Class. Book„ Qpifi. THE OLD STATE HOUSE IS GONE, BUT ARE SELLING Flour, Grain and Feed, AS WELL AS Fox" Stal>le Ke deling-, at 2 f Mtney Aifiine. Railroafl f arehonse, 431 East St. E. 11 SHELDON & CO. Staffori Ml 393 State St, ij I mil BOOK PRINTING THE lEVV HAVEN STATE HOUSE WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE GREEN And Varfous Matters of Historical and Local Interest, Gathered FROM Many Sources. /A .'-V PUBLISHED BY HENRY PECK and GEORGE H. COE, NEW HAVEN, CONN. 1889. COPYRIGHT, 1889. BY HENRY PECK and GEO. H. COE. ^T K. B. Sheldon & Co.. Eleclrotjpers and Printers, New Haven, Conn. DEDICATED TO SUCH OF OUR ANCESTORS AS WERE BURIED IN NEW HAVEN GREEN, FOR WHOM THERE IS NO MONUMENTAL STONE, AND WHOSE NAMES ARE NOT UPON ANY PAGE OF A PUBLIC RECORD. ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE The State House . . . . . . . . 1 1 The Parthenon ....... 14 The First Methodist Church . , . . . .49 Diagrams of the State House ..... 57, 59, 61 The Elm Tree and the Green . . . , . -65 The Green in 1720 ........ 69 The Green in 1800 ....... Sabbaday Houses ........ The Second State House ...... Octagonal Burying Ground . ..... The Falling Columns — North End ..... The South End and West Side in Ruins . . , .147 The Green in 1S50 . . . . , , , ,167 139 139 139 139 '45 PREFACE. The author and compiler takes .the opportunity to thank those elderly citizens who have furnished from memory some of the facts and incidents which have been worked into this rather Mosaic production, and thanks are also given to the Palladiwti, Journal a7id Courier, and Register for the use of their files. To his old news- paper friends, who have shown a kindly interest in his work, assur- ances are hereby given that their manifestations of good-will have been appreciated. While it was thought inexpedient to attempt a chronological order in the arrangement of the matter laid before the reader, care has been taken that the dates and names mentioned should be as accu- rate as possible. Hexrv Peck. Two Great Mistakes ! Tlie g-i'oatest itii«talie e^-er iiiacle toy IVeAV tioii of* tlie State House. IS IN SUPPOSING THAT B. BOOTH HAS ONLY SECOND HAND AND AUCTION GOODS AT 388, 890 and 392 Btate Bt. Those who thus think do themselves an injustice, and suffer loss through their own neglect to examine his stock of liT e TXT- ^-u-mituLre, COVERING THOUSANDS OF SQUARE FEET OF HIS FOUR STORY FURNITURE EMPORIUM, which can be bought for less money than the same quality of goods can be had from any other dealer. Heis an Auctioneer. He sells at auction every SATUR- DAY CONSIGNED GOODS of every description; but all consigned and second-hand goods have their own special department, aside from his regular stock of New Furniture. MR. BOOTH HAS PRODUCED TWO VALUABLE THINGS. BOOTH'S UNIVERSAL FURNITURE POLISH AND A Valixal>le I^eiiiecl^^ foi- Oom». Botli Of these leet witli geueral fayor, A trial liottle of tlie Corn RemoTer can lie liart for TEN CENTS. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE A COMPLETE history of the State Houses which have stood upon New Haven's market-place or Green, would be a record of nearly all the important events of a local character during a period of about two hundred and fifty years, and ending in 1889. The reader of such a history would be able to discern the progress of our town in its social, religious and business affairs — its changes of opinion and improvement in general intelligence — its advancement in knowledge, religious illumination, industrial enterprise and literary, musical and art culture. It would be a record of prosperity and reasonable reward for honorable labor, not unbroken by interpolations of stories of panic and calamity. To the reader would incidentally appear the broadening, liberalizing effects wrought by successive movements of common interest. Fidelity to tradition — love of ancestral honor and justice — these are distinctive elements of life in New Haven to-day, no less than in the earliest years of our commonwealth. The trans- planted vine hath indeed flourished, its fruitage being fairer and sweeter than even the forecasting of those who confidently and prayerfully believed in the declaration, Qui Tf-anstulit Siistinet. The first State House, built in 1717, was located on the Green, not far from the corner of Elm and College streets, and in the building were accommodated the courts. Near this structure was the jail. In 1763 the " new brick " State House was erected upon the Green, 7 8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. a short distance north of Trinity Church, the steps projecting into Temple Street. A part of the first floor was used as a dining and ball room, and on the same floor were the court and jury rooms. The upper house of the General Assembly occupied the south room, and the lower house the north room of the second floor. The prudence and economy of our forefathers are revealed in their official action in connection with the taxation inseparable from payment of the bills for constructing the building. The County Court, in 1761, appointed a committee to represent to the Legislature that the two halfpenny rates on the county and the penny rate on the town for the purpose of paying for the building, were more than sufficient for the building of a house sufficient for the county, and in this action they had the moral support of the civil authority, who, January 10, 1763, refused to lay any further tax. The objection of the court and civil author- ity prevailed not, however, for the Legislature, sitting at Hartford, May, 1763, directed that there should be a tax laid of one penny on the pound to finish the State House at New Haven, and at a special session of the County Court, held June 28, 1763, this tax was ordered to be laid, according to the direction of the General Assembly. If but little space is given in this book to the story of the two Stale Houses which preceded the one which in this pleasant mid- summer of 1889 is being removed from the Green, it should be borne in mind that during the past sixty years the pages of the Book of Time have been filled with many momentous matters. Life has moved faster than in former days, and however significant were the discussions and deeds of the four half centuries antedating this, it is probably true that the most glorious and important part of New Haven's historical record will be found by a study of conditions and happenings known and remembered by various citizens who have contributed to this memorial. The General Assembly at its May session, 1827, passed the reso- lution that it was expedient and necessary that a new State House for the accommodation of the General Assemblv should be built at New Haven. In accordance with the provisions of the resolution, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 9 the Court of New Haven County ordered the clerk to issue notices to the several representatives of the General Assembly, belonging to the towns of the county, to meet with the judges at New Haven, July 5, to take proper action. Dennis Kimberly and Charles A. Ingersoll were the representatives from this town, at the meeting. Votes imposing the necessary tax were passed, and one vote provided '* that said House contain a suitable court room, jury room and two lobbies for the accommodation of the courts and of the Bar, and also a room and a fire -proof vault for the use of the clerk of the County and Superior Courts." The city did not act so promptly, but at a Common Council meet- ing, held June 29, 1827, Hon. William Bristol, the mayor, being moderator, the resolutions of the General Assembly relative to the location and erection of a State House were read and votes were passed, to be laid before a freeman's meeting. At this meeting of the 29th of June, there were present the selectmen of the town, " likewise the Hon. William Moseley, who was appointed by the General Assembly of the State, one of the committee to contract and superintend the building." The following appears on the record of a Common Council meet- ing held October 3, 1827 : " Resolved, That it is expedient that a meeting of the citizens of the city of New Haven, be held on Saturday, the 13th of October, instant, at 2 o'clock P. M., to take into consideration the subject of the new State House." On the 3d of March, the city appears to have been getting ready for some kind of a change, as the Common Council voted " that Messrs. Caleb Brintnall and Henry Denison be a committee to at- tend to the tilling up the cellar of the old Court-house and that they cause the same to be done on the most advantageous terms at the expense of the city." What honorable member of the Common Council of the year 1889 is there, who would feel gratified by being appointed to such a service ? In the office of Henry Austin in the Hoadley Building, nearly THE STATE HOUSE GONE The City Market Remains. WE OFFER THE LARGEST AND BEST VARIETY OF— Choice Meats, Poultry, BUTTER, EGGS AND PROVISIONS TO BE FOUND IX THE STATE AT Ol'R STALLS IX Cer:Lxer of Cit37- ^Ia,rli:et, H. L. ANDREWS & CO. Our Prices are the Lowest the Market will permit of. 12 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. opposite the post office, maybe seen an admirable portrait-bust of the architect of the 1829 State House — Ithiel Town — who was also the architect of the Center Church, on the Green. The bust was the work of a Connecticut artist, Chauncey Ives, who is living at Rome, where he has had a studio for many years. Mr. Town's classic taste had, at the time of making the plans for the State House, been much improved by foreign travel and a careful study of the famous build- ings of the Old World. His original plans for the State House, beauti- fully drawn and colored, are in the possession of Mr. Ausiin. These, together with various photographs and wood cut prints owned in different parts of the city, will in future years, be inspected witli great interest and profit. The plans are drawn to scale. Two views of the building show its purely Grecian character. At the north and south ends, respectively, six columns supported the roof of the por- tico. The extreme length of the edifice from the buttresses at each end was 182 feet ; length of main building from the pilasters, 130 feet; width of the building, 90 feet. Outside of the buttresses the steps extended 15 feet. The columns were 7 feet in diameter and 40 feet high with their capitals. There were twelve windows in each side, besides windows lighting the basement. Whenever the beautiful proportions of New Haven's third State House have been pointed out to strangers visiting the city, it hns been the general habit of citizens to speak of the building .iis modeled after the Parthenon at Athens. This has been a mistake. Through the liberality of the publishers of "'The Building Budget," a journal of architecture and kindred arts, Chicago, 111., we are per- mitted to reprint from their electrotype a picture of that famous structure. The view is of the west front, restored. This magnificent build- ing dedicated to Pallas Athene was one of the largest and most beautiful temples in Greece. It was a peripteros with eight columns in front and seventeen at the sides, and a hypasthros with its interior columns in double tiers. The porticoes had two rows of columns each. The temple was*built by Ictinos and Callicrates 470 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 3 B. c, and is 227 feet, 7 inches in length, by a width of loi feet, i inch. It presented the peculiarity that the usual corner pillars of the second row of columns in the porticos are substituted by col- umns. The outer columns are 35 feet 5 inches high by 6 feet I inch in diameter; those on the corner are two inches thicker. In ancient times the Parthenon was called Hecatompedon, because it had exactly 100 feet front according to Roman measure. The cella contained a magnificent statue of Minerva, by Phidias, made of the costliest materials, chiefly gold and ivory. The two gable fields were also richly adorned with sculptures. The groups in the west- tern gable fields had reference to the birth of Pallas Athene, while those of the eastern represented her contest with Neptune about the sway of the land. The panels in the external Doric entablature contained ninety-two bas-reliefs representing the wars of the Lapithae and the Centaurs, and the frieze around the cella and vestibule, which was upwards of 500 feet in length, bore sculptures representing the Panathencean games. The Parthenon was in excel- lent perservation up to the year 1687, when on the 28th of Septem- ber, the Venetians bombarded Athens, and a bomb penetrated the walls of the Parthenon and exploded in a powder magazine, kept there by the Turks. This noble building which had stood almost perfect for nearly two thousand years, was by this calamity reduced to a ruin, and with it perished the ever memorable remains of the genius of Phidias. The sculptures of the gable and frieze have been carried off by the English and are now in the collection of the British Museum. There is no doubt that Mr. Town had studied the architecture of the building, but his plans for the New Haven State House were more nearly like those for the Doric Temple, Theseus. The ingrati- tude of the factious Athenians, which resulted in the banishment and death of the great man in whose honor the temple was built, reacted upon the mind of the people in after years. The Athenians, remembering the valor and heroic deeds of Theseus, were led to do him honor, Many of those who had fought against the Medes at H THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Marathon, imagined that they saw his apparition, in complete armor, rushing before them into battle. After the conclusion of the war ao-ainst the Medes, the Athenians consulted the Oracle, and the Pythian priestess told them that they should bring back the bones of Theseus, deposit them honorably in the city, and with a religious observance, keep them there. After diligent search, the remains of THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I 5 the hero were found, together with the brazen point of a spear and a sword lying near. These were carried to Athens, where they were received by the citizens with splendid processions and sacrifices, as if the hero himself w-ere present. His remains were deposited in the middle of the city and the temple was built in his honor, by Pericles, in the fourth year of the seventy-fourth Olympiad, b. c. 467. The temple, which was afterward a church, dedicated to St. George, had six columns at the east end, thirteen showing on each side. It will be seen from this brief description that the New Haven State House presented in its two fronts a much greater resemblance to the Temple of Theseus than to the Parthenon. The building was placed twenty-two feet nearer the fence on the College Street side of the Green than to the Center Church. The east side of the building was built over the graves of a number of persons, as the ancient burial-place of the town extended westerly nearly to College street. The circumstance that the ground had been part of the graveyard, excited a number of the relations of per- sons deceased and there was a great deal of angry talk and unpleas- ant feeling at the disturbance of the graves. The discussion of this topic was carried on \vith considerable acerbity, in the Legislature, while a site was being considered, and great care was exercised by Isaac Thompson, who had the sub-contract for the mason work, and Charles Thompson, sub-contractor for the joiner work, not to unnec- essarily arouse the sensibilities of the survivors of friends buried there. The workmen in digging for a foundation came across numerous bones, and instead of exposing them to view, pounded them down into the earth. Some of the bones were, however, taken away for re-interment, and a citizen remembers assisting at the put- ting of the bones of a person who in life had been a Mr. Baldwin, a custom-house officer, into a box for conveyance elsewhither, most likely to the new city burial ground adjoining Grove Street on the southerly side. Long after the State House w\^s built and occupied, venturesome boys exploring the cellar, found the skulls of sonie of our ancestors. J. ID. IDET77"EI-iI-. IMPORTERS. DIRECT RECEIVERS OF FANCY PONCE MOLASSES, T^lii^l^s Island Salt, I3Cs-Tra-z2.SL Cig-sors, Etc., 233 TO 239 STATE STREET, - - ■ - NEW HAVEN, CONN. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, \'J The executive committee for contracting for the building of the State House consisted of William Moseley, Charles H. Pond and John Q. Wilson. Their names are signed upon the plans of Mr. Town as approved by them. Mr. Town came to New Haven from Boston. He lost money by taking the contract and by doing work for which he was not paid by the State. But he never blamed the executive committee, as its members were handicapped by the eco- nomical notions of the Legislature. No estimate can easily be made as to the cost of the State House since its foundations were laid. Hardly had it been accepted and finished, when additional work had to be done, and from then until its final removal money was every little while being spent on repairs. The first session of the Legislature offered an opportunity for the uutlay of more money, and $10,000 were appropriated to substitute marble for the wood steps at the ends of the building. The aggre- gate amount of money expended in alterations and repairs has been very large. The first cost was $42,000 in all, and two years passed away while it was under construction. In the spring of 183 1, Messrs. Moseley, Pond and Wilson, the building committee, made a report to the Legislature then in session. They said they had paid $4,000 toward the marble purchased at the Sing Sing prison ; $2,935.67 for work and erecting arches: $509.50 toward" the freight on the Sing Sing marble, and $272.30 for cartage from the wharf to the State House. The committee say : " By the original contract with Mr. Town, the State House was to have been completed by the 14th day of September last [1830], but it is with regret and dis- appointment that the committee are obliged to represent to the General Assembly that the house is not yet finished. . . . The committee have been assured bv the agents of Mr. Town that the building will be finished in the month of June next." The committee were desirous of terminatins; their labors. Thev explain in their report a number of things, as, for instance: " The alterations in the original contract, which from time to time have been directed by the Legislature, by substituting marble for wood steps and buttresses; 2 I 8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE by substituting marble flagging for platforms in the porticoes for those of brick, and brick arches having become necessary to support said platform they have been sub- stituted in place of wood supports, and by covering the basement story with marble instead of hydraulic cement, will necessarily cause some adjustments between the committee and the contractor which cannot well be arranged until the house is completed." • In one sense the house was never completed. The windows in the south end were not cut in until a few years ago, and there was some extensive repairing; when the building received a coat of new stucco and was radically renovated, somewhere in the early part of the fifties. The roof has been renew^ed at least once and has been repaired from time to time. The courts were all held in the State House until in April, 1861, Messrs. Alfred Blackman, John S. Beach, Charles R. Ingersoll, Nor- ton J. Buel, Dexter R. Wright and William B. Wooster were appointed a committee of the Bar to consider the expediency of removing the courts to the new City Hall, Church street, then nearly completed. Plans were prepared and the rooms were occu- pied at the December term, 1862. In a monograph by Arthur D. Osborne, president of the Second National Bank, but at the time, clerk of the Supreme and Superior Courts, we find the following : " The arrangement of this court room, which proved to be excellent, was chiefly devised by Hon. Alfred Blackman." 