“Shut in from all the world without,They sat, the clean-winged hearth about,Content to let the north wind roarIn baffled rage at pane and door;. . . . . . . . . .And for the winter fireside meet,Between the andirons’ straddling feet,The mug of cider simmered slow,The apples sputtered in a row,And, close at hand, the basket stoodWith nuts from brown October’s wood.”
“Shut in from all the world without,They sat, the clean-winged hearth about,Content to let the north wind roarIn baffled rage at pane and door;. . . . . . . . . .And for the winter fireside meet,Between the andirons’ straddling feet,The mug of cider simmered slow,The apples sputtered in a row,And, close at hand, the basket stoodWith nuts from brown October’s wood.”
“Shut in from all the world without,They sat, the clean-winged hearth about,Content to let the north wind roarIn baffled rage at pane and door;. . . . . . . . . .And for the winter fireside meet,Between the andirons’ straddling feet,The mug of cider simmered slow,The apples sputtered in a row,And, close at hand, the basket stoodWith nuts from brown October’s wood.”
If neighbors joined the circle, promptly as the tall clock in the corner struck nine they donned surtouts, mufflers and striped knit mittens, lighted the candle in the pierced tin lantern, and trudged away over the hills to their distant homes.
The back-log had by this time burned down to glowing coals, and from these the shining brass warming-pan was filled, to warm the bed of the great-grandmother, and the trundle-bed of the small great-granddaughter; the remaining coals being carefully covered to kindle the morning fire. “Early to bed and early to rise,” was a lived-up-to motto. Each oneof the household climbed the steep, draughty stairway, with flaring, flickering candles, which dimly lighted the cold bedrooms, with their frost-covered windowpanes, Hastily undressing, they hurried under the blankets, and, burrowing into the deep feather beds, were soon lost in sound sleep, such sleep as open air life, good digestion, and a clear conscience alone can give.
This life of the early days may seem dull and humdrum to us in the rush and whirl of ours. If it was sober by reason of struggles with the hard conditions and stern emergencies contended with, it was cheerful, kindly, dignified, full of high ideals, aims and works. Who shall say our life is better?
None of us would willingly go back to the “good old times,” to their seeming narrowness, inconveniences and discomforts; yet let us not forget to give all honor to these, our forbears, through whose piety, loyalty, courage and toilwehave received so goodly a heritage.
LEVI SYDNEY KNAPP From a photograph taken about 1870, now in the possession of his son, Mr. Frederick KnappLEVI SYDNEY KNAPPFrom a photograph taken about 1870, now in the possession of his son,Mr. Frederick Knapp
Contributed by Frederick Knapp[7]
Amongthe unchartered institutions of the New England town, none has had a greater influence than its general “sitting-down” place, where, by common consent, the leaders of all classes gathered. It was to the town what political and social clubs are to the city; it was an exchange place, a go-as-you-please Lyceum, a modern market-place, where the newspapers of the day were criticised, where affairs of Church and State had to be discussed, where politics and politicians were weighed, ticketed, and shelved for future reference, and where neighborhood events were gone over and approved or disapproved. War, domestic or foreign, and its generals, were subject to this trial by jury. The jury consisted of lawyers, doctors, bankers, merchants, farmers. Party-leaders of every shade of opinion—Whigs (later Republicans), Democrats, Abolitionists (brass-mounted, or not mounted at all), Prohibitionists, Independents—all met here on common ground. It was an intelligent, earnest crowd, always good-natured, whose “give and take” was without circumlocution or apology.
In no town in Litchfield County, I fancy, was there quite such a sitting-down place as the store of Mr. Levi S. Knapp on Bank Street in our own town of New Milford, which was conducted by him until his death at the age of ninety-three, and, afterward, by his son, Gerardus Knapp. The place was known to everybody in the towns around. During the Kansas-Nebraska troubles in the late “Fifties,” a witty neighbor christened it “Topeka Hall”; and the name was accepted as quite the proper thing. For a half century, “Topeka Hall” was an informal congress, where earnest men threshed out theproblems of the hour. As our late Governor Andrews said of it, “It was the place where the world was wound up.” Had it been honored by a historian, like the late George William Curtis, and aHarper’s Magazinefor record, its quips and repartees might have furnished the “Easy Chair” with abundant and amusing copy; and its “wise saws and modern instances” would fairly have covered the history of the town. While its good stories made fun for the day, the place became, none the less, an educator of public opinion, and wielded an influence second to no institution in the town.
