USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 43
USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 43
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
Atwater as treasurer of the water fund. In 1883 a new board was elected, consisting of W. J. Leavenworth, William M. Hall, Jr., and M. O'Callahan.
A fund of $75,000 having been secured by the sale of borough bonds, the construction of the water works was begun in 1882. The water rights were secured in July, that year, upon the payment of $9.250. The supply is from Lake Pistapaugh, in the Totoket moun- tain range, four and one-half miles from the borough. This lake is fed from springs only, and is held in a narrow, deep basin, having bold rocky shores, a mile long. The water it contains is of the finest qual- ity, and its natural color is not affected by time, remaining as clear as crystal. By improving the lake the storage capacity has been increased to 317,444,400 gallons, or nearly three times the amount used by the borough in 1888. The lake has an area of 136 acres, and its head is 245 feet above the center of the borough (Main street ), and about 325 feet above the plains, permitting a flow by gravitation, which yields a pres- sure of 100 pounds to the square inch. The water is taken 800 feet from the shore, at a depth of eleven feet, through 18-inch stone ware pipe to the gate chamber, from which place iron pipes carry it to the town. One thousand feet of this distance is through a tunnel thirty feet below the surface. The works were located by Engineer D. C. San- ford, and the construction was placed in the hands of Engineer John Osborne. Most of the contract work was done by William C. McCal- lan, of Chicopee, Mass., and part of the system was ready for use No- vember 1st, 1882.
In order to permit the extension of the system an act was passed by the general assembly in January, 1883, to authorize the borough to issue $30,000 more bonds. This was done, and the works were com- pleted and extended in a most thorough manner. In the fall of 1889 the entire amount expended for construction purposes was nearly $110,000, which was reported as the value of the plant, exclusive of the expense connected with the same. Nearly 18 miles of mains were maintained, from which service was also had for 70 fire hydrants. The entire income from rents for the year ending November 1st, 1889, was $7.227.95. Since 1883 there has been an increase of rentals of about $500 per year, and in 1889 the department accrued a net gain of nearly $1,000.
The treasurers of the water fund succeeding John Atwater have been: 1885, John B. Kendrick: 1886-7, William H. Newton; 1888-9, William I. Todd. William M. Hall, Jr., was superintendent of the water works until January 1st, 1889, when he was succeeded by W. J. Morse. The latter's associate members on the board of commissioners, were Michael O'Callaghan, chairman; and . Doctor George Andrews, advisory committeeman.
Aside from the primitive precautions and methods of putting out fires common to all well regulated New England towns, no organized
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effort in that direction was made until the Wallingford Fire Engine Company was authorized by the May, 1831. session of the general assembly. On the 5th of July, that year, Hiram Vale called a meet- ing to enlist members, whose number was not to exceed 17, and whose residences were to be within one mile of the meeting house. All members were to be exempt from military duty. A very rude engine was purchased and was used by the community nearly a score of years. It was simply a long box on wheels, into which water was poured from pails and then churned into a short hose, which was directed against the fire by a man holding it, standing on the engine. Four men on each side worked the brakes. It was housed in a small building which stood in the rear of the Congregational church. After being used a number of years and the company having disbanded, it became an attractive plaything for the village boys, who last used it at a fire on the plains and added it to the burning objects by running it into the cellar of the building which had been destroyed. Indi- rectly this had a bearing on the incorporation of the village, soon after, as that measure was secured mainly to provide means against fires.
In the summer of 1854 the borough appointed Israel Harrison, Will- iam M. Hall and Augustus Hall to purchase a new fire engine, at a cost not to exceed $850. To defray the expenses of the new depart- ment a tax of six cents on the dollar was levied, September 18th, 1854. The machine secured was a hand engine which was called the "Accanant," and a company was formed to man it. In 1856 Ovid Warner, Samuel Simpson, Almer I. Hall, George W. Elton, John Mansfield and others, as members of the Accanant Fire Engine Com- pany, were incorporated under the laws of the state with that title. The engine was housed in a small building in the rear of Union Hall, but in the great fire of October 27th, 1867, all the buildings in that locality, including the Episcopal church and Union Hall, were destroyed.