'J'he first State House was used less than fifty years ; the second one only a little over sixty years, and the third one, commenced in 1829, was removed from the Green the present year — having had a life of only sixty years. The removal was finished November 26, 1889. More than 7,500 cart-loads of the material were taken away. Every citizen of comprehensive mind must remember the last State House, not altogether as a structure of brick and stone and stucco, built after the noblest of Grecian models, but rather as an object around which cluster hundreds of memories of happenings serving to illustrate in various ways, the attachment of the people to THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 9 the principles of liberty, established at the beginning of our political existence. The events and scenes of the past sixty years are impor- tantly recalled in this rehabilitation of the building. Like a pano- ramic picture, pass in silent procession the forms of thousands of patriotic, fearless men who faithfully bore a part in the duties and responsibilities of government. And there are not wanting memory- visions of fair women who have moved through the crowded halls on pleasant errands of love and mercy, or who, in some leisure hour have brightened by their presence the assemblages of the representa- tives of the people on great public occasions. Wednesday, the 5th of May, was held the first session of the Gen- eral Assembly in the year 1830. Gov. Gideon Tomlinson arrived at Woodruff's tavern, four miles out on the Milford road, at four o'clock on the afternoon of Tuesday. Here he was met by official persons and citizens who were taking part in the inaugural ceremonies. Henry W. Edwards was that year Speaker of the House, and in returning thanks for the honor conferred upon him he took occa- sion to say among other things: "This splendid edifice erected by the State for the accommodation of the public, is now first occupied for the uses for which it was intended, and this, like any other improvement of any importance, naturally awakens recollections and leads us to one of those retrospects in which the people of this coun- try, more than any other on the face of the earth, are fond of indulg- ing." After the organization of the two Houses the governor was escorted by the Foot Guards, Captain Hotchkiss, and the City Artil- lery, Captain Durand, the whole under command of Major Can dee, from his lodgings to the State House, and thence, with the other branches of government, to the North Church, where an eloquent and practical discourse was delivered by Rev. Charles A. Boardman of this city, which was listened to by a large and attentive audience. From the church the governor was escorted to his lodgings, where his Excellency was saluted by the music and the firing of the mili- tary. This session of the Legislature was notable for the passage of 20 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. what was denominated "The Universalist Bill," which allowed any- body who believed in a Supreme Being to testify in courts of justice. Representative Haley, of New London, made an effort to dispense with prayers in the House, explaining that he thought the members were elected for business and had no right to occupy their time in public devotions. In May, Governor Tomlinson was elected to serve six years in the United States Senate, from March, 1831. Two thou- sand five hundred dollars were appropriated to finish the State House. This was the year in which occurred an explosion on the steamboat U7uted States^ plyi"g between this city and New York, eight lives being lost. Two men named Wooster — father and son — were on board. The father died from a broken skull, but the son escaped uninjured. Hiram Clark, a respected New Haven merchant, lost his life. The accident happened on the nth of September. Noyes Dar- ling was appointed chief judge by the Legislature, and Jared Bassett "and William Hinman, associate judges for New Haven County. It was proposed at this session that the State should take from the towns their local control over clam and oyster beds, but the measure was thought inexpedient. While it is doubtless true that the body of the people are to-day as loyal to good government as when the third State House was opened for the inauguration of Governor Tomlinson, the " election day " customs and demonstrations are of quite a different character from what then existed. For days before the great annual event, the ladies of New Haven households made preparation for showing hos- pitality to the "stranger within our gates." Election cake was baked, the demijohns were refilled and the door-plates and knockers were made bright by rubbing with rotten stone, which as a commod- ity has long ago disappeared. Everybody kept holiday. Everybody treated or was treated and there was much jollity and consumption of good liquors. Country cousins crowded into the town for the double purpose of seeing the goings on and doing their annual trad- ing. The heart of the whole community beat in sympathetic glad- ness in this exemplification of the fact that the people knew how THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 21 to govern themselves and with " none to molest or make them afraid." The first number of the New Haven FaHadii/fn made its appear- ance the 7th of September, 1829. It was devoted to literature, politics and miscellaneous reading, and it reported once a week, the arrivals and departures of boats on the canal. At this time A. H. Maltby was selling the beautiful " annuals " or gift books, first published in London, the like of which will never be printed again. Hardly any young girl was so friendless in those days that she had not lying on a table in the best room of the house, a copy with gilt edges, bound in handsomely colored leather, of " The Religious Souvenir," " The Amaranth," " The Christmas Keepsake," or some equally attractive book, in which were to be found lovely engravings. Those books were then very much in fashion. L. Stillman kept a furniture store on Orange street, a few rods south of the New Haven Bank; Hull, Townsend, Knevals & Co. were dry goods dealers and merchant tailors ; Munson & Co. carried on engraving in Bradley's building, corner of State and Chapel streets ; James Punderford dealt in leather, on Chapel Street ; J. L. Cross sold Sunday-school books ; George Robinson and Elford E. Jarman, respectively, kept dry goods stores ; Lines & Clinton carried on the furniture business on State, a few rods north of Chapel street ; Benjamin Beecher, Jr., sold -furniture at the old stand of Beecher &: Osborne ; M. Ao Durand kept a medicine store ; D, Ritter & Son made marble monu- ments. Other business concerns were those of Durrie & Peck, pub- lishers of books ; H. (Sc L. Hotchkiss, building material ; William Barker, boots and shoes; McCrackan »& Jarman, dry goods. The Palladium, which made war against the selling of lottery tickets, advanced the opinion that more money was paid into the six lottery offices on Church street than was received by all the dry goods stores of the city. It was in December of this year that a number of New Haven men memorialized Congress in opposition to Sunday mails, and that a lot on Sodom Hill was selected as a site for the State Hospital. RETROSPECTIVE. Over thirty years ago a young man came to the city to seek his fortune and has been seeking it ever since. There have been changes in thirty-three years. In 1856 there were no horse cars and Grand street was not an avenue. The Chapel Street Church stood on one corner of Chapel and Union streets, and opposite was the Post Office, where Prelate Demick cut sheets of postage stamps with shears. E. L. Ives sold toys, confectionery and small beer in the Adelphi, and on the fourth corner was the Depot. There were dwelling houses on Chapel street between State and Church, and the State House stood on the upper Green. All is changed now. The State House exists only in the minds of the people. The old depot still stands, but in place of the hundreds who entered its then gloomy portals, bound for different destinations, all now enter its cheerful front to patronize X B. JUDSON, The People's Fruiterer. Y.F.^cJHeil&G©. * ^ 1 ^^ ^^ 82 Church St., New Haven, Ct. ■ THE tllSTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 23 An animated and far-reaching agitation on the subject of Free- masonry, engaged the attention of all classes of citizens in 1830. Able writers flooded the newspapers with arguments for and against the Order, and the strong feeling engendered came near making grave trouble in this community. The discussions had a political bearing, and the question as to who should be the prominent men in the General Assembly was involved. The good judgment of the members of the Order prevailed after a time, in disentangling the public mind, and from that date to this. Freemasonry has flourished without alarming the friends of a republican form of government. The Superior Court for this county, Judge Bissell on the bench, moved into the State House, January 25, 183 1. Those who were deterred from attending court, by the dampness and darkness of the basement room under the Methodist Church, on the Green, near the corner of Elm and College streets, now found warm, light, agreeable quarters. In the spring of that year, a number of the friends of Henry Clay and his American system of protection, held a meeting in the State House, at which a number of eloquent speeches were made. The Presidential ticket was Henry Clay, with John Sergeant for Vice-President. At one of these Clay meetings, held in the build- ing, printed invitations were circulated, asking the democratic friends of Mr. Clay, in the Legislature, to be present, and a number of them favorably responded. The Superior Court in 1832, Judge Daggett on the bench, sent to State's prison, one Joseph Swift, for fifteen years, he having stolen a little clothing from three different houses. -The same judge at the same court sentenced Silas Gorton to eight years for forgery, and Henry Pierre, a boy aged sixteen years, to three years for burglary. There was a grand celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of Washington's birthday, February 22, 1832. There was an oration in the North Church by a Mr. Clay, a senior of Yale College. At II o'clock in the forenoon, Rev. Mr. Fisk made an address at the City Hall. At noon, one hundred guns were fired on the Green. In the procession were soldiers of the Revolutionary war, the Clergy, the 24 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. City Corporation and the Mechanics' Society. The line was formed at the State House, under command of Adjutant Henry Hotchkiss, and the march was through Chapel and Church streets, to the Cen- ter Church, under military escort, consisting of the Artillery, Captain Francis ; Grays, Captain Stone ; Guards, Captain Merriman, and the Westville Artillery, Captain Pendleton. There was a dinner at the Franklin House at which General Dennis Kimberly presided. There was also on this great day, a rival celebration, Hon. Noyes Darling presiding at the dinner in Washington Hall. There was no celebration that year of the Fourth of July, owing principally to the public distress, on account of the reports that cholera had appeared in New York. But Prof. Silliman gave an address on African Colonization, and there was an oration in the North Church by a Yale student named Colton. The colonization of the colored people in Liberia was the project of many "worthy men, who hoped that by purchasing the Southern slaves, and otherwise assisting in their emancipation, and sending them to Africa, they might prevent the troubles', which were finally settled by the awful war fought between the North and South, more than a quarter of a century ago. There is standing in Grove Street Cemetery a monument to Ashmun, the first Colonial Agent at Liberia, after whom Ashmun street was named. The Legislature, having taken action regarding the repair of the State House, the Common Council. of New Haven, the Mayor being Henry C. Flagg, appointed Isaac H. Townsend, Henry T. Huggins and Henry Peck in 1838, to see what was best to be done. The city also voted one hundred dollars toward the expense of the work. Mr. Peck and Leander Parmelee were a part of the committee appointed by the Legislature to attend to the repairs. The handsome new coat of stucco which was afterward applied to the exterior walls excited much interest among New Haven masons. There was a secret about the coloring of the imaginary blocks — the walls were lined out to resemble blocks of differenr colored stone, and this secret was preserved by the man who did the work. He marked out THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE 2% the blocks and laid on the color immediately on ihe rough stucco, and the effect was admirable. It was the only building in the city so treated. More than twenty years ago, the subject of building a new and handsome State House was agitated among men prominent in local affairs. In 1857 Governor Holley wrote a letter to the Common Council upon the topic, and Mayor Philip S. Galpin, and Aldermen Fitch, Welch and Blake were appointed a committee to take it into consideration. The letter cannot now be found among the city's papers of that year. 71iat there ought to be but one capital, had been for a long time the opinion of public economists. The incon- venience and expense of transporting the books, treasures and archives of the Stale from Hartford to this city and back again, every alternate year, were frequently mentioned by members of the Legis- lature, and it was foreboded that the time must come when there would be a strife between this city and Hartford, as to which city should be the sole capital. The conservative spirit of New Haven was so exercised as to lose the honor of being the chosen seat of government. A full review of all the discussions, votes, arguments, appropriations of money would require a great deal of space, and do no good. The ill feeling caused and fostered by the warfare for supremacy in this matter has nearly vanished, and soon, all visible reminders of the unhappy struggle will have disappeared. Some of the lozenge-shaped ornamentations of the eaves of the recently destroyed building have been secured by young ladies as standards for memorial pin-cushions, and citizens have bought for memorials, pieces of the marble which were a part of the steps of the building, or of the veneering of the basement walls. Part of the brick and stone has gone into the walls of new buildings in different parts of the city. Among the purchasers of the old marble steps were a number of citizens who wanted them for relics, and others who wanted them for curbing in their respective family lots in the dif- ferent cemeteries. Among the buyers was Prof. Othniel C. Marsh of the Peabody Museum, who proposed to utilize them in making a ter- 26 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. race at his homestead. John G. North bought some of the stones on which he frequently stood while addressing large audiences from the north portico, on the subject of temperance and good morals, in the times when the porch of the building was used for similar purposes to those which gave interest to the forum of ancient Rome. More than one thousand of the bricks were purchased for preservation by friends of the State House, and some have been handsomely painted or gilded. In consequence of the passage of a resolution by the General Assembly, in May, 1865, the Common Council appointed a com- mittee consisting of E. C. Scranton, H. M. Welch, William W. Boardman, Charles R. Ingersoll, Dexter R. Wright, Minott A. Osborn and Lucius Gilbert, who reported to the latter body the following, which was passed : " That in the opinion of the Court of Common Council of the City of New Haven, if it shall be thereunto duly authorized by the General Assembly, will undertake to build within the limits of said city, for the use of the State, a new State House, suitable in every respect for the purpose of such a building, and creditable in its proportions, construction and finish, to the State and to the city." Hon. Henry B. Harrison spoke at length, urging immediate action by the city. Messrs.' Scranton and W^right also spoke to the same effect and on the importance of continuing New Haven as one of the capitals. The people of Hartford were alert and active in their efforts to have Hartford made the sole capital. A great deal was done by both cities to secure the advantage. At a Common Council meeting, February 4, 1867, the following was presented : " Whereas, The Legislature of the State of Connecticut at its May session, 1866, passed the following resolution ; to wit : ^'' Resolved by this Assembly : That the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, John T. Wait, of Norwich, Nathaniel Wheeler, of Bridgeport, and William H. Barnum, of Salisbury, and George Beach, of Hartford, be ajjpointed commissioners to enquire into the present condition of the State Houses at New Haven and Hartford, and the expediency of erecting new State Houses for the proper accommodation of the General Assembly and the various State offices, and with this object to confer with THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 2/ the authorities of the cities of New Haven and Hartford and estimate the probable expense to the State of such new State Houses, and make report of their doings with such recommendations as they may deem fit to the General Assembly." Following the foregoing action, the Common Council of New- Haven passed a vote by which the mayor, the aldermen from each ward and Councilmen Twiss, White, McGuire, Hoadley, McMuUen and Peck were appointed a committee on behalf of the city. This committee were timidly apprehensive that by the exercise of superior diplomacy or offers of a most liberal character, the city of Hartford would succeed in having the Constitution so amended that there would be but one capital and one State House. They reported, May 6, 1867, " That they have not gone into an examination of the above named topics in detail, and are riot prepared to propose any specific measures in relation thereto. The subject more particularly dis- cussed by your committee was the larger and more comprehensive one (which in effect includes the subject matter of the resolution before the committee) viz.: the proposed amendment to the Consti- tution contained in a preamble and resolution passed June 27, 1866. The preamble here referred to is a statement of the expediency of having but one State capital, and the resolution is designed to effect that object under certain conditions and terms therein specified. Now your committee beg leave to offer that the expediency of the proposed change is by no means clear to them. On the contrary, they entertain very serious doubts of the expediency of consolidating the present arrangement of our State capitals into one, thus opening the door to sectional rivalry and local jealousies, and bringing a new element of discord into the politics of the State, and certainly divest- ing one of the existing capitals of an honorable distinction which it has borne from the early colonial days, — a distinction which will not be cheerfully resigned by either of the cities of New Haven or Hart- ford, nor is it by any means clear to your committee that the possible advantages to be derived from the proposed amendment, to any of the inhabitants of the State, will offset the obvious and foreseen ten- dencies to evil to those portions of the State more immediately con- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 2g cerned in securing tiie capital. While, then, we are not prepared to assent to the expediency of the measure as stated in the preamble to the resolution offered as an amendment to our State Constitution and passed by the Legislature June 27, 1866, which is in substance to establish a single capital, still we would recommend that the city of New Haven stand on the defensive, as to its position as one of the capitals of the State, and that we should not quietly yield our birth- right in case the present Legislature should submit the proposed amendment to the popular vote. We therefore offer the following AOle : " Resolved, That while we question the expediency of proposing on the part of the Legislature or of the adoption by the people of the preamble and resolution touching the State capitals, passed June 27, 1866, still we will in the event of this adoption as an amendment to the Constitution, accept the conditions of said amendment, and will use all honorable means to make the largest city of our state its worthy and sole capital." This report was signed by Ex-Mayor L. W. Sperry, as chairman. The Common Council accepted the report and adopted the resolu- tion. The struggle had been commenced in earnest. On the 25th of April, 1870, a committee consisting of Mayor Henry G. Lewis, Alderman Bradley, Councilmen Piatt and Ingersoll, Hon. Morris Tyler and Hon. Lucien W. Sperry, was appointed on this business, and July 18, 187 1, a resolution was passed, that if the State would appropriate $500,000 the city would furnish a proper site for its loca- tion without expense to the State. Much more liberal offers were needed than this, although New Haven did not apprehend the truth and was not of a sufficiently expansive and forecasting mind to dis- cern the public spirit and sagacity which afterward led the people of our sister city to pour out money like water in furtherance of their desire to be the sole capital. With Hartford managers there was no limit to be considered as regarded a future expenditure of money for a State House building, nor any hampering consideration of lobby expenses. The cost of victory was entirely overlooked, and doubt- less the Hartford taxpayers were well satisfied to burden themselves 30 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. and their posterity with debt, in order to secure the coveted prize. The history of most of the cities of this country appears to establish the conclusion that it is not advantageous to any community lo have the special benefits of the location of governmental institu- tions in their midst. There are no finer natural seaport advantages than are found at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its harbor is ample for any volume of commerce ; but the people of the town have learned to shape their destinies by the interests of their navy- yard, and there is no enterprise in them. So, too, Albany, while the capital of the great State of New York, is not so enterprising a city as Rochester, but is somewhat dependent upon its State House affil- iations and contracts for its business profits. Any citizen taking an interest in the welfare of New Haven, will find by studying census reports, much to console him for the loss of the State House. He will perceive that the wealth and prosperity of the city could not be enhanced by a restoration of the old arrangement of two capitals. For one hundred and seventy-four years New Haven was one of the capitals of the State. On the day of the great celebration of the fifth semi-centennial of the settlement of New Haven, the orator of the occasion, Henry T. Blake, said : " From the time when in 1663 the New Haven colony suddenly found herself already annexed to the jurisdiction of her wide awake rival, an unremitting vigi- lance was always necessary on her part, though not always exercised and not often successful, to secure the few crumbs of privilege and opportunity which fell on our side of the family table. There were early contests about the half-capital question and on the removal of the college, and later ones about canal extensions and railroad extensions and Connecticut river bridges, and others too numerous to mention. But these had all gone by and there remained on the placid surface of New Haven equanimity, not a ripple from the last family breeze. In 1869 appeared the first symptom of trouble. The Legislature became discontented with its accommodations, both at New Haven and Hartford." At the risk of adverse criticism, the chronological continuity of this history is interrupted for the purpose of finding place for some of the recollections of elderly citizens who took part in building the THE HISTORY OP THE STATE HOUSE. 