Historical Periods
The majority of information gathered in the following overview has come from the The History of Ancient Wethersfield: Volumes I and II by Henry Stiles (1904), and from Willard's Wethersfield, by John Willard (1975), and other Historical Society publications. The information gathered from these and other texts was supplemented by the research performed on the individual properties as well as records and writings found at the Connecticut Historical Society and in Historic Preservation Connecticut: Volume III Central Valley Historical and Architectural Overview and Management Guide, by Jan P. Cunningham and the Connecticut Historical Commission. Additional information was obtained from the Wethersfield Historic District files and from the research of local historian Anne Kuckro.
INTRODUCTION
Wethersfield is one of forty-one towns located in the middle of the Central Valley Historic Context, an area that encompasses approximately one-fourth of Connecticut as it crosses the state from Massachusetts on the north to the Long Island Sound on the south (Cunningham, p7). This low-lying area surrounding the Connecticut River is filled with rich alluvial plains, gentle rolling hills and naturally occurring meadows. Today, the densely populated area of the Central Valley measures 55 miles in length and approximately 25 miles across for most of its length and includes the two rival towns of Hartford and New Haven, considered to be the political and cultural capitals of Connecticut respectively.
Approximately 25,000 years ago, glaciations, which had been taking place in the Northern Hemisphere for almost five million years, began to shape the Central Connecticut Valley. As the glaciers advanced southward across Connecticut to meet the ocean, all of the northeastern United States became covered in thick blankets of ice. Some 7,000 years later the glaciers slowly retreated to the north, eventually forming the topography of the land that would become Connecticut. Glacial till, consisting of clay, gravel, silt and sand was left in the glacier's wake throughout the Central Valley region, allowing for a finer texture of soil than found elsewhere in the state. The resulting deposits of sandstone and clay provided building materials that were utilized throughout the country in the nineteenth and twentieth century. The Connecticut River, the valley's most vital resource, was initially formed as a large lake stretching 140 miles from Massachusetts to Rocky Hill. It slowly drained and scored a path through the rocky stretches of land to reach Middletown and eventually Old Saybrook and the ocean.
The remaining soils brought south by the glaciers proved to be easily workable and fertile for the first settlers of Wethersfield. Large stretches of virgin forest blanketed the areas surrounding the open meadows which the Native Americans had burned clear (Cronin, Changes in the Land) along the riverbanks. Throughout the small towns beginning to form in Connecticut during the early colonial period, agriculture was the chief means of survival. Such was the way of life in early Wethersfield, but the presence of the Connecticut River set Wethersfield apart from most other inland communities.
The most powerful presence in the lives of the first settlers was the Connecticut River. It provided food, replenished crops beds each year with new topsoil deposited by spring floods, facilitated transportation and communication, and created opportunities for trade. Wethersfield became an important colonial shipping port and enjoyed tremendous wealth due to its location at the head of such an easily navigable river. Shipbuilding and seafaring trades all brought a level of wealth and sophistication to this town, not seen in many other inland agricultural communities of the time. The mild terrain of this area did not provide sufficient water power to drive the mills seen elsewhere in the growing state. Although some mills were powered by water, more often in Wethersfield, wind power was harnessed to grind grains, saw wood and spin cloth.
Today Wethersfield is located in Hartford County and bounded by the city of Hartford on the north, the town of Glastonbury on the east, the town of Rocky Hill on the south, and the town of Newington on the west. The total area of the town is approximately 12.39 square miles. Wethersfield remains primarily a densely settled, suburban residential community. Despite the level of growth it has experienced in the last century, Wethersfield's history has remained a central focus of the town. Early historic preservation efforts have helped this town to preserve a large swath of its past in the form of the Old Wethersfield Historic District.
Despite a decline in the population of the town within the last three decades, the number of housing units has steadily increased. Many of the towns in the Central Valley have an increasing elderly population, and many of the homes that were built for growing families in the 1950s and 1960s are still being inhabited by their first owners.
COLONIAL PERIOD 1634-1780
Wethersfield, along with Hartford and Windsor formed the nucleus of the Connecticut Colony along the western banks of the Connecticut River. Though there is much debate on the subject, Wethersfield has been acknowledged as one of the first towns to be settled in the State of Connecticut. As a result, Wethersfield's Colonial history stands out as one that is particularly rich.
The Puritan ideology may have been the force that guided the formation of the American Colonies, but economic need on the parts of both the native population and the English were what brought settler John Oldham and his band of "adventurers" to the Wethersfield area. Representatives of local Native American tribes had petitioned for the English to settle in the area, in order to serve as a form of protection against the Pequots. Both the social and political framework for the State of Connecticut got its start in the "River Towns". A rival colony known as the New Haven Jurisdiction was formed shortly after the River Towns were recognized by charter. It consisted of many of the state's coastal towns as well as some located on Long Island (Cunningham, p11).
Throughout the colonial period tensions ran high between the English and some of the more powerful Native American tribes. Escalating skirmishes resulted in the outbreak of war in 1637. Lingering resentments and increasing English immigrations continued to fuel conflicts that engulfed the New England States and in 1675 resulted in King Philip's War (Cunningham, p11).
The New Haven Jurisdiction became a part of the Connecticut Colony in 1662, when Governor John Winthrop, Jr. managed to obtain a royal charter that both defined the colony's boundaries and recognized Connecticut's self governance (Cunningham, p11).
During the late colonial period the River Towns grew in size and generated wealth along the banks of the Connecticut. The fertile soil of Wethersfield, along with its trade brought its inhabitants a great deal of prosperity. Throughout the Central Valley's 12 towns which existed at the end of the colonial period, there were innovations taking place in agriculture, politics, education and architecture (Cunningham, p11).
Native Americans
Ancestors of the same Native American groups who had encouraged the English to settle in Connecticut had been living in that area since 1,000 A.D. Throughout Connecticut and New England, various tribes within the Algonquin group were found. Wethersfield, at the time of European settlement was under the domain of the Wangunks. (Cunningham, p12). The Wangunks were hunter-gatherers and skilled horticulturalists, who lived in small, semi-sedentary family groups (Cunningham, p12).
The sachem of the Wangunks was called Sequin, one of the three tribal leaders who traveled to Charleston, South Carolina and Plymouth, Massachusetts to draw English settlement to their area. (Willard, p21) The Wangunks felt that the English presence would provide protection against Pequot aggression. In 1633, Englishman John Oldham of Watertown, Massachusetts accepted their offer.
Once the English settled in the area, the Wangunks initially enjoyed a period of peaceful relations with the newcomers and temporary relief from the Pequots. Yet soon English settlement would prove to be a much more prevalent threat. Smallpox killed thousands of Native American, first in the epidemic of 1614 and again in 1634, when a second epidemic spread across the state (Cunningham, p14).
The murder of John Oldham on his sloop off of Block Island was the beginning of a breakdown of trust between the English and various Native American groups (Willard, p23). This mistrust erupted into violence after April 23, 1637 when a group of Pequots came to Wethersfield and killed three women and six men as they worked on the banks of the River. Two girls, both daughters of William Swayne, were taken hostage, but soon after were recovered by the crew of a Dutch sloop (Willard, p23). Joined by a group of Mohawk warriors, John Mason of Windsor led a group of soldiers from the three river towns to attack the Pequots at Mystic (Cunningham, p12). The brutal massacre of the Pequots resulted in the deaths of nearly all in the village. Those who remained alive were afterwards given as slaves to the Mohawks or sold in the West Indies (Willard, p27).
By 1665, most of the Native Americans who lived in the area had been dispersed to surrounding towns such as Farmington, New Hartford and Hartford (Willard, p46). As many smaller tribes succumbed to the rapid English settlement of their lands, those such as the Wampanoags under Metacomet (known as Philip) chose to fight. In the years between 1675-1676 Wethersfield men left home for Massachusetts where most of the battles took place, to fight in the brutal King Philip's War. The River Tribes such as the Wangunks, did not take part in the fighting (Cunningham, p16). After 1676, with the Pequot threat all but vanished and the remaining tribes weakened, the English began to settle more rapidly in the Central Valley. Depleted of numbers, land and strength, the remainder of the Wangunks moved to Middletown and joined the Mattabesick (Fox, p16).