The remarkable longevity of the men who assembled there is worthy of special record, covering, as it does, the greater part of the nineteenth century. Below is a list of several of the prominent men, and their ages at death. It is a matter of regret that a more complete list cannot now be made:
ALANSON N. CANFIELD Born Oct. 6, 1807. The oldest resident of New Milford.ALANSON N. CANFIELDBorn Oct. 6, 1807. The oldest resident of New Milford.
And, living with us to-day, the only survivor of the older men, Mr. Alanson Canfield,[8]who will be one hundred years old on the eighth day of October, 1907.
Contributed by Frederic Knapp
“ILIKEboys, the masters of the playground and of the street—boys, who have the same liberal ticket of admission to all shops, factories, armories, town-meetings, caucuses, mobs, target-shootings, as flies have; quite unsuspected, coming in as naturally as the janitor—known to have no money in their pockets, and themselves not suspecting the value of this poverty; putting nobody on his guard, but seeing the inside of the show—hearing all the asides. There are no secrets from them, they know everything that befalls in the fire company, the merits of every engine and every man at the brakes, and how to work it, and are swift to try their hand at every part; so, too, the merits of every locomotive on the rails, and will coax the engineer to let them ride with him and pull the handles when it goes to the engine-house. They are there only for fun, and not knowing that they are at school in the courthouse, or the cattle show, quite as much and more than they were, an hour ago, in the arithmetic class.”
Our Emerson was right: he knew boys. And at no place or time was the boy let loose to see and do, quite equal to the training days in the “Forties.” This was his day, when school didn’t count, when the schoolma’am or master wasn’t in it, the day long anticipated. When the morning broke he was no laggard, but the wise mother would not allow him to skip or hurry his breakfast, for she knew that when the day was done her laddie would be too fagged to eat. So, breakfast over, she ties the ribbon in his broad turn-down collar, and the father gives him two fippenny bits for all his own to spend as he pleases, and then they launch him forth with a “good time” for a blessing.
At the hill’s foot he meets his comrades, and, further down,more Johns and Jims and Sams and Bills, and then the fun begins. On the village Green things begin to take on a warlike aspect and the boys catch on to every movement and miss nothing; while the girls—pshaw! they ain’t in it to-day—keep in yards or on church steps. The darkey boys, as happy as any, begin to bring on the warlike steeds, which are praised or jeered as appearances demand. Presently there is a drum-beat on the big bass drum, and every boy scampers for the band, which consists of a fifer, a snare-drummer, and Charles Ford to beat the big bass drum. And he just could beat it like Sam Hill! I tell you, if the Britishers could have heard those fellows play, they would have got right off from Bunker Hill, you bet! Sure! they all admit. Now, at the upper part of “The Green,” a soldier in uniform appears, and soon another. It’s nine o’clock, and the first parade begins at ten. Soon they come in, in squads, until “The Green” seems to be covered with the mounts, after which the soldiers dismount and take things easy. Our boys are in and out amongst the horses, scooting, howling, criticising, or jeering, when an officer rides up and gives an order. This means business, and the small boy “gits,” nor does he “stand upon the order of his going, but goes at once,” and the soldiers hold the field. This is only preliminary work, however, a shaking down of the files preparatory to the reception of the Colonel and his staff in the afternoon. This over, the troops are off duty.
The soldiers take their ease as they please, some on “The Green,” but more over at the tavern, where the boys flock in amongst them, until the “barkeep” shouts to them, “Get out; there’s too many of you!” It’s lunch time, too, for the boys, who begin to mass around Aunty Thatcher’s gingerbread stand feeling about their jackets for the small coin. Whether they have any or not—it’s all the same. The boys are democratic and divide, paying just like grown-ups for what they buy with the coin of the realm. No line drawn to-day between the boy with money and the boy without, nor is the color line apparent. This cuts no ice with our boys. Here’s Dandy Lazarus, Fred Wilson (afterward sold into slavery), Joe Bassett,and Phil Jacklin. Black or white, the boys never think, or care; so long as the fippenny bits last, no boy goes hungry.
