USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut, Volume I > Part 13
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The cases along the west side of the room are devoted mostly to the collection of Revolutinary and Civil war relics, a miscellaneous collection of Waterbury and other relics, a miscellaneous collection of shells and the mineralogical collection which has been loaned by the Bronson Library.
Several of the collections either have been donated or loaned by Waterbury people who have a deep interest in historical Waterbury. The prehistoric col- lection from Nova Scotia was given by W. W. Holmes, the Prince Edward Island collection by H. W. Hayden ; the ethnological collection of modern Indians by H. H. Peck, the modern Indian industry collection by Cornelius Tracy, the Hayden collection of modern Indian industry by Mrs. Shirley Fulton, the Bienstadt col- lection of modern Indian industry by Miss Caroline Platt, the collection of old laces by the Misses Kingsbury, the lace and shawl collection by Miss Katherine A. Prichard, and several other collections, including the Cowles collection of pistols and the Peck collection of swords are to be found there.
The Babylonian and Assyrian tablets are of various ages, from the most remote period down to the time of Darius. They contain records of prayers and hymns, astrological notes, omens, lists of sacrifices, wills, contracts, sales of lands, receipts for loans, legal proceedings, with many other commercial and religious matters. Some of them bear their exact date.
The paleolithic collection, which is next in order, includes some of the oldest known implements. Most of these are from France, the collection of French polished stone and flint implements found near Amiens and the Chellean imple- ments taken from the gravel of the River Somme, the site where many remark-
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able chipped hand implements have been found, being examples of what this part of the collection has to offer.
The neolithic collection is made up mostly of Danish implements of much superior quality to the paleolithic collection. Celts, polished and unpolished, stone axes and gouges, flint axes, chipped spears, and knives and perfected axes tell the story of human progress.
The American prehistoric collection, that gathered largely by Doctor Ander- son, occupies five entire cases and in this all parts of the United States are rep- resented.
The Nova Scotia collection, the gift of W. W. Holmes, and the Prince Edward Island collection, the gift of H. W. Hayden, are followed by the Maine collection, which was the result of the explorations of W. K. Moorehead. The New Hamp- shire and Vermont collection of arrow heads, stone and iron axes, celts, medals, pipes, etc. About the same things are to be found in the collections from Massa- chusetts and Rhode Island.
The Connecticut collection, which is quite extensive, is arranged according to the various divisions of the state. The eastern division includes such towns and cities as Sterling, Stonington, Putnam, Mystic and Jewett City. In the central division are East Hartford, Torrington, Windsor Hill. Then comes a division which includes the vicinity about New Haven, and last is the division included in the vicinity about Waterbury. From the New Haven vicinity, especially from West Haven and Woodmont, the home of Doctor Anderson, are many arrow- heads broken in the making. More abundant than arrowheads are these so-called "rejects," the failures in arrow making. They are stones which proved too obdurate to work. Besides containing the usual Indian relics, the collection from the vicinity about Waterbury includes pieces of wood taken from a considerable depth and bearing the marks of having been cut with some blunt instrument. The depth at which they were found, and also the fact that they are petrified, shows that they were cut and buried centuries ago.
The collection from the other states of the Union include numerous articles of interest. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, the gulf states, Tennessee, Ken- tucky, the Ohio River Valley states, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, the Rocky Mountain states, -- in short, every part of the Union has contributed something toward the American prehistoric collection now in the museum of the Mattatuck Historical Society. The various sections of the country have contributed articles of various types. The South has furnished many articles in the pottery line, the western states have furnished large and heavy stone articles. From Oregon the collection of chipped implements and orna- ments of jasper, agate, carnelian, is one of the most beautiful Indian collections in existence. This is the gift of Irving H. Chase.
At the southern end of the museum are the combined table and wall cases. In the first part of the wall cases is exhibited the portrait of Col. Jacob Kingsbury, a member of the Society of Cincinnati. This portrait was painted by Waldo about 1810, and, together with the certificate of membership in that society, was loaned by the Misses Kingsbury. The lace collection, including specimens of old Spanish blonde of the seventeenth century, Point de Milan of the eighteenth century, Flemish pillow lace, also of the eighteenth century, and Point d'Alençon of the seventeenth century, was also loaned by the Misses Kingsbury, and occupies one of the table cases.