Town Formation and Settlement Patterns
The original size of the grant from Sequin to the English consisted of land that was "six miles north and south, extending five miles west and three miles east of the Connecticut River" and included the islands five miles to the east (Willard, p20). Boundary disputes between the Wangunks and the English continued until well after 1639. A deed of confirmation was not agreed upon until almost thirty years later - on December 8, 1671. The document was drawn up between the heirs of Sequin and Mr. Samuel Wyllys, Henry Wolcot, James Richards, Samuel Welles, Samuel Talcott, John Chester and James Treat "for the use of all others, the rest of the several proprietors of the said land within the limits of the township of Wethersfield" (Stiles, p43). As more settlers arrived from Massachusetts and England, many individual grants of property were made.
The first group of settlers known as the "adventurers" were led to the Wethersfield area by John Oldham. Oldham was from Watertown, Massachusetts but his party was soon joined by members of the churches of Dorchester and Newtown (Stiles, p18). Oldham had come to the area without the official permission of the General Court of the Bay Colony. The Court had been slow in granting sanction to settlers, so an impatient Oldham set out with the group in the summer of 1634. Well known for his rather outlandish behavior whilst at the Plymouth Colony, Oldham seemed to have experienced a fundamental change in his character after a voyage to Virginia. He was admitted as a freeman in the Massachusetts Colony on May 18, 1631 and became a respected member of the Watertown community (Willard, p59).
In 1635, the move to Connecticut was officially sanctioned by the Court and right was granted to swear a constable for the plantation of Connecticut, yet all three river towns remained under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Colony. Each town also had the right to choose their own constable (Stiles, p22). In that same year, a number of families totaling 60-80 persons moved to Wethersfield. Between 1634 and 1642 new families were arriving from England as part of the Great Migration. Over 120,000 men and women left England during that time and settled throughout the new colonies (Cunningham, p17).
Those who followed Oldham called their original settlement along the Connecticut River Watertown, but soon changed the name to Wethersfield, a name that was officially recognized in a session of the Court on February 21, 1636 (Willard, p52). One possibility for the origin of the name comes from a connection to one of the adventurers' wives. The wife of Leonard Chester was descended from the Neville family, known as the "Lords of Wethersfield" (Willard, p16).
While not actually a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the river towns were considered to be loosely under their control. The General Court of Connecticut was formed in 1639, the same year in which the Fundamental Orders were drafted. The Fundamental Orders are known as "the first constitution in the world that established a government" (Willard, p24). They formally established a governor and a legislature made up of two houses of elected officials. In 1662, John Winthrop, Jr. was elected as envoy to the king and succeeded in obtaining a royal charter which allowed the Fundamental Orders to be enacted (Willard, p24).
Representatives from the three River Towns were known as deputies, but it was the constable of each town who provided a sense of order. Daniel Finch was appointed by the General Court as the first constable of Wethersfield in 1636 (Willard, p11). His duties included warning against Indian attacks and the collection of taxes. A town guard of twenty men under his inspection was formed and appeared every Sunday at the meetinghouse with full arms (Willard, p12).
The population was divided into four classes: inhabitants, householders, proprietors and freemen. Inhabitants were those who were simply admitted to live in the community; householders were heads of family, male or female, who owned a specified amount of real state; a proprietor was considered to be one of the group who had originally purchased the lands within the settlement territory; and freemen were inhabitants over the ago of 16 who had both taken an oath of fidelity and had earned the trust of the town. They received a certificate of good behavior from their fellow inhabitants, which afforded them their status (Willard, p41-42).
Townsmen were elected by freemen and served the same function as modern-day selectmen, although their powers were more varied. They oversaw all of the general operations of the town (Stiles, p172). As the population of Wethersfield increased, and the town became more developed, a series of officials were elected that included, surveyors, recorders and town criers.
In early Wethersfield, there was a general lack of religious consensus. As ecclesiastical governments were formed, a number of different parishes broke off to form new towns such as Stamford along the coast. This trend of splintering parishes enabled Connecticut to grow quickly during the colonial period. By the early 1770s, Wethersfield had become one of 76 townships in the Connecticut Colony.
Building on the Land
Certain characteristics are common to the way in which land was settled in all three of the River Towns. Since the river served as the eastern boundary for all three and the focus of nearly all commerce and transportation, roads were set up in a north-south direction parallel to the river. These roads ran into one another and connected the towns via land. In Wethersfield, the original pattern of land development can still be seen. The Wongunks had already selected a natural hill as their burying ground. Surveyor, Nathaniel Foote, selected the area adjacent to that hill as the Common for the Meeting House, which represented the governmental, religious and social, as well as physical center of the settlement. To the north was the Common near the Landing Place at what is now the Cove. To the south, between a divided road was the Broad Street Common, where animals could be "commonly" turned out to graze.
The first houses of the settlers were located on the eastern side of Broad Street, above the waters which flooded the area each spring. In 1634 and 1636, the homes of the original settlers dotted Broad Street, Plain Lane, High Street, Fort Street, Rose, Bell and Carpenter's Lane (Stiles, p45). The shelters of the first settlers were little more than huts which may have been patterned on the wigwams they encountered. (Stiles, p725) Soon after, wooden homes were built, most consisting of two large, square rooms. Many of these were two stories high. One universal element seen in all early Colonial building was a reliance on local building materials. Many early structures in the river towns carried on the English tradition of thatched roofs because of their proximity to the river grasses (Cunningham, p18). The heavy timber used in English framing practices was easily found throughout the Central Valley. Post-medieval English building practices such as post and beam construction were in use throughout the colonial period.
In the 1680s, the population quickly grew, and field lots were further portioned from The Great Meadow, an alluvial flood plain. A five mile extension granted to the settlers in 1673 included what is now Glastonbury, across the river to the east (Stiles, p105). In 1693, the parish of Glastonbury separated from Wethersfield and became recognized as a separate town. The first roads in the Wethersfield area were dirt highways which still remain as the footprints for main streets of the Old Village.
The Town granted land at the Common by the Landing Place for specific uses associated with a river port. In 1662, Samuel Welles, son of Governor Thomas Welles was granted property on which he could build a warehouse at the landing that is now Wethersfield Cove (Stiles, p541) The Cove at that time was simply a bend in the river. Eventually six or seven warehouses were built along the river, but only one survived (and is still in existence at the southeastern edge of Wethersfield Cove, near Hammer and Main Streets) after the river shifted its course. During the 1690's, a great flood cut a new channel to Hartford, leaving the Wethersfield Cove as a backwater. .Commerce moved to Hartford. Wethersfield moved its shipyard down river to Rocky Hill and sold off part of the Common by the Landing Place as home lots.
Since the technology did not exist to build a bridge across the Connecticut River, ferries were an important means of transportation. In 1673-74, Richard Smith, Jr. became the first ferry man listed in the Wethersfield town records (Stiles, p132). By 1783, there were three ferries operating in Rocky Hill, Glastonbury and at Kenney's Cove. The boats were generally pulled by hand along a wire that was strung across the river (Stiles, p134).
Fortified houses were built throughout town after 1704 when the General Court required that all towns fortify certain homes within the town limits against attack by Native Americans. Six houses were fortified in town of which none remain today, but they were believed to have been located along what are now Hartford Avenue; Main, Broad and Spring Streets; in Rocky Hill and in Newington (Fox, p17).
Agriculture
The area of the Central Valley differs from much of Connecticut in that it benefits from fairly level terrain and rich, rock-free, alluvial soils. The river also provided colonial farmers with an easy way to ship goods to and from market. These beneficial circumstances allowed many of the farmers in the Central Valley to profit from the trade of their goods beyond the usual level of subsistence farming. This area was known as the country's first "wheat belt" due to the vast fields of grain that were once grown here (Cunningham, p29).
Agricultural practices of the colonists were similar to the English land use patterns used in their native land. There was, however, a great deal to be learned from the Native American methods of cultivation. Crops such as corn and tobacco were new to the settlers, but proved an important part of their agricultural systems.
Open-field farming was the dominant practice, with large lots based on the typical English manor village (Cunningham, p29). Specialization of crops occurred early in the Central Valley. In Wethersfield, the most noted of its specialty crops was the Wethersfield Red Onion. Wethersfield was the only town in Connecticut to grow these sweet onions, which were unique to the northeast and unheard of in Europe. New York was the main market for the onions, but they were shipped along the eastern coast of the United States and to the West Indies as well. In 1774, over one million bunches of the onions were exported (Willard, p79).