Then they stroll over and wash the gingerbread down with some of Jennings’ ginger pop, happy as lords. Simple pleasures these; but, as Josh Billings says, the boys then got more fun out of a quarter of a dollar than do boys now out of a five-dollar bill. The bugle sounds, and every boy is off, for now the Colonel takes command. This is the “crowner” of the day which no boy will miss. The troop is again in line, with sabres drawn to receive its Colonel. A shout from the boys, and down the line comes Colonel Starr with his staff. Hurrah! ain’t it great! It’s Napoleon, or Old Put, or Ethan Allen, or Lafayette over again! The Colonel is received and takes command. The small boy holds his breath, for now you’ll see how it’s done in battle. The Colonel gives his orders; by fours, by eights, they wheel, they turn, they goen masse—it’s wonderful how they do it! Golly gracious! At last they return to place, salute their Colonel, clang their sabres back into the scabbards, and are dismissed, and Training Day is over. Our lads return to their homes to relate to the fathers and mothers the excitements and perils of the day.
Well, my lads of the Forties, you had your fun; but, without knowing it, you learned much more than the pleasures of the day. You learned patriotism, you learned what it was to subject yourselves to obedience for the common good; what team work was, to work together, shoulder to shoulder, for the achievement of a common purpose. You learned self-control and discipline, which stood you in good stead later, on the real battlefield, and for which we, the living, honor you as you sleep in God’s acre, on each Memorial Day. And you also learned, without knowing it, what we older boys are slow to learn, that no man liveth to himself or dieth to himself, but that self-sacrifice, the greatest good to the greatest number, is the cornerstone of republics, the goal toward which the whole world is moving.
Lads of the “Forties,” I sing the “Sabre Song” to your honor, and may “Qui transtulit sustinet” be your sheet anchor and your motto!
William J. Starr
A Partial List Compiled from the Records by Minot S. Giddings
Contributed by Minot S. Giddings[9]
Thetown of New Milford originally was of much larger extent than it is at present. It contributed New Preston Society, on the northeast, to the town of Washington; Newbury Society, on the south, to the town of Brookfield; and “The Neck” (Bridgewater Society), in 1856, to form the town of Bridgewater. Notwithstanding this depletion, it is still one of the largest towns, territorially, in the State.
It is well watered and fertilized by the Housatonic River through the whole length of the town; by the Aspetuck River, East and West branches, from the north; by Still River and Rocky River from the south and west; and by other streams.
The hills and vales of its rolling landscape present to the eye a spectacle which equals, in some respects, the much-lauded scenery of the Old World.
The growth of the town has been slow but steady. Agriculture is the chief industry. The fertility of the soil and its adaptability to grazing purposes make the production of milk and butter profitable. There is a large creamery near the railroad in the south part of the village, where farmers of the surrounding country bring their milk, which is sent to the large cities. There is also a creamery at Gaylordsville, and there are two private establishments in the village to supply the local wants of the people.
Raising tobacco and preparing it for market are among the principal occupations of the inhabitants, the Housatonic Valley being celebrated for the fine quality and abundant growth of this plant.
NEW MILFORD HAT COMPANYNEW MILFORD HAT COMPANY
Vincent B. Sterling, who has been engaged with one of the large tobacco firms for many years, and is familiar with the tobacco business, has contributed the following regarding it:
“Like most great enterprises, the raising of tobacco in New Milford started from small beginnings. About the year 1848, the first tobacco in New Milford was raised by George McMahon, who was soon followed by Seeley Richmond and Elijah Hall. These three men were without doubt the pioneers of the tobacco-raising in the Housatonic Valley.
“From that time it has been cultivated with more or less success, until, to-day, it is the leading crop of the farmers of this and surrounding towns. The amount grown at present is about one thousand three hundred acres annually. The variety was Broad Leaf, up to 1883; since then, it has been almost exclusively Havana Seed.
“Probably the amount invested in tobacco in the early fifties did not exceed five thousand dollars per annum, while, at the present time, at least five hundred thousand dollars is used annually buying and packing it. No crop grown by the farmer requires such constant attention. From the sowing in April, through the transplantation in June, until the matured plant is harvested and placed in the curing sheds in August and September the greatest care must be exercised. ‘Eternal vigilance’ is the price of success, and a sharp hailstorm of a few minutes’ duration may destroy the results of the summer’s labor. During the early fall the plants are taken from the poles, the leaves are stripped from the stalks and packed in bundles, and the tobacco is then ready for the buyer.