3 1 structure now demolished. There are but few men living who helped to build the last of New Haven's State Houses. Mr. Frank Collins, of Chicago, over eighty years of age, visited New England the present summer. He did considerable of the work on the large, massive doors at the north and south ends of the building. Mr. Collins was by trade a pattern maker and an accomplished worker in wood. He was the gentleman who made the pattern for the tasteful iron fence around the Green, and which some public spirited citizens hope to see removed, in furtherance of a plan to have the Green con- verted into a modern public park. Availing herself of the oppor- tunity offered by the destruction of the building, a daughter of Mr. Collins came into possession of enough of the wood in one of the doors to make a walking cane for her father. Hon. James E. English, one of the most respected and wealthiest of New Haven's citizens, worked on the same doors, he being then apprenticed to the late Atwater Treat. Ex-Governor English, Knight Read, and Willis Booth helped make the seats in the hall of Representatives. Quick work was necessary as the committee in charge were afraid that the seats would not be finished in season for the assembling of the Legislature. Mr. William J. Thompson of George street, this city, seventy-five years of age, has an excellent memory, and from him have been obtained interesting facts connected with the building of the third New Haven State House in 1829. Abner Bradley, of Woodbridge, was foreman of the stone layers ; Deacon Isaac Thompson acted as superintendent ; Charles Thompson had the contract for some part of the joiner-work, and built the stairs leading from the main hall to the floor above. He died July 9th of this year, the day that William J. Montgomery signed the contract with the city to remove the build- ing, and the same day that work was commenced in pulling down the north steps. Mr. Thompson grieved at the decision of the Common Council, and it has been thought that his regret may have contributed to a shortening of his life. John Peck, Miles Barber, William Bradley and others did the plastering in the Representatives' chamber, the latter having learned 32 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. his trade under the tuition of Deacon Isaac Thompson. William and Isaac Thompson had the contract for all of the inside plastering except ni the Senate chamber. Arbitration was resorted to in the settlement of the accounts for this part of the work. John E. Bassett, the Chapel Street hardware merchant, recollects something of the discussion pending the settlement. He says that it was told him that one of the workmen, George Gill, an Englishman, testifying before the arbitrators, said, in answer to a question, that the instruc- tions from the architect, Mr. Town, had been to do the work as cheaply as possible and have it answer the purpose. This informa- tion is supposed to have displeased Mr. Town, inasmuch as he did not speak to Gill for a long time after the arbitration. Some of the plastering fell after the work was finished, and Mr. Gill was asked if he could tell why there was so much weakness at that particular place, to which he answered : '* Do you suppose it would fall e\ery- where else at the same time ? " Mr. Edwin Marble, formerly a merchant and for some years inter- ested in the manufacture of carriages, saw the first stone of the foun- dation of New Haven's third State House placed in position. The first burying ground of the town was opened in the central part of the Green which is west of Temple Street. *The Center Church covers a portion of the ground, which extended eastwardly beyond the church, and it was used as a burial place from 1638 to 1796. The plot used for making graves was octagonal in shape and was in time surrounded by a board fence, painted red. Such was the strong feeling of the people at building the third State House above the remains of the founders of the town buried there, that they com- j)elled the workmen to place flat stones over the graves. The cem- etery being on rising ground, whenever there was a heavy rainfall deep gullies were formed between the graves, and Mr. Marble in boyhood skated on the ice formed in these gullies, all the way to Temple from near College street and over the flooded part of the eastern section of the Green, as far as Ogden's coffee house, which formerly stood on the land covered at this dav by the Tontine Hotel, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 33 the coffee house, however, standing some distance back from Church street. The Tontine was buih in 1823. The only man living, so far as can be learned, who worked as a stone mason on the outside walls of the third State House, is Mr. Edwin Perkins, the mason, residing on St. John street. He built or helped to build the twelve columns supporting the roof over the marble platform of the porch. These columns were of brick and were fluted hollow cylinders, some of the brick-work being sixteen inches thick and some of only twelve inches. Mr. Perkins was born in 1807, and his work can be seen in many buildings througiiout the city. A number of the stone masons were residents of Woodbridge, and among them were Stephen D. Perkins and John Peck, of that vil- lage. William J. Thompson, who has already been mentioned, has done a great deal of work upon buildings for Yale University — the Kent and the Sloane laboratories, and he built the old college gynnia- sium. Into the construction of the last of New Haven's State Houses went some of the material used in building the other two. There were bricks from at least four sources, some having been imported from Holland, others were from the kilns of Strowbridge, England, others still from the kilns of Hamden and from those later estab- lished in North Haven. The imported brick are exceedingly hard, and of a very dark color in the middle. All the bricks of the last State House have been sold by the contractor, Mr. Montgomery, and have been put to use in building walls inside various edifices in the city. Part of the timber in the second State House was used in building the first one. The rotunda of the 1829 State House was not finished until the latter part of April, 1830. The father of William J. Thompson bought plaster of paris in New York, so as to expedite the work before the foundation plaster was dry. The original cornice of the building was of lath and plaster. Charles Thompson, of the firm of Thompson & Oatman, contracted to make a new cornice of wood, about twenty-five years after the building was finished. Charles was half brother of William J. Thompson's father. After the roof was 3 Barnes' Shorthand School, (SUCCESSORS TO GAFFEY.) 41, 43, 45 and 47 Hoadley Building, 49 Church Street, Open Day and Evening Throughout the Entire Year, and Students Can Enter at any Time. Special Attentioa to iMtmtiofl If SATISFACTION GUARANTEED BY OUR NEW AND IMPROVED SYSTEM. This is a SELECT SCHOOL for fitting Young Ladies and Young Men for positions as Shorthand Clerks, Typevvritists and Professional Reporters, and is the most thoroughly equipped institution of the kind in New England. Those interested are cordially invited to call and examine our method of instruction. Busipess Tl^ei] Supplied with Stepographic Clerks WITHOUT CHARGE. SexLc3- fox* 0±x»o-o-la;X»s- ELBERT N. BACHES. gliAM E. BflRPES. TUB HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 35 put on the building, and before the first cornice was tinished, a large hoot owl got under the roof and made his melancholy and rather startling music all night for many nights. The noise being of a weird character, it was calculated to awaken the nerve susceptibili- ties of such of the workmen as were a little inclined to indulge in superstitious fancies. The workmen used to sit up all night, by turns, to keep fires agoing for drying the plastering in the Repre- sentatives' hall, as it would otherwise have been frozen. The fires were fed with pieces of wood, once a part of the second State House, and in the last one, wow destroyed, there were timbers sawed out more than a hundred and twenty years ago. There was employed a watchman in the building; an Irishman, w^hose vigils were fearfully disturbed one night, by the fall of some of the plas- tering in the hall of Representatives. The man was terror-struck with the notion that the noise of the falling plaster was a portentous warning from the spirits of the dead, whose ashes mingled with the earth beneath the structure. The frightened man ran away. The great fire in New York caused a number of the mechanics who worked on the State House just removed, to visit that city, as good pay was certain to be had there. William J. Thompson was one of the men who went. He there worked on a new^ building for \\-\Q Journal of Commerce. The late Atwater Treat and Deacon Isaac Thompson were together while working on the Bloomingdale insane asylum. Harpin Lum, of this city, was in company with them. These three built the Exchange Building, on the corner of Chapel and Church streets, three years after the completion of the State House. Mr. Lum was married with a sister of ex-Governor English. After his death, she married again. At one time Mr. Lum had for a partner a Mr. Strong, and the firm erected many buildings in New Haven. One of Mr. Lum's sons was a student in Yale and was drowned in the Mississippi River, while yet a promising young college man. The other son carried on business in New Haven. The wages of mechanics in 1829 were not as much as in 1889, but there were no sugar trusts, and the Diamond Match Company was 36 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. not even foreshadowed ; for in a good man)' families, fires were kindled by applying the brimstone-treated end of a stick to the burning tinder which had received its igniting spark by the striking of a bit of flint against a piece of steel. Workmen of the 1829 State House, if they were masons, received $1.75 per diem, carpenters $1.25. All the stone was put on barrows, and as the walls grew up- ward, these barrow^s were wheeled up a runway of planks which reached from the ground outside to the desired level inside the building, the men who pushed the barrows up the incline, receiving seventy-five cents a day for their labor. Most of the underpinning of the brick dwelling on Elm, below Orange street, the family resi- dence of Dr. Charles A. Lindsley of the State Board of Health, was taken from New Haven's second State House, and considerable of the material was used in other New Haven houses. The town records were removed to the basement of the third of New Haven's State Houses, and the Town Clerk, John Scarrit, was prepared for doing business there, September 3, 1832. Mr. Scarrit was clerk of the Board of Health and signed the order made by the Board, which they thought calculated to prevent the spread of the Asiatic cholera, the dread disease which had slain its thousands in the Old World, and which had appeared on the Atlantic seaboard. Although New Haven was a religious citv and most of the people were faithful in their New England orthodoxy, there was, never- theless, considerable fear of the cholera. Two mild cases were reported in the city in July. Dr. Charles Hooker reported the case of Mrs. Susan Northrop, on Grand street, near Barnesville Bridge. She and Charles L. Northrop both recovered from the sickness, the latter being only five years old. But Mr. and Mrs. Jones, parents of Mrs. Northrop, died of the disorder and were buried on the night of the day of their death. It is a noteworthy circumstance that the teeth of persons dying here from cholera turned red, and were there- fore of no use to the dentists. To allay the general feeling of apprehension, Drs. Thomas Hubbard, Eli Ives, William Tully, Jonathan Knight, Timothy P. Beers, Samuel Punderson, V. M. Dow, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 3/ A. S. Monson, Charles Hooker, J. T. Hunt, Nathan B. Ives, J. T. Denison, H. A. Tomlinson, D. H. Moore and J. B. Blakeman, then in the active practice of medicine in the city, published a statement that not one of them had a single patient under their care sick with cholera, cholera morbus or any similar disease. The Board of Health, however, published an order and followed it with the one here given, which shows that they had more power than the Board of Health in 1889. " Also ordered : That from and after the 6th day of July, 1832, no person or persons from the city of New York, shall be suffered without permission of the health officer, to enter the limits of this city and continue therein for the space of two hours until such person shall have been absent from said city of New York, at least seven days, and any person or persons violating this order, shall be subject to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars." What would the directors of the Consolidated road think of such an order in this year 1889 ? The old Almshouse stood on the northwest part of the Green, on the site, partly, of the State House last demolished. Not far from College street, on the Green, was a good w^ell of water for the uses of the Almshouse, and when the Methodist Church was built on the Green, \vater from the well was drawn for slacking the lime used in construction. It is believed, but it is not positively certain, that the well was not filled with earth, but was covered over with stones or timber, and that it would be found again by digging in the right place. The Almshouse was drawn off the Green and moved into High street, and it became the family residence of Constable John Skinner (he was more known by his title of Dr.). and it was pulled down only a few years ago. Dr. Skinner was exceedingly zealous in his office and kept a keen lookout for all violators of law. His features w^ere somewhat forbidding, and he had a black spot looking like a spatter of ink on his nose. All the boys in town were afraid of him. Sand for building the State House was taken from a deep hole, about twelve feet from the structure and near College street. The 38 THE HiSfORV OF THE ST A TE HOUSE, graves between the State House and the North Church were many of them much depressed, but the gravestones had been removed as early as 182 1. Bodies had been buried closely together, and when Mr. Edwin Perkins worked in erecting the monument to Dixwell, one of the judges who voted for the death of King Charles I., he unearthed the remains of sixteen persons who had been buried in the rear of the Center Church, within the limit of sixteen square feet. Some of Mr. Dixwell's bones were found and placed in a small box which was buried under the monument. Noah Webster, the lexicographer, was often a visitor to the State House during the meetings of the General Assembly. It was his custom to correct the pronunciation of anybody with whom he might chance to converse, even if the person happened to be somebody in an exalted station. In 1832 he brought out a " History of the United States, with a brief Account of our English Ancestors, from the Dis- persion at Babel, to their Migration to America, and of the Conquest of South America by the Spaniards." This account of the State House reminds us how history does ever repeat itself. Like the ancient tower of Babel, our State House has served its special pur- pose, and is, like it, no more. Mr. Webster's history described our ancestors, descendants of Japheth in the wilds of Germany, as they were, when the Romans conquered Gaul, before the Christian era. A brief account of the conquest of England by our Saxon ancestors was given, after which came the story of the peopling of America — of the origin of the Puritans, and the causes of their migration to this country. About this time, or to be precise, on the 4th of August of the same year, public advertisement was made that the State hos- pital was finished, and ready for the inspection of visitors. Silas Mix, an attorney of much reputation, a large portion of whose unfortunate life was afterward spent in the Hartford insane retreat, was at this date an ardent politician, and writing many statesmanlike arguments, published in the New Haven new^spapers, concerning the election of Andrew Jackson to the Presidency of the United States. At this time New Haven was visited by the famous THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 39 advocate of the science of phrenology, SpurzheuTi, who shortly after- ward died at Boston, but not until he had set the whole civilized world to thinking about some of the mysteries of the human brain. Society still imprisons, or hangs, or otherwise gets rid of its crimi- nals, whether they were born to be criminals or not. For a quarter of a century the State House last built, had been tenderly spoken of by older people as a "beautiful old ruin." Seen in the still hours of *a cold, moonlight night, its evidences of decay undiscerned, it was indeed an object of majestic and classical loveli- ness. Of quiet evenings, young men and maids loved to linger in sentimental discourse on its marble steps, and under the shadows cast by the great pillars of its porch. Upon those steps on bright days, since the art of photography has flourished, there frequently gathered picturesque groups of different organizations for the purpose of hav- ing pictures made of themselves; and the students of Yale, in succes- sive years, secured their class pictures in this way for their individual members, to be a joy forever. On evenings of special gatherings within the building, festive in character, the windows emitted a cheerful light, while the music from many instruments was echoed from the college buildings on the west, and the Center Church on the east. The State House was frequently filled with music from either brass or string bands, and its undulating floors were often tremulous under the beating of the feet of happy dancers. The city, a few years ago, conceived the idea of owning some superior musical instruments, and money was voted for that enterprise. Six brass Saxe horns were purchased, and musicians, under the tuition of John Lyon, met in the basement on certain nights of every week for practice, as at other times, before and since, met other music bands for a similar purpose. On such occasions, melody mingled with the reverberation of sounds of drums, floated over the verdancy of the upper Green, and was heard as far as Elm street on one side, and Chapel street on the other, of New Haven's market-place. Since the war, as social conditions were found to be much changed, police- men at night were accustomed to pour the effulgence from their PHOTOGRAPHS IN ALL VARIETIES AND SIZES, MADE BY 838 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn. « « ♦ » » FINE CABINET PORTRAITS AND ANDSCAPE Views. We have a large collection of Views of the City, East Rock Park, Yale College Buildings, &c., &c.. and the Best Views of the Old State House THAT WERE MADE. Otxi:? IE^z?±ces ax^e IMCo(3_ex*al3e, And our work shall be always as good as the best. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. \{ bulTs-eye lanterns over the steps and within the recesses of the porticoes, in order that no dissolute persons might idle away their time there, to the disadvantage of the city's high standard of morality. July 25, of this year, that conservative daily newspaper, the New Haven Journal and Courier, printed an editorial flavored with the ridicule of the old structure which its enemies and the iconoclastic people of the city had been for a long time in the habit of uttering. It is quoted here, as a specimen of the literature which for years had been influential in creating a feeling on the question of preserving or destroying " the noble pile." "The beautiful old ruin on the 'Green' was hardly ever more beautiful than it is now, when the hand of the spoiler is busy at its north end. It is worth the while of any citizen who cannot find time to visit Greece, to take a walk on the Green in the twilight and see the columns, the arches and the marble which is scattered all about. We hope that some photographer will catch some of the beauties of the dissolution of the noble pile. A set of such pictures would be valuable. Some enterprising and artistic gentleman might possibly make some money with an illustrated lecture, showing the temple as it was before the Vandals attacked it, and as it will be at various stages of their work. Doubtless enough Greeks temporarily out of employment, could be hired to be taken along with the ruins, and thus add variety to the pictures. They might even be dressed in Grecian fashion, and 'made up' to represent Socrates, Plato, Aristides and other excellent and well-remembered Greeks. Two or three moonlight views would need to be in the collection, and if the Historical Society could be induced to 'sit,' it would be well. There may not be millions in this idea. There probably are not. We give it for what it is worth. At least one such performance in New Haven would be well attended." The builders of the State House were fortunate in exemption from fatal accidents. At the building of Trinity Church on the Green, a man lost his life ; another man was killed at the building 42 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. of the College Street Church, and still another at the building of St. Paul's. The latter was a stone mason, and his death was reported to have been a judgment and punishment for his wickedness in working into its walls four stones rudely shaped to represent the four suits in a pack of playing cards. These stones were in recent times removed from the walls. But many old citizens, especially among the town born, profess to believe in the theory of special providences and in this particular judgment. The man whose death was so shocking, had said that he placed the objectionable stones in the wall, so that a certain pious man might have his memory refreshed. How some of the best and most intelligent of New Haven's inhabi- tants loved Henry Clay, was well revealed at the meetings in the State House. The speeches of that time w'ere not reported in the newspapers. The vote of Connecticut, for Clay electors, was 16,774; for the Jackson electors, 10,569; and for Wirt's, 3,036. December 21, 1832, was the date of the visit of Daniel Webster to New Haven, at which time a number of his admirers paid their respects to him at the Tontine Hotel. The more informed among the W^hig friends of Mr. Clay claimed that he would have been successful in his aspira- tions for the Presidency of the United States, had it not been for the personal ambition of Mr. Webster. In the spring of this year there had been a number of outrageous and unprovoked assaults committed upon inoffensive persons of both sexes, and on the 2d of March, Mr. J. Smith, a respectable man, while walking on the Green, returning in company with his wife from a call in Broadway upon a sick relative, was cruelly beaten on the head by clubs in the hands of two unknown wretches, who also felled Mrs. Smith. The man was taken to the Tontine, where he was attended by Dr. Hubbard. People were worried and indignant, and the expediency of carrying pistols for defense was considerably debated. These were days of forcible editorial writing, and one city newspaper, anticipating evil which never appears to have prevailed, published in 1833, regarding the election of town representatives to the Legislature, a screed in which occurred the following language : THE HIS TOR Y . OF THE S TA TE HO USE. 43 " The result of the election in this city is as astounding to us as its consequences may be fatal to the success of good men and sound principles. New Haven has prostrated herself at the shrine of Jacksonianism, and kissed the hand that smote her." At this election the vote for John M. Clarke, a Jackson man, who ran for the first Representative's place, was 357 ; for Sidney Hull, the national Republican, 314,. and there were 23 votes returned as "scattering," a majority of 20 votes for Mr. Clarke. For second Representative, Silas Mix, Jacksonian, received 357 votes, and Aaron N. Skinner, national Republican, 299 ; there being 17 votes counted as scattering, which gave Mr. Mix a majority of 41 votes. The Legislature met in Hartford in 1833. There were three candidates for Governor, although there had been five at the popular election. Of the three, Henry W. Edwards received 147 votes ; John S. Peters 10, and 10 blank ballots were in the box, the 10 representing the friends of Storrs, who at the popular election, had received between 3,000 and 4,000 votes. Mr. Edwards' majority was 67. The Legis- lature courteously passed a resolution, complimentary to the defeated Peters. The same year, Benjamin Silliman, William W. Boardman, William Forbes, Theodore D. Woolsey, James A. Hillhouse, Francis B. Win- throp, Nathaniel Jocelyn, Jonathan Knight, M. D., Augustus R. Street and Russell Hotchkiss, Jr., were made directors of the Athe- nasum, at a meeting in the old Franklin House on Church, corner of Crown street. The outgrowth of this institution is seen of the pres- ent prosperity of the Young Men's Institute, and by reflection, of the Free Public Library of the city, which is in need of an endowment to make it what its projectors wished. The Legislature of this year repealed the law prohibiting and punishing servile labor on days of public fasting and thanksgiving, the vote in the House being 116 to 62. A writer of that period, commenting upon the action of the Legislature, truly said : " Religion is to be supported by the good sense, self-respect and philanthropy of the people, and not bv legig- tive enactments." 44 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. At the time of which we write, compulsory military service was a vexation to wage-workers who, rather than pay fines for not appear- ing on duty on prescribed days, showed their feeling by parading in any sort of dress and with any kind of muskets. There was no pre- tence of uniformity in clothing, decorations or arms and when the old militia turned out for parade, inspection and review, the soldiers looked less respectable than the farmer-boys and serfs who flocked to Sedgemoor, at the call of Monmouth, the jDretender. One bright morning in June of 1833 a large crowd of odd-looking fellows assem- bled on the Green for the purpose of ridiculing tlie militia laws. There was not a musket in the whole company, but hoes, shovels, axes, cross-bows and other useless weapons were in the hands of the men. In derision of an instrument of music which had recently been adopted by some brass bands and named " Chinese bells," some of the men carried long poles on the top of which were tied dinner and sleigh bells. They formed in line in front of the State House, whereupon the General (Bloodthirsty he was nicknamed) delivered a speech. There was not one unsoldier-like manoeuvre, except when the General's horse attempted to eat off the grass whiskers of one of the Invincibles who stood near him. The street parade excited much merriment. It was a memorable day in the city's calendar, when in June (15th) Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, was addressed in the State House by the Governor and the Mayor of New Haxen. The President was accompanied by Secretary Cass, Secretary Wood- bury, Vice-President Van Buren, Governor Marcy, of New York, Major Donaldson, the President's Private Secretary, Mr. Poinset, ex-Minister to Mexico, and other distinguished men. The party left New York on the steamboat Splendid, for New Haven, early in the day. At 10.30 the steamboat put into Bridgeport harbor and the party debarked. It was the first time that General Jackson ever was in New England. The stop at Bridgeport occupied an hour's time. At one o'clock the guns of a United States cutter in New Haven har- bor, announced the appearance of the Splendid and the other Sound THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 45 Steamer, the Superior. A field piece at the landing and cannon fired on the Green, called out the people, who in holiday raiment crowded the sidewalks. Flags gayly waved, and at all the windows on the streets through which the procession passed, the wives, mothers and children of New Haven made an attractive spectacle. The military with a band from Meriden, went to the landing. hX the dock, the people gave cheer after cheer and the enthusiasm was great. The old man uncovered his head, which was as white as time could make it, and to each and all he gracefully waved his hat in token of his pleasure. x\fter the addresses at the State House, the escort formed and the procession moved through College, York, Elm, State, Chapel and Church streets to the Tontine, where the military passed by in review. Sunday, which was the following day. General Jack- son attended services in Trinity Church on the Green and heard Rev. Harry Croswcll preach. Thurlow Weed, of the Albany Journal, afterward gave currency to a story that the behavior in church, of Mr. Martin Van Buren was so indecorous that he ous^ht to have been disciplined by the tythingman, but this was indignantly denied by many who had attended the services. Monday, at five o'clock, the distinguished guest of the city visited the carriage factory of Brewster c^- Collis and the axe factory of Alexander Harrison. At 6.30 he left for Hartford, stopping on the way at Eli Whitney's gun factory. Charles H. Pond was marshal on the reception day and Jones & Allis, of the Tontine, were praised for their ample provision for the comfort of the visitors. A tall hickory tree, with green leaves at its top and a handsome standard of the Union, were in front of the place of Knight Read, near the Tontine. General Jackson rode a handsome white horse. There were strong feelings for and against Jackson. Samuel Miles, a tailor, spent the 15th in West Haven, to avoid seeing him, while Timothy Potter was so rejoiced that he ran around the State House three times to shake his hand. The Legislature of the same year, for the special accommodation of the village of Canterbury, passed what was called the "Black law," which declared that " no colored person sh^ll receive an education H. AXJSTIIV. F» I>. ^XJSTIIV. HENRY AUSTIN & SON, ARCHITECTS. OFFICE, HOADLEY BUILDING ROOM NO. 31, 49 dhhFch St., Me^ MeL^em, C O Pif PSf , THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 47 who is not an inhabitant of this State, in any academy, school or lit erary institution of this State, without the consent in writing of a majority of the civil authority of the town in which such school is situated." Regarding this law, the New York Daily Advertiser said : " The spirit that gave rise to this act is highly discreditable to the character of the Legislature and of the people whom they represent. Such a measure might have been looked for in a Slave State, but to find it adopted in a State where slavery does not exist, where the institutions are free and the universality of education is its most striking characteristic, is truly surprising." In the basement of the third State House (and hereafter in this history it will be the one always meant unless one of the others is specified) were held those meetings of the freemen of the town, which in the past have been the very bulwarks of our liberty, much esteemed since the power of the city to locally legislate has been, by an amendment to the city charter, taken from the people and vested in the Common Council. In a print of that day, on the 26th of No- vember, 1833, is to be found more than a hint of the crude and often- times unjust methods by which the will of the people was controlled. Says the record : "The election of town officers terminated yesterday as all popular elections in this town will ever terminate as long as anarchy and confusion are permitted to predominate over sober republicanism and good order, and a few demagogues are allowed to overawe and repress the wishes and voice of a majority of the voters. Voting by nomination instead of by ballot, everything was carried by acclamation. In order to get the vote truly, it was decided that those in favor of the first selectman, should pass through the hall and be counted. In this way the opponents were kept waiting and impatient at the unfair way, and got disgusted and went away. Some passed into the hall, not knowing what was going on and were counted on the wrong side. William Mix was again chosen first selectman." On occasions of making appropriations of money or voting upon any question of special interest, the State 48 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. House basement was thronged with excited townsmen and there was usually displayed considerable finesse by both parties on each side of a matter, as to which should secure the moderator or chair- man. For the rulings of the chairman and his tact in excluding from the discussion such men of influence as were on the other side, were very potent in these town meetings. Shouting and cries of '' order " and colloquial disputes in the different parts of the large room where the meetings were held, characterized nearly all meet- ings. The commanding talent and shrewdness of William W. Board- man, as a chairman, was frequently recognized. Stephen D. Pardee made a most reliable chairman. It was rarely that a chairman could catch the eye or hear the call of a citizen who desired to speak adversely to the views of his backers, and the rage of dis- appointed patriots at what they considered unfairness, often led to exciting personalities. There are still a number of citizens who recollect the mild, noble- looking Joseph Lancaster who in December of 1833 lectured on his system of economical instruction of youth by making use of moni tors. His system had been adopted by the Turks and their approval was quoted as an argument in its favor. He lectured in the Center Church as early as June 21, 1827, for he twice visited New Haven, and as a result of his efforts the first Lancasterian school was kept in the basement of the Methodist Church on the Green soon after the erection of the building. This church had a frontage toward College street of 68 feet and extended eastwardly 80 feet. The State had lately established a constitution which granted equal rights to all denominations, and had abolished what was called "the Standing Order." It was a turn of the scale in favor of relijjious libertv and resulted in a vote of the New Haven people giving a site on the northeast corner of the upper section of the Green, for the building of the church. The permission designated its north angle, with a line parallel with the North Church and a line twenty feet southerly of the College street line. It was specified in the permit that "said house be built of brick or stone and of a size suitable to the hon- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 49 orable place that it will occupy." The vote was passed in the spring of 1820. Many interesting facts in connection with the Meth- odist organization in New Haven are to be found in a paper in pos- session of Mr. Sylvester Smith, of College street, written in 1840 at the request of Elias Gilbert. THE FIRST METHODIST CHURCH. The corner-Stone of the building was laid May 15, 182 1, about one thousand persons being present. The New York Conference had appointed Rev. William Thatcher pastor, and be took charge in June, 1820. He was called the Father of the Methodist New Haven meeting-house. The building had been so far completed that the roof was in position the 3d of September, 1821, when occurred what 4 50 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. has been frequently spoken of as " the great September gale," which damaged property on Long Wharf and elsewhere, and in New York leveled three hundred chimneys. The windows had not been put into the church building, and the wind lifted the roof a few times as if it were dancing on the walls, when presently there was a crash of falling bricks and timber, and the structure was in ruins. Eight months after the gale, Rev. John Summerfield preached a sermon at the dedication of the building which had been rebuilt. This was May 23, 1822. The Methodists worshipped in a building on the east side of Temple, between Crown and George streets, from 1807 until they moved into the new church. During the pastorate of Rev. John Floy the building was taken down in 1848. A lot had been secured on the northeast corner of Elm and College streets, where had once stood a small wood building in which George Gabriel, and later Chester Goodyear, had kept store. The city gave the society $5,000 and \'ale College contributed $500 toward defraying the expenses attendant upon the removal of the building from the Green, the purchase of the lot and erection of the new building. Mr. Henry G. Lewis, afterward New Haven's honored chief magistrate, also raised a considerable sum from the subscriptions of citizens. The dedication of the new building, which has a high steeple and is in its interior very convenient for class meetings and the needs of a flourishing Sunday-school, took place April 12, 1849. John E. Lovell, an Englishman, came to New Haven in 1822 and taught the youth of the town the rudiments of a sound education, under the Lancasterian system. His school room was in the base- ment of the Methodist Church on the Green, from the year of its dedication until its removal. At the semi-centennial celebration of the settlement of New Haven, April 25, 1888, Mr. Lovell, then in his ninety-fourth year of age, met about 350 of his former pupils in a complimentary re-union. There was a collation served in a build- ing on Orange, below Chapel street, and it was a very memorable occasion. Hon. Henry B. Harrison, ex-governor of the State, pre- sided, and paid a noble tribute to the character and successful work THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 51 of Mr. Lovell. In 1827 a new school house was built on a lot, the gift to the school district of Titus Street, on the northeast corner of Orange and Wall streets, where Mr. Lovell taught for many years. In the published transactions of Founders' Day, 1888, will be found a most interesting account of the meeting of the Lancasterian boys. Ex-Governor James E. English, the late Judge Henry E. Pardee, Prof. George E. Day, of the Yale Divinity school, Horace Mansfield, Henry Mattoon, besides a number of men past middle age, who were distinguished for wealth and their respectable achie\ements, were at the gathering. In his address on the occa- sion mentioned, ex-Governor Harrison said among other things : " In looking back to the opening of the school at which it was m)- lot to be present, I am impressed with certain leading ideas of Mr. Lovell which were made prominent in its semi-military organization, viz.: the importance of order, neatness, obedience and reverence. The inspection of hands in the long line extending from the old Methodist Church to the corner of the North or United Church, the orderly march into the cellar-like school room, the reverential read- ing of the Scriptures by the instructor, the inscription in large letters 'a place for everything and everything in its place,' and the prompt obedience required and enforced were an education in themselves. Combined with the personal activity of the teacher, his genius for organization and his courtly manners, they contributed largely to the success of the school." Standing near the Methodist Church one pleasant day in 1825, Mr. Lovell was thrown into a state of great anxiety as he watched the perilous performance of one of his pupils, John Beers. This lad had climbed the lightning rod of the Center Church and was engaged in turning the weather vane at its top. The teacher showed much solicitude at the risk of life, and was greatly relieved when young Beers made a safe descent to the ground. The following day the performance was repeated, the boy sitting astride the vane. The church officers and other citizens, to prevent a further and similar jeopardy of life, bent the rod to follow the conformation of £STABL.ISHEI> FKB'Il 1st, 1851. JOHJ* G. MlhE^, -^■x- mtm Tim « 14 CENTER ST., HEW HAVEN. A LARGE Al m-SELECTED STOCK OF Foreign Fabrics, ALSO THE FINEST GRADES OF AMERICAN WOOLENS. WORK AND STYLE FIRST-CLASS. PRICES MODERATE. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 53 the cornice, and the rod was spiked to the wall, as it is seen to- day. During a part of the time while the State House was building, the courts, afterward held in that building, were held in the Methodist Church building. From the basement of the old church were often heard by people walking that way, the energetic songs of praise and the shouts of the joyfully converted. In those days the enthusiastic amens and exclamations denoting exaltation in worship, were more abundantly heard than in these days of greater cult in religious exercises. When in 1842 the interpretation by William iSIiller, of the prophecies of the book of Daniel and the other sacred writings were arousing people in various parts of the country to expectations of the near approach of the end of the \vorld and the almost imme- diate appearance again on earth of the Son of God, many devout Christians were deeply impressed by the hopes and fears sequent upon the new belief. A goodly number of Methodists, in common with persons of other denominations, after a perusal of Mr. Miller's arguments, were persuaded that the time w'as close at hand when without suffering the pains of death, they should be taken away from earth to heaven. These believers, by the irreverent denominated " Millerites," met sometimes in the basement of the Methodist Church, and enlightened each other's minds and warmed each other's hearts, by rehearsing the evidences of the speedy coming of the great day. Some believers had, it was said, prepared ascension robes. Others were so absorbed with the thought of the great move- ment, that they were accused by their less convinced and more indifferent friends, with being crazed. Rev. Smith Dayton, a Meth- odist minister, became satisfied with the evidences which had con- vinced so many earnest and good people. In the winter a paper mill in Westville was burned. It was in the night season and snow- was falling. The air vvas filled with lurid light as the city's fire apparatus was rolling through the streets. *' Stop, stop ! " said Mr. Dayton, to the men who were pulling along a fire engine. "This is a fire which no earthly engines can extinguish." William Miller, the 54 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. founder of this faith, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1781, and he died at Low Hampton, Washington County, New York, in 1849, He was a farmer and had been a captain of a company in 1812. He began to lecture on the speedy coming of Christ in 1833, and he then interpreted the Scriptures to mean that the world was to be destroyed in 1843. He had at that time about 50,000 followers. From the doctrines then'preached were evolved others, and different dates were afterward fixed upon for the day of destruction. The first date had been October, 1842 ; then 1843, 1847, 1848, 1857 and 1861. Believers, to some extent, gave away their material pos- sessions. A number of pious persons w^ho had faith in Miller's doctrines, were afterward associated in a church of Primitive Chris- tians, who held meetings in a wood building on York and facing down Grove street, and which afterward became the property of the New Haven Wheel Company. There is now a church of second adventists on Beers street. Intelligence of the death of the Marquis, General La Fayette, was published in New Haven, June 21, 1834. He died May 20, at five o'clock in the morning, at which date he would have been seventy- seven years of age in about three months. The city • authorities directed the flag to be displayed on the Green, and requested masters of vessels in port to display their flags also. Minute guns were fired and an orator to speak aj^pointed. The Common Council passed resolutions and James A. Hillhouse was chosen to make the oration. The visit of this friend of American liberty to New Haven, in 1824, is recorded at length in the '* History and Antiquities of New Haven," by the late John W. Barber, and there are elderly persons