In 1868, J. C. Mansfield was the chief engineer of the department, and the fire wardens were Frank Field and Othniel 1. Martin. 1n July of that year it was voted to build a new engine house of brick, on part of the town lot which had just been purchased, and Frank Field, George A. Cook and W. Elton were appointed the building committee. In 1879 80 this engine house was improved and enlarged to properly house the new engine.
The growth of the village and the consequent increased danger from a general conflagration made it apparent that a better service must be provided. Hence, on January 2d, 1880, a committee of citi- zens, appointed to secure a steam fire engine, reported that they- R. H. Cowles, G. W. Hull, Samuel Simpson, J. C. Mansfield and E. F. Steele-had purchased a Button & Son engine, costing $2,165.30, and
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that the old "Accanant " engine had been turned over in part payment for $150. The steamer was soon after put in service.
In October, 1880, Amos S. Dickinson, the acting chief, submitted the first annual report of the re-organized department, which had at that time 46 men enrolled. The apparatus consisted of the steamer " Wallingford No. 1," which was capable, with a pressure of 90 pounds of steam, of throwing a stream 209 feet, through a { inch nozzle. There were two hose carts with 1,550 feet of hose. The department property was worth $4,437.93. Two destructive fires had occurred that year, viz., that of the Wallingford Wheel Company, March 19th, 1880, with a loss of $51,000; and the glass works of Simpson. Hall, Miller & Co., March 24th, $7,100.
In 1881 the department cost $245.63, responded to three alarms, and the losses were only $1,025. In 1882 John W. Douglass was the chief engineer. There were fifty volunteer firemen, seven alarms and $1,060 losses. In 1883 David Ross was appointed chief engineer, which position he also held in 1889, following B. T. Buell.
In 1888 the steamer was thoroughly overhauled and equipped for horses, to be used auxiliary to the hose, which can be attached directly to 70 hydrants of the city water works. The other apparatus consisted of a four-wheel hose carriage, two two-wheel hose carts, and one hook and ladder truck. There were about 2,500 feet of hose. The department had 64 men, exclusive of its three officers, belonging to the Wallingford Hose Company, No. 1; the Wallace Hose Company, No. 2, with a house on the Plains; and the Simpson Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1. Seven fires had occurred in the year, from which there was a total loss of $59,782.82. Nearly the entire amount resulted from the burning of the shops of the Wallingford Wheel Company, May 30th, 1888, the fire being caused by lightning. In 1889 the losses were but $330. The department had 70 men and was maintained at an expense of $1,236.47.
In the year ending November, 1889, the borough expended on its streets $2,934.33; on its police, $433; for lighting the streets, $2,465.13; for extension of the sewerage system, about $5,000; and for salaries, $275. The net debt of the borough, exclusive of the bonds issued for the water works, was a little more than $21,000, and the rate of taxa- tion was light. The borough, under the new charter, has flourished, and the improvements projected and carried out under it have not only greatly advanced the business interests and augmented the pop- ulation, but have also promoted the beauty of Wallingford and caused it to become the most attractive and healthiest borough of its size in the state.
On the 9th of August, 1878, the borough of Wallingford was visited by one of the most disastrous tornadoes ever known in the state. Sweeping over the northwestern section of the borough, in a north- ·easterly direction, it left a well defined trail of ruin, devastation and
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death, where but a moment before hundreds had dwelt in health and security. The old frame Catholic church was demolished, the high school building wrecked, and a number of houses were caught up and whirled about until they were dashed to pieces. Large trees were twisted off as if they had been only blades of grass, and the loss of property was very great. But the saddest feature of the storm was the loss of life. Thirty persons were killed and more than that num- ber injured, many of them being the wives and children of the labor- ing classes living in that part of the borough. The event has passed into history as the " Wallingford disaster," and the phenomena con- nected with the tornado awakened much interest in scientific circles, but no satisfactory explanation of the cause of the storm has been given.