“It is probable that tobacco was first assorted and packed in New Milford in 1848 by George McMahon, who was followed, a few years later, by Perry Hall. These men were the first packers in the Housatonic Valley. Space will not permit mention of the parties who have been engaged in the business since that time. At present, it is one of the leading industries of the town. There are twelve tobacco warehouses, employing through the packing season in the neighborhood of four hundred men.
“Most of the capital needed to pack the tobacco is furnished by the large tobacco jobbing firms of New York and Chicago, who employ local men as buyers and packers.
“The crop as a whole is an important source of wealth to the farmers, as is evidenced by the many thrifty and beautiful homes of the successful tobacco growers scattered over the hills and valleys of New Milford.”
There are some notable manufacturing industries in this town.
The manufacture of wool hats here dates back nearly a century. Glover Sanford began making them in 1823, on a small scale, in Bridgewater Society. The business steadily increased and was carried on by himself and brothers till 1870, when the firm removed to Bridgeport, Conn.
Smith & Erwin opened a hat factory in Bridgewater in 1834, and removed to this village in 1855, occupying the long building now used as a store by the firm of Ackley, Hatch & Marsh.
Isaac Reynolds began hat manufacturing in Bridgewater in 1847, afterwards removing to Lanesville. Joseph Sanford, Lyman B. Stone, and Francis Callahan engaged in the business at different times. A company was organized there in 1853 under the name of the Union Manufacturing Company.
The modern hatting industry was established in this village in 1885. Some of the leading citizens donated to the firm of Bates & Green a piece of land on West Street Extension, where a building was erected, and the making of hats of fur was carried on in a moderate way until 1898, when a fire destroyed the plant. It was not rebuilt, but the business was reorganized as the New Milford Hat Company, which purchased a tract of land a short distance north of the village, near the mouth of the Aspetuck River, and erected there a large plant with modern improvements. The officers of the company are: Andrew G. Barnes, president; Seymour S. Green, secretary and treasurer, and William G. Green, superintendent. Under their able management the enterprise has been very successful. In 1906 the amount of business done was five hundred thousand dollars; the pay-roll amounted to one hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars, and there were two hundred and fifty employees.
HONORABLE ISAAC BALDWIN BRISTOL President of First National Bank, 1902-1905, and of New Milford Savings Bank at time of his deathHONORABLE ISAAC BALDWIN BRISTOLPresident of First National Bank, 1902-1905, and of New MilfordSavings Bank at time of his death
Merritt W. Hill and E. W. Hanke formed a partnership and began making hats, about 1890, in the Randolph Hill mill building on Mill Street. At the end of two or three years they removed to the upper part of Maltby Leach’s flour and feed store on Railroad Street, where they were incorporated as a stock company in 1894. This company was dissolved in a few years. Mr. Hill now has a jewelry store on Bank Street. Mr. Hanke went to Bridgeport, Conn., and is doing a flourishing hat business there.
The manufacturing of buttons from vegetable ivory was begun here in 1866 by Henry S. and Walter B. Bostwick, under the firm name of Bostwick Brothers. The ivory nuts were at that time brought to this country as ballast to ships and sold at a small price, so that the making of buttons from them was quite profitable. Bostwick Brothers erected a building on Railroad Street and carried on the business with great success till 1884, when the plant was damaged by fire. Soon after the firm dissolved. Walter B. Bostwick went to Bridgeport, Conn., where he engaged in business, became prominent and was elected mayor.
Buttons were made at the old hat shop, corner of Bridge and Railroad streets, for several years by Isaac B. Bristol, Robert H. Isbell, William Schoverling, Rufus Leavitt, and perhaps others. About 1878 the Noble Brothers purchased the business and carried it on for a few years. After that, various mechanical inventions were developed there. A few years ago, the building passed to the firm of Ackley, Hatch & Marsh, and is now used for a general store.
A button shop was erected in 1884 on West Street Extension, in which buttons were manufactured by William Schoverling, George W. Anthony, and David E. Soule till 1889, when it was burned to the ground. This put an end substantially to button making in the town, the cost of raw material having increased so much that it became unprofitable.
Making lounges was begun in a small way many years ago by De Watt Pepper. From this slight beginning, the business increased until it became necessary to establish a large plant to meet the growing demands of the trade. The Eastern LoungeCompany was first housed in William Schoverling’s brick building on Railroad Street, occupying, in addition to that, the old hat building on the corner of Bridge Street. In 1895 the business was removed to the commodious plant built by William Schoverling, on the site of the West Street Extension button factory, where it has been large and flourishing. The company is composed of De Watt Pepper, president, Mrs. William Schoverling, vice-president, and William P. Landon, secretary and treasurer.
