USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Meriden > Years of Meriden 150: published in connection with the observance of the city's sesquicentennial, June 17-23, 1956 > Part 23
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A proposal to erect a new building was brought before the directors in 1907, but 14 years were to elapse before this goal was reached. The necessary funds were finally raised in 1921, and
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the present building on West Main Street was erected, providing facilities for all Y.M.C.A. activities, and a dormitory which has been fully occupied almost from the time when it was opened. But much rearrangement has been necessary, and many new facilities have been added up to the present. Further expansion is being planned for the near future. The association's membership has increased from year to year, and its services to members have increased correspondingly, while its work in education and the direction of youth activities has grown also.
The war, with its attendant gasoline shortage, saw the passing of the Y Community Forum, which, for 11 years, had attracted an average of 1,000 persons for each series. It also saw the establishment of a teen-age project which has enrolled each year an average of 1,000 young persons for 40 Saturday nights, with an average attendance of 300 at each meeting of the Co-Ed Night Club.
Since 1941, the association has invested $73,920 in capital improvements. A city-wide campaign for complete modernization will be conducted in April 1957.
THE MERIDEN Y.W.C.A.
The Meriden Y.W.C.A. had its origin in the Young Woman's League formed here in 1890 under the sponsorship of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In March 1893, the society was reorganized as the Y.W.C.A., with Mrs. C. H. Youngs as president.
At first the Y.W.C.A. had its headquarters in Bushnell's Block, 77 West Main Street. Classes in practical nursing, gymnastics, bookkeeping, German, grammar, and writing were formed, and an employment bureau was opened. In 1894, larger quarters were occupied in the same building. The Y.W.C.A. became affiliated with the national organization about that time.
The day nursery was started in 1895. In 1897, a vacation house was opened on West Peak, which was occupied during the summers for a long term of years.
The present buildings on Crown Street were erected and dedicated in 1908, and the day nursery was continued at that location. In 1940, the nursery was discontinued. Occupancy of the dormitory has continued high.
Many clubs with special purposes, formed within the organi-
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zation, fit into the Y.W.C.A.'s extensive program for girls and women.
MERIDEN BOYS' CLUB
The Meriden Boys' Club, affiliated with the national organization of Boys' Clubs, was founded in 1888. From the beginning, it has provided a place for the recreational activities of teen-age boys, with facilities for sports and games and other varied interests. Its headquarters at 9 Veteran Street have long been recognized as inadequate, and the movement to erect a new club began as far back as the 1930's. Plans matured in 1955, and a campaign was undertaken to raise a building fund of $250,000. This goal was oversubscribed to the extent of about $40,000. Construction of the new building, on a site at the corner of Colony and Washing- ton Streets, opposite the Meriden Post Office, is now well advanced. The club has a membership of more than 1,000 boys. Joseph F. Coffey is the director.
MERIDEN GIRLS' CLUB
The Meriden Girls' Club was launched in October 1919, spon- sored by the Meriden Woman's Club, and intended originally to promote worthwhile activities among older girls. Later, girls in the younger age brackets became eligible as members. For some years, the club occupied rented quarters on Colony Street. In 1937, it moved into the Italian-American Club building on Grove Street. In 1951, the club fell heir to the Platt home on Lincoln Street, residence of the late Senator Orville Platt, and occupied for many years by his widow. The club moved into these new quarters in 1953, but soon found that the space was inadequate for its expanded activities. In February 1956, a campaign was launched to raise a building fund of $75,000, which will permit the construction of a well-designed addition. Miss Betty Rice is executive director of the club.
BOY SCOUTS
The Boy Scout movement in Meriden began after the national movement started in 1910. Its 46th anniversary was celebrated in February 1956. The Central Connecticut Council, Boy Scouts of America, now has a membership of more than 2,000 boys and adults in the area of its jurisdiction, which includes Meriden,
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Wallingford, and Southington. It is the sixth oldest council in Connecticut. John G. Nagel. was the first president. The first professional executive director was E. D. Curtis, in 1916-17, followed by John D. Roberts. 1917-1939. Since that time, Harry S. Hanson has served as executive director.
GIRL SCOUTS
The Meriden Girl Scout Council was formed 26 years ago, and affiliated with the national organization which celebrated its 44th anniversary in March this year.