Of much interest is the case of old deeds, Indian deeds relating to the settle- ment of Mattatuck, proprietors' records, etc., a note book belonging to Rev. John
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Southmayd when at Harvard College, in 1694, being of special value. Here also are the ear bones of Rev. John Southmayd, preserved in a tiny bottle.
The Hayden collection, the gift of Mrs. Shirley Fulton in memory of her father, contains many fine specimens of modern Indian industry. This collection occupies two cases. Across the aisle from this is the Bienstadt collection, the gift of Miss Caroline Platt. Miss Katherine A. Prichard has loaned various family heirlooms, including the wedding veil worn by her mother in 1827, and also a beautifully embroidered silk shawl.
An idea of the dress of the early American women is given by two calashes, which were worn by elderly women over their caps, and traveling bags, one of which was embroidered in 1838 by Cornelia M. Johnson. These articles have been loaned by Mrs. G. C. Hill. Some valuable autographs, various old publica- tions, early bank bills and a few miscellaneous articles complete the exhibition contained in the memorial cases. These were all loaned by Mrs. Gilman C. Hill.
The Revolutionary and Civil war relics, including bayonets, swords, revolvers, pistols, cannon balls, canteens, irons, shells and the like, fill several cases. The valuable collection of pistols, assembled by Pierre C. Cowles, and the collection of rare swords, presented by H. H. Peck, follow in the cases next to the war relics. There are examples of stone heads, idols and pottery from Mexico and Central America, and weapons, pipes and other modern Indian articles presented by H. H. Peck. The Cornelius Tracy collection of specimens pertaining to modern Indian industry offers many interesting examples.
In the miscellaneous collection, there are several articles of close and deep association to Waterbury people. Among these are the latches from the doors of St. John's Church, built in 1797, wrought iron nails from the Hiram Upson house in Platts Mills, old tallow candle dips, a collection of historic and political medals, all of deep interest locally.
In 1916 James Terry of New Haven and Hartford loaned the society his valu- able Washington collection. This contains, among other articles, the banquet table used by Washington to entertain his officers after the Battle of Yorktown. It was bought in 1775 from the Fairfax family and taken to Mount Vernon. There are also in the collection the sideboard, breakfast table and a porch chair from Mount Vernon, many broadsides and a considerable quantity of valuable porcelain. The collection also contains a Thomas Jefferson chair, used by that statesman at Monticello.
A tablet was erected in 1916 at Sled Haul Brook on the cemetery road in memory of the first Waterbury settlers.
The tablet to Elisha Leavenworth was placed in the Historical Society Build- ing in 1917.
On November 7, 1917, the society numbered 960 active members. The honor- ary membership list is as follows :
Henry Bronson, M. D., New Haven, from June 3, 1878, until his death, November 26, 1893.
Horace Hotchkiss, Plainfield, New Jersey, from June 3. 1878, until his death, March 9, 1879.
Elisha Leavenworth, from December 10, 1902, until his death, January 6. 191I.
Franklin Carter, LL. D., Williamstown, Mass., elected December 14, 1910.
Katherine A. Prichard, elected January 24, 1912.
Constance G. DuBois, elected October 8, 1913.
The income of the Society, apart from fees paid on admission to membership and the annual dues, is derived almost entirely from the Leavenworth bequest. The gift of $10,000, conveyed to the society in 1904, had at the time of his death increased to $15,000. He left by his will $40,000 for the purchase of the land and
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the house which the Society now occupies, and $50,000 for income, and also made the Society one of the first residuary legatees. The total bequest is placed at about $175,000.
The present officers of the Society are as follows: President, Arthur Reed Kimball; vice presidents, John Prince Elton, Mark Leavenworth Sperry; secre- tary, Henry Lincoln Rowland ; treasurer, Charles Leland Holmes ; curator, Walter Wetmore Holmes; assistant secretary, Lucy Peck Bush; assistant treasurer, C. Sanford Bull; assistant curator, Lucy Peck Bush; assistant, Catherine W. Pierce.
Annual directors: Arthur Reed Kimball, John Prince Elton, Henry Lincoln Rowland, Carl Eugene Munger, Charles Leland Holmes.