Roswell and Sheldon Northrop began in 1832 the manufacture of machinery in a building, in Maryland District, near where the trout pond of Turney Soule now is, using the waterpower to carry on their business. In a few years they removed to the brook south, and erected a foundry and machine shop, enlarging the business and admitting a younger brother, David, to the firm. They made castings to order, cast-iron fences, and various kinds of machinery. Changes in the firm occurred from time to time, but it always continued in the Northrop family. In 1887 Jasper A. Northrop removed the business to this village on West Street Extension, erecting a foundry and machine shop. He invented and began making a heater for warming houses, which he named the “Unique.” This heater is made for both water and steam, and is sold extensively in this region.
Paper making from straw and rags has been carried on in this town for many years. Albert S. Hill and Edward Barton erected a paper mill in 1852, about a mile above Northville, on East Aspetuck River, where they made straw-board paper for hat and dry goods boxes. This business was continued until within a short time. The site had been used for a saw-mill more than seventy years before the paper mill was erected.
Just below this mill, on the river, was a grist mill, which was purchased in 1862 by William W. Wells and his brother Edwin S. They ground flour and feed there many years, and also constructed a saw-mill. This property has been used as a mill site for more than one hundred and twenty-five years.
Justus Miles came from Milford in 1742 and purchased the farm in Park Lane where the old house known as “Miles’
UNITED BANK BUILDINGUNITED BANK BUILDING
Tavern” still stands, and where, from an ancient sycamore, still hangs the old iron crane which bore the tavern sign a hundred years or more ago. He built the works known as the “Miles’ Grist Mill” in 1748 “by the north end of Henry Garlick’s home lot” on East Aspetuck River. Manufacturing of some kind has been carried on there ever since, paper having been made there for the last fifty years. A company organized as the “New Milford Paper Company” recently purchased the property, and is preparing to do a large business in making cardboard and paper.
The Merryall Plough Foundry was established soon after 1800 by Elijah Hall. He made castings for ploughs and invented the “Hall Plough,” which was very popular among farmers for many years. Mr. Hall was the first man in the State to use bituminous coal for forge work.
In 1768 Angus Nicholson purchased land on West Aspetuck River, and, some time after, built what was known for a long time as Nicholson’s Iron Works. He erected a square marble stone, which is now standing, on the corner of the road a short distance above Wellsville, with the following inscription: “To Wm. Nicholson’s Ironworks, 2 miles from New Milford, 85 miles from N. York, 1788.” On the east side of the stone, the words, “To Kent,” are inscribed, with an index hand pointing northward.
The manufacture of wool and linen into cloth was begun in the town at an early date. Mills for that purpose were erected on various water courses. Such a business was carried on near the mouth of Rocky River.
About 1820 William Roberts erected cloth works at Gaylordsville. A dam across the river was constructed in the early part of last century, and a saw-mill put into operation on the west side by Homer Gaylord, and on the east side a grist-mill, by Peter Gaylord.
George Wells and brother established cloth works at Wellsville, where they manufactured cloths quite extensively from wool and from wool mixed with cotton. The plant burned down eventually, and was not rebuilt. The property subsequently passed into the hands of Chauncey B. Marsh, who erected asaw-mill and machine shop, which he carries on at the present time. Mr. Marsh is also engaged in large operations in wood and lumber.
As many of the hills about New Milford are of lime rock formation, the stone has been mined and burned for lime since an early date; but this business has been somewhat neglected in recent years. In 1893 Charles E. Griffin leased or purchased of Marshall Marsh a tract of land near Boardman’s Bridge, much of which was composed of lime rock. There he erected buildings and lime kilns, quarrying and burning lime successfully until 1897, when a fire destroyed the property. It was soon rebuilt and carried on until 1902, at which time the plant became incorporated in the New England Lime Company. Under that name, the business has greatly increased, and a large quantity of excellent lime is produced.