The Wallingford Gas Light Company was incorporated April 4th, 1881, and organized two years later with a capital of $42,000. W. J. Leavenworth was the first president, and has so continued; E. M. Judd, treasurer; and B. A. Treat, secretary. The above, with G. W. Hull and L. M. Hubbard, constituted the board of directors. The works were erected on the banks of Community lake, in the fall of 1883, and con- sist of a brick building, 30 by 70 feet, and one gasometer, having a capacity of 50,000 cubic feet of gas per day. H. H. Edgarton was the supervising builder, under sub-contract for W. C. McClellan, and the first public service of gas was November 13th, 1883. In 1889 there were 122 miles of mains, 91 public lamps, and the output was about 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas of good quality. F. H. Lane was the super- intendent.
The First National Bank of Wallingford was incorporated January 1st, 1882, with a capital of $100,000, which was increased in July, 1883. to $150,000. The first board of directors was composed of Samuel Simpson, G. W. Hull, Lyman M. Monroe, Walter J. Leavenworth, Robert H. Cowles, L. M. Hubbard, Robert Wallace, E. M. Judd and Hezekiah Hall. These still continue, with the exception of the last three, whose places are filled, in the order named, by Frank Wallace, Albert D. Judd and Henry Hull. From the beginning Samuel Simp- son has been the president and William H. Newton the cashier, and under their judicious management the bank has flourished and accumu- lated a surplus of nearly $20,000.
The banking office was first established in a room in the Wallace Block, where it remained about a year. In the meantime the substan- tial banking house now occupied was built by the corporation, at a cost of $10,000, into which the bank was removed in February, 1883. It stands on a part of the old Whittlesey lot, on Main street, and is sup- plied with modern banking appliances. Since in use it has also been the home of the Wallingford Dime Savings Bank, which was given a corporate existence in May, 1871. Samuel Simpson has been the president of this institution since its organization. E. H. Ives was the
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
first treasurer, and in 1882 was succeeded by John Atwater. The latter served until September, 1886, when Leonard B. Bishop became the treasurer, and has since continued, serving also as secretary. Morton Judd and John Atwater are the vice-presidents. Associated directors are P. T. Ives, George E. Dickerman, Reverend Hugh Mal- lon, Charles N. Jones and L. M. Hubbard. Business was begun, in a small way, in 1871, at the store of Thomas Pickford, the bank being open for deposits one evening per week. Next it was open three days per week, at the same place. In the past few years it has transacted business daily, and has prospered proportionately. In 1889 the de- posits were $250,000. Semi-annual dividends at the rate of four per cent. per annum are paid, and a surplus of $13,000 has been accumu- lated.
The American Building and Loan Association of Minneapolis. Minn., organized a local board at Wallingford, May 2d, 1889, with G. WV. Hull, president; William H. Newton, secretary and treasurer; and Walter J. Leavenworth, Joel R. Boice, William M. Whittaker, W. A. Trask and E. S. Stevens, directors. In November, 1889, forty persons were members of the local board, whose place of business was with the national bank.
Probably the first public house in the town was the one kept by Nathaniel Merriman, in 1673, when he was chosen " To keep an orday- nary and promised to make trial for one year provided every planter resident provide and laye in place where he apoynts 20 good sufficient rails for fence and 4 posts redy morticed by the middle of May next."
After 1720 Mrs. Sarah Whittlesey had a small store in the present borough, and often entertained the public men of the state when they passed from Hartford to New Haven. In the times of the revolution Amos Hall kept the principal tavern at Wallingford; and it is claimed that General Washington stopped at Peter Carrington's tavern over night, October 18th, 1789. An earlier tavern keeper was Lieutenant Abraham Doolittle, who kept a popular place in the times of the French and Indian wars, east of Main and south of Centre streets. Eben Smith was a keeper of the inn at the same place in the present gener- ation. At the same time and earlier Jared Lewis had a public house and store higher up Main street, where is now the Wallace Block. Fred. Lewis was at the same place at a more recent date. At the Doo- little stand Benjamin Foote and William Carter entertained the public. Gideon Hosford had a well known tavern on the plains, and Chauncey Cook and Dwight Hall were in the central part of the village. The Bishop tavern was on the turnpike two miles below Wallingford, where was also the stage office. Liverius Carrington and George B. Kirtland were well known merchants before 1850. Since that time many per- sons have merchandised in Wallingford, and there have also been a number of public houses, but no detailed account can here be given.