Permanent directors: To serve until January, 1919, Charles F. Chapin and Frederick G. Mason; to serve until January, 1920, Mark L. Sperry and Hugh L. Thompson; to serve until January, 1921, Harris Whittemore; to serve until January, 1922, Robert F. Griggs and Nathaniel R. Bronson ; to serve until Janu- ary, 1923, Wallace H. Camp and Frederick S. Chase.
The membership committee consists of : Frederick G. Mason, chairman ; Wal- lace H. Camp, Katherine D. Hamilton, Merritt Heminway, Walter Makepeace, Almira C. Twining.
House committee : Frederick S. Chase, chairman ; Martha R. Driggs, Alice E. Kingsbury, Hugh L. Thompson, Cornelius Tracy.
Meetings committee: Arthur Reed Kimball, chairman; Mrs. Frederick S. Chase, Charles A. Dinsmore, John P. Elton, Edith D. Kingsbury, Mary B. Bur- rall, Harris Whittemore.
Museum committee : Walter W. Holmes, chairman ; George A. Goss, Cather- ine H. Griggs, Alice E. Kingsbury, Katherine L. Peck, Mrs. Walter D. Make- peace, Mrs. Nelson A. Pomeroy, Mrs. Augustin A. Crane.
Memorial committee : Edwin S. Hunt, chairman ; Mrs. William F. Chatfield, Darragh DeLancey, Florentine H. Hayden, Katherine A. Prichard, Anna L. Ward.
Finance committee : Robert F. Griggs, Henry L. Rowland.
CHAPTER VII
TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION
THREE NOTABLE INDUSTRIAL TRIUMPHS-ELIMINATION OF GRADE CROSSINGS-EREC- TION OF THE UNION DEPOT-DOUBLE-TRACKING THE ROADS ENTERING WATERBURY -COST OF IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN A DECADE IN WATERBURY'S TERMINALS- RAMIFICATION OF THE TROLLEY SYSTEM-ITS GROWTH FROM HORSE CAR LINE TO THE NETWORK OF PRESENT EXTENSIONS-THE GREEN LINE-TELEGRAPH, TELE- PHONE AND EXPRESS.
In the quarter century which is now ending, Waterbury has won by consistent agitation, by many cheerfully-made concessions, and in several instances by appeals to the State Railroad Commission, to the Public Utilities Board, and to the courts, three notable industrial triumphs.
These are the complete elimination of all railroad grade crossings, the build- ing of a new Union Station with vastly increased yard facilities, and the double- tracking of the railroad lines entering the city.
The agitation for a Union Station began in 1889. This was a demand not only for the station, but for the elimination of all grade crossings and separation of grades on the Naugatuck Division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Road. In 1893 an agreement was reached by which the railroad consented to the construction of "a wooden depot to cost $25,000."
Such was the beginning and such the first concession made to the persistent appeals of Waterbury's citizens.
At that time, 1893, the act covering the abolition of grade crossings had been in effect four years, and Waterbury was on the alert to secure its share of these improvements, for the new law required a reduction of at least one grade cross- ing each year for every sixty miles of road owned or operated within the state. In 1909, twenty years after the passage of the act, there remained only six cross- ings at grade between Naugatuck Junction and Waterbury. Of these, three were in Milford, two in Derby and Ansonia, and one in Naugatuck. When this work was completed in 1911, it was asserted by the state officers that the im- provements ordered by this law on elimination of grade crossings had cost the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad $7,725.304.
In 1898 the city won its first great victory in this contest. The State Rail- road Commission, in its report for that year, states that "Bank Street, which formerly crossed the railroad at grade, has been carried under it, in accordance with a decree of the Superior Court, dated November 14, 1888, made on an appeal from an order of the State Railroad Commission. This eliminates the most dangerous grade in the city." This refers to Bank Street at its entrance into the Brooklyn district.
The victory, which took ten years to gain, had an immediate influence in effecting a further agreement between the city and the railroad. In that year, 1898, the upper Waterville Road, leading from Waterbury to Waterville, was carried under the railroad. The City of Waterbury paid one-half the expense
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of the change, the highway having been built since the location and construction of the railroad.
The trolley catastrophe of November 29, 1907, was a terrible demonstration of the necessity of the elimination of grade crossings. An Oakville bound trolley car was completely wrecked by a north-bound freight at the West Main Street car crossing over the tracks of the Highland and Naugatuck Division. Five were killed and twenty-four injured in this wreck. The responsibility for this disaster was placed on the employees of both the trolley company and the railroads.