The council is divided into four districts, with from 15 to 30 troops in each district, each under a chairman assisted by troop organizers and consultants.
The first troop was organized in Meriden in 1918. There were 13 troops when the council was incorporated in 1929. Today there are 78 troops with 1,665 girl and adult members, 200 more than last year. Mrs. Louis Desrochers is president. Fourteen new troops, Brownie, intermediate and senior, have come into existence since last year. They are sponsored by churches and schools, some schools having two or three units.
Camp Glen Echo off Paddock Avenue is sponsored by the council. It is a summer day-camp conducted for six weeks each season.
Mrs. Catherine F. McNulty is executive director. The first director was Mrs. Emily Greely.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION
The Meriden Public Health and Visiting Nurse Association is the outgrowth of the Working Men's Free Bed Fund, which was organized here in 1907 for tuberculosis control. In 1908, it became the Meriden Anti-Tuberculosis Association, and obtained support through five-cent weekly deductions from the pay of factory employees willing to subscribe. In 1910, the name was changed to the Meriden Tuberculosis Relief Association, and the first visiting nurse was employed. Distribution of Christmas seals also began at that time. A group from the association helped in remodeling the old town farm building, a project which was the genesis of Undercliff Sanatorium. In 1922, the association com- bined with the Visiting Nurses to form the present organization. Miss Elizabeth Bigelow was the first director, serving until her
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death in 1941, when Miss Jessie Halbert, the present director, was appointed to the position.
SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army was first organized in Meriden in 1911, when the Citadel was built on Pratt Street. In 1940, in the will of Mrs. James A. Curtis, funds were provided for the construction of an addition which was dedicated in 1941. The front section was remodeled, and a new wing was erected at the back, with a gymnasium and basketball court on the second floor, showers and lockers. In charge in 1956 is Capt. John J. Phelan.
MERIDEN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Meriden Chamber of Commerce is the outgrowth of the Meriden Board of Trade, which was organized in May 1896, and incorporated in 1902. In 1908, it was reincorporated and united with the Meriden Business Men's Association. It continued under that name until 1915, when the name changed to the Meriden Chamber of Commerce, Inc. First president of the Business Men's Association was Frank E. Sands. First secretary, in 1908, was Albert A. May.
In 1915, offices were established in the Hall & Lewis Building, now the Cherniack Building, and remained there for many years. H. N. Clark became executive secretary in 1917. Charles A. Newton became executive secretary in 1932, and has held that office up to the present, with the exception of a period during World War II, when Hollis D. Immick served as temporary secretary while Mr. Newton was with the War Production Board in New Haven.
The Chamber of Commerce has helped to promote the best business and industrial interests of Meriden from the beginning, and has succeeded in bringing many new industries here. Affili- ated with it is the Merchant's Bureau, which has its own officers.
Bernard D. Kasack is president of the Chamber of Commerce and E. W. Graffam is chairman of the Merchant's Bureau.
JUNIOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Organized after World War II to encourage civic enterprise and promote community betterment, the Junior Chamber of Commerce is an active group of business and professional men in
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the younger age brackets. It has sponsored annual products shows, collected food and clothing for flood victims, and assisted in numerous campaigns. Each year it honors the "Young Man of the Year" selected through widely distributed ballots. Another of its goals is to foster safe driving by teen-agers.
THE MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION
The Manufacturers' Association of Meriden was organized in June 1919 and incorporated in 1920 to consider questions of manufacturing interest and encourage cooperation and industrial progress. The principal Wallingford manufacturers affiliated with the group, and the association serves both communities, a fact which was recognized by the addition of Wallingford to the name. William J. Wilcox is executive secretary, and offices are main- tained at 431/2 Colony Street.
The Employers' Association, an even older organization, kept a separate identity until 1942, when the two organizations were merged.
The late Clifford R. Gardinor was the first president of the Manufacturers' Association, serving in 1920, 1921 and 1922. The late Charles G. Phelps of Wallingford was the first secretary, and held the position until his death in 1925.
Mr. Wilcox, the present secretary, assumed his duties in 1926.
The association has taken part in many worth-while civic projects for the benefit of Meriden and Wallingford, and was ยท active in the promotion of building in periods of housing shortage.