Commerce and Industry
Two of the oldest industries practiced in Wethersfield were farming and shipbuilding. While the former is a predictable pursuit for an inland Colonial town, the latter is perhaps less so, yet Wethersfield's location on the Connecticut River made the maritime trades an important element of Colonial life. As early as 1642, the three River towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield were authorized to cooperate in building a whaling ship by the name of the Tryal, which was launched in 1649. The Connecticut River was originally 40-50 yards west of the current path of the river. Sometime just prior to 1700, the Connecticut River changed its course, leaving the backwater Cove
In 1648, carpenter Thomas Deming was granted land on which he could build a work yard for shipbuilding and a house. This operation flourished and continued to operate until the 1690's flood.. Shipbuilding was not the only maritime trade practiced in Wethersfield. Trading with domestic ports, Europe and primarily the West Indies brought wealth and sophistication to the town throughout colonial times. The principal exports from Wethersfield were "horses, rye wheat, barley, pease, wool, hemp, flax, cider, tar, and pitch" (Willard, p66). Imported goods from the West Indies included sugar, cotton, wool, rum and salt. Other Wethersfield exports included wooden pipe staves (used to create large shipping barrels), and horses after 1700 (Stiles, p541).
In a mostly agrarian society such as colonial Wethersfield, the first and most important manufacturing structures built were mills. In 1637, it is recorded that Leonard Chester built a grain mill on the lower end of Two Stone Brook. This is may be the first mill to be built in the colony and certainly the first recorded one in Wethersfield. The business continued to operate from 1782 to the 1880s under the name of Adams Mill (Willard, p13). Fishing was also of great importance to the area (Willard, p22). Salmon, alewives and shad were all caught in large nets along the river and served as important food sources.
Smaller manufacturing establishments proliferated throughout the growing town. Due to the flat nature of the terrain in the Wethersfield area, streams provided little effective waterpower. Windmills became the energy source of choice and Windmill Hill was established on what is now Wolcott Hill. Small factories were set up to make silk and cotton cloth; and bricks were made from the clay banks found along the river (Cunningham, p30).
The gentry living in the prosperous Central Valley Towns such as Wethersfield created a high demand for finely made fashions and furnishings. Local craftsmen and artisans, such as joiner Peter Blinn, whose shop produced the distinctive "Sunflower Chests between 1675-1725, and the Belden Family who produced fine Queen Anne style furniture, Connecticut River Doorways and handsome raised - panel fireplace walls (Cunningham, p34).
Society and Religion
The settlers of Wethersfield seemed to be saddled with ecclesiastical problems from the very beginning. The first parish of Wethersfield was not active until more than a year after settlement, in 1636. The religious differences among the earliest settlers of Wethersfield most likely played a part in this delay. In the first years of Wethersfield's ecclesiastical history, there was no minister. Shortly thereafter, there were three ministers and only seven church-goers. (Willard, p28) Divisions amongst those seven church members resulted in their emigrations to the coastal towns of Stamford, Milford, Fairfield, Stratford, and to Hadley, Massachusetts by 1639. A church was not built in Wethersfield until 1645. Before that, services were held in private homes.
The first meetinghouse on record was built between 1645 and 1647 and was sixteen feet square. A drum was used to call worshippers to service (Willard, p31). It was not until 1668 that the Reverend Gershom Bulkeley was appointed as permanent minister of the parish and by 1685, there was enough support to build a new and larger meeting hall on the site of the first, which measured 50 feet square (Willard, p34).
In 1708, the Saybrook Platform was enacted, which hoped to centralize the church by codifying its governance. Instead of the centralization of the Church, the Platform served to provide the tolerance needed by dissenting groups to form a number of Anglican and Baptist churches (Cunningham, p27). Further divisions were to come in 1708, when the parish of Newington split from Wethersfield It was followed in 1722, by the parish of Stepney (known as Rocky Hill) (Stiles, p351). These final splits left the residents of Wethersfield with a fairly stable group of parishioners now known as the First Ecclesiastical Society. The separation of the parish meetings of the ecclesiastical society from the town meetings of Wethersfield was first recorded in 1722 (Stiles, p243).
Throughout Connecticut, beginning in the 1740s, The Great Awakening and the sermons of the Reverend George Whitfield had a widespread effect. Whitfield spoke out against the Puritan belief system and encouraged an individual, evangelical form of worship. The traditional Puritan Church or the "Old Lights" became pitted against the followers of Whitfield, known as "the New Lights." As it grappled with this internal conflict, the church continued to lose influence over the lives of the colonists. Yet in the established parishes of the Central Valley and in particular the River Towns, many of the doubts raised by Whitfield had already been addressed long ago. The parishioners of Wethersfield had already dealt with must of the dissent that Whitfield stirred up elsewhere. The Reverend John Marsh, an ardent patriot and strong community leader helped to lead the church through the trials of the Revolution.
In the years between 1761 and 1764 the impressive brick Meeting House, now First Congregational Church, was built. The most important structure in a colonial town was the meeting house, and this house was a representation of the wealth and sophistication of those residing in Wethersfield. It served as the center of all ecclesiastical, political and social life and was used to house all town meetings until the Academy building was constructed in 1804 (Fox, p24). The elegant steeple was patterned on that of the Old North Church in Boston and that of Trinity Church in Newport. The church was said to have been "the finest church outside of Boston town." (Fox 24).
Prior to the revolution, the population of Wethersfield included a large number of successful tradesman and professionals (Willard, p6). Many of the men traveled extensively for trade and were familiar with building types seen in larger cities throughout the northeast. Wethersfield was a community filled with well-educated men (Reynolds, p7). It was therefore important that the Congregational Church be an expression of the affluence and worldliness. When John Adams visited the Congregational Church in 1774, he reported, "We went up to the steeple of the meeting house from whence is the most grand and beautiful prospect in the world, at least that I ever saw" (Willard, p1).
Education and Society
The Code of 1650 indicated that every town in the Connecticut Colony that had 50 or more homes was to also have a school master (Stiles, p353). The first recording of a schoolmaster in Wethersfield, a Mr. Thomas Lord, was in 1658. Mr. Lord must have been working under difficult conditions, since only two years later, the one schoolhouse in town was deemed unfit for use in the town records (Fox, p30). This first house was located where the Congregational chapel stood on Main Street (Stiles, p362). The first schools ran for only a few months of the year and were restricted to boys, but the schoolmaster enjoyed a fairly high status in colonial society, and was considered to be second in line only to the minister. Schools statewide were placed under the control of local ecclesiastical societies after 1711. By the year 1712, each school in the state received money based on their grand list to maintain their parish schools. By 1717, it was mandated that schools had to be maintained for at least 11 months of the year, since before this time many were operating erratically at best.
By 1772, in Wethersfield, there were 400 school-age children in town and only two schoolhouses (Stiles, p367). The two main schools in the village were located on Broad Street and at the north end of Main Street. In that same year the school district system was formed, eliminating the church's control over the educational systems of towns throughout the state. The first school dame was mentioned in 1777 - a Ms. Sarah Reynolds who was employed at the Broad Street School (Stiles, p291).
A branch of Yale University, known at the time as the Collegiate School, was operated in Wethersfield in the period between 1716 and 1718. Incorporated in Saybrook in 1701, the first tutor at Yale was a Minister of the Killingworth church. Classes were held in this home until his death in 1707. At that time disputes over the school's final location resulted in the student body being broken up into groups. Students studied under tutors in Hartford, New Haven and the Wethersfield. In Wethersfield, Elisha Williams, a trusted local educator, was placed in charge of 14 Yale students. Two years later, the college was established permanently in New Haven. Williams was elected President of the College in 1726 (Stiles, p335).
American Revolution 1775-1781
At the beginning of the Revolution, Wethersfield was an established and flourishing community. Trade provided a way for Wethersfield's farmers to profit considerably from the many goods grown throughout town; the populace was fairly wealthy, educated and sophisticated. Yet, dissatisfaction was growing towards the Crown and as the freedoms enjoyed by Colony of Connecticut began to come at a price, the ideals of patriotism and independence spread. Shortly before the Revolution, Connecticut was virtually free to govern itself. The State had a powerful bicameral General Assembly that was sanctioned by charter from England. (Willard, p9) Each town had two local, elected officials that would serve in the General Assembly's House of Representatives (Willard, p9). In the period before the Revolution, Connecticut grew into a fairly stable and politically autonomous state, but after the Peace of Paris in 1763 new taxes were levied against the colonies and dissension grew.
