinity Street.
In the main auditorium of the Memorial there are 3277 seats. The orchestra floor accommodates 1684 persons, while 943 can be seated in the first balcony and 650 in the second. The Colonial Room, which is used for intimate events, has a maximum capacity of 400 chairs. Stage facilities to accommodate the largest operatie and dramatic per- formances are included in the building.
The stage is 68 feet high from flour to gridiron. Its proscenium arch is 48 feet across, while the stage proper, behind the arch, has a width of 94 feet. On each side of the stage lic five floors of dressing rooms, served by elevators, and providing individual facilities for 150 persons.
Among the many modern features of the auditorium are its lighting, heating and ventilating systems and the unique fretwork design of the walls and ceiling. The center of the ceiling is one huge painting in which the Muse of Drama sits surrounded by all the appurtenances of her art.
During the period since the dedication, the management of the Memorial has made growing use of these facilities. Each season a superb course of symphony concerts has been presented, in 'addition to many individual musical events of brilliance. The Metro- politan Opera Company has been brought here in half a dozen notable performances. Lectures on travel, science and adventure have been scheduled regularly, and there has been an annual series of chamber music concerts.
In addition to the programs given under direct Bushnell sponsorship, there have been many worthwhile events at the ball under other auspices. Scores of institutions, needing money for their treasuries, have taken advantage of the reduced rental fee which the Memorial has set for charitable and educational groups, and as a result, during the season, the hall is in active use for a wide variety of cultural entertaiment.
CHARLES F. T. SEAVERNS
Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall
CHARLES F. T. SEAVERNS President HORACE B. CHENEY Vice-President AFFE G. STRONACH Secretary HARTFORD NATIONAL BANK & TRUST COMPANY Treasurer WILLIAM II. MORTENSEN Managing Director
Board of Trustees CHARLES F. T. SLAVERNS, Chairman
WARREN S. ARCHIBALD
VIRS. MARY BATTERSON BEACH
RICHARD AL. BISSI.I.L.
JOHN SPENCER CAMP
HORACE B. CHENEY
HOWELL CHENEY
HORACE B. C'LARK
WILLIAM H. CORBIN
CHARLES A. GOODWIN
CHARLES WELLES GROSS
MRS. ROBERT W. HUNTINGTON
Viss MAABRI JOHNSON
JASON T. AleCook
HENRY A. PARKINS
BARCLAY ROBINSON
CLEMENT SCOTT
VERS. EMILY C. SCRANTON
VIRS. MARY B. IL. SEAVERNS
ROBBINS B. STOICKEL STILLMAN F. WES : BROOK
NERS. BERNARD T. WILLIAMS
:[110}
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Dr. Horace Bu -buell : : + 12 18701
HAVE NO GREAT NO. LOFTA AIMS TO
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THOSE WHO WORKS IN HAND ELEVATE THER FEELING
HORASE WYSYWELL MEMORIAL
AVERY MEMORIAL WADSWORTH
/L, ATHENEUM
The Prospect Street Entrance
W neum. HEN Samuel P. Avery came to Hartford to live in 1910, the Colt Wing and the Morgan Memorial had already been added to the original Wadsworth Athe- This had allowed some division of the art collections from the various libraries, but there still remained much crowding in the exhibition of the many fine items. During the next ten years this con- dition was aggravated rather than decreased, and in 1918, shortly before his death, Mr. Avery estab- lished a trust fund to eventually relieve the existing state of affairs. In part the trust reads:
"It is my wish and direction that said fund shall be used and expended ultimately by the Trustees in the erection of one or more wings to the present Morgan Memorial Building, or of one or more wings in connection therewith, and in the establishment of an endowment fund not to ex- ceed Fifty Thousand Dollars, the income from which shall only be used for the enlargement, upkeep, and repair of said buildings erected under this gift, all of which shall conform with the general architectural effect of the present Morgan Memorial."
SAMUEL P. AVERY
The original market value of the gift was approximately $225,000, and by 1928, when the fund was liquidated, the value of the various securities had in- creased to $627,154. At that time the Trustees felt that building costs Were too high, so construction was not begun until 1932. The building was completed in 1934, after great difficultie, had been overcome in the construction. To pro- vide the best possible background for all the varying items a purely modern structure, with great severity and com- plete freedom from ornament was decided upon. The effectiveness of this type of building for this purpose shows the wisdom of the Trustees decision.
Beyond this single large gift to Hartford's atheneum, Mr. Avery also gave to the public, through this same means, over 1500 single items from his own fine collection. All of these gifts were presented to the Morgan Memorial between 1910 and 1920.
The character and munificence of Samuel Putnam Avery are best summed up in the tribute paid to him by Frank Butler Gay :
"He loved beauty and must have it around him for bodily as well as spiritual comfort-note those keen ap- praising eyes, those sensitive caressing fingers -- whether the object was a tiny bit of porcelain, metal, or embroidery, or the changing colors of the heavens above of the earth be- neath-absorbing all until it became a part of him. May this latest manifestation of his bounty bring much joy to the many who will benefit by it."
