USA > Connecticut > Connecticut yesterday and today : 1635-1935 : celebrating three hundred years of progress in the Constitution state > Part 25
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The Chamberlain Company has occupied its present location on the corner of Orange and Crown Streets since May 15th, 1883. There is much of ro- mance in the story of the firm which has survived through the years while hundreds of other businesses sprang up only to die out. During the years that have followed since 1835 there has always been some mem- ber of the family ready to stop in and carry on what has become a venerable New Haven institution
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1784
THE OLDEST RETAIL STORE IN NEW HAVEN
1935-
TITUSSTREIT MARDWANE
HE oldest retail store in New Haven, and probably the oldest mercantile es- tablishment of any kind in the State still in its original location, is the old hardware store, The John E. Bassett & Co.
Established at the close of the Revolution in 1784, the year in which New Haven received its Charter as a City, it remains in the same location, though not in the building, in which it was originally started. New Haven at that time was a flourishing country town, which, on account of its harbor, was also ac- quiring some foreign and coastwise commerce. Most, and possibly all, of the buildings were of wood, none of them very imposing, and the modest building near the corner of Chapel and State Streets, was both the store and the home of young Titus Street, a descend- ant of the Reverend Samuel Street, the first Con- gregational minister in Wallingford.
Mr. Street's establishment had all the earmarks of a general country store. He sold both wet goods and dry goods, but much of his merchandise would have been classed as hardware. His ledger and day book with his old "strong box," are still in the pos- session of the firm. They show various entries of merchandise sold to such "first citizens" as James Hillhouse, Jonathan Ingersoll, Pierpont Edwards, Ezra Stiles, David Daggett and others. The amounts are all in pounds, shillings and pence and compari- sons with present day values are most interesting.
In 1792 he took as partner his clerk, Samuel Hughes, and the business was conducted under the fırın name of Street & Hughes until the War of 1812 made it desirable to dissolve and re-form at inter- vals as a means of facilitating settlements, which they did under several names, but apparently the same ownership. Mr. Street retired from active business in 1821 as he had accumulated what was considered a fortune in those days, a small part of which was represented by a Township in the West- ern Reserve, now known as "Streetsboro, Ohio." His son, Augustus R. Street, inherited his property and later became the founder of the Yale Art School.
Samuel Hughes also became a man of substantial
means and was succeeded at his death in 1838 by his son, E. B. M. Hughes, who had been associated with his father since the retirement of Mr. Street.
In 1846 John E. Bassett entered the employment of E. B. M. Hughes and, in 1855, became a partner in the concern when the present name "John E. Bas- sett & Company" was adopted, Mr. Hughes remain- ing the senior partner, however, until his death in 1864. In 1889 the business was incorporated as "The John E. Bassett & Co.", Mr. Bassett being President of the Corporation until his death in 1896, his son, George J. Bassett, who had entered the firm in 1886, being Secretary and Treasurer. He suc- ceeded his father as President on the latter's death which office he holds at the present time.
The old wooden house and store was used until 1828 when the older part of the present Chapel Street store was built. This remains in substantially the same form as originally constructed, but has been added to from time to time by the addition of ad- joining stores until now it very appropriately encir- cles the lot on which the old store stood.
It is interesting to note that during the century and a half of its existence, there have been only five men at the head of the concern, the son having suc- ceeded the father, or the junior partner having suc- ceeded the senior partner. Although wet goods and dry goods disappeared from the store almost a cen- tury ago, it has still retained many of the features of a general store although most of the lines would still be classified as hardware. Its old books are still pre- served and the grandchildren and great-grandchil- dren of its early customers are patrons of the store.
The several proprietors during the last century and a half have naturally been interested in many enterprises not directly connected with the business and it is interesting to note that the office of the Derby Turnpike Company was in the store and the books and records of the Company kept there from 1827 to the liquidation of the Company in 1897, the proprietors of the store during that period having succeeded each other as Secretary and Treasurer of the Turnpike Company.
With its record of over a century and a half of catering to many generations, not only of New Ha- ven people, but of the people of the surrounding towns, the Old Hardware Store has become a New Haven institution in which the good-will and confi- dence of the New Haven public is its chief asset.
