USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928, Volume II > Part 16
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At the development of each specific civic need, an organiza- tion has come into existence to secure unity of action, like the Civic Club which brought cleaner streets, the Municipal League with breadth of field and others that have been named. The Friends organized out of regard for the "physical beauty of
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Hartford's environment and to protect residential property from business incursions," and they already have done much. Experts previously had outlined the propositions. Owen Wistar Morris and others had shown incidentally that Hartford had natural advantages that newer and physically greater cities would give millions to possess, and historic spots of value beyond estimate. The zoning law of two years prior to this had been a step in this direction, made compulsory by the ruthlessness with which resi- dential sections were being treated in the march of the dollar- seekers. The great majority who would recall, in the rush of the hour, that there was something higher for a city than the dollar had to summon the Legislature's aid, as other cities had done, and once again in order to prevent the perversion of this aid by certain to whom civic power of enforcement had been entrusted. An awakening was due.
Prominent in thought and finally a separate movement was the preservation of Mark Twain's home. Frank A. Hagarty, who in the past had served the public as postmaster (succeeding Judge Bennett in 1907) and again as mayor, was chairman of the general committee, the list of which was like a list of the names of many of the families that have been shown herein to be history-builders. Miss Katherine S. Day, whose mother, Mrs. John C. Day, was a niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe and herself had given thought to this subject, offered to present her resi- dence nearby which had been Mrs. Stowe's home, provided subscriptions were sufficient to make a memorial of the famous humorist's home. Press and people not only in America but through Europe added their expressions of encouragement. The Mark Twain memorial would be used for a much-needed branch of the public library and for similar purposes and would withal be a memorial to Nook Farm's Literary Colony previously re- viewed, the site of which is still a Mecca for many from both sides of the water.
New plans were prepared for beautifying Park River near the Main Street bridge; large suburban areas for residences were assuming a parklike aspect; the educational influence of the park system on private grounds everywhere was becoming more noticeable than ever before, and Hartford-not for its compel- ling industries and its financial preeminence but-for its natu-
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ral beauty and its place in the world's history became a watch- word.
World war heroism was not forgotten. The 211 individual plaques and trees at Colt Park, in memory of the 211 soldiers who gave their lives, were the center of tribute on each memorial occa- sion, and in November, 1928, on the north side of Keney Park was dedicated Soldiers Field, or North Woods Cemetery. This is terri- tory set off from the park itself to provide fitting burial place for veterans and their wives when the last call comes. It is marked with a memorial flag and flagpole and with an eagle-surmounted monument in memory of the eighty-one who sleep in France. E. H. Crocker of Springfield, formerly with the Hartford Selective Service Board, has compiled a complete list of the 211 for preser- vation in printed form in the state archives, and also a compre- hensive set of photographs.
The plans were nearing completion for the buildings the state would add to its splendid group on Capitol Hill. The congested Capitol itself was breathing a sigh of relief and was taking on a new dignity. Statues of Gen. John Sedgwick (of Cornwall) and Gen. Alfred H. Terry of Hartford birth were being pre- pared for their niches by direction of a competent commission, the members of which are Arthur L. Shipman and Col. Francis Parsons of Hartford, Frank Cheney, Jr., of South Manchester, and George Dudley Seymour and Burton Mansfield of New Haven. The statues in the niches will then be those of Thomas Hooker, Roger Sherman, Jonathan Trumbull and Rev. John Dav- enport (New Haven colony's minister) on the east side, with the tympana of Hooker's march to Hartford, Davenport's preaching in New Haven and the Charter Oak; of Governor John Haynes, Capt. Joseph Wadsworth, John Winthrop, Theophilus Eaton (founder of the New Haven colony), Maj. John Mason and Roger Ludlow on the north side, with tympana of an attack on an Indian fort, Wadsworth hiding the charter, General Putnam leaving his plow to answer the Lexington alarm and William Holmes passing the old Dutch fort; of Oliver Wolcott, Col. David Humphrey, Gen. David Wooster and Chief Justice Oliver Ells- worth on the west side and of Terry and of Sedgwick on the south side. On either side of the north or main entrance are