who recall the interesting mcidents connected therewith. New Haven sent a deleiration to New York to meet the distinjruished man and in the evening of the 20th of August, the people illuminated their houses. In front of Morse's Hotel, corner of Crown and Church streets, was displayed a large transparency with the legend " Welcome, La Payette." This was surrounded with French and American flasfs. Smaller transparencies with similar words were seen above the doors THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 55 of many houses. Contrary to expectation, the General did not reach New Haven until lo o'clock in the forenoon of the next day, when his arrival was announced by a salute of twenty-four guns. He was addressed by the Mayor, at the room of the Common Council. The Governor of the State, those officers of the revolutionary war who were in New Haven, the civil and military authorities, the Faculty of Yale College, the clergy and hundreds of citizens paid their respects to him. A procession of college students, wearing their respective society badges, were in line with the troops reviewed by the city's guest, who made an address. He had passed through the town in 1778. In the forenoon he breakfasted with the Common Council, and among those present were Governor Wolcott and all the civil and military authorities, the Yale Faculty, the clergy, the New York committee of escort and surviving officers of the revolutionary war. Three hundred ladies, with their children, were presented to the General. At noon. General La Fayette went upon the Green and reviewed the military, consisting of the Horse Guards, Major Hug- gins ; a squadron of cavalry under Adjutant Harrison ; the Foot Guards, Lieutenant Boardman ; Artillery, Lieutenant Redfield; Iron Grays, Lieutenant Nicholl, and a battalion of infantry. Captain Bills ; the whole under Major Grannis. The General walked down the whole line, shaking hands with the officers and bowing to the soldiers. He received a marchins: salute while in the doorwav of the house of Nathan Smith. He rode to the College campus, and was received by the president at the head of the Faculty, and was conducted between a double line of students, to the lyceum, mineral- ogical cabinet, and library. At the new burying ground there were pointed out to him the graves of Humphreys, the aide to General Washington ; and Dwight, who had been a chaplain in the Revolu- tion. He received attentions at the house of Prof. Benjamin Silli- man, where he met the widow of Governor Trumbull. He was met by the students at the foot of Prospect Hill, and by way of Temple street, went to the Green and was shown the graves, then supposed to be those of Whalley and Goffe, the regicide judges of King EXPLANATION OF DIAGRAMS OF THE STATE HOUSE, FROM ORIGINAL PLANS. BASEMENT. A ......... . Town Hall A A Arches under the Porticoes jB B B Committee Rooms C C Entry D Clerk of Court E Probate C'ourt F Town Clerk The iigures show the size of the rooms. PRINCIPAL FLOOR. - G ......... . County Court H Committee Room 1 Commissioner of School Fund J .......... Treasurer K . Comptroller L M X O Committee Rooms P ......... Room for Jurors For many years the Governor's room was on this floor and in the southeast corner of the building. UPPER FLOOR. R Representatives' Hall S . Senate Chamber T Secretary's Room U V . . . . . . . Governor's Rooms P P Rooms partitioned off from the Representatives' Hall at the time when the flat ceiling was hung under the original arched one, shown in the picture of the south end ruins. 56 57 58 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Charles [neither of thein were buried there, in rear of the Center Church, as then supposed], and of Dixwell. His departure from the city was announced by tiring fifteen guns, the city authorities accom- panying him on his way as far as East Haven Green. The people having consented to allow^ the Methodists to build their church on the Green, voted at a town meeting held October, 1821 : " That the town consents that the Baptist Society in New Haven may erect a meeting-house on the southwest corner of the west section of the public square, to stand in a line with the Methodist Church, the south line of said building to be in a line with the south line of the Episcopal Church, and to be of dimensions at least equal to the Methodist Church, provided the same be built of brick or stone, and be completed on or before the first day of January, 1S24." The Baptists did not, however, build on the site generously allotted them. This voting of church sites was no evidence that the city did not fully appreciate the value of the Green, for in August, 1821, the Common Council voted, " that the Mayor and Alderman Bishop be a committee to confer with the contractor or contractors for the feed and pasturage of the east section of the public square in regard to rescindins: the contract with them and to rescind the contract on such terms as they shall see best." An old horse belonging to a man named Gorham, had been getting pasturage on the Green at night, without cost to his owner. One night, some students painted the horse green, and in some way got him into the bell-tower of the College Chapel, where he was found in the morning. Inside the south wall of the hall of the Representatives there once stood two handsome wood columns with an entablature connecting them, but they were taken down some years before the destruction of the building, the idea being that the acoustic properties of the hall would be improved. On the roof of the building, for a few years after it was built, there was a framework supporting a bell, pur- chased from a merchant vessel at this port, and the bell was rung on court days. It proved too small to be of service, and a contract 06 1 ||i \ t: CO r 03 K ^ z 5 \ \- o ^ 9 .-bG J 59 6o THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. was made with the se;cton of the Center Church, to ring the bell in the steeple of that bLiilding. It was rung on days when the Legisla- ture was in session as well as on court days. Diagrams showing the plans of the State House are here given. However uninteresting to the reader may be a collocation of dates, they appear to be necessary in giving an account of the structures which were once or are now standing on the Green. First meeting-house commenced in 1639. Built of wood. Fifty feet square. Situated near the centre of the eastern section of the Green. It had a turret in which a sentinel was staiioned, Sabbath days, to give the alarm in case of a raid by the Indians. This house was occupied about thirty years. First school house located in the rear of the first church, and a little toward the north. Second meeting-house, buili in 1668, near the location of the first one. It had a pyramidal roof, and in the top was a bell, placed theie in 1680. November 14, 1670, the old meeting-house was ordered to be sold, to the town's best advantage. Third meeting-house, built in 1670, during the ministry of Rev. Nicholas Street. Rev. Joseph Noyes ordained July 4, 17 16. The brick meeting- house erected in his lime, was 72 feet 6 inches long, and 50 feet wide ; built in 1757. It stood a little east of where its successor was erected in 1812. Its pulpit was on its west side; its turret or steeple was at its north end. There were three entrances — one through the tower, one at the south ^\\(\. and one on the east side, where the steps encroached upon Temple street. The present Center Church cost about $34,000, and was dedicated December 27, 1814. Similar objections to building were made that were made to building the State House in 1829 ; namely, on account of the desecration of the graves of our forefathers. A glance into the Crypt of the Center Church, will show that the graves have been bet- ter preserved probably, than if the improvement had not been made. • • 6i 62 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. The Fair Haven Church building, located near the site of the present United, formerly called the* North Church, was built in 1772. In 1814-15 was built the United (North) Church, and an addition was made in the rear in 1850. Trinity Church was built in 1814-15. Added to in the rear, within the past five years. Second, or new brick State House, erected in 1763, the whipping post being in rear of the building. The post afterward stood nearer Temple street, and its successor, the town post, now stands outside the southeast corner of the Green. It is used for posting legal notices and orders of court. The public square fenced 1798, under direction of James Hillhouse, David Austin and Isaac Beers. July, 1799, permission was given to have the Green levelled, under supervision of Pierpont Edwards, James Hillhouse and Isaac Beers, provided the work cost the city nothing. The division fences were removed from the Green, which was enclosed by an iron fence supported by granite posts in 1843. The money to defray the cost of the improvement was donated by the State, and in consideration of the fact that the New Haven banks had been heavily taxed for their charters. The first county house and jail were removed from the western part of the west section of the Green in 1784. They stood between the old cemetery and College street, not far from Elm street. The market house, for which permission to build on the Green was given, August, 1785, was removed about the time the Green was enclosed with a first fence. It stood near the southeast corner. The elm tree, corner of Church and Chapel streets, was set out the day that Benjamin Franklin died : April 17, 1790. The tree was purchased by Mr. Thaddeus Beecher for one quart of St. Croix rum, of Jerry Ailing, of Hamden, who brought it into town on his shoulder and planted it \vhere it now flourishes in its lovely age. The man was known sometimes as Apple Ailing, because he peddled fruit to the College students. In 1887, this Franklin Elm, as it is THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 6l sometimes called, measured sixteen feet around its trunk, two feet above the ground, and it is still growing, although some of its limbs have been lost. On one side it had become injured by the wheels of passing carts, and about thirty years ago, Mr. Gad Day inserted in its wounded side a thick board, about three feet long, to keep out the weather. The bark has since so grown over the board that only about two feet of its length and eight inches of its width can be seen. The tree has increased a foot and a half in diameter since this bit of surgery. A few years before the war, between the North and South, Philip Pinkerman raised by subscription, about sixty dollars, and this money, with a small appropriation by the city, was used to pay for the wrought iron fence which at present protects the tree, but which should now be enlarged. Mr. Pinkerman kept a cigar store in the Glebe building which preceded the present structure of that name, on the corner of Chapel and Church streets. Let us look at the Green in some of its various aspects. Before ever there was a fence or definite boundary lines, more than two hundred years ago, we see an uneven piece of land with marshy pools, nourishing the roots of alders and wild vines. Foot-paths trending in different directions, but not in straight lines, intersect each other for the convenience of people living in the neighborhood. In their season frogs and tree toads make their respective sort of music, and in places specially dank, low shrubberies bear their fruit- age of berries or nuts where fire-flies of summer nights show their flitting light. At dusk, when the vigilant watchfulness of the puri- tanic master and mistress can be most easilv eluded, thoughtless and perhaps wickedly reckless men-servants and maid-servants steal through the gloaming to disport themselves without restraint, and undisturbed except by the cry of a strange bird or the unfamiliar voice of a wild animal in distress. Or it is a still Sabbath morning, as the people with deportment of gravity befitting the hour, w^end their way at the call of drum-beat, to the meeting-house. Later on in the passage of time we see a group of English officers standing near the grave of John Dixwell, the regicide, discussing the sugges- ESTAI5LIBHEI> 1838. O. OOTVLES 4fe OO. MFRS. CARRIAGE TRIMMINGS. GOLD, SILVER NICKEL Plating* RE-PLATING A. Girls' Tricycles & Velocipedes. Established 1859. 1^.1 PHlLLIj^. I ^^pBt^g^ Excelsior Sign Depot, 57 Church St., opp. Post Office, New Haven, Conn. SIGNS AND BANNERS Transparencies, Carved Signs, Ice Cream and Soda Water Flags, Business Wagons Lettered, Gilding on Glass a Specialty, Cloth Signs of all Kinds, Show Cards, Etc. Best AVoi-lf . Lo>vest: Prices. P. 0. Box 1383. H. D. PHILLIPS, C. R. PHILLIPS, 65 66 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. tion that his bones should be disinterred and treated with indignity. Near the southeast corner of the Green at a later time, are gathered the farmers from outlying districts. They have driven their ox teams into town with loads of wood and hay, and are waiting for a pur- chaser of their commodities. But what grand excitement has called the people together on a certain forenoon in 1761, when there is much joyful shouting and a firing of cannon? It is the day on which proclamation is made that the Prince of Wales has become King Georo-e III. This was a time when healths were drunk to his Majesty, the royal family and King of Prussia, and there was feast- ing by the governor, deputy governor and council, and others of notability. With gibe and jest the idle and malevolent are mingled with some few citizens of puritanic severity of countenance, to enjoy seeing two miserable fellows branded with the letter " B " before being publicly whipped. Let us hope that their punishment was deserved, and they burglarized no more. Again are assembled a few of the shrewd, forehanded citizens who are eager to bid at the public auc- tio!i of the town poor, whose future lot it must be to bear in pain and suffering all that they are able, in return for the cheapest and coarsest fare that will sustain life. To this dav the State of Con- necticut practically approves this method of caring for the poor. All paupers not accredited to any town become charges upon the State, and they are sent to TariiTville, there to live or languish and die, as may be the case, and at as small an expense to the good old commonwealth as is possible. Now on the Green we catch the sound of voices raised in angry protest at the iniquitous Stamp i.\ct, and with wild, seditious remarks the people express their hatred to taxation without representation. How merrily the bells — three of them — did ring not long afterw^ard when intelligence w^as received of the repeal of the obnoxious law. Now comes a day when members of the Governor's Guards hasten to the Green and march away for Lexington or Cambridge under the brave Benedict Arnold. What noisy rejoicings at night in 1781 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 67 at Washington's victory over Lord Cornwallis ! The gathering of the people at the brick meeting-house, the grand dinner in the State House, the illumination of that building and dwelling houses near the Green at night — surely they were happy people who flocked to the Green to mingle their congratulations and strengthen each other's love for liberty ! Such another rejoicing they had in 1783 at the news of the cessation of hostilities between this and the mother country. What a strange scene was that on the Green, when in 1839, ^ crowd of velvety-skinned blacks — the mutineers of the Amistad — were let out of the county jail on Church street, to roll and toss and gambol about on the grass, under the shade of the ehns, which although they are older now, were trees of magnitude and beauty. It was no stranger sight than now can be enjoyed, when on the front steps of the First Church, in the centre of the Green, pictur- esque groups of Italians, the women wearing bright colored shawls on their heads, chatter in their liquid language of interests in Rome or Genoa, as they would on the church steps of their native place in sunny Italy. It must have been a mournful assemblage which assisted at the burial on the Green of Martha Townsend, the first woman in New Haven for whom a grave was made there. There were many other similar occasions for mournful meetings, but none, it would seem, so calculated as this to set the mind at work with the theological prob- lems w^hich tormented the best of our ancestors. No matter how long ago it is since the body of this first inhabitant of the silent City of Death was sweetened by the cool earth and was wasted quite away — beyond all possibility of ever being found — the creed and faith of the mourners, as inscribed to-dav over the entrance to Grove Street Cemetery, must have had as much consolation in it as it has for the faithful and good in this year of our Lord, 1889. "The dead shall be raised ! " At profound midnight there were burials in the Green, when certain of our ancestors were borne to the grave, lying on the bottom of a wagon, the lifeless body wrapped in sail-cloth, Exposition Uiiiverselle. PARIS, 1889. PRIZE AWARDED FOR S. HI- STIiEET Sc GO'S PERFECTION CEREAL FOOD PRODUCTS. I PERFECTION PREPARED i BUCKWHEAT FLOUR PREPARED IN ONE MINUTE Perfeclion Prepared Backwheal Floar, PerfeGlion Prepared Breakfast Gake Flsar, PerfectiGn M\m\ Gake Floar, Perfection Padding Preparation, Perfection polled White Qats, Perfection (l)heatine, ^\^^^-HA-I^A 1^^0 013. Grocers are autliorized to refund money paid for unsatisfactory goods. Wo Griifii-tiiitoe Sntisfjiotioii. S- EC. STI^EET cSc CO., NEW HAVEN, CONN. n I n m r w H COLLEGE ST. ^a 'O, a V, >, ^z- GRAMMAR SCHOOL f«®ss«|lmT LLliiilil -^ % ■ I 1 1 1 "1" 11 £■ a a BUILT 1663 CHURCH ST. FIRST COURT HOUSE BUILT IN 1717 n r IffiiiBll (/) H =^@v THE GREEN IN I72O. 70 TBE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. covered with tar. Solemnly in advance of these sad processions, walked a man carrying a lantern, who cried a warning to all way- farers to remove out of the way, and following the wagon another man bearing a lantern, gave similar warning to all who might other- wise overtake the gloomy cortege. For this was a customary mode of burial in cases where an inhabitant of the town had died from the dreaded small-pox. In later days, what thousands and thousands of people have hur- ried to the Green for participation in glorious events of peaceful days! The grand muster of firemen of this and neighboring cities, their engines and hose carriages gleaming with brightly polished metal and festooned with flowers, drav/n by the stahvart sons of a free and happy commonwealth, is succeeded by exciting contests to test the comparative merit of the different engines and the skill, activity and strength of the men who man the brakes. As in a dis- solving view we see the Green on days of "general training," when the uniformed companies put to shame the oddly dressed and unam- bitious members of the unwilling militia. Booths at convenient loca- tions near the town pump are patronized by lovers of bowls of stewed oysters and St. Croix rum. On the grass, gamblers spread their sweat-cloths, nic-^rked with numerals, and boldly challenge all persons to make a cast with the dice. Eccentric old fellows, whose breath smelled of the cider brandy of Valley Forge, or Bethan}', or a near Connecticut town, danced in glee and whooped and exhorted, to the amusement of school children who were given a holiday. In all parts of the Green fights would spring up and the crowd would rush for a chance to get near. Small boys who wanted to earn a little money for a pack of firecrackers or a cylinder of torpedoes, were to be seen everywhere carrying salvers suspended from the neck by a string. on which were laid long and thick rolls of molasses candy, made by their mothers only on general training days. Then came the days of a well appointed military organization and the parades, often in company with military bodies from New York, Boston and else- THE HIS TOR y OF ' THE ST A TE HOUSE. 