The store at present occupies the whole building at 754 Chapel Street, connected at the rear with the two adjoining stores at 314 to 320 State Street. The present officers of the concern are George J. Bassett, Pres., William E. Janswick, Vice-Pres. and Treas., and Fred H. Wilcox, Sec. and Asst. Treas.
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1919
- THE NEW HAVEN BUICK COMPANY - 1935 Authorized Dealers of BUICK and PONTIAC
The Plant of the NEW HAVEN BUICK COMPANY at 320 Whalley Avenue.
UST sixteen years ago -in February, 1919 -a most energetic and ambitious man came to New Haven to establish the New Haven Buick Company. Being the president and owner of this outstanding automobile deal- ership for these many years has made Fred L. Loeser one of New Haven's most respected and suc- cessful merchants. He is presi- dent of the New Haven County Automotive Trades association and vice-president of the State Automobile Dealers association.
When locating in New Haven in 1919, Mr. Loeser brought with him a wealth of seasoned experience. Prior to this time he had been affiliated in executive capacities with Buick Motor Com- pany, both in their truck and later, passenger car divisions. He was closely associated with such well-known men as A. G. South- worth and the late P. A. Dakin in the New York office of Buick
Motor Company.
The New Haven Buick Com- pany started operations in 1919 with sales headquarters on York Street near Chapel, the service station being located on Dixwell Avenue. Later sales headquar- ters were moved to Whalley Av- enue and Orchard Street with the service department located still farther west on Whalley Avenue. With an eye to the future, sens- ing the necessity for still greater expansion, The New Haven Buick Company moved into its present home at 320 Whalley Avenue in 1924.
In this new, spacious and com- plete plant the New Haven Buick Company has prospered for eleven years. In the middle of 1932 the New Haven Buick Co. acquired the Pontiac franchise for this territory. Both Pontiac and Buick are handled from the same plant necessitating, of course, still greater activity.
Buick was first introduced into
New Haven in 1905, Buick Mo- tor Co. having sold their first few cars in 1904.
During the interim from 1905 to 1919, Buick was handled in New Haven by four different organizations, of which the long- est lived was eight years. In its sixteen years of service the New Haven Buick Company has out- lived all of these previous firms, and has developed a most valu - able franchise and made a splen- did reputation for Buick in this community.
Today Mr. Loeser still has with him many of the original personnel who started with him sixteen years ago. These excep- tionally loyal and long years of close association with his em- ployees attest his ability to direct and improve an organization through many hard as well as good years in business. Today the New Haven Buick Company employs seventy-five people in its new and modern plant.
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MALLEABLE IRON FITTINGS COMPANY - BRANFORD
HE Malleable Iron Fittings Company of Bran- ford, is representative of many of the manu- facturing corporations of New England which have grown from small beginnings. In 1845, the Totoket Company was organized by Bran- ford people headed by Messrs. Elizur Rogers and B. H. Hadley to do a general foundry business in malleable iron. Among other customers they had the firm of J. J. Wal- worth Co., of Boston, to which it supplied blanks for malleable pipe fittings.
In 1864, James J. Wal- worth, and Joseph Nason, pioneers in the steam heating business in this country, to- gether with Emil C. Hammer, Thorvald F. Hammer and other Boston men, organized the Malleable Iron Fittings Company, and purchased the plant of the Totoket Co. Machinery was installed for threading, and the manufac- ture of the complete malleable pipe fittings was started. The annual report of July, 1865, covering the first full period of twelve months stated that the production of the year had been 304,8333/4 pounds-equivalent to 152 tons of approx- imately one half ton per day.
The production of miscellaneous malleable castings for machinery and general use became a large part of the busi- ness and at times has greatly exceeded the output of pipe fittings. In 1906, the manufacture of steel castings by the "Converter" process was started and this department has become an important part of the works. In 1918, an "Open Hearth" furnace was installed for the production of the heavier castings required by the Government for war work. In 1929 installation was made of an "Electric" furnace as the latest improvement in the manufacture of steel castings.
All of the buildings erected in late years have been of steel and concrete fire-proof construction, so as to reduce the fire hazard. As the business has increased buildings have been added, until there are about ten acres of floor space available for use.