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bronze medallion portraits of Senators Hawley and Orville H. Platt (Meriden) designed by President H. A. MacNiel of the National Academy. Within, in the west or battle-flag corridor is Olin L. Warner's statue of Governor William A. Buckingham, and also on this floor, the model of Paul Wayland Bartlett's eques- trian statue of Lafayette presented to France by the school chil- dren of America; the tombstone of General Putnam, Carl Ger- hardt's statue of Nathan Hale, the John Fitch medallion and relics of the different wars. On the Capitol grounds are the statues of Col. Thomas Knowlton of Revolutionary fame, by Enoch S. Woods, of Governor Richard D. Hubbard, by Carl Ger- hardt, and the soldier prisoner, by Bela L. Pratt-the gift of Col. Frank W. Cheney of South Manchester and a duplicate of the state memorial at Andersonville prison. North of the Capitol on Bushnell Park is a statue of General Putnam, given by J. P. Allyn, and to the east of this the statue of Dr. Horace Wells by Truman H. Bartlett. The soldiers and sailors arch, as said, is over Trinity Street, and near Elm Street the Spanish war memo- rial by Evelyn B. Longman Batchelder of Windsor. There is a bust of Col. A. A. Pope at the Capitol Avenue entrance to Pope Park and a statue of Col. Samuel Colt in Colt Park. In front of the Atheneum is a statue of Nathan Hale by Enoch S. Woods, and on Lafayette Triangle a statue of Columbus presented by Italian citizens. The General Stedman statue is at Campfield, and the Morgan G. Bulkeley medallion on the Great Bridge. The triangle at the junction of Farmington and Asylum avenues has now been cleared, ready to be made into a park for a statue of Thomas Hooker according to a city vote, but the location for the statue may be changed.
The site of the present post office will be returned to the city, as has been explained, when the new Government Building is erected. Wherever that building is located, it will bring relief to Postmaster Harry K. Taylor, and, through arranging depart- ments under one roof, to Col. Robert O. Eaton of North Haven, collector in the internal revenue service.
The enlargement of the Capitol Hill group is including a large state office building on Washington Street at the corner of Capitol Avenue and a group of smaller buildings to the east of it, the County Courthouse building on Washington Street just
HARTFORD COUNTY BUILDING, 1929
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BUSHNELL MEMORIAL, HARTFORD
Auditorium being erected at corner of Capitol Avenue and Trinity Street in honor of Rev. Horace Bushnell, by gift of his daughter, Mrs. Appleton R. Hillyer of Hart- ford. View from steps of State Library, Memorial Hall and Supreme Court Building
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south of Lafayette Triangle (nearly completed), the Second Church of Christ Scientist across Lafayette Street from La- fayette Triangle and the Bushnell Memorial on Capitol Avenue opposite the state office building and extending along Trinity Street to the Orient Insurance Company's land. The courthouse was designed by Paul P. Cret and Smith & Bassette, associated architects. It is 659 feet long and fronts on both Washington and Lafayette streets. It is not ornate but practical. The land cost $373,000 and the building $1,500,000.
The Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall Corporation was formed in 1919 to administer the fund of $2,200,000 given by Mrs. Appleton R. Hillyer for a building in memory of her father, Rev. Dr. Bushnell, and near the park that bears his name. Charles F. T. Seaverns, son-in-law of Mrs. Hillyer, is president of the corporation, Horace Bushnell Cheney of South Manchester, grandson of the doctor, is vice president, and Col. Francis Par- sons is secretary. The trustees at the beginning were Dotha Bushnell Hillyer, Mary Bushnell Hillyer Seaverns, Richard M. Bissell, Mary Batterson Beach, Charles Hopkins Clark, Atwood Collins, John Spencer Camp, Samuel G. Dunham, Howell Cheney, Charles A. Goodwin, Mabel Johnson, Eleanor Johnson, Charles Welles Gross, Professor Henry A. Perkins, George A. Parker, Rev. Dr. Edwin Knox Mitchell, Judge L. P. Waldo Marvin, Arch- ibald A. Welch, Ellen Bunce Welch and Franklin G. Whitmore. For years it has been felt that one of Hartford's greatest needs was of a large hall for the assemblages which so frequently are held here and for concerts which attract people from around the state. The main auditorium will accommodate 3,300 and an- other, for chamber concerts and community meetings, will seat 400. Time has been taken to study all the details, with the re- sult that this will be one of the most complete buildings of its kind in New England and is sure to further greatly the cultural life. From the picture on another page it is seen that the archi- tects, Helmle, Corbett & Harrison of New York, as did the architects of the Municipal Building, looked to the Bulfinch State House for ideas in designing a Hartford public building. Those who knew the zeal of Mrs. Hillyer and her sister, Mrs. Frank W. Cheney of South Manchester, from having been associated with them in promoting public causes, will feel that this build-
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ing in a sense is a memorial not to Doctor Bushnell alone but to a family devoted to the interests of the community.