In 1764, Jared Ingersoll was sent to England to oppose the passing of the Stamp Act. Despite his seemingly sincere opposition to the Act, he was appointed and accepted the position of Stamp Master. Those in the Colony felt betrayed and did not receive him well upon his return the following year At Middletown, on his way from New Haven to seek the support of the General Assembly in Hartford, Ingersoll was met by 500 Sons of Liberty on horseback. The men escorted the new Stamp Master to Wethersfield's Broad Street Common and forced him to resign. (Fox, p18) Further proof of the Wethersfield's patriotism can be found in the town's support for the City of Boston when Parliament closed that port in 1774. As the people of Boston began to starve, a relief committee of Wethersfield citizens was appointed to send supplies of wheat, rye, and Indian corn (Fox, p19).
The "Lexington Alarm" on April 19, 1775 signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The events at Concord, Massachusetts spurred a strong reaction from the men of Wethersfield and a large number of them marched on Boston under the motto "Qui transtulit Sustinet" - "God who transplanted us here, will support us." (Stiles, p435) Captain John Chester led a volunteer company of 100 Wethersfield men to fight (Willard, 19). John Chester's First Company of the Sixth Militia Regiment was widely known as one of the largest and best equipped in Connecticut (Fox, p20). Most men from Wethersfield fought in the "Connecticut Line" of the Continental Army. (Adams, p456) Every Soldier who enlisted was entitled to a bounty of $20 and a suit of clothes as well as 100 acres at the end of their term. (Stiles, p457)
The 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, also known as Sheldon's Light Dragoons, were one of the most flamboyant and well-known of all of the divisions. Led by Colonel Elisha Sheldon of Salisbury, the dragoons were formed in December of 1776 and trained in Wethersfield under Benjamin Tallmadge from January to June, 1777. . The unit consisted of four mounted troops of men, mostly from Connecticut and a few other states. Major Benjamin Tallmadge and a number of other Wethersfield men including Ezekial Belden and John Webb served in this troop (Kulchnik).
General George Washington visited Wethersfield three times during the war. The first was in June 1775, when he stopped to dine at the home of delegate Silas Deane on his way to join the militia in Cambridge. The second time was in 1780, when he paused to invite his old friend, Nathaniel Stillman, to join him at his meeting with Rochambeau in Hartford. On the third visit, he stayed for five days, from May 19 through 24th, 1781, at the home of Joseph and Abigail Chester Webb. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel B. Webb, brother of Joseph, had served as an aide to General Washington earlier in the War.
On the evening of May 20th Washington and Trumbull attended a church service at the Congregational Church with the Reverend Marsh presiding. On May 21st Washington and his staff, Generals Knox and Duportail, Governor Trumbull and Colonel Wadsworth were all in Hartford to greet Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau and Francois Jean de Chastellux. They were then met en route by Hartford and Wethersfield militia, who escorted them to Wethersfield where they all attended a concert in their honor at the Meeting House.
On the following day, May 22nd, the American and French commanders and officers met at the Joseph Webb House to plan the campaign against the British. That evening Washington dined with Governor Trumbull and the generals at the Stillman Tavern in Wethersfield (Fox, p21).
While it is often thought that this meeting was made to plan the battle of Yorktown, the point of this Council was to establish a plan for a joint American-French attack on New York City, aided by the French fleet led by Admiral de Grasse stationed in the West Indies. On July 9th Washington received a letter from Lafayette stating that Lord Cornwallis and his troops were at Yorktown, Virginia and could be trapped there by the American/French contingent (Claghorn). News of the departure of Admiral DeGrasse's fleet for Chesapeake Bay caused a change in plans. On August 18th, the armies began their march to Virginia. (Selig, p 42)
Of the 26 vessels from Connecticut listed in the Continental Navy, only one was said to have come from Wethersfield. This does not account for the number of ships used by Wethersfield's privateers. A good number of Wethersfield's merchant sailors participated in privateering during the war (Cunningham, p36). The substantial trading revenues enjoyed by the town's maritime activities were all but stopped during the war thanks to blockades and sanctions imposed by the British. Privateering, allowed for a state-sanctioned way to recoup at least a small part of their lost trade through the taking of British ships (Stiles, p504).
Away from the battlefield people felt the strain of war. Clothing and provisions were scarce for the army and for those at home. Few men were available to work the fields and a depleted number of men deemed necessary to the proper function of the town, such as millers and ferrymen were left to coordinate the operations of the town and to serve as home guards. An alarm list was formed of all men already not at war between the ages of 16 and 60. (Stiles, p468) The people of Wethersfield also assisted the war effort by providing supplies in the form of clothing, blankets and food for the troops. This support also included the erection of a saltpeter works on Broad Street (Stiles, p463).
Post-Medieval and Georgian Architecture
Features common to all of these early housing styles are heavy timbered framing, a large centrally placed chimney and gable roofs (although some houses also exhibit a gambrel roof line). The massive central chimney often dominated the plan of the house, but provided much needed warmth to all of the rooms and cooking space. A small number of later homes instead feature a pair of free-standing chimneys.
Stylistically, Wethersfield was more advanced than most other inland communities. The typical post-medieval building tradition can be seen in examples such as the Buttolph-Williams House at 249 Broad Street. This house exhibits a slight overhang on the façade and gable ends of the second story - a common form seen in early colonial homes.
The more modest Cape style of house was often one story high with a shallow, pitched gable roof. This style also featured a central chimney with two large chambers located across the front and one long chamber across the back. Occasionally, twelve foot corner posts would also allow for use of the second story. The entry was often located centrally in front of the chimney and was flanked by a pair of windows on either side. The saltbox is a variation on this same style and seems to have evolved out of a need for increased space. One example of a Cape dating from this period (c. 1730) remains at Hart Street. Saltboxes were similar to the two-story Capes in plan, often being two rooms wide with a central stair and large back room. Throughout the District, there are one, two and three room saltbox plan houses. The Michael Griswold House at 116 Garden Street is an excellent remaining example of this style.
Classic New England Colonials, two rooms deep, by two rooms wide, by two stories high can be seen throughout Wethersfield. Most often built after 1730, this style of gable-roofed house allowed for use of the attic space in addition to that of the second story. A local example dating from c. 1743 can be found at the Nathanial Stillman House, located at 468 Main Street. A peculiar regional architectural element found in the houses of the River towns is the side entry or "coffin door". Coffin doors were placed on an end elevation and served as the entry for the family of the house. They were commonly found in region after 1700 (Cunningham, p38).
Examples of housing exhibiting Georgian influences can be found throughout the district at the Solomon Welles House, 220 Hartford Avenue, built in 1775; and the Justus Riley House at 290 Main Street c. 1770. The sophistication and wealth of the citizenry created a demand for this elaborate fashion, which paid homage to the classical motifs and symmetry of renaissance builders. This style, which was wildly popular among the upper classes in England, was another way for the gentry of Wethersfield to display their wealth.
Another element specific to the region is the Connecticut River Valley doorway. These doors and their accompanying surrounds were built to indicate the inhabitants' status in society - most were successful merchants. Common elements include classically inspired columns, scrolled pediments, and elaborately carved lintels. Almost all varieties of this doorway exhibit double-leaf paneled doors (Cunningham, 40). The Peter Burnham House at 36 Marsh Street and the Simeon Belden House at 249 Main Street are excellent examples of Connecticut River Valley doorways.
EARLY REPUBLIC 1780-1850
Following the Revolution, Connecticut was in a state of complete social and economic disarray. There were no set of rules in place to deal with the changes wrought during the war. Poverty, crime and disease all grew at alarming rates as the gap between the classes widened. Merchants and tradesmen prospered from the war and small farmers had suffered. As the demand for commercial activity increased among the wealthier classes and available lands diminished, the problem increased.
A new way of life was moving in to replace the old. Religion became further decentralized throughout the state. Immigration introduced more religious groups and served to further fracture the solid Congregational core of worship. Social reform programs were put into place and libraries, colleges and museums were built.
Agriculture would remain a way of life in Wethersfield and other River towns well into the twentieth century, but a slow decline began in the 1780s. Over-farming brought blight as overworked soil would no longer yield crops. Large-scale emigrations to the west and south left Connecticut, like most other states throughout the Northeast, with a labor shortage. Advancements in transportation seen in the form of steam power and the new turnpike system further facilitated trade and industry. As the Farmington Canal was built and new railway tracks were laid throughout the region, manufacturing began to take on a new importance. By 1850, one half of the state's men were employed by industry.