The plant at the present time could employ about 1400 people. During the last three or four years only about one- third of this number has been at work.
Original Plant 1864 Malleable Iron Fittings Co., Branford, Conn.
The present annual capacity is approximately 6000 tons of pipe . fittings, 7500 tons of malleable castings and 10,000 tons of steel castings.
The management personnel is Alfred E. Hammer, Presi- dent, Treasurer and General Manager; V. T. Hammer, MALLEABLE First Vice-President, Assistant Treasurer and Superintendent, both sons of the above men- tioned Thorvald F. Hammer; L. J. Nichols, Secretary; T. F. Hammer, Second Vice- President and Assistant Superintendent.
Mr. Alfred E. Hammer has served in both the House and Senate of the Connecticut Legislature. He is a Director of the Second National Bank of New Haven, and a Trustee of the Connecticut Savings Bank of New Haven, and of the Branford Savings Bank of Branford. He is also Presi- dent and Treasurer of the James Blackstone Memorid Library Association of Branford, Conn. Mr. Haminer is Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Henry Whitfield State Historical Museum of Guilford, Connecticut.
Mr. V. T. Hammer was Warden of the Borough of Branford for many years, and is a Director of the Branford Trust Company.
Mr. L. J. Nichols is President of the Branford Savings Bank.
Present Plant comprising about Ten Acres of Floor Space
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ATERBURY, at that time known as Matta- tuck, was first settled in 1673, though the coun- try in the vicinity had been known for some twenty years previously. Much of the earliest his- tory of the exploration in this region is now obscured by time and is now little more than tradition. According to some, there were settlements at a much earlier date. The only indis- putable evidence of knowledge of this valley at an earlier date than the one normally assigned is in the deed, which may still be consulted, which gave all the mineral rights within a large area surrounding the "hill" to two men from Farmington. Later in- vestigations have located the "hill" as being in the northern part of what is now Waterbury. From that date we may assume that the section was visit- ed from time to time by various men from the adjoining settlements. It is also a matter of record that previous to the settlement of the plantation there was a grant of land made within the boundaries of what was later to be the township.
Though today Waterbury is within the County of New Haven, its lands were first settled by men from the northern colony within the state. In 1673, twenty-six men from Farming- ton, led by John Lancton, desired to form a new settlement where they might have more freedom of action, and accordingly petitioned the General Court for permission to found a new plantation in the place known to the Indians as "matitacoock". At that time it was felt that thirty families were necessary to support a minister, and no plantation could be counte- nanced unless the lands were of a nature sufficient for this purpose. Con- sequently it was only after some in- vestigation that the General Court ap- pointed, in 1674, "a committee to regulate and order the settling of a
plantation at Mattacock in the most suitable way that may be." Though this would seem to place the settling of Waterbury in 1674, there is fairly good evidence to support the date 1673, for it seems that the petition- ers did not entirely await the decision of the Court.
The early problems by 1685 seem to have been for the most part well solved, and at the time when the As- sembly made moves to strengthen their hold upon their "Charter" by means of issuing charters to all the plantations to make them townships, Mattatuck, the plantation, became Waterbury, the town. This was in 1686 and Waterbury continued to re- main a township until it was incor- porated as a borough in 1825. As a town, it operated under the same sys- tem as the other towns of Connecticut, with its meeting for the purposes of local government and its representa- tives in the Assembly for matters of statewide importance. The Borough of Waterbury received its city char- ter in 1853.
As in all of the early towns of Con- necticut, the great interest in the life of the people of Waterbury was cen- tered in four things-the acquiring of a livelihood, the town government, the church, and the school, and Wa- terbury has had notable developments in each of these fields. While forms have changed, the schools and church- es and government of Waterbury have more than kept pace with the developing city.
In remarking upon the concerns of the many generations of Waterbury people, we must place the acquiring of a livelihood in its rightful position first in the list. When the plantation was first established upon the site of the old Indian village, the pioneers had been attracted by the pleasant lands that bordered upon the Naugatuck, and these lands were their sole means of support. As late as 1805, President Timothy Dwight speaks of the people
in Waterbury as being simply engaged in agriculture. There is a slight mis- statement here, for by that time the true seed of Waterbury's greatness had been sown. In choosing the loca- tion for the town, no great amount of thought had been given to the pow- er in the river upon whose banks the town grew up. Yet in the slow devel- opment of that power and in the late discovery that the land, while fertile near the river, was not of sufficient fertility to allow of a large popula- tion, lay Waterbury's future great- ness. It is well to note that until Wa- terbury found herself in manufactur- ing and the metal industry she was of secondary importance in the state.