The story of the Constitution Town that became a city closes. In the short time remaining to round out its 300 years, and by the regulation standard of measurement, it will grow as fast as it has in the last five. In its summary as of January 1, 1928, the Chamber of Commerce emphasizes these points :
Grand list $630,000,000; population 176,000; city bud- get $10,000,000; area eighteen square miles; midway be- tween Boston and New York; head of river navigation; center for six converging railroads. Exceptional municipal airport.
Ten state trust companies, three national banks, four mutual savings banks; bank debits (individual accounts) $2,238,000,000; savings deposits $119,345,000; bank re- sources $294,000,000; postal receipts (second in New Eng- land) $2,220,000; trading center for over 450,000; fifty wholesalers and 1,500 retailers, employing 10,000; retail sales $110,000,000.
In insurance 16,000 employees; annual payroll $22,- 000,000; more than forty companies controlled from Hart- ford offices; total assets $1,694,000,000; premium income $570,000,000.
Industrial establishments 337; employees 30,000; annual payroll $32,850,000.
Center of culture, music and art; parks, recreation grounds and schools (as already set forth). An array of points of interest.
It is the function of history to record the "firsts," the "great- ests," the "finests," and also the wealth, and whatever may be occasion for honest pride. It is preeminently the function of the history of a town with Hartford's traditions to indicate whether the original spirit-the record of which is universally acclaimed -has been and is being cherished. Inheritance of such spirit is in itself the chief asset; maintenance of it is best measure of the town's right to have a voice in the present community of forty-eight states, and it altogether must be the token for the future.
It may here be repeated that the object of this writing, while of course within reasonable space it could not be all-embracing,
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has been to set down enough of every phase to promote the read- er's analysis, analysis of the people themselves as well as of their attainments. For there is special reason to ascertain whether a Constitution Town has been a good American town and can so continue, whether it still is one with the standard. Evidence is to be had herein in the individual churches, in the schools, the parks, the public buildings and in the somewhat detailed lives (to be enlarged upon by others) of those who have made and are making it. But perhaps the concrete evidence is to be found in such an institution as the Wadsworth Atheneum in all its func- tions. It long since has passed the conception of its earnest founders and stands today, happy in its location near the earliest churches, somewhat as a nonsectarian palladium in the thick of business and material ambition. It has been both a defense and a constant promoter of the town's inheritance and has drawn to itself the support of men, women and children according to their means. With higher and higher appreciation of it by citi- zens of a type it has done so much to develop and with conse- quent demands increasing and imperative, for it is the "people's university," the institution has passed the limit of its material ability. The condition is obvious to every visitor, but none real- ize it so thoroughly as the men and women responsible for its upkeep. In this not-lamentable fact that it has outgrown one enlargement after another is this concrete evidence of what the Hartford of today is-not the only city but one of those cities where the public's thirst for what after all are the real things in life and civilization it is difficult to satisfy. If those who drafted the Fundamental Orders, striving to rise above the sordid condi- tions of their race in 1635, could have had any such dream as this, they would rejoice mightily in its splendid fulfilment. Then immediately they would indulge in another. That is the spirit of Hartford, if the tale of its people has been fairly presented in these pages. Prophecy is no part of this work, but the history of the people is all wrong if the dream of the successors to the founders of the town and institutions do not have a dream the fulfilment of which will mark another epoch of proof. It will be consistent with the tercentenary if the dream takes shape now.