The first regular post office at Wallingford was established in 1798,
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
and James Carrington was the postmaster, continuing until after 1820. In the later years of his administration two mails per week were sup- plied, but soon the facilities were increased. The office was kept on Centre street. William Elton, Samuel Cook and Samuel Dutton were later postmasters. In 1853 Orrin Andrews was appointed, and the office was opened in Union Hall. In 1861 Doctor Jerome B. Pomeroy became the postmaster, serving until his death, in 1866. Lorenzo Lewis was next appointed, and after Union Hall was burned, October, 1867, the office was kept at his store, corner of Centre and Main streets. A few years later an office was fitted up in the town hall building, where it remained until December, 1887, when the present handsome office in the Simpson Block was occupied. This was especially fitted up by the proprietor, Samuel Simpson, and in the completeness and elegance of the appointments it is one of the finest offices in the county. There are 600 lock and 300 call boxes. The office has a service of six mails per day, and is a domestic and international money order office. Succeeding Lorenzo Lewis as postmaster was D. W. Ives. In 1872 the office passed to L. M. Hubbard, with W. B. Hall as assistant post- master. The latter is the present postmaster.
Among the public buildings of Wallingford the old Union Hall was the first to deserve a place in the annals of the town on account of its size and prominence. It was erected on Main street, south of the Episcopal church, in 1853, by an association of citizens formed for that purpose, who held stock in shares of $25 each. The building was fitted up for stores, a general hall and lodge rooms, and also contained the general offices of the town. On the 3d of April, 1854, the first town meeting was held in the building, and by special arrangement they were there continued until the hall was destroyed by fire, October 27th, 1867. It was a large three-story frame building, having the main hall in the second story. Lorenzo Lewis was for many years the sec- retary of the association. The hall was not rebuilt, and the lot became the property of the Episcopal parish, the present church standing on part of the Union Hall site.
Immediately south of this William Wallace had erected his large, four-story brick block about the time of the civil war, which was the first substantial public building in the town, and which still continues to be noteworthy on account of its massive appearance. For many years this building was in advance of the general improvements, but in the light of the progress made since that time it stands a fitting monument to the public spirit and enterprise of the builder, who set the standard for future architecture. It is devoted to stores, offices, halls and lodge rooms. In 1889 the property was owned by Wallace & Phelps.
The Simpson Block, on the west side of Main street, and north of Centre street, is the latest addition to the handsome public buildings of the borough. It was erected in 1887 by Samuel Simpson, and is
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
one of the best improvements made by that enterprising citizen" Architecturally it is attractive and imposing, a substantial and capacious brick block, and was designed mainly for the convenience of the public. The lower floors are devoted to business rooms, the second to offices, and the upper part forms one of the handsomest opera houses in the state, affording every convenience for the lovers of amusement.
In the summer of 1889 the Messrs. Wallace & Phelps completed in the rear of their block a large one-story brick structure, which has been fitted up for the use of the Wallingford Company of the Connecticut Guards, and has received the name of Armory Hall. It is also adapted for public gatherings.
Directly south of the latter, on Centre street, is the commodious town hall of Wallingford. It was erected in pursuance of a vote of the freemen, at a meeting held May 2d, 1868, when it was decided to " build a hall to cost not more than $30,000 nor less than $20,000, the same to have a tower for a clock." A building committee, com- posed of Samuel Simpson, D. W. Fields, Franklin Johnson, Hezekiah Hall, Bennet Jeralds, William Mckenzie and Elijah Williams, was appointed, and bonds were issued to erect the hall according to the plans of Architect Russell. January 5th, 1869, D. W. Fields. appointed to purchase a bell to be placed in the tower of the hall, secured one weighing 3,000 pounds, and the tower was surmounted by a flagstaff.
On the 4th of October, 1869, the first town meeting was held in the new hall, which has since that time been the capitol of the town. It is a brick edifice, three stories high, 60 by 80 feet, and is attractive in its appearance. The auditorium is in the second story and has a gallery, stage and scenic arrangements. The property is valued at $38,000.