Waterbury has stood out in indus- try as the center of brass manufac- turing in the United States. The con- ditions in the Naugatuck Valley were propitious for the development of such an industry and this valley is the birthplace of American brass. Grow- ing from the early manufacture of brass buttons, today two-thirds of the produce of the brass industry pro- ceeds from Connecticut, and Water- bury produces three-fourths of this amount. Including various items of brass manufacture, one-fifth of the value of the industrial manufacture of the state proceeds directly from the brass mills. This is much the most in- portant enterprise in the state. The growth has come about notwithstand- ing the entire absence of raw mate- rial within the state and without any near absorbing market, except as such has appeared in the course of the de- velopment of the industry itself.
This industrial importance has re- flected in the population of Water- bury. At the middle of the nineteenth century, there were less than six thou- sand inhabitants; today Waterbury boasts a population of nearly one hun- dred . thousand. While she is justly proud of her early founding and of the courage and worth of her first settlers, she may well say today that those who later lived between the rocky hills have more than fulfilled the tradition behind them.
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SAINT MARGARET'S SCHOOL, WATERBURY
Founded 1865
N 1865, seven men of Waterbury under the leadership of Mr. Augustus S. Chase and Mr. Frederick J. Kingsbury met and formed an association for the founding of a school for girls. For ten years this school was known as The Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies. In 1875 several of these men under the same leader- ship again met with new members, ten in all, and drew up a charter establishing it as Saint Margaret's School, incorporated under the laws of Connecticut as an Episcopal school with the Bishop of Connecticut as president of the board of trustees. The Reverend Francis Thayer Russell, D.D., of the corporators, a man of letters and an educator, became its first rector and principal. Associated with Doctor Russell in the management of affairs was his wife, Mary Sigourney Russell.
During Doctor Russell's administration from 1875 to 1891, and those of succeeding principals, Miss Mary R. Hillard, 1891 to 1909, Miss Emily Gard- ner Munro from 1909 until her death in 1923, and Miss Alberta C. Edell since 1923, the steady growth of the school has made necessary constant increase in its facilities. First the original building was en- larged; a wing was built in memory of Mrs. Russell; a separate building was erected for the Primary
Department. Finally, with the lease of several houses and the purchase of one, the school reached a point beyond which further expansion there was impossible.
The alumnae, realizing the situation, in 1920- 1921 began raising a building fund, part of which was invested in a new site upon Chase Parkway. In 1926, another campaign was undertaken among members of the Saint Margaret's Association and the citizens of Waterbury. From the two, adequate funds were realized for the new building, which was con- structed the following year.
Today, as from the beginning, the school consists of three departments: the primary, the intermediate and the secondary, with the upper school divided between two courses, the college preparatory and the general course, wherein students may either acquire preparation for college or continue liberal training in the languages, arts and sciences.
The present board of trustees is composed of the following men: The Right Reverend Frederick G. ' Budlong, the Reverend John N. Lewis, D. D., M :. Irving H. Chase, Mr. Horace D. Taft, L.H.D., Mr. Edward O. Goss, Mr. Charles A. Templeton, Mr. Hugh I .. Thompson, Mr. Robert S. Walker, Mr. Burdon P. Hyde, Mr. Elton S. Wayland, Mr. John A. Coe, Jr.
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MAL OI WA T ELAT
FREDERICK J. KINGSBURY - an Important Contributor to
HISTORY pertaining to the develop- ment of Waterbury would be incomplete without record of the part played therein by the Kingsbury family, particularly that of Frederick J. Kingsbury, whose work during a period in which Waterbury made its most notable progress constitutes a service the influence of which will always survive.