Transportation
The Connecticut River remained an important transportation link during this period. Despite the advancements made by turnpike and railroad companies, roads remained in fairly poor condition well into the twentieth century and the rail line did not extend through Wethersfield until the 1850s. In 1819, Samuel Latimer built a boat landing from which produce was shipped down river and to New York or abroad. It remained in operation until 1860, when it was taken over by the Wethersfield Wharf Company (Fox, p37). In 1825, The New Haven Steamboat Company was in operation along the river and brought passengers and goods to and from New York Harbor and served as an important form of transportation.
Throughout the state, turnpikes became a way in which roads could be maintained without causing an expense to the taxpayers of the towns. Instead tolls were paid by those who utilized the roads. By 1798, the Hartford-New Haven Turnpike was operating from the South Green in Hartford to Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven (Stiles, p632). The Middlesex Turnpike Company was chartered in 1802, and ran between Rocky Hill and Saybrook. The Standish Brothers of Wethersfield ran a stagecoach called "The Red-Bird Flier." The turnpike companies throughout the Connecticut were short lived, since payments often did not cover maintenance costs. Both turnpikes ceased operation before 1872 (Stiles, p633). The Post Road between Boston and New York (Route 1) provided a more efficient means of communication along its route. (Stiles, p633)
Railroad tracks were laid throughout the states beginning in the 1840s. Railroads had an effect on nearly every aspect of Americans lives - from communication to construction and revolutionized the way goods were produced and delivered to consumers. The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (later the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) Depot was located in Newington in the 1850s and it would not be until 1871 that a station was established with a Wethersfield depot for the Hartford and Connecticut Valley Railroad. (Stiles, p633) At that time, the Town opened Church Street to connect the center of the village to the station.
Commerce and Agriculture
Agricultural operations were still of premier importance to the people of the town, but it was perhaps this industry that would have the greatest impact on Wethersfield in later years. Advancements in the science of agriculture would lead to a specialization of products throughout the Central Valley. In Wethersfield, the famous Wethersfield Red Onion would remain an important export, and an international seed market would form.
It was during the latter part of this period that the insurance industry would begin in Hartford. The insurance industry began with the private underwriting of policies to protect maritime concerns in the late 1790s. Though most of the companies founded prior to 1810 shortly went out of business, it was less than a decade later when the major players in the insurance market, such as Aetna got their start. Toward the middle of the nineteenth century, those working in Hartford began to make their homes in neighboring towns such as Farmington and Wethersfield.
River yards were still in operation and trade with the West Indies remained important for the towns in the Central Valley, particularly after Europe went to war in the period between 1793 and 1807 (Cunningham, p50). A wharf was established at the end of River Street at this time, which continued to be used until around 1920. Trade had opened up with China, but on a limited basis for the River Towns. In fact, while still a source of income, the interior ports were not as active as those found elsewhere along the coast and further south along the River. The majority of the shipping trade shifted to New Haven and more prominently to New York and Boston. By the end of the period shipbuilding during this period also all but ceased in Wethersfield as the majority of firms moved to Rocky Hill.
On the agricultural front many advancements were made out of sheer necessity. Land throughout the state was at a premium, since many of the original fields were now overworked and blighted. It was also during this time that mass emigrations took place westward to New York, Pennsylvania and the Western Reserve of Ohio. Crops such as wheat could no longer be grown in the fields of Connecticut, yet the fertile lands of the west could easily support them. The emigrations grew to such a number after 1812, that a severe labor shortage was felt throughout the state (Cunningham, p53). As a result, the people of the Central Valley coped by turning to smaller and more specialized crops. In addition to the Wethersfield Red Onion, which continued to be a major export, one of the most important agricultural contributions to come out of Wethersfield were high quality, disease resistant seeds.
Both the Lockwood and Belden families of Wethersfield ran early seed businesses. James Lockwood Belden operated a flourishing seed businesses during the 1820s and 30s. At the same time gentleman farmer, Judge Franklin G. Comstock, began raising Mulberry trees on his Wethersfield farm in order to produce food for the cultivation of silkworms. After the failure of that experiment, in 1838 Comstock along with Mr. Butler Strong of East Hampton, purchased the Belden seed business. Comstock not only produced high quality vegetable seeds, but also was instrumental in developing printed packets in which various garden seeds could be sold. Comstock seeds were sold as far away as Canada and the deep south of the United States. The Comstock name became famous and remains connected to seed production today. A number of other local firms were engaged in the seed business such as: Butler N. Strong & Co., Johnson Robbins & Co., and Thomas Griswold & Co. Salesmen from European seed firms often came to Wethersfield to trade their wares with the local producers.
Industry
In the period between 1780 and 1850 small manufacturing operations began to turn up in and around Wethersfield. In 1831, Thomas Griswold and Company became the first to introduce the power loom in Wethersfield. (Stiles, p648) Griswold weaved satinet and stockinet a mixture of cotton and wool. Hemp factories were found throughout town in the early 1800s proved to be important in the production of ropes (Stiles, p657). Tools were made at the Griswold Manufacturing Co. in 1832 and carriage making operations also existed in this area (Stiles, p655).
A coffee and spice business was started by William Boardman on Broad Street in 1841 (Willard, p74). Printing was an important industry as well. In the early 1800s there was a print shop located in a house at the east corner of Main and Garden Streets. The Life of Thomas Jefferson was printed there despite its being listed as having been published in New York. (Willard, p75) One of the most famous publications to come out of Wethersfield was the widely distributed Farmer's Manual by Frederick Butler. Butler was a teacher who was also responsible for writing what is commonly considered to be the first American History book, A Complete History of the United States of America. There were also five distilleries located in Wethersfield in 1820 (Fox, p36). Ice cutting was an industry that employed a number of Wethersfield men. Natural ice was harvested from the Cove and private ponds such as Charter's Pond in the southern part of Wethersfield.
Craftsmen such as Frank Stuart Blinn studied woodcarving in Germany and created fine furniture for local use (Willard, p74). Edward Shepard was the most famous of the artisans to come out of Wethersfield. The fine furniture maker lived in a house now located on Church Street. In the basement of his shop there was a horse driven treadmill that provided power. Despite these small operations, Wethersfield did not take part in the beginnings of the industrial revolution felt in the larger cities of the Central Valley area.
Town Development
While most other towns in the state struggled with their development and formation during this period Wethersfield has existed as a long standing - albeit changing community. As the former parish of Stepney in southern Wethersfield was incorporated into Rocky Hill in 1843, Wethersfield continued to develop within its newly curtailed bounds.
The Wethersfield Methodist Episcopal Church was formed after a visit to Wethersfield by Reverence William S. Pease. As early as 1790 Methodist meetings were being held in the Old North Brick schoolhouse, by preacher Jesse Lee. Itinerant preachers would often appear at the house and spread their doctrine, but it was Pease's sermon that seemed to have the greatest effect on the people of Wethersfield. Many in the Congregational Church found the Methodist preachings to be offensive and the congregation was again split. In 1824 a cornerstone was laid at a site on Main Street that had been purchased by Mr. Charles Winslow. The simple structure was built and a new congregation of Methodists was formed (Fox, p27). A Baptist Church was also built in 1816, A larger church was built at the corner of Main Street and Hartford Avenue in 1876, but it was a short-lived venture with services ending by 1900 (Fox, p25).
From 1800 to 1850 a large number of new religious groups were formed and religion in Connecticut was further decentralized. Anglicans reorganized themselves as Episcopalians, Roman Catholics established churches and beginning in 1843, Jewish synagogues were built (Cunningham, p43).
Throughout the period, the Town of Wethersfield continued to grow out from the old village, reaching west and south into the fields and forests of the town. As land became more settled, the town structure began to form. The first Post office was established in 1794 and the town's first fire company was organized in 1803 - the second chartered in the state-and the oldest in continuous existence in New England. The Union Library was first organized in 1783 by Colonel John Chester, Stephen Mix Mitchell and Joseph Webb. (Fox, p22) In its first incarnation it was opened for only two hours on Saturdays, and eventually was closed due to lack of support in 1850. A new library was organized in 1866 when Mr. Chauncy Rose bequeathed the town money for its building. It was located in the upstairs of the Congregational Church and was later moved to the Academy Building.