7 I where, which were viewed with pleasure by thousands of well- dressed men, women and children. A wonderfully rich history might be written of New Haven's Green, could all the rags in Egypt be converted into paper on which to write it. Men not yet of middle age, remember the recruiting tents set up on the public square — the drilling and marching of the freshly enlisted men whose lives were offered for their country, for free gov- ernment such as the world had never before known. And after the war — only a few years after — when the book-keepers in large manu- facturing establishments were making rules for monthly payment of wages, and taking toll of workmen for giving them the privilege of drawing money for present necessities, and before regular pay day, what great crowds of impatient men collected around the band-stand at the liberty pole, to hear Peter McGuire and other fervent orators declaim of the wrongs of the workingmen ! Happily, some of the misunderstandings between men who have capital and men who labor hard to live have been dissipated by means of much discussion in print and on platforms. Then how lovely has been the sight ot hundreds of singing children on days of public commemoration of important historical events ! How like a wonderful dream, passed away indeed but not forgotten, reappear to " the mind's eye " circum- stances of moment and events of high importance, in which various prominent citizens, some of whom are dead, have figured. What a fearful scream w^as heard on the Green about fifty years ago, when James Rice, then a playful boy, was sorely wounded by the wad of a cannon fired on a July celebration day ! How ridiculous looked the red-faced musician on horseback, whose steed bolted from the ranks of the mounted band which preceded the march of the Horse Guards, carrying him to a distant part of the Green, in a hot day, the sun shining brightly on a brass instrument of music of enormous size. The angry passions of an excited mob — trundling of loaded ordnance for the destruction of the College buildings — the intention foiled by the coolness and nerve of Lyman Bissell, a captain of the watch, — helped to stamp a character upon New Haven, not to the 72 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. advantage of the city or remembered with satisfaction. Pleasanter is it to be once more with thousands of interested people who look with all their might at the splendors of fireworks which brilliantly depict scenes of patriotic heroism, in which George Washington bore a manly part. Or pleasanter still to linger in the half-light of a moon- light night in June, where lovers speak to each other in quiet voices, of the mystery which since the days of Adam and Eve in the blessed Garden of Eden, has never been thoroughly explained by not even the noblest poet or most learned metaphysician. Millions of dusty, tired mortals have quenched their thirst at the old town pump, not yet, thank Heaven ! abolished, notwithstanding Dr. Lindsley's analy- sis of its cool, crystal water and the efforts of the Board of Health. No institution of New Haven has conferred so much comfort upon suffering humanity as the pump. Once its case was simply an oblong box on end, on which Col. Joe Blakeslee, then a young man, used to paste his announcements of steamboat excursions and other popu- lar amusements. For this, when Peck Sperry was a Common Coun- cilman, in 1862, was substituted a more ornate wooden structure and in later years, the taste and good sense of A. Heaton Robertson was so exercised in the Common Council as to give us the beautiful can- opy and pump, both of iron, which now adorn the corner of the Green. It would not be an unpleasant act to raise a subscription for a testimonial to Mr. Douglas, of Middletown, who presented the pump to the city. The fact is, however, that an"ybody can give any- thing to the city and get no reward except a free puff in the news- papers or the City Year Book. For New Haven is what a New- York " drummer " will ever speak of as "a very conservative town." Had it not been so, the Naugatuck railroad would have terminated in New Haven instead of Bridgeport, and perhaps Connecticut would proudly boast of two capitals instead of one. Fashions change. Hon. William W. Boardman could hardly be persuaded to give up his objections to having the granite posts at the entrances to the Green removed a sufficient distance apart to allow a lady wearing a hoop skirt under her dress to pass between them, and at this day the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. "J ^ people are talking of pulling up and removing all the posts entirely around the Green, together with the fences. Men who were boys fifty years ago, recollect the long green gowns w^orn by the artillerymen who fired the salutes on the public square every Fourth of July. The veteran gunner, Aaron Belden, who for more than half a century has cared for the city's field-pieces and fired them on all important occasions, is still in fair health. How the old six pounders have spoken in the past in response to the deep feelings of the people ! The firing was on the western half of the Green when the State voted for the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The guns have thundered at whig as well as loco-foco victories, and upon days of general sorrow and rejoicing. They have spoken in welcome to many a distinguished man. In the early light of August 3, 1837, there lay, in a great heap on the Green near the town pump, hundreds of the long, leather "fire- buckets," one or more of which w^ere owned by every householder, and on each was painted its owner's name. Those who were out of bed all night, watching the destruction of a large part of the busi- ness centre of New Haven, had .seen a long line of women passing these buckets from one to another, as they were used to fill the fire engines with water from the town pump, the women passing the empty buckets and the men the full ones. From a little after eight o'clock in the evening of August 3, the skies had been lighted by the conflagration which had threatened to burn down a large part of the town. A strong wind blowing from the south scattered pieces of burning shingles over the roofs of buildings more than half a mile away and fires were kindled on the top of many houses. All night those who had staid at home were busy pouring water upon the blankets and bed-quilts which were spread on roofs to protect them from the falling of burnins^ brands. The fi.re broke out in the rear of the furniture workshop of J. B. Bowditch, over which was the sign-paintmg shop of Yemmans & Morehouse, in the centre of the block bounded by Orange, Crown, Church and Chapel streets. In less S. M. MUNSON & CO. FAMILY PIE BAKERS 362 to 370 EXCHANGE ST. New York Depot, 203 and 205 E. 2 1 st Street. To New Haven must be ascribed the honor of being the location of the first bakery devoted to the making of pies exclusively for public sale, and the pioneer of this now extensive industry was Amos Munson, who commenced in a small way June 10, 1844, the manufacture of pies, chiefly for sale in New Vork City. From that time on the business increased until, in 1S49, a branch factory was established in New York, which is still maintained. In 1872 the present firm style was adopted, since which time the business has been controlled by Mr. S. M. Munson, son of the founder, and its phenomenal growth and extensive trade, now so impor- tant, is largely due to the enterprising management of this gentleman, who may be said to have been brought up in the business, as he has almost continually been engaged in it since he was eleven years of age. The principal secret of the success of this firm may be attributed to their uniform efforts to produce good goods. There are pies and there are pies — but the pies made by this firm are good, palata- ble, wholesale, carefully and cleanly made and salable goods. No trash is used, but on the contrary the best materials and the freshest fruits only are employed in their manufacture, and they are unquestionably fully equal to the best home- made pies and are as carefully prepared. All kinds of pies are made, and are dis- tributed fresh to the trade daily. The facilities of the house in this city embrace a specially erected factory 146 x 47 feet in dimensions, which is equipped with all available machinery, and has a capacity for the manufacture of 6,000 pies daily. The factory is a model of neatness, and the firm take pleasure in showing their customers their methods of manufacture. The trade of the house extends through- out Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, and deliveries are made in all the principal cities, shipments being made from here daily by rail. An industrv of this character adds much to the reputation of New Haven as a producer of first- class products, and the enterprise and energy which has brought it to so prosper- ous a condition from the smallest beginnings, is alike creditable to its management and to the city in which it has found a congenial field for the display of its talents. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 75 than an hour the whole range of wood buildings in Chapel street, generally occupied as stores, was in flames. Several houses on Grove and other streets were set on fire. By eleven o'clock the fire reached the last store on the west of the wood range in Chapel street which adjoined the oil and paint store of Gardner Morse. The whole range of buildings on the opposite side of the street from the New Haven Bank to Exchange Place, were most of them damaged by the fire. The firemen of Fair Haven were promptly on hand to assist in preventing what it was feared would be the destruction of half the buildings in the city. Water was obtained from the canal, which then flowed where now^ rest the rails of the Northampton Railroad company, and from the force-pump at George Rowland's mill, which stood on ground now covered by the City Market, or the old railroad station. Some of the Chapel street stores were protected in a measure by the large shade trees which were set along that thorough- fare. It was a night of terror and distress for all the people of the city. Yale students carried the contents of Durrie & Peck's book- store to the Green, from the building now occupied by H. H. Peck, a grandson of one of the firm. Other merchandise to some extent, was carried to places likely to be safe. Men and women w^orked as they had never worked before, to help subdue the fire. Happening as if did, when all business had suffered from that season of depression historically remembered as "hard times," the fire was indeed a calamity. Twenty buildings were burned. The sufferers on Orange street were S. M. Bassett, looking-glasses ; J. B. Bowditch, furniture ; Yemmans & Morehouse, painters. On Chapel street, William A. Thompson, dry goods; Beriah Bradley, boots and shoes; Misses S. & M. Parker, milliners; Miss Tyler, milliner; Samuel Fairchild, ladies' French shoes ; G. W. & A. G. Tuttle, dry goods ; William Fairchild, ladies' shoes; Norris Candee, tailor; William C. Baldwin, boots and shoes; Bostwick & Treadway, harness makers; H, Reed, grocer; Horace Mansfield, book-binder; Giles Mansfield, hatter ; Jonathan Foot, boots : William A. Law, thread and needles; Demas P. Tucker, fruit. These were on the south side of the street. Qn ^6 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. the north side, the sufferers were, Samuel Noyes, of the Apothe- caries' Hall ; Miss Scott & Mrs. Langdon, milliners; Mark Woosler, grocer ; John Beecher, tinner, and D. W. Davenport, toys and fancy goods. The latter was a brother of the celebrated actor of that name, who in youth had been a pupil in one of John E. Lovell's elocution classes. The lire injured the cabinet warehouse of Lines >i: Chamberlain. Dyer White, who lived in a fine house on Orange, below Chapel street, lost a barn and outhouses. In the rear of his property, there was a ten-pin alley, the entrance to which was on Church street. This was burned, and Mr. White is reported to have said the morning after the fire that he was glad that the '' rolling j^in place " was gone. The rolling of the balls on the alley could be heard at his house late at night, when most citizens wanted their sleep. About this time tiie city was kept in a constant state of alarm by incendiary fires. In one day there were fifteen fire alarms. So many barns were burned that the general appearance of New Haven was a good deal changed. There were patrols of citizens and students, watching for fires, and with the hope of catching the incendiaries. There was a notable conflict on the west section of the Green, October 30, 1841, between the firemen and the Yale students. The latter were kicking foot-ball and they trampled on the hose. Firemen and students had a lively battle, in which dangerous weapons were displayed. The students were defeated, and afterward the College authorities paid seven hundred dollars to the city, in damages for the destruction of fire engine No. 7, located on Chapel above College street. Fifty years ago collisions between the town-born boys and the students were frequent, and sometimes dangerous to life. February 9, 1858, a quarrel between members of engine company No. 2, and the Crocodile club of students, boarding on the corner of High and Elm streets, led to the death of William Miles, the assistant foreman of the engine company, wdio was shot. Hose wrenches, pistols, clubs and daggers were used with effect, during the fight. On one occasion, when the firemen were exercising on THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 'J -J the upper Green, the students challenged them to fight. Each College class had in those days its major and minor " bully," and the challenge was given by one of those officials. It was instantly accepted. Constable Chauncey Barnes collared the " bully," and walked him rapidly toward Temple street on the way to the office of a Justice of the Peace. The young man resisted, and got his legs around a post at Temple street. Barnes dragged him off, however, and afterward seizing two students, each by the coat collar, knocked their heads together until they lost all interest in either Greek root^ or the three conic sections. Bv the wav, the students bore a hand in pulling down the walls of the second of New Haven's Slate Houses. A long rope had been made fast to a part of the building where the walls had previously been undermined, and the students pulled on the rope until the walls all fell inwardly, the fall making a loud noise and raising a cloud of dust. The Green \vas thronged with people the 25th of April, 1838, when WMS celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of the settle- ment of the towm. The procession started from the south portico of the State House, and was remarkable for the large number of private schools represented by their respective pupils in line. When we read the names of the marshals, most of whom were well known to men now sixty years of age, how much we cannot fail to reflect, npon the brevity of life. Here is the list : William J. Forbes, William H. Jones, Henry Huggins, Joseph N. Clarke, Enos A. Pres- cott, Charles A. Ingersoll, Robinson S. Hinman, William W. Board- man, Thomas Bennett, Charles Robinson, Gad S. Gilbert, John Daggett, Frederick Croswell, Thomas B. Jewett, R. M. Clarke, Henry Hotchkiss, Minott A. Osborn, N. C. W'hiting, James Punder- ford, James F. Babcock, W. P. N. Fitzgerald, C. W. Curtis, Guy C. Hotchkiss, Charles Monson, Prentiss R. Law. In the procession, besides civic societies, were the artillery, Capt. Morris Tyler, and the Grays, Capt. Elijah Thompson. Alas, for the good old fashioned days when the conscience of the office-holder was a better security for good administration of affairs ^8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. than all the more modern epigrams of moral reformers! So late as 1833, when William Mix was town agent, he bought from himself, certain commodities used in the almshouse. Mr. Mix as town agent bought from Mr. Mix as merchant, both sugar and molasses, and no committee of citizens were months in preparing a report of his transactions to present to the people. "Under democratic reform," said the Register of that year, " the overseeing of the almshouse is no money making concern." And the taxpayers were abundantly satisfied. But the workingmen were fretsome and held meetings to discuss the hard times, and Jacksonians and Whigs were putting out sound arguments for the purpose of gaining their votes. November 7th of that year, a committee consisting of Dennis Kimberly, Sidney Hull, Silas Mix and John B. Robertson, who were appointed to invite Henry Clay to come to New Haven and make an address on his American system of protection to home industries, received a letter from Mr. Clay, from Hartford, saying that he could not come. Mr. Mix w'as elected town agent again, in the same year, although the subject, before election, of »uch animadversion and adverse criticism as appears in part of a newspaper editorial which said : " How many of the poor paupers who were left to shift for them- selves during the prevalence of the cholera, would vote for William Mix on account of his regiets for them, if they w^ere living ? But they were poor people and of course of no consequence in his estimation. ' Let 'em die.' He saved some mustard, camphire, stockings, etc., for the town by letting the expenses fall upon those who possessed more humanity." In this comment upon the course of the town agent, the reader will see a division of the paupers into two classes, as if, for instance, there might be to-day two such classes — one, the class who might be called ''God's poor," and another, the poor of the Associated Charities' wood-yard. The campaign on behalf of William H. Harrison for President, offered the late William Goodwin, afterward the legislative statis- tician, an opportunity to peddle Harrison medals on New Haven Green on an occasion of a grand Whig rally. Big log cabins on THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 79 wheels and barrels presumably containing hard cider, were marked objects of interest in every Whig procession. December 31, 1836, a committee appointed to find out wliy the State House leaked, reported that its roof was too flat. Two days before this report was made in the House of Representatives, a resolution which did not pass appointed a committee to inquire into the expediency of the State reUnquishing all title and interest in the State House in New Haven, to the city and county, and to locate the same at Middle- town. About this time A. H. Maltby, the bookseller, was disposing of copies of the " Memoirs of Mary Lyon," printed by Hitchcock & Stafford. Throughout the two hundred and fifty pages of this book, written in the form of a diary, we find the doubt, the sadness, the unhappiness of studying the writings of those stronger theolo- gians of the school of John Calvin, whose presentation of the doctrine of original sin, of foreordination and election, worried, it is feared, many souls as gentle as Mary Lyon's. She was a daughter of Col. William Lyon, who lived in this city, and her remains were brought here from Charleston, S. C, for interment. The melancholy taint in her writings was generally ascribed by her biographer to her constitutional temperament, rather than to doc- trinal mysticism, or religion itself. In 1837 the banks, with the exception of the City bank, suspended specie payment, and there was much hardship among wage earners who were forced to take payment for work in orders on merchants for everything they needed. The problem of discount for cash was very much complicated. At the city election of the same year 570 votes were cast, Henry C. Flagg being chosen mayor, and Caleb Brintnall, alderman and judge. It is remarkable that the Legislature in 1838 adjourned June ist, after a session of only four weeks, dur- ing which time more important public business had been attended to than by any previous Legislature. Gen. Dennis Kimberly had been elected to the United States Senate, in place of John M. Niles, of Hartford, to serve six years. The gubernatorial message of Wil- liam W. Ellsworth, that year, was given to the Legislature by himself So THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. in person, in a tone of lofty and calm eloquence. It is estimated by good judges of reform in public affairs, that the Legislature, by work- in'^ in davlio'iit and by candle-light, saved six thousand dollars in expenses to the State. Five-sixths of the House and the entire Senate, with only one dissenting voice, voted " that the bill called the Sub-treasury or Independent Treasury bill, now pending before Congress, is, in the opinion of this General Assembly, in its charac- ter and tendency, contrary to the spirit of our institutions, dangerous to our liberties and destructive of our dearest interests, and will, if passed into a law, still further derange the currency, prostrate business, spread ruin and desolation through all classes of society and change the present distress into a settled and deep rooted despair." This being the view of the Legislature, the following was adopted : '■^Resolved, That it is the will of this General Assembly, that our Senators and Representatives in Congress vote against said bill, or any other containing similar provisions, and use all legal and proper means to prevent the passage thereof, and that they be hereby so instructed." June 27, 1838, Rev. Samuel W. S. Button was ordained pastor of the North Church. There w^as a meeting held at this church, the 22d of March, 1856, which had a po\verful effect upon the destinies of the country. Henry Ward Beecher made a stirring address. K company of New Haven men, of which Charles B. Lines was the most conspicuous member, were about to immigrate to Kansas, then in a political condition of a remarkable character. Larger books of history must be consulted for a fuller account of the national legis- lation touching the interests of slaveholders. Said the New Haven Jounial a?id Courier., in part explanation of the murders which were being committed in and near the borders of Kansas: "The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska act was the first blow struck. Before this there were no cries of disunion." The democratic New Haven Register denied this position to be true, and said : " Instead of the decisive movement taking its origin in the Kansas-Nebraska act, it THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 8 1 dates back as far as the Hartford convention, and from first to last has occupied the same ground. It is not as against any particular act of Congress that the traitors plant themselves ; their hostihty is to the whole system of government — the Constitution itself — the fundamental law of the whole country. It is the same that Wendell Phillips declared in Brewster Hall, to be a wicked instrument, and which Garrison, the high priest of the gang, calls ' a compact with Hell.' " The condition of things in Kansas was such that it was practically left to the people there to say whether they should be admitted into the union as a free or slave State. Men in the inter- ests of slavery flocked into the territory from Missouri, and there were bloody collisions between them and settlers from the free States. President Buchanan appointed a man named Geary, gover- nor, and he was supported by United States troops. The governor was a pronounced pro-slavery man at first, but afterward used his best endeavors to preserve the peace, and he appears to have acted fairly toward the free State settlers. But there was much bloodshed, causing sorrow and indignation in many Northern homes. A cry for help reached the northern cities. From this struggle may be dated the real beginning of the war which closed with the surrender of General Lee to General Grant. New Haven had always found in the South a market for carriages and other merchandise and there were citizens whose sympathies were with the South. Other citizens were opposed to the further extension of slavery and took the ground that it was protected by the United States Constitution. The New Haven Register and an important part of the Democratic party, claimed that the North had no right to meddle with the slavery question. March 22d, 1856, the Register thus makes mention of the meeting of friends of the white cause. "A novel kind of a religious meeting was held in the North Church Thursday evening. Rev. Henry Ward Beecher made an address to a company about to immigrate to Kansas, the admission fee to which was twenty-five cents. We did not hear the reverend gentleman's remarks, but from what is reported in the Coiwier con- 6 Brass and Bronze Plating. Manufacturer of Brass and Bronze Plated COAT AND HAT HOOKS. 