For over half a century Mr. Kingsbury occupied a place peculiarly his own in Waterbury's industrial, financial and civic affairs, not only through his own activities but in the role of adviser to others, his aid being sought and his judgment deferred to by many of the men occupying important places in the city's business and public life. His actual period of activity, dating from his beginning the practice of law in 1840 to the time of his death, September 30, 1910, extended through sixty-one years.
Mr. Kingsbury's ancestors were prominent in the affairs of the colonies and through the revolutionary period and the family's identity with Waterbury's development began with Judge John Kingsbury, his grandfather, a leader in the judiciary of the time, who was followed by Charles Dennison Kingsbury, father of Frederick J. Kingsbury, who was one of Waterbury's foremost figures in the general mer- cantile and industrial field.
Following his graduation from Yale University, Mr. Kingsbury studied law in the offices of the Hon. Thomas C. Perkins of Hartford and of the Hon. Charles G. Loring of Boston, and upon his admis- sion to the bar opened a law office in Waterbury. His ability in that field was immediately manifest, but in 1850, having been elected to represent Waterbury in the state legislature and becoming interested in bank legislation and banking, he procured a charter for the Waterbury Savings Bank. He was made treasurer of this institution and managed its affairs until his death.
Mr. Kingsbury continued his law practice until 1853, when he founded, with Abraham Ives, the Citizen's Bank of Waterbury. He was chosen presi- dent of the bank, an office which he held until his death, a period of fifty-seven years. His position in financial and business circles grew rapidly into one of exceptional importance and in 1858 he was elected to the directorate of the Scovill Mfg. Co. Mr. Kingsbury did not consider himself a manufacturer, but the ability and interest which he manifested as a director of the Scovill company led his fellow di- rectors, somewhat against his own inclinations, to make him secretary, which they did in 1862. His
FREDERICK J. KINGSBURY
career in the industrial field is an interesting com- mentary upon his ability to make a success of any- thing he engaged in, for he was soon treasurer of the company and in 1863 he succeeded S. W. Hall as president, discharging the duties of that office most successfully for thirty-two years, refusing re-election in 1900.
As time went on Mr. Kingsbury became connect- ed with many other industrial and financial enter- prises and became one of the most prominent figures in the business world of Waterbury and its vicinity. He was also associated with various railroad and steamship companies.
Mr. Kingsbury manifested a keen interest in the welfare of his home community and in state affairs and early enjoyed the confidence of his fellow towns- men to an exceptional degree, as indicated by the fact that his first election to the state legislature oc- curred only two years after his admission to the bar. He was again elected to the legislature in 1858 and 1865, giving particularly valuable service on the committee for the revision of the statutes of Con- necticut, as well as on the banking committee. Strong pressure ws brought to bear upon him to accept the nomination for governor on the Republican ticket, but, feeling his obligation to many other interests, he declined. He was placed on the ticket as the candidate for lieutenant-governor, but as the Re- publican ticket was defeated at that election Mr. Kingsbury was relieved of the necessity of changing any of his private obligations for public ones.
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Waterbury History for Over Half a Century
Mr. Kingsbury's achievement in the realm of scholarship was quite as conspicuous as in the busi- ness world and, perhaps, even dearer to his heart, in view of his strong tendency in that direction. His work as a business man was fine, but he may be said to have pursued his literary work con amore. His intellectual attainments were exceptional and marked hy the greatest versatility. He was an enthusiast in the cause of general education, and worked hard for its spread in many ways. He was treasurer of the Bronson library fund from its foundation for over thirty years, and by careful investments he greatly increased the original bequest; was chairman of the book committee and a member of the board of agents. In 1881 he was elected a member of the corporation of Yale College, and served on that honorable body until 1899. In 1893 he received the honorary degree of doctor of laws from Wil- liams College, and six years later the same degree from Yale. He was appointed in 1876 to represent the state of Connecticut in the national committee at the centennial exposition in Philadelphia.
He was a member of many literary and scientific clubs and associations and was especially interested in history and genealogy. During the latter years of his life he was deeply interested in social science and was, for a number of years, president of the American Social Science Association. He collabor- ated with Dr. Anderson, pastor of the First Congre- gational Church of Waterbury, in the compilation of Dr. Anderson's History of Waterbury, considered one of the finest works of its class, and with Mary Kingsbury Talcott in the writing of the "Kingsbury Genealogy."
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