The history of the periodical press of Wallingford begins with the publication of the Circular, a weekly organ of the community societies issued from the Mt. Tom Printing House, from 1864 to 1868. The first distinctively local paper was the Wallingford Witness, which was established in March, 1886, by W. Burgess, who sold to J. E. Beale, June 1st, the same year. The latter conducted the paper with varied success for three years, when his interest passed to the Times Printing Company, composed of citizens of the borough. Colonel D. C. Pavey became the editor, and so continued until September 16th, 1889, when the plant was transferred to the present proprietors, Richards & Buck- master. An office in the Simpson Block is the place of publication. The Times is an independent weekly of forty columns (eight pages), devoted to local and general news, and has a growing circulation. Frederick Richards is the editor.
F. W. Richards began his newspaper career in Naugatuck in 1880, at which time he was associated with J. E. Beale, who was publisher of the Naugatuck Review. He came to Wallingford in the fall of 1886,
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and had an editorial position under Beale on the Witness. His reputa- tion as a writer made him the choice of the Times Publishing Company when it was necessary to find a successor for D. C. Pavey, in Septem- ber, 1889.
WV. S. Buckmaster is a brother-in-law of F. W. Richards, and is a native of New Haven. He entered the printing business as an appren- tice in the office of the Waterbury American in 1860. He enlisted from that city in 1863, in Company F, 23d Connecticut Volunteers. After the war was over, several years were spent in the employ of Hoggsun & Robinson, of New Haven. He was one of the original stockholders in the New Haven Union. His connection with the Wallingford Times is contemporaneous with F. W. Richards.
Moses Y. Beach, the successful proprietor of the New York Sun, was a native of this town, had a country home here and died in Wal- lingford, after having accumulated a large estate.
Following the custom of those times, a library company was organ- ized at Wallingford, which was incorporated January 30th, 1833. Jared P. Whittlesey was one of the most active in maintaining it. The library was kept many years at Elijah Beman's, at the corner of Christian and Main streets, but later was maintained in Union Hall, and E. S. Ives had charge of the books. When that building was burned, in 1867, most of the library was saved, and after the Ladies' Library and Reading Room Association was organized, in 1881, some of the books were transferred to that body, in whose library they are still in use. The Ladies' Association was formed with about 60 mem- bers, and has since had an influential following. A library was opened in the Wallace Block and was maintained there until 1887, when more commodious quarters were secured for it in the new Simp- son Block, the proprietor, Samuel Simpson, generously donating the use of two of the finest rooms in the building, which have been well fitted up for library and reading room purposes. In 1889 the library contained 2,360 volumes of miscellaneous books, and the reading room, which was open daily, had on file all the leading monthlies, five weekly and four daily papers. These rooms were in charge of Miss Emma Lewis, the librarian, since 1884, and who succeeded Miss Helen A. Hull in that office. Miss Edith C. Lane has been the secretary of the association since 1882, and Mrs. Henry L. Wallace is the treasurer. Eight ladies manage the affairs of the association.
Yalesville, a village in the northern part of the town, has a pleas- ant situation on the west bank of the Quinnipiac river and contains several hundred inhabitants. There are several flourishing manu- facturing establishments, stores, post office, three neat churches (Episcopal. Methodist and Baptist), a fine school house and a number of attractive residences. A village improvement society, recently or- ganized, has directed attention to the care of the streets, planting of trees and the general advancement of the place.
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HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY.
Yalesville is, next to Wallingford borough, the oldest settled place in the town, and in its pioneer history was known as the " First Falls" above the plains. The improvement of the water power was ordered June 4th, 1677, and as it has since been utilized, this is the oldest manufacturing point in this part of the county. After 1700, for a hundred years or more, the place was called Tyler's Mills, when it took the name of Walesville, in compliment to Charles Yale, one of the most enterprising manufacturers of his time.“
William Hall, Floyd Camp and C. W. Michaels have merchandised in the village, the latter continuing in 1890, and being also the post- master.
Tracy is the name which has been applied to the post office estab- lished at Yalesville station, June 1st, 1888, with Almon J. Ives as post- master. There are four mails per day, and about one hundred fam- ilies are by this means afforded mail privileges.
The hamlet at this point also embraces the works of Jennings & Griffin, the railway station, store, and about twenty residences. In the summer and fall of 1889 the improvement of the hamlet was begun by its inhabitants, and public street lamps were put up, twenty being maintained at the close of the year.
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