Politics, Education and Social Reform
Federalists, members of what was known as the "Standing Order," maintained control over the much of the state throughout this period. The Federalist part consisted of members of the powerful and privileged gentry. Opposition and resentment slowly grew against the party and finally reached its peak during the War of 1812 (Cunningham, p44). The Federalists' negative reaction to the War and the refusal of Connecticut and Massachusetts to participate, labeled the party as traitorous. Forty Wethersfield men participated in the conflict, thereby reflecting a population that must have disagreed with Federalist policy. By the election of 1818, the Federalists were defeated and a new state constitution was drawn up.
The stratification of classes became even more pronounced after the war (Cunningham, p45). Urban masses of debtors and poor rural farmers were in stark contrast to those merchants and tradesmen who had profited from the battle. Poverty and epidemic disease were rampant throughout the state but were most acutely felt in the urban centers of Hartford and New Haven (Cunningham, p45).
In this period, prior to 1853, all theatrical performances, musical recitals and circuses were banned by the Protestant Church (Cunningham, p48). This paints a rather grim picture of the time, but a large number of public libraries and art museums were established throughout the state, including the Wadsworth Atheneum to provide more "appropriate" forms of entertainment (Cunningham, p48).
The educational system in Wethersfield expanded throughout the nineteenth century. Former one room schoolhouses were found at the following locations: North Brick school - Hartford Avenue, Nott and Garden Street (since demolished); the High Street School - Main Street between Hartford Ave and State Streets (now a dwelling); the Broad Street School (demolished); the West Hill School on Wells Road beyond Wolcott Hill (used by the Art League); the Maple Street School (now a dwelling) and the Griswoldville School, south of the firehouse (demolished). Each of six schools operated as a separate school district. Most of these buildings were built around the middle of the nineteenth century and served the town for over fifty years. These fireproof brick schoolhouses replaced the original wooden structures.
In 1804, the Academy was built with the support of Colonel John Chester and in 1824 the space was rented to the Reverend Joseph Emerson, who established a female seminary there (Willard, p24). School societies were abolished in 1856 and school administrative functions were transferred to towns.
Crime was most prevalent in the larger cities but had an effect on the smaller towns of the valley as well, since they were often the ones who hosted the institutions in which the criminals were held. A new prison was built in Wethersfield in 1827 to replace the facility at Newgate Prison in East Granby. Upon its completion, 137 prisoners were marched from Newgate to Wethersfield. Poorhouses and poor farms were established to try and address the problem of poverty in rural areas. In the urban centers of the Central Valley slums were forming. A workhouse was built in Wethersfield near the Cove in 1811 to address the problem locally (Stiles, p629).
Neo-Classical and Romantic Architecture
Many of the wealthy merchants and members of the "Standing Order" demanded houses that spoke of their status and sophistication. Many high style Georgian and Federal houses can be found throughout the Central Valley. Federal style architecture, like most other influential building designs in early America derived from an English precedent. In the period between 1790 and 1820, Architect Robert Adam began building simple, yet classically proportioned homes for the gentry of Great Britain. In America, the Federal style house was popularized by Asher Benjamin who created pattern books for this style. The most notable stylistic detail in Federal building is a fanlight, which was placed above the front entry. Beyond this embellishment, entry ways were often comprised of classical pilasters and tall entablatures (Cunningham, p68). Many of the early Federal houses were variations on the Colonial center hall plan although some feature end chimneys. Brick versions of the Federal style are found throughout the towns lining the Connecticut River.
The Georgian style persisted through this period in the Central Valley, with the addition of Palladian design elements. Georgian elements such as hipped roofs and quoining were also often combined with Federal details. In Wethersfield, the width of new houses was reduced from five to four bays. The most popular after 1800 was the gable end version sometimes with three bays and an off-center doorway. These precursors of the subsequent Greek Revival-style have more delicate detailing.
The Greek Revival style was to become the most popular building style in the country after 1830. This style was influenced by the country's fascination with the Greek democratic ideal. Classically inspired design elements, based on the pediments, columns and pilasters found on Greek temples provided this inspiration for this style. While often seen in public buildings throughout the Connecticut Valley, residential varieties were most prevalent during this period. The most notable examples are the John William's House at 260 Main Street and the Chester Bulkely House at 184 Main Street. Wethersfield's vernacular versions have heavy columns and entablatures, whose massive scale was used to suggest the weight of stone.
In the 1840s a number of Romantic styles, such as Gothic Revival and Italian Villa were popularized through Andrew Jackson Downing's book Cottage Residences. The Gothic Revival style utilized steeply pitched gables and tall, narrow lancet windows. The George Taylor house, located at 297 Main Street and built in 1872 serves as a local example of this style.
Industrial and Urban Growth Period
The Industrial and Urban Growth Period is primarily characterized by the population explosion that took place in Connecticut's urban centers. As immigrants flooded into Connecticut's cities to work semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, the populations not only grew but the demographics of many cities experienced a significant shift. Over 70 percent of the population of the Central Valley were first or second generation immigrants, by the year 1930 (Cunningham, p86). The Civil War, while a boost to the industrial economy of the state, cost many lives throughout the Central Valley. Abolitionist activity grew prior to the war in Hartford and New Haven and strong support of the Union went relatively unchallenged.
Agriculture was still the most important way to make a living in Connecticut at the beginning of this period, but as manufacturing and industry grew, an increasing number of farms suffered from lack of labor and land. The Agricultural Experiment Station was opened in 1875 to try and devise solutions to the many problems faced by the Central Valley's farmers.
Advances in transportation and in communication with the invention of the radio and telephone had major effects on the lives of those living in the Central Valley. Wethersfield men formed the Wethersfield- Horse-Drawn Railroad in 1863. This "trolley" ran between Wethersfield and north spring Cemetery in Hartford. (Trolley Book)
Civil War 1861-1864
During the 1850s Connecticut was in political turmoil. While the questions of the Union and slavery remained subjects of intense debate, most in Connecticut were firmly behind the Union or Republican cause by 1861. Abolitionism grew in small but strong pockets across the state and was spurred on by the Amistad incident in 1839. Slavery ended in Connecticut in 1848; but blacks were still forced to live on the fringes of white society. African-Americans in Connecticut continued to experienced discrimination and inequality in education, employment and public services throughout this period.
The Republican Party in the state was against slavery and invited Presidential Candidate Abraham Lincoln to speak in Hartford. Lincoln spoke to passionate crowds in Middletown, New Haven, Waterbury and Norwich and easily won the state's vote for the election in 1860. Lincoln's visit to the Connecticut Valley further solidified the people of Connecticut behind the Republican cause, but the Civil War exacted a great price from the people of Connecticut. A number of local Wethersfield men, including Sergeant Major Robert Hale Kellogg fought in the Sixteenth Connecticut Infantry, Company A. Kellogg was captured and later released from the infamous Andersonville Prison at Camp Sumter in Andersonville, Georgia (Nolin).
Over 50,000 men were sent to fight from Connecticut and almost 20,000 ended up as casualties (Cunningham, p88). As the war progressed and casualties to Connecticut troops mounted, anti-black sentiment rose in the state. Further unrest came after the national draft was instated in 1862. Many men from Connecticut fled to Canada to escape. The following year, when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, anti-black sentiment rose sharply and support for Lincoln fell sharply.
After the war, support for Connecticut's African-Americans was all but nonexistent. Jobs and educational opportunities were still beyond the reach of most. By law all of the state's public schools were integrated in 1869, but much stood in the way of racial equality in Connecticut.
THE NATION 1850-1930
Wethersfield did not feel the effects of industry in the same way that the larger cities of the Central Valley such as Hartford or New Haven did, but the influence of the growing industrial society had an impact on the lives of Wethersfield citizens.
The effect of the automobile on American culture during this period was just beginning to be felt, but it was the streetcar that would dominate the world of transportation around the turn of the twentieth century. Early transportation methods were slow and at the mercy of poor roadway conditions. A stagecoach line from Hartford to Wethersfield made tri-daily trips beginning in 1852. This was followed by the Hartford and Wethersfield Horse Railroad was opened in 1862-1863 (Stiles, p633). Beginning in 1893, an electrified line of the Hartford and Wethersfield Horse Railway (later known as the Hartford Street Railway) was built. The line connected the City of Hartford to the Wethersfield Green. Stops were made at State Street, Main Street and Garden Street. Later trolley lines were used for shopping, picnics and by commuters. The streetcar was an affordable alternative that was available to all classes and allowed people to live at a distance from their places of employment. Streetcar suburbs were formed throughout the town. The trolley not only changed the way people commuted into work but also how they went about heir every day lives. People no longer needed to rely on local shops or door-to-door sellers since shopping could all now be done at once in the city. As the period drew to a close travel by trolley was on the wane as buses and automobiles replaced streetcars as the preferred means of transportation.