In addition to Mr. Gardinor, the following have served as president: W. H. Walther, Charles H. Cuno, William F. Handel, Glover Snow, Parker B. Allen, Milton L. Gearing, Albert W. Savage, Clifford I. Packer, W. Oden Hughart, John R. Sexton, Robert W. Clark, William H. Grinold, Philip B. Watson, Harry T. Burgess, and Norman J. Stringer. Mr. Stringer holds the office at present.
UNITED VETERANS' COUNCIL
A movement for an organization to include all groups of Meriden war veterans was started in 1945, when 10 posts and chapters gathered at the invitation of Charles L. Upham Camp, Sons of Union Veterans, to discuss the feasibility of the plan. From this beginning, the United Veterans' Council resulted, and has been
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active for the last 10 years. It was largely instrumental in the successful campaign for the World War II Veterans' Memorial Hospital, and has also loaned its influence to other local efforts on the behalf of veterans.
Every veterans' organization in Meriden is included in its membership, which embraces the following:
Sons of Union Veterans, Charles L. Upham Camp No. 7; United Spanish War Veterans, Charles B. Bowen Camp; Veterans of Foreign Wars, La Croix Murdock Post No. 585; Yankee Division Veterans Association, Feegel-Tyler Chapter; the American Legion, Meriden Post No. 45; Jewish War Veterans, Post No. 92; Italian-American World War Veterans, D'Amico Post No. 7; Marine Corps League, Silver City Detachment; Military Order of the Purple Heart, Meriden Chapter; Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 6; Polish American Veterans, Meri- den Post; Catholic War Veterans, Mount Carmel Post No. 1053; Catholic War Veterans, St. Joseph Post No. 1106; Catholic War Veterans, St. Rose Post No. 1116; Catholic War Veterans, St. Laurent Post No. 1135; Catholic War Veterans, St. Mary Post No. 1136.
Also the following women's auxiliaries:
Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Italian-American War Veterans, Marine Corps League, Disabled American Veterans, Polish American Veterans, Gold Star Association.
AMERICAN LEGION, MERIDEN POST 45
Post 45, American Legion, was founded September 18, 1919, two days after Congress granted a charter to the national Legion organization. For several years, it occupied the Coe home on East Main Street, and remained at that location until 1923, when the property was sold to become the site of the Masonic Temple. The W. G. Warnock property at 212 Colony Street was pur- chased, and continued to serve as the post's headquarters until 1946, when the Legionnaires decided that it would be inadvisable to remodel it, and it was sold to provide new headquarters for the Meriden Public Health and Visiting Nurse Association. Tem- porarily, the Legion established quarters in the Winthrop Hotel while plans for a new home were being discussed.
Several proposals were considered and rejected before Mar- chand C. Blatchley, post commander at the time, announced on
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July 19, 1950 the signing of contracts for a Legion Home on property acquired at the former site of Hanover Park in South Meriden which was rechristened Legion Park. The building was designed by Lorenzo Hamilton, architect, and was planned to furnish modern accommodations for all Legion activities.
The new home in Legion Park was dedicated May 20, 1951 with appropriate ceremonies. Since then, it has been the scene of many events of the active Legion program. It is used also by the Legion Auxiliary, which was founded about a year after the post was established.
SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Captain John Couch Branch No. 2, Connecticut Society, Sons of the American Revolution, held its first meeting in the Winthrop Hotel on Feb. 28, 1893. Present were H. Wales Lines, E. J. Doo- little, Arthur Proudman, W. W. Lee, Charles Rockwell, S. S. Peck, M. F. Griswold, M. B. Schenck, LeGrand Bevins, George C. Merriman, George E. Savage, and George N. Bowers. A com- mittee of five was named to draw up a constitution and by-laws and to apply to the Connecticut Society for a charter, which was soon granted.
SERVICE CLUBS
Seven active service organizations, all with national affiliations, have contributed much to Meriden's civic welfare in the years since the first service club was organized here.
The Meriden Rotary Club, chartered April 1, 1921, was the first service club in the city.
The Meriden Lions Club was organized in 1923, and chartered a year later.
The Meriden Exchange Club was also organized in 1923, and received its charter March 25, 1924.
The Meriden Kiwanis Club was established here in 1930.
These were the pioneer service clubs for men. Service clubs for women began nationally as far back as 1919, when Zonta International was formed. The Meriden Zonta Club was organized in 1935.