In October, 1899, the company and the city agreed on increased protection at the West Main and Porter Street crossings. Guarded gates were eventually placed, both at the point where West Main Street crosses the tracks of the Nauga- tuck Division and at the point where Porter Street crosses the Highland Division.
In 1902, the work of double-tracking the road into Waterbury began. This task had been completed to a point south of Derby Junction and was now under- taken for the stretch of road from Derby to Waterbury. On September 16, 1904, the railroad, at the urgent solicitation of city officers, began the construction of the viaduct over the Upper Waterville Road at Waterville, thus removing a dangerous crossing.
In 1906 began the work of double-tracking the stretch of road between Waterbury and Bristol. In 1911 this work was completed. It involved the elimination of all grade crossings between Waterbury and Bristol, the straight- ening of the line, the construction of a tunnel 3,500 feet long, and the forming of a continuous double track line between Hartford and Waterbury.
Now, too, came the period of heavier engines and heavier traffic, and a change in the construction of railroad bridges was imperative. By 1910, practically all the wooden bridges on the Naugatuck and Highland divisions had been replaced by steel or thoroughly strengthened. This was no small task, for there were thirty-two of these wooden bridges between Waterbury and Meriden alone. This is all steel construction now.
In 1910, the steel bridge built over the Potatuck River, near Sandy Hook Station, replaced the last wooden bridge existing on the Highland Division west of Waterbury.
In its report of 1909 on the Union Station improvements, the State Railroad Commission said: "The Union Passenger Station of Waterbury has been erected at a cost of $332,000. The expenditure for other improvements in the city of Waterbury, including the new freight houses, freight yards, additional tracks, elimination of crossings, purchase of property, etc., up to June 30, 1909, amounted to $1,623,000, and it is estimated that $150,000 more will be needed to complete the improvements. The total expense will go over $2,000,000."
For the past three years the improvements made by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad have been largely in the line of extending the yards, and in the building of industrial trackage.
During the war period,-three years,-the road has built approximately seven miles of sidings in Waterbury. Fully two miles were constructed for Scovill's, a mile for the Chase Works, and fully half a mile for the American Brass Com- pany. The extensions to the yards have increased the facilities so that five hun- dred additional cars can be accommodated.
But the tremendous freight business of the past three years has necessitated many improvements along the lines leading to Waterbury, in the way of running side tracks, of extending yards at outlying points, of further strengthening bridges to carry increased weight of engines.
The merging of the various railroads entering Waterbury into the New York,
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New Haven & Hartford Railroad was nearly complete in 1893. In May, 1887, the Naugatuck Railroad was leased for ninety-nine years to the New Haven system at $200,000 a year. In 1875 it had bought the Watertown line from its trustees.
The New York and New England Railroad was a union of many railroad companies, which were made a part of one corporation on April 17, 1873. It owned or leased the Boston, Hartford and Erie Road, the Norwich and Worcester Railroad, a line of steamers running from Norwich and New London to New York, and the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Road. In 1881, it opened the line from Waterbury to Danbury, and in 1882 the line from Danbury to Fish- kill. It also acquired the railroad running from Hartford to Springfield with its branches.
Early in 1887 construction of a railroad between Waterbury and the Con- necticut River, by way of Meriden, was begun. On July 4, 1888, this was opened. In January, 1889, the railroad had been completed across the city to the New York and New England line. In 1892 the road passed into the temporary control of the New York and New England Railroad Company, but merely on a lease.