One feature of the Atheneum, developed in its growth, is the variety of its cultural wealth-art, knowledge, science, history, entertainment. For music, the generous men and women are
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here in new force and the painful need of a building is at this moment being met by the Bushnell Memorial. There is no occa- sion for anxiety. A certain amount of land for the next period of this other expansion lies close around the Atheneum. Condi- tions in the gift of the original building forbid its being torn away but it fortunately is worthy to stand as a memorial in an ample building plan which, again, would not mar the beauty of the Morgan Memorial. If the exigencies of space still demanded, despite the establishing of branches of the public library, that part of the institution perhaps would be made separate and inde- pendent, leaving the reference library and the now buried treas- ures of the Connecticut Historical Society to come into their own once more, along with the art.
Devotion of attendants, it would seem, always can be de- pended upon. The proximity to the State Library, the Case Library and Trinity's has had a distinct value. Through the men raised up for them there has been inspiration and help. In these pages it has been left till now to make more specific record of Doctor Trumbull (1821-1897). As a scholar and a master of languages, including the Indian, his name went beyond the boundaries of this country. His birthplace, like that of his brothers, Rev. Dr. Henry Clay Trumbull and Dr. Gurdon Trum- bull, who also found their field in Hartford, was Stonington. His duties as a state secretary have been mentioned, and his editing of the Colonial Records, but it was his touch as librarian of the Watkinson, his judicious selections and wise planning, which endeared him to Hartford. He aided Charles Brinley in making his renowned library and was his executor to dispose of his books. Yale gave him the degree of LL. D. and Columbia that of L. H. D. He previously had been an inspiration for the historical society and was its president from 1863 to 1889. His contributions to bibliographical and philological literature were considerable, and he edited the Memorial History of Hartford County in the '80s.
For another thing he inspired Frank B. Gay who in 1890 suc- ceeded to the position of Watkinson librarian and held the office actively thirty-seven years, resigning and being retained emeri- tus in 1927, the years that have meant much for the Atheneum. Mr. Gay was born in East Granby in 1856 and coming to Hart- ford was made assistant in the general library in 1877, continu-
A. EVERETT AUSTIN, JR. Director of Wadsworth Atheneum
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ing there until appointed assistant to Doctor Trumbull in 1883. Not less than his predecessor has he shown skill in selection and it was for him to organize the collection that was growing, to develop features which materially have enhanced the value of the library and made it a source of true "liberal education." In 1884 he was chosen executive head of the Atheneum, and in 1911 to be director of the Morgan Memorial as well, continuing in that capacity till 1927. His interest in the historical society was such that as assistant secretary and librarian he divided his time between that and the Watkinson from 1884 till three years after he became Watkinson librarian. Of the Connecticut Libra- rians Association he was a founder, a director and for consider- able time president. In both the Sons of the American Revolu- tion and the Society of Colonial Wars he has been registrar and historian. If there is one part of his duties that is more con- genial than another, where he loves them all, it is that which has to do with art, in bibliography, painting and etching, and he shares with the public the joy in his own collections.
For a successor to Mr. Gay as active director of the Athen- eum in 1927, the requirements were exacting. Given the Morgan Memorial and the Colt Memorial and now the Sumner fund for the purchase of works of art, the purpose must be not to create an "art gallery" in the provincial conception of the term, but rather a collection of the world's greatest masterpieces in keep- ing with those from the famed Morgan collection. This would mean capacity for judicious advising with others and power of discrimination, through not only a few years but through many years to come, and with an innate devotion like that which had characterized the Atheneum government in every branch since the inception. It was considered auspicious, therefore, when the choice for director fell upon a young man whose life had been given to this kind of study, with opportunities exceptional, and the choice for advisory director upon one whose record was established. A. Everett Austin, Jr., the director, was born in Brookline, Mass., in 1900. After attending schools in this country and in Europe, he entered Harvard where he was gradu- ated in 1922 and spent the following year with Dr. Reisner's archeological expedition to Egypt, under the auspices of Harvard and the Boston Museum. After study of the fine arts at Har- vard, he continued his studies abroad. Returning, he was for
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three years assistant to Edward Waldo Forbes in his course at Harvard. And Mr. Forbes is now the Atheneum's advisory director. He was graduated at Harvard in 1895. In 1909 he was made director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, is a lecturer in the university and a trustee of Boston Museum. He was born on Naushon Island in 1873 and after graduating at Harvard took courses at Oxford and spent much time studying in the art galleries of Europe.