The mill site at Little Falls, about one mile below the village, has from early times been used as a grist mill. It was first known as Ruggles’ Mill, then, for fifty years, as Stillson’s Mill, and, after that, as Giddings’ Mill. The structure is substantially built of stone. In 1884, William D. Black joined with Levi P. Giddings in establishing an electric light plant there. Lewis F. Curtis joined the firm a few years later. The New Milford Electric Light Company was incorporated in 1893 by Lewis F. Curtis, Mrs. William D. Black, and Levi P. Giddings. A new dam of stone and concrete has been recently constructed across the river, which furnishes abundant water power. This company furnishes electricity for lighting the streets and public and private houses in the village. A few years ago, an acetylene gas plant was established, which is used to a limited extent.
For many years a company bought land and “rights” to use land on the Housatonic River from Falls Village southward as far as Newtown. The late Hon. Nicholas Staub was very active in this project. In 1898 a company was incorporated as the New Milford Power Company. This company built a high dam at Bull’s Bridge and constructed a canal for about a mile down the river. At the lower end of the canal, on the border of this town, they built a power-house and established on the river electric machinery about one hundred and
MANUFACTURING PLANT OF THE BRIDGEPORT WOOD FINISHING COMPANYMANUFACTURING PLANT OF THE BRIDGEPORT WOOD FINISHING COMPANY
ten feet below the level of the canal. Water is conveyed down this steep declivity to the wheels through a huge cylinder thirteen feet in diameter. The electricity generated here is carried on wires to Waterbury, Bristol, and other cities, and moves the trolley systems of those places.
A company was formed in 1888 for the purpose of making pottery. Buildings were erected a short distance east of Giddings’ Mill, which received their power from the mill by means of a long wire cable connected with a water-wheel. Quite a large business was carried on for a few years; then the plant passed into other hands for other purposes.
George B. Calhoun contributes the following concerning one of the large industries of the town, the Bridgeport Wood Finishing Company:
“This company was incorporated in Bridgeport, Conn., on October 7, 1876, with a silex manufacturing plant at Fort Ann, N. Y. In 1881 the company removed to its present location at Still River, and erected there a large silex, filler and paint, and japan and varnish plant. The principal portion of this plant was destroyed by fire in February, 1902, and was rebuilt with better facilities for meeting its business requirements. The products of the company are ground silex and feldspar, Wheeler’s Patent Wood Filler, Breinig’s Lithogen Silicate Paint, Breinig’s Water and Oil Stains, Japans, Varnishes, etc. The business of the company has steadily increased in volume from year to year, and its products now have a world-wide reputation, so that, at the present time, agencies have been established in all the principal cities of the United States and Canada, as well as in Porto Rico, South America, and the principal European cities. With an auxiliary silex manufacturing plant at Branchville, Conn., and branch offices and warehouses in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, the company is well equipped to care for its largely increasing interests at home and abroad. The officers of the company are: David E. Breinig, president and general manager; Edward E. Porter, vice-president; George B. Calhoun, secretary; Henry S. Mygatt, treasurer.”
The cause of education has always received the earnestattention of the citizens of New Milford, and the little brown schoolhouses, planted a few miles apart, in which the boys and girls received all their book learning, were landmarks in the New England colonies, as are to-day the more pretentious structures which have supplanted them. In the early days, the Bible was read every morning at the opening of school and religious instruction was given; it was also thought proper to invoke the blessing of the Great Ruler of the Universe.
New Milford was divided into twenty school districts, the schools of which taught the elementary branches. In later years, as the population increased and a greater desire for knowledge was manifested, private and select schools and academies were founded in different parts of the town; at Gaylordsville, at Northville, and in this village.
The most noted school, established in the early part of the last half century, was the Housatonic Institute, which was carried on many years by Benjamin J. Stone and Mary A., his wife. It was situated on the site now occupied by Memorial Hall. This school was known far and wide and received pupils from the surrounding towns. Many of the older people of the town received their education there.
A famous school for boys was the Adelphi Institute, which removed from Cornwall, Conn., to this town in 1860. Ambrose S. Rogers put up fine buildings on the sightly hillside southeast of the village, and conducted for many years an educational institution which took the form of a military school during the Civil War.
The Center School is graded. Its several departments range from the kindergarten to the high school, which last prepares students for college. It is estimated that there are about one thousand one hundred children in the town between the ages of four and sixteen years.
The first kindergarten school in the town was opened in 1873 by Mrs. Andrew Bristol, assisted by Miss Mary C. Wells. Miss Wells succeeded Mrs. Bristol in 1878, and removed the school to her own home on Elm Street. It is called “Sunny Nook.” She prepared herself for teaching at the New York Normal Ingleside School was established in 1892 by Mrs. William D. Black, a daughter of Hon. David C. Sanford and a native of New Milford.