Soroptimist International of Meriden was chartered in 1949.
The Unison Club is another service organization. It was founded here in 1953.
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WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS
Ruth Hart Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, was the sixth chapter in Connecticut, and was organized in 1893. Mrs. Levi E. Coe was its first president. It has the perpetual care of Meeting House Hill Burying Ground.
Susan Carrington Clarke Chapter, D. A. R., was organized in 1895. Mrs. Kate Foote Coe was its first regent.
The Meriden Colony of the National Society of New England Women was formed in 1927, a branch of the national society which began in 1895.
The City Mission Society, organized in 1886, through the efforts of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, is Meriden's oldest women's organization.
But the Meriden Charity Club also has a long history. It was established in 1897 by 12 high school girls, members of a whist club, who sought an outlet for their time and energies in charitable work, and has been continuously active since that time.
The Meriden Woman's Club, largest of the women's organiza- tions, was organized in 1917. First president was Mrs. William Rice Smith, and the charter membership included 325 women. The Thursday Morning Club, mentioned elsewhere for its con- nection with the foundation of a public library here, helped the new club in sponsoring lectures. Since that time, the activities of the club have been many and varied in worth-while causes.
The Meriden Junior Woman's Club started in April 1947, with Mrs. Marion Hawkins as its first president. Its membership is limited to 250 women in the lower age brackets.
The Meriden Business and Professional Women's Club, an affiliate of a national organization, was chartered in 1953.
THE HOME CLUB
The Home Club, 128 Colony Street, was located originally in the Byxbee Block on Colony Street. In May 1893 it voted to erect the present building, which was designed and furnished for its own needs.
In 1946, the club instituted an $80,000 building program, under which the building was completely remodeled, and an addition measuring 18 by 44 feet was constructed in the rear. The dining room was greatly enlarged and the kitchen was nearly trebled
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in size. The bar was relocated. Facilities were provided for serving meals to wives and guests of members. Luncheon and dinner service is available on week days.
The club has a membership of more than 300, among which many leaders of the business and industrial community are represented.
THE TURNER SOCIETY
The Turner Society, one of Meriden's oldest organizations, was organized in 1866. A young group of German immigrants formed it to continue the gymnastic exercises they had practiced in their native land. Originally, there were 46 members, but the member- ship grew rapidly as similar groups were launched throughout New England. In 1868 a house on State Street Extension was obtained and remodeled as Turner Hall. Eventually, larger quarters were found on Pratt Street, and later on Butler Street. During the 80's and 90's and in the early part of this century, Turner competitions on a state-wide basis were frequent. A large meeting was held here during the Centennial, when hundreds took part. In recent years, the organization has concentrated on choral singing. The singing groups have won a number of prizes in competitions with similar groups throughout the state.
MERIDEN LODGE No. 35, B. P. O. E.
Meriden Lodge No. 35, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, received its dispensation on June 19, 1885, and was instituted the following week on June 26, in Grand Army hall. The formal charter was granted December 12, 1886. There were 27 charter members.
The lodge continued to meet in Grand Army hall until a room was fitted up for its purposes in the Cashen building on State Street. Later, it moved into quarters in the Wilcox Block, and met in Colonial hall for a number of years. The next change in location was to a brick addition in the rear of the old Richmond home on East Main Street. In 1922, a committee was named to start a building fund.
The present clubhouse, opened in 1928, marked the culmination of more than five years of fund-raising activities. It is a substantial brick building, conveniently planned for the Elks' purposes, handsomely furnished, and completely equipped throughout.
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The order has made many civic contributions during its long existence, mainly of a charitable and patriotic nature. It has a large and active membership in the community.
MASONIC LODGES
The members of the Masonic fraternity in Meriden long held their meetings in the Palace Block, but sought for years to find ways and means of erecting a temple for all branches of the organization. A committee of 50 Masons was appointed in 1921 to take the necessary steps toward this project. In 1923, it sub- mitted a petition to the state legislature to authorize the Masonic Temple Foundation with a capital stock of $25,000 to be held in equal shares by the following Masonic bodies: Meridian Lodge No. 77, Center Lodge No. 97, Keystone Chapter No. 27, Hamilton Council No. 22, and St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9. The founda- tion charter was granted and ratified by all these bodies.