When the Meriden Road bonds became due, its operation was stopped and foreclosure followed. Judge A. Heaton Robertson, of New Haven, purchased it for $100,000 in 1896. In 1897 Judge Robertson pledged himself to the Legis- lature that he would resume operations before the next session of the Legislature. On November 3d, he incorporated it as the Middletown, Meriden & Waterbury Railroad. The officers were: President, A. Heaton Robertson; secretary, John B Robertson, of New Haven ; treasurer, A. Heaton Robertson ; directors, Fred- erick C. Wagner, Henry C. Ely, Wm. H. Clark, all of New York; John L. Billard, Charles L. Rockwell, H. L. B. Pond, all of Meriden ; Frederick J. Kings- bury, of Waterbury, and the officers above named. It was officially re-opened on December 6, 1898, the New Haven road operating it. This arrangement was later extended and the New Haven road secured control of the line. In 1904 a connection was made with the Northampton Division, near Cheshire, resulting in the "Cheshire Loop" rail route between Waterbury and New Haven. The run was made in fifty minutes without change, as against an hour and a quarter with one change on the route via Derby, and there was a special round-trip rate of seventy cents, a considerable reduction. Consequently the "Cheshire Loop" became very popular, but with the opening of the Cheshire trolley to Mount Carmel, giving a through line to New Haven, business speedily fell off on the parallel rail route, which was soon abandoned. Thereafter the Meriden branch ran one mixed train of two cars daily each way between Waterbury and Meriden. In 1917, war conditions on railroads called for the discontinuance of this train as unnecessary. The service now is occasional and irregular.
The Meriden branch was built primarily as a freight line to connect Water- bury and Meriden with tide water at the Connecticut River. While the hopes of its builders were never realized, the eastern end of the line has proved useful. It has been electrified between Meriden and Middletown and affords regular passenger and express service.
On July 1, 1898, the New England Railroad passed into the hands of the New Haven Railroad, thus ending the only formidable competition the consoli- dated system ever had.
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THE NEW UNION STATION
On July 11, 1909, the new Union Station of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad was opened to the public. This, with its many improvements in the way of street openings, elimination of grade crossings by the new viaduct and subway track service, was a tremendous advance over old conditions. Water- bury for years grumbled about the old Bank Street Station of the Naugatuck Division. This was the successor of the town's first depot, which was erected in 1857. The Bank Street building was opened on January 22, 1868, and was called "palatial." It was closed to the public March 29, 1908, and has since been torn down and the site added to the property of the Waterbury Farrel Foundry and Machine Co., which has covered it with factory buildings. Temporarily the public was allowed to purchase tickets in a temporary wooden building near the West brass mill, off West Main Street, until the tracks were shifted and the junctions completed.
The station is ample in its requirements for a city of more than 100,000 popu- lation. Large swinging doors, three in number, admit to the waiting-room from Meadow Street. This waiting-room is furnished with high-back mission style seats, the floor is of mosaic tiling, with arched ceilings of tapestry brick.
The ticket office has three large windows with decorative brass scroll facings and marble counters.
At the north end of the waiting-room are the women's reclining and toilet rooms, and the men's smoking room and toilets, and a large newsstand for the Connecticut News Co.
The Western Union Telegraph Co. has the room at the south end of the waiting-room. Next comes a large restaurant, and beyond that a baggage-room. The Adams Express Co. is quartered at the north end of the building.
The construction of the new depot and the street changes required to make effective the new approach had begun in 1906, and in this work the city co-oper- ated most heartily with the railway officials. Grand Street and Meadow Street were widened to make an impressive approach to the new station, and at their junction there was a fill of over fifteen feet, many hundreds of thousands of yards of material being used. The city condemned a large number of buildings, some of the property acquired being used for street widening and station approaches and the remainder being added to the Bronson Library property, thus creating Library Park. Some of the structures torn down were the ramshackle buildings surrounding the Meadow Street Station of the old Highland Division, and these had long been a public eyesore. Others, however, were substantial and modern brick wholesale warehouses. The firms occupying these took advantage of the opportunity to construct new buildings in the West End, near the new elevated tracks.
The passenger facilities thus provided have proved ample for the city's growth so far. The freight facilities were early outgrown. Track congestions, particularly in the winter season, caused great delays in the handling of freight, and the railroad company was repeatedly put on the defensive and made promise of further improvements. Its financial conditions caused these to be delayed until the greatly increased business due to war orders resulted in the autumn and winter of 1916 in a wholly intolerable freight blockade. As soon as spring came construction was started on the new freight yard and sidings which it is anticipated will serve the city for some years to come.
When the Union Station was built, space was provided in the upper stories for railroad divisional headquarters and the staff of the Western division was
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moved here. This lasted for awhile, but in a subsequent reorganization of the divisions, the trackage handled from Waterbury was cut down and the city became headquarters of the Highland Division, consisting of the Old Highland Division, the Naugatuck Division and the Meriden branch.
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