It had not been till Mr. Gay saw a worthy man installed in the historical society's chair that he began to relinquish his supervi- sion there. Albert C. Bates, born in East Granby in 1865, Mr. Gay's own town, was believed to have the qualifications and, brought to the society in 1892, the faith in him was soon confirmed. He was promoted to be librarian in 1893 and recording secretary in 1896. In 1905 he served a term in the Legislature. One of his best pieces of work has been the editing of the society's collec- tion, making it possible for the public to see the names and synop- sis of the treasures so many of which it cannot see in actual form because they are far too many for the space that can be opened to the public. They are what will be brought out when space does allow and be gloated over. It may be a question whether all such treasures as this-many of them throwing floods of light on the ancient times-should not be gathered from all the libraries, and by the same token the distinctly state records be brought to one place. The convenience of this for both the curious visitor and one engaged in research cannot be ignored. Mr. Bates is a mem- ber of historical and bibliographical clubs and has written valu- able historical pamphlets and contributions, including those for the Acorn Club.
Forrest Morgan (1852-1924) who from 1911 to his death was assistant to Mr. Gay in the Watkinson, in large measure owed the remarkable education he had to his studies in the Atheneum when he was a printer at Case, Lockwood & Brainard's from 1873 to 1880 and also when he was with the Travelers Insurance Company as editor of the Record and editing Walter Bagehot's works. Born in Rockville and obtaining only such an education as the schools of Coventry could furnish when he was working on a farm, he gathered equipment from the printer's trade and fought his up-hill fight with a success that brought him the hon-
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orary degree of A. M. from Trinity in 1903. After leaving the Travelers, he did good work in publishing houses where his knowl- edge of languages stood him in good stead. At the People's Col- lege in Havana, N. Y., he obtained a diploma as early as 1867, while on his travels as a printer. For the Watkinson Library he was a human encyclopedia. While there he edited "Connecticut as a Colony and State."
For the people as a whole, of course, the public library is the most popular of the institutions. Its history as it has been traced is evidence of the devotion, which again will become a potent fac- tor when direction is given to it, space allowing. And for this, much of the credit is due to a woman almost sainted in memory, Miss Caroline M. Hewins (1846-1926). From Roxbury, Mass., where she was born, she went to Boston to train at the Boston Atheneum for the life work which was to be hers. She took a special course at Boston University ; the degree of A. M. at Trin- ity was awarded her in 1911. She was a vital part of the Hart- ford library from 1875 till her death after fifty-one years of service. When she came it was the Young Men's Institute Library (the name changed in 1878) with 20,000 books; at her death there were 150,000 books; she knew where every one was and for the most part what was in them. Among them were many to entice children. In that she had a purpose, for which thousands are grateful today. In 1904 she had established a reg- ular children's library, now housed in the annex, and also formal connection with the schools, so that today 10,000 selected books are in circulation among the pupils. The Hartford Librarians Club in 1905 founded a scholarship in her name for children's librarians in any school that might be selected. A building just dedicated at the Social Settlement on North Street is named for her. Many of the schools and libraries around the state got in- spiration from her on the occasions of her visits to them. This work was formulated in 1893 when she was secretary of the Con- necticut Public Library Association. She also contributed inspi- rational articles for the magazines and to the last was drawing young and old into the paths of good reading.
Associated with Miss Hewins and succeeding her for a time was Miss Alice T. Cummings, of much the same mold. Her birth- place was Canaan. She had been in the library nine years when
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in 1901 she was formally made assistant librarian. In 1927 she left to travel in Europe.
Truman R. Temple came as librarian that same year. He was born in Granville, Mass., in 1873 and was graduated at Co- lumbia (New York) in 1899, after which he took a course at the Pratt Institute Library School in Brooklyn, N. Y. He began his library career at Leavenworth, Kans., was librarian in the Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, Mass., seven years and in like position in the Public Library in Reading, Pa., when se- lected for the position here.
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