It is a school for girls and has been patronized by prominent families in most of the states.
The literary standard is high. The best specialists are employed as teachers and the regular course exceeds the college entrance requirements. It is especially a finishing school and its Post-Graduate Department gives unusual opportunities for specializing in music, art, literature, languages, etc. Physical training is a popular feature. The number of pupils is limited to one hundred.
POST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENTPOST-GRADUATE DEPARTMENT
INGLESIDE BUNGALOWINGLESIDE BUNGALOW
FOUNDATION HOUSE VIEWS OF INGLESIDE SCHOOLFOUNDATION HOUSEVIEWS OF INGLESIDE SCHOOL
Kindergarten, at which she graduated in 1878. Miss Wells conducts her school with great success.
The Ingleside School for girls, which was established by Mrs. William D. Black, in 1892, and is the pride of the town, is described in another place.
There are six churches in the village—the First[10]Congregational, the parent church; St. John’s (Episcopal); the Methodist Episcopal; St. Francis Xavier (Roman Catholic); All Saints’ Memorial (Episcopal); and the Advent Christian. There is a Baptist church at Northville, a Methodist Episcopal church at Gaylordsville, and the old Quaker Meeting-house at Lanesville. Boardman and Merryall have each a chapel, in which Sunday schools and religious meetings are held weekly. A Sabbath school is conducted in Chestnut Land District.
The Memorial Hall and Library was erected in 1897 as a memorial to the soldiers and sailors of New Milford. Egbert Marsh contributed ten thousand dollars toward the building and gave part of the lot. He also gave the fund for supplying books to the library. Individuals contributed the balance of the cost of this memorial. The upper story is the headquarters of Upton Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which was organized December 20, 1882, with twenty-six charter members.
The first newspaper in this village was theNew Milford Republican, established in 1845, by J. K. Averill, who carried it on for a year, then removed to Litchfield, Conn.
Messrs. Bailey and Donavan of Danbury, publishers of theDanbury News, began, in 1872, to publish theNew Milford Journal, which was soon after sold to J. R. Johnson, and, later, to Marcus L. Delevan, who changed its name to theHousatonic Ray. TheGazettewas started by Gee and Hale in 1877, and passed shortly after into the hands of Robert Erwin. Joshua A. Bolles and Franklyn Henry Giddings of Great Barrington, Mass., purchased theRayin 1882 and, a little later, theGazette, and merged the two papers into theNew Milford Gazette. Mr. Giddings soon withdrew from the paper, not finding sufficient scope probably as an editor of a country newspaperfor his great ability. He has since attained world-wide fame as Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, having written several works on sociology and kindred subjects, some of which have been translated into many languages. Mr. Bolles continued to conduct theGazettewith much ability till he was stricken with a disease which suddenly caused his death, to the sorrow of the whole community. The paper then passed into the hands of Philip Wells, the present proprietor.
New Milford has had a brass band most of the time during the last half century. The original band was organized in 1855 by Earl Buckingham, who was its first leader. At the breaking out of the Civil War, the band engaged with the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry. It was discharged by Act of Congress after having served about eleven months. In 1872, a reorganization was effected, with Winfred Soule as leader. Under different leaders, the band has continued, with occasional lapses, to the present time.
Roger Sherman Hall was built in 1875, at a cost of nearly fifty thousand dollars. It is of brick, and has a large hall on the second floor; a courtroom, probate, town offices, and a law library on the first floor; and a town courtroom and “lockup” in the basement. It stands on the site of William Sherman’s store, where Roger Sherman had his shoe shop. On the twenty-sixth of October, 1897, a bronze tablet to the memory of Roger Sherman, which had been placed on the north side of the front entrance of the building, was unveiled in the presence of a large company. The tablet was the gift of the Roger Sherman Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, organized May 15, 1893. Mrs. Sara T. Kinney, State Regent, D. A. R.; Senator George F. Hoar, a nephew of Roger Sherman; Senator Joseph R. Hawley; and Henry S. Sanford made addresses.
The first bank was started here in 1852 with one hundred thousand dollars capital, under the name of the Litchfield County Bank. It occupied a small brick building near the Boardman residence on Main Street. Frederick G. Chittenden was president. The first cashier was A. McAllister of Bridgeport, Conn. George W. Whittlesey succeeded Mr. McAllister