The incorporators, after receiving this authority, purchased the Coe property on East Main Street then occupied by the American Legion. A successful campaign for funds followed, and the present Masonic Temple, designed by Walter T. Arnold, was erected by the H. Wales Lines Company. Mr. Lines, a prominent Mason, had been identified with the movement for a temple from the begin- ning. Ground for the building was broken on May 4, 1927 by Eli C. Birdsey, president emeritus of the Foundation. The temple was dedicated November 10, 1928, and has since served as head- quarters for all the Masonic bodies in Meriden. On November 10, 1952, the mortgage on the property was burned by Frank E. Kay, who had then served 25 years as president of the Masonic Temple Foundation.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Silver City Council No. 2, Knights of Columbus, was the second council to be instituted in the largest Roman Catholic fraternal society in the world. The institution took place on May 16, 1883. The Rev. Fr. A. Van Oppen of St. Laurent's Church was the first chaplain, and the organization met for a time in the basement of the church. Later, it moved into quarters in the Wilcox Block.
As the organization grew and strengthened, its members became determined to possess their own home. This goal was realized with the purchase of the dwelling at 377 Broad Street. It was
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remodeled and suitably furnished, and was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on June 12, 1949, when the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph M. Griffin, permanent rector of St. Rose Church, delivered the dedicatory address.
EAGLES
The Fraternal Order of Eagles has a commodious clubhouse at 66 Crown Street. A large addition was erected in 1937, and there have been several enlargements since that time, with a complete renovation of the interior, and complete facilities for the organi- zation's many activities. One of Meriden's older fraternal societies, it has a large and active membership.
FALCONS
Falcon Nest 68 was organized in 1906 by a group of Polish- American residents, and is observing its fiftieth anniversary in the same year as Meriden's Sesquicentennial. The first president was Stanislaus Iwanicki. The Falcon Athletic Association has a club- house at 43 Olive Street, built in 1912. Falcon Park, 210 Westfield Road, was opened in 1949. It is a large tract, comprising an athletic field, with adjacent club building and pavilion. The first buildings erected there were burned in February 1951, and have since been replaced.
MOOSE CLUB
The Moose Club maintains headquarters at 138 Colony Street, formerly the home of George W. Lyon, which was purchased by the local chapter of the Loyal Order of Moose in 1933.
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Meriden Churches
BROAD STREET on a Sunday morning presented a goodly spectacle as the 19th century reached the half-way mark. The five churches which mothered many of the present houses of worship were ranged between East Main and Charles Streets, on what is now the Memorial Boulevard. Coaches and carriages filled with prominent citizens from all areas of the town congregated in the area, and hundreds more of the humbler parishioners made the weekly pilgrimage on foot.
On the corner where it still stands was the Center Congrega- tional Church, composed of members who had decided to reorgan- ize and continue their worship at this historic spot when the First Congregational Church was established in the present downtown area. Next to it stood, and still stands, the First Baptist Church. Just south of this the Methodist Society had erected a house of worship. Saint Andrew's Parish had just built a new structure of Gothic design at the corner of what is now Charles Street. To the south of this the newly organized Roman Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Rose of Lima, held worship in the building formerly used by the Episcopal congregation.
The First Congregational Church's new building on Colony Street was the first to reflect the surge of growth to the west. It was used until 1876, when the present building, a block to the north of it, was completed. This new edifice cost $175,000 and was recognized throughout the state as an outstanding example of church architecture.
Extensive remodeling and redecoration were undertaken in 1929 in preparation for the church's 200th anniversary. A building program to add room for educational and church-sponsored community activities and to modernize existing facilities is cur- rently being carried on.
Church records list the names of 21 ministers who have served the church in its 225 years. Outstanding among them in more recent times is that of the Rev. Dr. Albert J. Lord, who ministered to the congregation between 1903 and 1938. The present pastor
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is the Rev. William F. Edge, who began his duties in 1951.
The Center Congregational Church has continued to carry on its program of worship, education, and good works in the lovely old building on Broad Street which is widely recognized as typical of the best in early 19th century churches. In the 1870's the growth of the congregation made necessary a building program which extended the building 20 feet to the west, adding a new lecture room and parlors. Further improvements were made in the 1890's and again in 1916. The Rev. Ray Marcus Miller is the present pastor.
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