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CONNECTICUT'S OLDEST CHARTERED BANK
1792
EARLY HOME OF HARTFORD NATIONAL BANK AND TRUST CO. These quarters at 58 State Street were occupied by the bank for more than 100 years
HE Hartford Bank, as it was originally incorporated by the Continental Congress in 1781 called opened its doors for business on and chartered by Pennsylvania in 1782; the Bank of New York, organized and in operation in 1784 but unable to secure a charter until 1791; the Bank of Massachusetts chartered in 1784 and the Provi- dence bank which began business in 1791. August 8, 1792. Thus it takes rank as the oldest of Connecticut banks having begun business during Washington's first adminis- tration. Only four state banks antedate the Hart- ford; the bank of North America, of Philadelphia,
An advertisement printed in the Courant of Feb- ruary 27, 1792, announced a proposal to petition the General Assembly at the May session for the
The story of this great Hartford institution is taken from the book er titled The Hartford Bank, 1792-1892, written by P. H. Woodward, and published by the bank on the occasion of its one hundredth anniversary.
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HARTFORD NATIONAL BANK and TRUST CO.
establishment of a bank in Hartford, and invited all merchants and others favorable to the project to meet the same evening at six o'clock at Mr. David Bull's-then the leading tavern of the place. . . .
Long and explicit articles of association were drawn up. The capital of the bank was fixed at $100,000, divided into two hundred and fifty shares of $400 each. Major John Caldwell, Major Barnabas Deane, and John Morgan were named a committee to open books for subscriptions. John Trumbull, Chauncey Goodrich, and Noah Webster were named a committee to prepare and present to the Legislature a petition asking for an act of incor- poration.
The stockholders met at the Court-house June 14, 1792 to organize the bank, Oliver Ellsworth presiding. Jeremiah Wadsworth, John Caldwell, John Morgan, George Phillips, Barnabas Deane, Timothy Burr, James Watson, Caleb Bull, and Ephraim Root were elected directors for the first year. At a meeting of the directors on Saturday the 16th, Jeremiah Wadsworth was first chosen president; but as he declined to serve, John Cald- well was then elected.
The Hartford bank took the lead in introducing the decimal system of notation in Connecticut. June 16, 1792, the directors resolved that the notes to be issued should be payable in dollars, and that in paper presented for discount amounts should be expressed in dollars and cents. At the time the English method of reckoning by pounds, shillings, and pence was in almost universal use. At the office of the Treasurer of Connecticut the change from the English system was not made until July, 1797.
For a time the bills issued by the bank won con- fidence slowly, especially in the neighboring rural communities. Not even the character and wealth of the owners and managers could at once overcome the distrust attached to paper money. . . When the farmer was offered for his produce the bills of the new bank he usually quoted a little household
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John Goldwell
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JOHN CALDWELL
wisdom about the "burnt child" and expressed a preference for silver. Meanwhile the friends of the institution scattered broadcast facts and assertions intended to inspire confidence. Piles of coin were temptingly displayed behind the counter. Bills pre- sented by countrymen were redeemed with smiling alacrity. . Gradually the course of the bank in keeping every promise to the letter conquered the distrust produced by the miserable fate of colonial and continental issues, and so firmly established its credit that for three generations the wildest financial panic has not caused a tremor in the structure.
"As sound as the old Hartford Bank" early in the century became a proverb not only in the Con- necticut Valley, but among the settlers on the shores of Lake Erie and beyond.
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HARTFORD BANA EARLIEST DEPOSITORY FOR STATE FUNDS
Early in its history the Hartford Bank was lo- be put immediately to suit." We may presume that cated on the south side of Pearl street, a few steps the above decision helped to bring the community to habits of promptness within a short time. Similarly the bank brought about the other changes in the mode of thought and gradually traders found that credit on the ledger was more convenient and safe than cash in the till. Merchants and others learned to adjust by checks, balances arising on mutual ac- counts, and a larger proportion of domestic settle- ments was made by transfers of credit on the bank ledger without the handling of a dollar. Likewise, within the bank, experience taught the managers that two-thirds of the deposits could be loaned with safety and thus a new capital was made available for business enterprise and the volume of circulation was expanded. Thus the institution put in operation a set of appliances that manifolded the volume and effectiveness of the funds within reach of the com- munity. from Main. The precautions taken in the original location for the safekeeping of the funds cast an interesting commentary on the law-abiding nature of the citizens of Hartford. The front door, divided in halves horizontally, was covered by iron plates; two heavy iron bars and a strong oak-incased lock serving to warn away intruders. The funds were kept in a chest in a subterranean vault, covered by a massive door which was raised and lowered by a pulley. The original chest is to be seen today among the relics of the Connecticut Historical Society. It is of thin, wrought iron, two feet long, sixteen inches broad and high, with the door on top. A single man could hoist it to his shoulders and carry it away. By 1821 it appears that iron doors were not enough for the directors voted in December of that year to pay the watch wardens of the city twenty dollars toward supporting a watch during the winter. The watch usually consisted of four men, and persons on duty were required to "carefully and vigilantly watch for the safety of the city from fire, thieves, and other disorderly persons who may be abroad in the streets or elsewhere." They were authorized to ar- rest any suspicious person straying about after ten o'clock at night. Fear of theft was apparently one of the lesser worries of the early banks.
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