Between the years of 1903 and 1913, the trunk line highways system was established in Connecticut (Connecticut Department of Transportation: 100 Year Anniversary Online) and soon after, in the 1920s roads throughout the state were straightened and repaired. During the 1920s there were over 250,000 cars in the state. Trolleys were replaced by jitneys that would follow these new road systems, such as the Boston Post Road - Route 1. Many road "improvements" required the demolition of the historic fabric in many cities and towns. Thankfully, the original plan for the Silas Deane Highway, which would have bisected the Broad Street Green, was challenged and another alternative, the one that is still in use today, was agreed upon.
Despite all of these changes to the way in which people traveled, the river was still used to move people and goods. Two brothers by the name of Goodrich owned and operated the New York and Hartford Transportation Company. The steamers Hartford and Middletown ran to and from New York on alternating days, bringing passengers and freight (Willard, p58). In 1923, Ballard Oil Company purchased Wethersfield Wharf and sold it to the Tidewater Oil and Gasoline Company. The river was used to transport this fuel around the state in the 1930s.
Immigration Urbanization /Changing Communities
Industry fast became the focus of life in Connecticut's urban communities. Despite its size, Connecticut ranked fourth among the industrialized states in 1850. The Cities of Hartford and New Haven, located along the Connecticut's shores were particularly affected by this surge in growth. Wethersfield's close proximity to Hartford coupled with advancements in transportation opened it up to a new demographic of inhabitants - those who commuted to jobs in the city.
The need for immigrant labor to fill the ever increasing jobs in factories meant that the mostly Anglo-American population of Wethersfield would experience a drastic change as Irish, Italian, German and Polish immigrants all began to move into Hartford and its surrounding towns. Between the years of 1840 and 1850 the state's population jumped from 60,000 to 370,000 (Cunningham, p95). Approximately one tenth of this new population consisted of immigrant workers. Changes to communities such as Wethersfield were thus inevitable.
In 1871, Newington broke from Wethersfield and was incorporated as a separate town. (Willard, p 26).The increase in the population of the town meant an increased need for additional schools. The old one room schoolhouses could no longer cope and in 1916, the North Brick, Main Street, Broad Streets and West Hill School houses were closed. The Charles Wright School was built on Nott Street and the 1893 High School on Main Street was enlarged.
Public utilities were expanded to meet the increasing demand that was placed on the town's resources. Electric lights came to the town in 1898 and a new sewage system was installed in 1929 (Willard, p95). The Fire Department of Wethersfield is the oldest volunteer company in the United States. The Wethersfield Village Improvement Association was started in 1883 by Stephen Willard of the Comstock Ferre Company. Willard and other early members of the Association worked to provide sidewalks and streetlamps for the Village area and successfully worked to save the Webb House. The society is still in effect and is working to preserve the character of the Wethersfield District.
Recreation and Leisure Time
The massive expansion of cities during this time necessitated the idea of the "country retreat." Regulation of working hours for the first time in history left a new class of people with leisure time. Both the wealthy and working classes enjoyed the many parks that were built in Central Valley cities, during this period. Hartford's Bushnell Park is just once such example. Yacht clubs, golf clubs and resorts were opened throughout the state. The Western Uplands and the eastern coast both served as popular vacation spots.
Available income and affordable transportation by trolley car, allowed for the idea of the "day trip." Although many wealthy Connecticut residents summered on the eastern shore of Connecticut, the Cove at Wethersfield became a popular recreational spot. The trolley often brought people in from Hartford to swim or boat there.
Agriculture and Rural Life
Between the Civil War and World War I, agriculture in Connecticut became much more specialized. This specialization came about as a way to compete against the large-scale producers located in the western and southern United States. Western competition forced many farmers to abandon their farms, resulting in a drop in the overall acreage in cultivated lands in the state. Concurrently, much of the forests that had been cleared for cultivation were again growing into woodlands.
At the same time that agricultural acreage was shrinking, the explosive growth of cities in the Northeast provided Connecticut farmers with the opportunity to market perishable items such as fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. The Wethersfield grange was organized in 1890 and its hall built in 1898.
Agricultural specialization around the turn of the twentieth century allowed Connecticut's farmers to compete against the overwhelming competition of the western states. Crops such as broad leaf tobacco remained relevant to the economy of the Central Valley throughout the twentieth century. The Central Valley was home Connecticut's "Tobacco Valley." Large numbers of immigrant laborers came from the West Indies and Puerto Rico to the area to serve as temporary labor in the fields. Southern college students were often recruited to work in the fields in the summer as well. One notable Morehouse student, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent the summers of 1944 and 1947 on a Simsbury tobacco farm.
Tobacco farming in Wethersfield has all but ceased during this period. Wethersfield remained a fairly residential community dotted with small farms. Most of the large dairy operations and tobacco lands found in Wethersfield were lost to development. Tobacco fields provide level areas for development and suffered the greatest losses as a result.
The seed business continued to flourish throughout this era. The Comstock Ferre Co. and the Charles C. Hart Seed Company were both highly profitable businesses. These companies helped market gardeners and farmers to produce high quality and specialized produce to for the growing urban markets. Despite the fact that market gardening and farming was carried out into the twentieth century, the majority of those living in Wethersfield by 1930 were in business in Hartford.
Victorian and Early Twentieth Century Revival Architecture
Innovations in construction techniques made the building of houses much easier than before. Balloon framing provided a quick and less expensive alternative to timber framing. Decorative elements were mass produced by machine, and construction materials became easily transportable by rail or road. This led to a tremendous variety of building stock of Connecticut.
The time between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Great Depression brought a flood of picturesque styles and elaborate ornamentation to the building of residential structures. The industrial revolution also created a level of wealth not seen before and with that came an increased need to display that wealth with an elaborately constructed home.
Italianate styles found throughout Connecticut are identified by the often flat roof, hooded or arched windows, commonly grouped, and wide eaves supported by scrolled brackets. Often a portico is found over the entry. The most notable is James Pratt's at 223 Garden Street. Another style known as the "Second Empire" which features a mansard roof and bracketed eaves was popular in the period between 1860 and 1875. Residential Victorian architecture is characterized by elaborate surface finishes, ornamentation and asymmetrical plans. Variations on the Victorian type can be seen in the Queen Anne, Stick and Shingle styles. Queen Anne's were often rambling, asymmetrically planned structures that featured turrets, bay windows and intersecting roofs. The most notable examples can be found at 305 and 311 Hartford Avenue. The Stick style featured trim boards that served to articulate the structure's framing system, while the Shingle style featured finely crafted shingle exteriors. All feature porches were trimmed with what was quite often elaborate millwork.
Colonial Revival buildings were also popular at the turn of the century, particularly in towns such as Wethersfield which had original building stock from which to draw inspiration. The Colonial Revival style was introduced to Wethersfield by architect Frederic Comstock, who designed the house at 349 Main Street for Hartford photographer Richard DeLamater in 1892. Four years later, Comstock designed 84 Broad Street for Walter Fenn in the same style. The American Foursquare is a two story box-like variation of this form. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Tudor Revival finally became a popular suburban building style.
Bungalows and Craftsman houses were also popular housing styles for suburban communities after 1904. The Bungalow originated in California shortly after the turn of the century and quickly spread throughout the nation. Characterized by low pitched roofs and overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails; tapered porch columns and heavy massing, these homes shared many of the same stylistic elements homes but Craftsmen houses also focused on natural motifs and finely carved wooden interior details.
One housing type that borrowed from the Bungalow and Craftsmen style were the Hubbard houses built in Wethersfield from 1915-1925. A. G. Hubbard was a carpenter and Wethersfield resident, who recognized a need for quality homes that could be both individual and a part of a larger community. Built during Wethersfield's initial days as a streetcar suburb, the Hubbard houses offered 67 plans for the owners to choose from. Over 200 Hubbard Houses were built in the area round Church and Garden Streets. Each street in a Hubbard community is marked with a distinctive street sign depicting a charming house and tree. Streets were also marked with large stone pillars topped by flowered urns. The sense of community that his houses brought to Wethersfield was most important to Hubbard, who arranged get togethers for homeowners and started the "Hubbard Community Club" (CHC Wethersfield files). After 1925, Hubbard chose to build the majority of his houses in the Colonial Revival and Tudor styles.
WORLD POWER 1930-1965
Although World War II brought about a brief boost in the State's industrial economy, manufacturing establishments continued to close their doors in Connecticut. This period brought drastic changes to the economy seen in the extremes of the Great Depression and the boom following World War II. The advancements in transportation and the further decentralization of industry resulted in suburbanization. This mass movement of people away from the nation's city centers brought fundamental changes to the social structure of cities and towns.
National trends saw people moving out of the cities and into suburbs such as Wethersfield. Like most other semi-rural communities, Wethersfield's population increased the most during the period following World War II. Route 99, 15, and Interstate 91 changed the way people traveled, and provided quick access to Hartford for those working in the City's flourishing insurance industry.
As populations fled the cities beginning in the 1950s, the businesses that they supported followed suit. Connecticut's cities declined as the ever growing middle-class developed the state's towns. The demographics of the state shifted as cities such as New Haven and Hartford became home to new immigrant populations and many blacks fleeing from the segregated South. The resources of the cities soon became depleted without the steady tax base once provided by industry. School systems suffered, crime escalated, and building stock became dilapidated. While at the same time, those who fled the cities were now putting all of their resources into the small towns they now called home.
The Great Depression and Wartime Recovery
Unemployment in Connecticut between 1930 and 1931 rose from 7.5% to 25%. Businesses closed throughout the state, industry in the Central Valley suffered and banks were liquidated. National Relief programs such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided employment and assistance to the many unemployed. Many of Connecticut's town halls and post offices were built during this time. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed over 30,000 Connecticut men prior to 1942. The CCC helped to improve the state park and forest system and made it suitable for recreational use. Connecticut industry was helped by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) and the National Industrial Recovery Act. The positive effects of these programs were undone by two disasters in the Central Valley region. The Flood of 1936 and the Hurricane of 1938 both had dire effects on the economy and morale of central Connecticut. WPA programs worked to build dikes that separated the City of Hartford from the Connecticut River (Cunningham 124). The depression had a tremendous effect on housing within the Wethersfield Historic District. Many of older homes were foreclosed and converted to two family rentals. Also, the flood of 1936 inundated the District, prompting many people to move away from the Cove, but unlike Hartford, Wethersfield farmers chose not to dike our meadows.
World War II brought relief in the form of a boost to the area's industrial operations. In the Central Valley in particular companies such as Pratt & Whitney made large contributions to the war effort. The many metal processing industries of the Central Valley were temporarily saved from extinction by the production needs of the World War II.
Industry
During World War II, Connecticut industry temporarily regained its strength and production climbed to higher than pre-Depression levels. The Central Valley was the leader of this recovery with companies such as Pratt & Whitney. The production of war-related items such as metals, shipbuilding, munitions and aircraft throughout the area helped the state recover from its manufacturing lull. Most of the manufacturing operations in Wethersfield, even those that were operating on a small scale had been closed by the time that the war started.
Although small manufacturing operations remain today, the Town of Wethersfield is almost completely without industry and there are no industrial concerns found within the boundaries of the district. It is for the most part a suburban and residential community.
Agriculture
Between the years of 1930 and 1965 there was a dramatic overall loss of farmland in Connecticut. As property taxes increased, many farmers in the Central Valley were forced to subdivide or sell their property to developers. Wethersfield was a prime example of this type of land division and ceased to be an agricultural community.
Although a small number of commercial farms remain in Wethersfield today, including Anderson Farm on Broad Street, the rich agricultural tradition in Wethersfield has dwindled.
Suburbanization
One of the greatest pressures felt by the towns as more people moved out to the suburbs was to provide adequate educational facilities. In Wethersfield, a new high school was built on the corner of Silas Deane Highway and Church Place.
Another problem faced by growing suburbs was the destruction of historic properties and creation of suburban sprawl. Around 1927, the State created a plan to build a major road down center of Broad Street. This threat to the historic center of Wethersfield prompted the Town's Selectman to hire Herbert Swan to prepare the 1928 Town Plan. This Town Plan created the Silas Deane Highway - a major throughway that now allows most of the Town's commercial and commuter traffic to bi-pass the old village. The Town of Wethersfield enacted Planning and Zoning regulations as early as 1928 and was the first town in Connecticut to draw up a Plan of Conservation and Development.
The 2.3 square mile, Old Wethersfield Historic District was founded in 1962, according to the Town's Statute, "To topreserve and protect the many architectural phases of a Connecticut River Community in continual growth from 1634 to the present." Comprised of eight members (five regular and three alternate members), the Commission works to preserve the architectural integrity of Old Wethersfield through district regulations and reviews. The Commission also works to promote the educational, economic and cultural potential of the district. The buildings remaining in the district today include: three seventeenth century houses, 87 eighteenth century houses; and 160 nineteenth century houses. Thanks to the work of progressively minded preservationists, much of Wethersfield's colonial past is still easily readable in the streets and greens of the District. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Transportation
When the trolley lines stopped running in 1941, those living in the newly established streetcar suburbs turned to the automobile as their means of transportation. During this time the railroads were also suffering. Buses and trucks had replaced the need to move large numbers of people and freight. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad went out of business after a brief boost in business seen during World War II.
As a suburb or bedroom community of Hartford, the people of Wethersfield had an obvious need for transportation in and out of the Capital City. During the 1950s, as the Cold War brought the subject of National Defense to the forefront, the need for strategic highways was recognized. The Federal Highway Act of 1956 ranked routes by their importance and established an interstate highway system. Route 5/15 from Meriden to Wethersfield was one of the roads improved around mid-century. By 1958, I-84 was built from Danbury to Hartford and I-91 was built from Hartford to Springfield. The section in Wethersfield was built between 1958 and 1963, when the Motor Vehicle Department replaced the prison on State Street. Both of these roadways linked Wethersfield to neighboring Hartford and other surrounding areas. Today, Routes 99, 3 and 5/15 all provide Wethersfield residents with superior access to Interstate I-91. These roads allowed Wethersfield to grow into a primarily residential community. Most of the town's limited commercial activity was and is still today focused along the Silas Deane Highway and the Berlin Turnpike.
Modern Architecture
Predictably, no examples of the modern style are found in Wethersfield Historic District, but examples of the International Style can be found in neighboring Hartford's skyline. The International Style in America was proliferated by a group of European expatriates. Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Adolf Meyer and Mies van der Rohe all came to the US during the 1930s. The focus of the International style was simplicity of form coupled with a complete removal of all superfluous decorative embellishment. The form of the structure itself was the main source design element of the building.
Although some examples of this style can be found in various rural and suburban communities throughout Connecticut, Wethersfield remained fairly conservative in its choice of building styles. New variations on the Cape or New England Farmhouse are seen throughout the suburban streets of Wethersfield, often with the addition of Georgian embellishments.
The Post Modern building style can also be found in many homes built after 1970. These structures incorporate elements of the Colonial, Stick and Shingle styles with a basic center-hall Farmhouse core. Perhaps most closely associated with suburban living, the Raised Ranch and Split-Level California Ranch which are represented in many of Wethersfield's neighborhoods.
Bibliography
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Cunningham, Janice P. Historic Preservation in Connecticut, Central Valley : historical and architectural overview and management guide. Hartford, Connecticut: Connecticut Historical Commission, 1997.
Fox, Frances Welles. Wethersfield and Her Daughters: Glastonbury, Rocky Hill, Newington, from 1634 to 1934. Hartford, Connecticut: Printed by the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., 1934.
Kuchnik, Frank ed. The Continental Line Militia and State Troops. Edited by The New Jersey AHGP. Online: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/state1/continental_line.htm. Viewed March 17, 2002.
Nolin, K. Civil War Manuscripts Project. Connecticut Historical Society. Online: http://www.chs.org/kcwmp/cwkl.htm. Viewed March 10, 2003.
Stiles, Henry ed. The History of Ancient Wethersfield Volume I: Based Upon the Manuscript Collection of the late Judge Sherman W. Adams. Volume I - History. New York: Grafton Press, 1904.
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