958 Grand Avenue. P. O. Box 1362. New Haven, Conn. LYNCH & GOODWIN, House Painters, Paper Hangers, DECORATORS AND KALSOMINERS. Full T^iiie of Paper Ilaiiaiiigsi. 946 GRAND AVENUE, - - COR. OLIVE STREET, SIGNS, BANNERS, FLAGS AND BADGES. Fresco Decoratiye, Window Stiafle Carilj Ox*XX£Ln2C:Le2CL-t al JP Sb±JOL±e0C^. 124 GEORGE STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONN. Sawii, tail, aM Joiii ii Wool of all Ms, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 83 elude the Scriptures were slightly paraphrased so as to read ' war on earth and ill-will to men.' A contribution of Sharpe's rifles was taken up, and some fifty of those potent, Christianizing instruments (which some assert are more potent than the Bible) were promised. Our advice to the immigrants is, to be very judicious, and not to be deluded into a use of them against the laws of the territory. This turning of Christian churches into military rendezvous and preaching the efficacy of rifles over the gospel of peace, is of modern origin, having its origin in the famous ' three thousand priests ' power pro- test against the Nebraska bill. From that day to this, that class of political clergymen have been noticeable for their contempt for the staid old gospel ways of their fathers— their neglect of old-fashioned ways of creating religious interest — and a ' moral bully ' swagger over worldly affairs in which they are pre-eminently ignorant." The same paper, March 17, said editorially ; " But the old Missouri compromise act, the repeal of which brought out the three thousand priests with their profane protest, assumed to legislate on the subject of slavery in the territories. It drew a black line through all our territorial possessions and allowed slavery forever on one side, but prohibited it on the other. And though it allowed the institution in all parts south of 36"^ 30 , it said that sovereign States, even when forced from the other parts, should not come into the Union on equal terms with the rest. All this must have been in violation of the Constitution, for that instrument, according to the Hartford reso- lutions, contains ' no grant of power to the federal government in re- spect to slavery.' That government therefore had no right at all to legislate about slavery in the territories — either to uphold or defend it south of 36° 30', or prohibit it north of 36^ 30'. The whole matter was wisely left by the framers of the Constitution, for the people in different localities to settle for themselves, and when they come in as States, to require no more of them than that they do not conflict with the Constitution of the United States. And yet, for saying this two years ago. Senators and members of Congress were hung in effigy." 84 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. At the meeting in the North Church, the people were warmly interested in helping toward the establishment of the doctrine of freedom in Kansas. The first offer of a rifle for the immigrants, was made by Professor Silliman, Sr,, of Yale. A junior in college, offered one for his class. Professor Silliman, upon this, looked around and remarked that there were other classes in college. A rifle was then pledged for the senior class. William H. Russell, who had become identified with the American or "Know-Nothing" political party, a candidate for Senator from the New Haven district, gave one. Stephen D. Pardee, a Whig and favorable to the Know-Nothings, gave one. The rifles cost $25 each. Deacon Harvey Hall was one of the immigrants, and Rev. Dr. Dutton gave him a Bible and rifle. Some of the contributors of rifles were Charles Ives, three ; Thomas R. Trowbridge, four; Dr. J. I. Howe, Dr. Stephen G. Hubbard, Mr. Killam, Prof. W. A. Norton, John G. North, William Kingsjey, Lucius Olmstead, one each; and there were given twenty-seven in all. The Regisiei- called this affair " The North Church Kansas Swindle Meeting." April rst, after an enthusiastic meeting in Brewster Hall, the immigrants, numbering sixty New Haveners, marched to the steamboat and embarked on their way to the scene of warfare. Among those who went was George H. Coe, who afterward served as a soldier in the government army, during the great war. While in Kansas, letters from him showing the condition of affairs there, were made public through the newspapers. A school teacher named Farren, one of the immigrants, soon returned to New Haven. In a short time Deacon Hall returned. But most of the party commenced to build houses and till the land, keeping themselves alert to repel the attacks of the "border ruffians," as they were called, from Missouri, who intended to make Kansas a slave State. When Mrs. Louisa Caroline Tuthill named New Haven the "City of Elms," she builded probably better than she knew, for at the time of her marriage in 18 18, the lady could have hardly foreseen the great value to the city which the trees have been. Henry Howe, the author of " Historical Collections of Ohio," and other works, in a THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 85 carefully written paper upon the subject, says that the two trees shown on a map by General Wadsworth as " trees planted in 1686," were the earliest elms known in local history and were placed on Elm, just below Temple street, in front of the residence of James Pierpont, Gentleman. Rev. Leonard Bacon in one of his historical discourses, mentions these elms as having been the free-will offering of William Cooper, who having nothing else to offer, brought the saplings into town on his shoulder, and planted them before the minister's house. Under these trees in 1726, forty years afterward, Jonathan Edwards spoke mingled words of love and piety in the ear of Sarah Pierpont. Under their shade, when some sixty summers (1746) had passed, Whitefield stood on a platform and lifted up that voice, the tones of which lingered so long in thousands of hearts. These trees were standing in 1825, the last one of them being taken down in 1840. Prof. William H. Brewer, of the Sheffield Scientific department of Yale, proved that the oldest of two trees in front of Battell Chapel, corner of Elm and College streets, cut down in 1877- 79, was set out in 1738 or '39, w^hen about ten years old. A city meeting in 1787 approved of a Common Council order previously made, for laying out Temple to Grove street. Professor Twdning in 1808, saw James Hillhouse setting out elms, between the Center and North churches. The inner rows of elms on the east and west side of the lower Green were planted by David Austin, but most of the tree planting on the two sections of the Green was credited to James Hillhouse, who obtained the trees from his Meriden farm. Mr. Austin was assisted in his work by boys and girls. Caroline, a daughter of Elias Shipman, merchant, who lived in the building occu- pied in 1889 by the Quinnipiac Club, watered the roots and with her own hands planted one of the trees. One of the Pierpont elms lived a hundred and sixty years. The fence around the Green encloses a little more than sixteen acres of land. The distance around the fence is 163 feet less than two-thirds of a mile. There used to be a pen for pigs near the Elm and Church street corner, the Green at that time being covered with cobblestones and ditches. 86 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Indians gathered sticks for arrows from the alders growing near the southeast corner ; cows belonging to the town almshouse pastured on the west side of the Green as late as 1830 and dilapidated horses owned by the late Sylvester Potter, found a living on the Green a number of years since, and down to the time of building the iron fence. For a few years there was a market house near the southeast corner of the Green, built in 1785, but the Green was not enclosed until 1798. In 1799 a subscription was made for levelling the Green and in 1803, James Hill house, Isaac Beers and Thaddeus Beecher were a committee to audit the accounts of David Austin, who had paid out money for railing and ornamenting the Green, the city paying something toward the expenses. The fence of wood-posts and a top and bottom rail, taken down about forty-two years ago, were used to fence the Green in Milford. Admiral Foote Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, in April, 1879, adopted the following : ''Resolved, That Admiral Foote Post, No. 17, Department of Connecticut, respectfully petition the Honorable Court of Common Council of the city of New Haven, in behalf of the soldiers and sailors of the late war, to set apart and dedi- cate the five-sided lot of ground just south of the liberty pole on the Old Green, for a site for a memorial fountain or monument to the citizens who enlisted from the Town or City of New Haven, and died in the service of their country in the War of the Revolution, in the War of 181 2, the War with Mexico and the War for the Union and the suppression of the Rebellion." The petition was granted and the designated plot was formally dedicated, Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon delivering an oration. The dedicatory speech was made by Department Commander Charles E. Fowler, and there was singing by children of the public schools un- der the skillful leadership of Professor Benjamin Jepson. Mayor Hobart B. Bigelow presided. Afterward, the plans were changed and the monument was built on East Rock Park. It is no feet high, and serves as a landmark for sailors passing through Long Island Sound. A full history and description of the monument would make a fair-sized book. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 8/ The Boys' club was founded in 1872 by William Franklin, the tailor, recently deceased. Part of the club became a night school under his supervision, for teaching boys whose occupation during the day prevented their attendance at the public schools. The other part was continued as a Boys' club, which was maintained principally to keep boys out of the streets and from loitering on corners and at the doors of places of public amusement, in the evenings. The night school became the charge of the Board of Education after a few years. In 1874, William Gale, superintendent of the Boys' club, brought it under the care of the United Workers. In the fall of 1874, John C. Collins, since ordained an evangelist, had charge of the club, which met in a building corner of Church and Center streets, now occupied by the Mechanics' Bank. In the summer and fall of 1875, ^^^ ^^"t) was quartered in the Senate chamber of the State House, an adjoining room being occupied by the Young Men's club. On the floor below, in the vacated room of the Superior Court, was established at this time, the Young Men's Institute, but the books of their library suffered from the dampness of the walls and were nearly ruined. The Boys' club was ousted from the State House in 1879, when Prof. E. Whitney Blake obtained the lease of the building from the city, without paying lent, for ten years. Here was established his Museum of Art and Industry, which as a means of education for the people proved a failure. Mr. Collins gave up his superintendency of the Boys' club, which found quarters on the corner of George and Church street, and other places. Rev. R. A. Torrey becoming superintendent in 1877-78. A few years ago the club got back into the State House and occupied the northeast basement room until the order to pull down the building made a removal necessary. The removal of the building was much regretted by the supporters of the club, as by many other citizens. Every pleasant day while the State House was being pulled down, Mr. Joseph Short, a carpenter, who helped in building it, sat on one of the benches of the Green and conversed about things 88 THE HISTORY OP THE STATE HOUSE. of local interest. From him and other aged citizens have been gathered many anecdotes and reminiscences of local history of the years of the Slate House's existence. When the building was com- pleted, the architect, in order that its beautiful proportions might be seen to advantage from Chapel street, desired permission to remove from where it stood, a few feet from the south front, a large elm tree. Permission was refused, but shortly afterward somebody girdled the tree and killed it, so that it had to be removed. After the planting of the maple trees on the western section of the Green, be- tween the churches and the State House, during the mayoraliy of Henry Peck, a number of them were girdled, but the wounds being covered by cow manure under orders of Mayor Skinner, they were all saved alive. The canker worms having for some years ruined the foliage of the elms, it was decided during the mayoralty of Aaron N. Skinner to plant maples on the upper part of the Green, west of the State House. The trees were set out by Chester Ailing, of Hamden. The idea was to cut out the alternate trees as soon as they should be of sufficient size to make a good shade and set in their place elms. This has not been done, but the suitable time for the improvement has arrived. Contractor Montgomery has saved the city the trouble of removmg one of them as it was crushed by a fall of part of the east wall of the State House. The handsome oak tree north of the west end of Trinity Church, was a gift to the city from Richard Fellowes, who has since died. It came from England and may live hundreds of years. Elam Ailing, who had the work of transporting the marble for constructing the State House, while unloading some of it, had a leg broken. Inside the building a scaffold on which six men were at work, plastering, fell, but none of the men were hurt. One of the workmen engaged in plastering the Senate chamber, for a gymnastic exercise descended a ladder head downward. As he passed down, the ladder, just above his hands, parted rung by rung but he reached the lioor safely. One morning, Mr. William Thompson, with the blow of a lath, killed a partridge which had alighted on the top of a THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 8g scaffold pole. While he was removing a stick of timber from a pile which had been taken from the second State House, a rabbit jumped into sight. The animal was penned and the next day the students had a rabbit hunt on the Green, which made great sport for them, but poor bunny lost his life. There was no Henry Bergh in 1829, but societies in his name have in later years been estab- lished in most of the States of the Union and cruelty to animals- is now generally considered as criminal. A contributor to the funds of Mr. Bergh's New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was the late Philip Maret, one of the benefactors of the general hospital and the orphan asylum. He was much opposed to the use of the check rein by coachmen in the employ of wealthy persons, but to this day horses continue to be cruelly treated in that particular. Samuel A. Foot was chosen governor in 1834, but not by the people, his canvass having been conducted against the Jacksonian and anti-Masonic forces. In 1836 a good deal of interest was ex- cited among New Haven's sick people by the practice of a botanic or Thomsonian system of medicine. The founder of the system was not a man of college education, but his doctrine and subse- quently the doctrine of homoeopathic physicians so influenced the practice of medicine by the regular or allopathic doctors, that the giving to patients large doses of calomel, antimony, opium and some other drugs, and the blistering and bleeding of the sick in cases of fever and other disorders was greatly modified, and is now generally unfashionable. At an exciting town election in 1836, there were 1276 votes polled. Benjamin Beecher was elected First Selectman by 806 votes to 495 cast for Leverett Griswold. In December of the same year, the First Baptist Church, now Proctor's Opera House, was the scene of confusion and uproar little becoming the city or the place. Sunday night, in consequence of the delivery of an address on the question of the abolition of slavery, by a Mr. Rand of Boston, the front of the church was assaulted and stained by throwing spoiled eggs against it. The rioters also assaulted the dwelling WE CARRY A COMPLETE LINE OF 4 Ft. Long. IN COXNECTIOX WITH OUR FULL LINE OF HOUSE FURNISHINGS. J. C. PECK ft SOH, 755 to 763 Chapel St, >1i:AV HAVEIV, COIVIVECTICXJT. ^ THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 9 1 house of Rev. Mr. Jocelyn in a brutal and cowardly manner, fright- ening the women who were at home.- It was dangerous that year for anybody to publicly preach abolitionism. The paths across the Green in winter were not then cleared from snow, and there were few citizens attending church on Sunday who did not first apply to their boots a coating of David Rilter's water-proof. It superseded the black-ball sold by Riley Nott, in a small wood building, on the site of the Cutler Building, corner of Church and Chapel streets. Children carried foot stoves to church on Sunday certainly as late as 1840, and there are some of those once useful household articles in the garrets of old New Haven homes to this day. In earlier days, when the weather was pleasant, it was custom- ary for young ladies to carry their shoes on Sunday until near the church, and remove them after service and go home barefoot. When they had not the convenience of a " sabba-day house" in which to prepare their dinner, it was customary to take their food w^ell prepared and a noggin of cider to church, which had their assigned place in the pew. Mr. Ritter was the inventor and manu- facturer of a large, heart-shaped pasteboard fan, painted yellow, and of a Sunday these, which had to a great extent displaced the fans made of turkey feathers, were wielded with grace and effectiveness by worshippers in the Center Church half a century ago. And the creed of the Center Church was in those days to be found in the " Assembly's Shorter Catechism," one of the questions and its answer being here given : Q. " Did God leave all mankind to perish in the state of sin and misery? " Ans. " God having out of his mere good pleasure from all eternity elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of a state of sin and misery, and to bring them into a state of salvation by a Re- deemer." In the Amherst declaration will be found the creed, substantiallv of the Center Church, less' than half a century ago. In this we find a statement of the faith of Congregational churches, a part of which is reprinted ; 92 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. ^ '• I, moreover, believe that God, according to the counsel of his own will and for his own glory, hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass and that all beings, actions and events, both in the natural and moral world are under his providen- tial direction ; that God's decrees perfectly consist with human liberty ; God's universal agency with the agency of man, and man's dependence with his account- ability; that man has understanding and corporeal strength to do all that God requires of him, so that nothing but the sinner's aversion to holiness prevents his salvation ; that it is the prerogative of God to bring good out of evil and that he will cause the wrath and rage of wicked men and devils to praise him, and that all the evil which has existed and will forever exist in the moral system will eventually be made to promote a most important purpose untler the wise and per- fect administration of that Almighty Being, who will cause all things to work for his own glory and thus fulfill all his pleasure." The dry goods clerks' protective association, following the course adopted by associations of men engaged in what are called produc- tive industries, had a grand rally on the Green July 13, 1885. They had a band of music and speeches were made. The purpose of the clerks was to reduce the hours of labor and to compel the dry goods stores to close at six o'clock on Monday evenings. They attempted by means of a circular distributed among the people, to compel a firm of dry goods merchants, by threats of a boycott, to accede to their demand. The affair caused some excitement. The Whigs had a grand celebration, the Fourth of July, 1834. The procession moved from Hamilton Hall to the North Church. The marshals were J. C. Parker, Justin Redfield, Col. E. E. Jarman, D, VV. Buckingham, Levi Gilbert, 2d, and J. Pierpont Foster. The Grays' band made music. In the church the choir did the singing, under the direction of Ailing Brown and Professor Geib. The Declaration of Independence was read by James F. Babcock. The oration was by Aaron N. Skinner. Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon made a prayer as did Rev. Dr. Day. The procession marched to the State House and the people sat down to a fine dinner prepared by Knight Read. There were toasts and speeches of a patriotic sentiment and it was altogether a glorious day for all Whigs. The history of what has been called the American move- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 93 ment in politics will be found at length in the newspapers, and other prints of 1856. The Register of March 24, of that year, said : " The opinion is universal that the ticket of Minor, Sperry & Co., is the weakest in talent ever offered to the free- men of Connecticut." Nevertheless, Mr. Minor and Mr. Sperry, together with John Woodruff, 2d, who belonged to that party, had a reasonable share of political honor and success. Mr. Wood- ruff when in Congress, made a speech, published in the news- papers, condemning the assault of Congressman Brooks, of South Carolina, on Charles Sumner. He afterward served his country as a collector of internal revenue. Mr. Sperry, postmaster during the administration of President Lincoln, and for about a quarter of a century, is still accredited generally with holding great political power. He has been the Warwick of the political parties, and has advanced and retarded the fortunes of very many ambitious men. As partner in the building firm of Smith & Sperry, he has done much toward erecting some of the handsomest buildings in the city, and his knowledge of Freemasonry and of other institutions which have had an influence upon society, is very great. He believes in having the Bible read in the public schools. But our system of education does not permit of the Bible reading, and the talent of the Board of Education has not been so exercised as to secure for the pupils of the public schools some kind of a manual in which they can read that they must not lie. A teacher, in apologizing for what is not taught in the schools said : " If we read a book in which theft, false- hood, and other misdemeanors are shown to be wrong, we should at once be accused of teaching the Bible covertly." Therefore there is no such book, and the success of the rule of honor must depend upon the example set by the superintendent, teachers and janitors of the schools, except of course such instruction as is given the children outside of school. The year in which the building of the State House was com- menced, was pregnant with crude theories of governmental finance. During the "hard times" of '36, Nicholas Biddle, of the United 94 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. States Bank, wrote a letter to John Quincy Adams that the main cause of the prevailing distress was the mismanagement of the gov- ernment revenue in two respects — the mode of executing the Distri- bution law and the order requiring specie for the public lands. In the letter he mentioned the payment of $9,000,000 of public debt in 1829 (the year when the State House was commenced), at a time of unusual pressure ; but the withdrawal of the amount from the banks of the country made no trouble, as it was averted by an early antici- pation of it at the Treasury, aided by the judicious management of the officers of the United States Bank. Under the leafless boughs of the elms on the Green, have walked in former days, in celebration of the annual Thanksgiving, the fore- fathers in the town, unaccompanied by the women of their household, who were left at home to cook the Thanksgiving dinner. It was entirely outre for women to be seen on the streets at such times of religious rejoicing. When in spring the yellow birds, blue birds, wrens and other kinds of birds now rarely seen on New Haven Green, were gayly singing from every tree-top, there walked in the pleasant shade, together with a race of narrow-chested and rather short-breathed students of divinity, many men of much renown. Possibly the saunterer met a spare, neat-looking gentleman, dressed in snuff-colored clothes and wearing a long blue camlet cloak, and on his head a leather cap with a flat top. Or he may have exchanged a '' good morning," with an under-sized gentleman with sandy hair and blue eyes, who stepped quickly over the grass, as though on an errand requiring despatch. One would have been James Gates Percival, and the other, Hezekiah Augur. One made the geological survey for the State ; did years of work on a large Latin lexicon, for which another man was glorified ; wrote tender poems ; helped on Webster's dictionary ; made a unique collection of runic ballads and assisted in many literary labors. The other made a noble bust portrait of Chief-Justice Ellsworth ; the marble group in the possession of the Yale Art School known as Jephtha and his Daughter, and it is believed made the design for the picture THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 95 on the badges worn in the celebration of the two hundredth anniver- sary of the settlement of New Haven. The lives of these men of genius were not blessed with the advantages of wealth, for genius in New Haven had never any rating, as had a package of West India rum. Percival died in a Western State, Hazlegreen, Mich., May 2, 1S56, and he expressed the wish that his remains might never be brought to Connecticut. But while we have on East Rock Park a noble monument to New Haven's patriot warriors, ought we not to hope that some day there shall be monuments to Hillhouse, Percival, Augur, Webster, Bacon, Goodyear, Whitney, Cheever, Sherman, Sheffield, English, Trowbridge and other citizens whose work has helped to make New Haven one of the most beautiful and best governed of American cities .'' At a meeting held in the State House April, 1822, the following was read : " Whereas, it has been represented to this meeting that an application will be made to the next General Assembly, for the establishment of a canal from the tide waters in New Haven to the north line of this state, at Southwick, through the town of Farmington and also through New Hartford to Berkshire County : — " This meeting taking into consideration the subject matter of said application and believing that the establishment of the proposed canal will be highly honor- able to the state and greatly beneficial to a large proportion of our citizens : Therefore, " Voted, That this town do consent that said canal may be eJitablished and hereby wciive all advantage of not being cited to appear before said General Assembly." The boys of New Haven afterward had a great deal more fun out of the canal than the subscribers who put money into its construc- tion. They skated on it in winter, run benders toward spring and bathed in it in summer, and caught lamprey eels and fresh water clams and bull-heads and shiners. Certain religious societies used it for the baptism of converts, and on Sunday afternoon there could sometimes be seen on the bank of the canal just above where the water ran under the Grove street bridge, large assemblies of devout persons taking part in the exercises attendant upon baptisms. Tlie 96 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. canal water was never very nice, but it answered the purpose. Timothy Potter showed more daring in running benders when the ice was dangerous, than any other Lancasterian school boy. Very pleasant in the summer nights sounded the music of the boatman's horn as it was heard on the lon-g level above the Hillhouse avenue bridge, and one musical fellow summoned the lock-keeper by a melodious tune played on a brass instrument with keys. Sometimes there would pass through the canal, a boat on which the canal-men were singing. The old basin whose eastern side was bounded by Whitney avenue, has given place to dwellings and workshops. Exact boundaries along the line of the canal were never very par- ticularly defined, and it is said that should the Northampton Rail- road Company need at some future day, to widen its road-bed there is likely to be considerable debatable ground. The story of the State House steps would, if all told, make a much larger volume than this. They were frequently chosen by the Yale students as the starting-point for one of their funeral processions by torchlight on the annual recurrence of the day for the burial of Euclid. Having finished their studies in this line of mathematical instruction, the circumstance was celebrated with pecul- iar rites and with much enthusiasm. Disguised bv various stranfre costumes and weaving masks, the young men started from the north steps of the building and proceeding up Prospect street, stopped at a place beforehand selected, and here, with mock solemnities which many persons would pronounce sacrilegious, the funeral oration would be preached and the funeral songs be sung. The books, previously placed in a coffin, were lowered into the grave, and with doleful music on conch shells and other instruments, the dirge was performed. So outrageous was the conduct of some of the students on these occasions, the faculty prohibited the orgies, but the professors and tutors were not generally able to identify any of the young men. Sometimes, instead of burying the books, they were burned, the students dancing around the fire. All the people living on College street or any of the highways leading to the place THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 97 where the celebration was held, were awakened from sleep, to see the motley and grotesque parade. There were other times when the students had pow-wows, when wdth discordant noise of every imagi- nable kind, the quiet of the Green was disturbed. So too, the State House steps were a rallying point w'here freshmen were initiated into college secret societies. When the initiations were commenced in a room in a building on Chapel or some other street, the young man undergoing the process of initiation, after being blindfolded was led to the State House steps and made to walk up and down them and around the pillars, and thence by a circuitous route to different parts of the city, before being taken back to the starting-place. Now in times past, there have been stories of various ghosts and apparitions seen in New Haven, between 1829 and 1889. There was the ghost of the old Tomlinson's covered bridge over Mill river, which had no more head than St. Denis, who jumped across the English Channel carrying that useful part of himself under his arm, and the ghost, so the children learned the tale, tumbled heels over head, so to speak, in front of wayfarers going over the bridge and disappeared into the water. There was the Orange street ghost of 1842, who frightened young girls out later than ten o'clock in the evening, and who was reported as having once seized the ankle of a nurse girl, on her way to her place of service after an evening spent with a few young friends. There have also been well authenticated statements concerning haunted houses, which out of favor to present dealers in real estate, are not herein repeated. And in early times there were not a few honest and pious people who believed that there was witchcraft in New Haven, although nobody was executed for being a witch. A professor of Yale has by his writings given us to understand that there were witches. Prof. James L. Kingsley in his oration on the two hun- dredth anniversary of the settlement of this town, said : " The Court on all occasions of this kind, acted as if they had approached the conclusion, long after commended by Blackstone, ' that in general there has been such a thing as witchcraft, though one cannot give 7 ay^ard eHand Grenade FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Should be In Every House, Factory, Ac. JOHN G. CHAPMAN, Agent, - - 102 Orange St., New Haven, Conn. Also, Cfilfitiratel Batcoclf Fire Eitiiilier. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 99 credit to any one particular instance of it.' " Mrs. Goodman, who lived in the house of Deputy-Governor Goodyear, which stood on or near th*e ground covered at this time by the New Haven House, corner of Chapel and College streets, was obliged to appeal to the courts for protection from the tongues of her neighbors, who had been saying she was a witch. Hon. Lynde Harrison, in a paper furnished for the history of New Haven, edited by the late Rev. E. E. Atwater, says that the first settlers believed in witchcraft. Therefore a circumstance connected with the bell of the College chapel w^as somewhat calculated to revive the belief in witches which had aforetime been common to the inhabitants. The bell w^as often heard to toll on dark, stormy nights, whenever there was a high wind such as blew when Marcellus and Bernardo saw the ghost of Hamlet's, father. It always rang "in the dead waste and middle of the night," when even the vigilant and zealous tutors who roomed in the collesfe buildino-s were slumbering:. One — one — one — tolled the bell on the nights favorable for the performance, and certain officers of the college were worried. They determined to discover if possible the cause or motive power of these midnight ringings. It was suspected that mischievous freshmen were amusing themselves. Investigation revealed the fact that the bell-rope hung perfectly still at the very time when the bell was tolling. There was a mystery needing solution. Lantern in hand, an officer of the col- lege, followed by others, summoned for the purpose, ascended to the bell. They saw^ its tongue swinging from side to side, as if for another stroke, but were unable to discern the cause. The mystery was increased. At intervals on stormy nights, repeated visits to the bell were made, but without a disclosure of the strange tolling, tolling, which had become a vexation with a taint of awfulness in it. Some persons thought that the bell was troubled by witches : others spoke of spirits — evil spirits. One night it was made known in some manner that the witches or spirits were concealed behind the southwest column of the State House, in a shadow unillumined by electric or gas-lights. That they were evil spirits was proved by lOO THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. the fact that while the college officers were guarding the chapel door, they climbed to the belfry by an unknown route and attached a small string to the tongue of the bell, which was then joined to a larger cord, which led across College street to the place of the spirits behind the column of the State House portico. When the spirits saw the ascent of the lantern to the belfry, they gave a powerful pull on the cord which caused the bell to sound " one " and it also broke the little string, so that when the man with the lantern reached the bell, nothing could be seen except its silent swinging. Gone are the spirits or witches ! Fallen is the big column behind which they were hidden ! But it is believed that the witches are at this time filling honorable positions as ministers of the gospel or judges of courts in different parts of the country, the bones of some of them perhaps, resting quietly at Fair Oaks, or Gettysburg. A Yale man of the class of '39, tells of an affair which in the fall of 1835 made great excitement for the whole city. Tutor John H. Colton, who afterward was pastor of the Second Congrega- tional church in New Haven, was rather disliked by the students on account of his fidelity to discipline. They determined to give him a grand salute. At that time the city's cannon was kept in a small shed, used only for that purpose, which stood back of the old medical college on Prospect street. Late one Saturday night, a sufficient number of the members of the class proceeded to the shed, which they found no difficulty in entering. The gun was quietly drawn down to College street and placed in front of the north college building, in which Tutor Colton slept. It was then heavily loaded, a slow match attached to the priming was fired, and the students immediately dispersed to their respective rooms. The gun was pointed at the State House. Presently the salute was heard— not only by Tutor Colton, but by all mankind within a radius of five or more miles. The whole town was aroused. Nearlv everv light J Jo of glass in all the windows of the west side of the State House was broken. In the basement of the building and on the west side, roomed Judge of Probate Robinson S. Hinman. His window was THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. lOI blown into the room and shattered, and he must have thought there was an earthquake. The gun stood in the street all Sunday and after the church services, people from all parts of New Haven went to see it and the damages it had done. The city authorities caused an advertisement to be published by placarding and printing in the newspapers, offering a reward of one hundred dollars for information leading to the apprehension of the rascals who had committed the outrage. The college faculty made efforts in the same direction, and although there are now living not less than twenty persons who know who did the thing, not a lisp of information can be got out of one of them. The gunpowder for the salute was bought at the store of Philip Saunders, on the northeast corner of Chapel and Orange streets. The two windows in the southern end of the State House were not there until 1868, when Hon. Henry G. Lewis, a representative of this town, had a resolution passed by the body of which he was a member, for the improvement. Before the windows wjere put in, the Hall of Representatives was badly ventilated and lighted. The flat ceiling of the Representatives' hall was made some time after the State House was finished. Originally the ceiling was arched, but the acoustic accommodation was poor and architect Henry Austin was employed to plan the second ceiling, which was hung under the first one. Even with this and some other improvements, it was always difBcult for every member of the House, to hear distinctly what was being said either by the " speaker" or members debating. From a full report made to the Legislature, May 18, 183 1, by William Mosely, Charles H. Pond, and John Q. Wilson, the building committee, we find that they paid $2,935.67 for placing the marble about the State House and doing other work ; $4,000 toward the marble from Sing Sing; $509.50 toward the freight charges for the marble and $272.30 for cartage from the wharf. To Mr. Town was paid $24,000 in full of five installments and a further sum of $1,979.55 toward alterations ordered by the General Assembly, in i02 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. May, 1829. ■ P^or seats in Representatives' hall $2,176.74, and this also covered the payment for seats in the Senate chamber and for furniture and grading about the building. There then remained in the state treasury $4,432 ; unexpended from the appropriation and in the treasury of the city and county of New Haven $868, a balance from what was raised by taxation, for their part of the cost. The state made three appropriations of money, amounting to $31,500 ; the city and county $10,000. The tax laid for building a new county court-house, made neces- sary on account of want of accommodations in the " New City Hall " on Church street, amounted to $168,100, the cost of the site being about $48,000. The building stands next north of the present City Hall. The entire cost of the building was about $120,000, and the furniture, curbing and paving, together with a few extras, brought the amount up to $134,000. The Court of Common Pleas held its first session in the new building, January 20, 1873, and the Superior Court, January 27, 1873. The front measures sixty-six feet, includ- ing that part which unites it with the City Hall, and the depth is about one hundred and twenty feet. Since the location of the law school in the Court-house more than $17,000 have been given for the librar)^, $10,000 being the gift of ex-Gov. James E. English. A State House was built at Hartford in 17 19, and it was probably occupied in May, 1720. The front of it stood on what is now Main street. The next Hartford State House was completed in 1796. A lottery was authorized, to raise money to pay for it, but the scheme was not much of a success. In July, 187 1, the Legislature directed a commission to procure plans and build a State House at Hartford, at a cost not exceeding $1,000,000, half to be paid by the State and half by the city of Hartford. The foundations were laid, but in 1873, the Legislature stopped the work and the architect, Mr. Up- john, made new plans for the building, occupied for the first time March 26, 1878. The site was furnished by the city of Hartford, and cost $600,000. Buildings were removed from the plot of ground on which it stands. Gen. William P. Trowbridge was one of the THE HIS7VRY OF THE STATE HOaSE. 103 Commissioners, managing the business. Tn 1873 the Legislature voted to make Hartford the sole capital, and the vote was ratified by the people, October, the same year, the majority being 5,933. The building is an example of modern, secular, gothic architecture, and on its summit is the statue of a woman, said to be the "Genius of Connecticut." Until the creation of that statue, the State may be said to have had no reliable or visible genius. It would be unprofitable at this time, to relate the particulars of the struggle between the cities of Hartford and New Haven for the honor of being the sole capital. Ever true to her traditionary con- servatism in all matters pertaining to the public welfare, New Haven, after some economical efforts to secure the prize, gave up the contest. The State and county of New Haven kindly relin- quished all interest in the State House here. In his semi-centennial oration, 1888, Henry T. Blake, referring to the new Hartford State House said: "Greatly to be admired is that spirited figure perched on its pinnacle, a brazen daughter of Herodias, idealized as the genius of Hartford, gracefully poised on agile foot, bearing in one hand her own wreath of sovereignty, and triumphantly waving in the other the crown or scalp that has just been plucked from her decapitated rival." Now whether the genius is one of the emblem- atic belongings of Hartford or of the State of Connecticut, may possibly be determined from consideration of an episode connected with Hartford's local transportation system. It is related that a Hartford lady was riding in a horse car with a lady friend from out of town. The latter caught sight of the figure on the top of the State House and asked her chaperon what it represented. "The genius of Connecticut," was the answer. "Genius of Connecticut! " said the lady from out of town. " I did not know that the State had one. What is this Genius or who was she — what did she do ? " The Hartford lady said she could not tell exactl}-, but it had some- thing to do with politics. "Mr. Edward S. Cleveland, who sits on the other side of the car, knows all about such things," said the lady, "and I will ask him.^' Addressing herself to Mr. Cleveland, 104 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. the lady said : " Pray, Mr. Cleveland, who is the Genius of Connec- ticut ? " The gentleman addressed, pondered a brief time and gracefully lifting his well brushed silk lile from his head, politely said : " Really, madam [a pause], modesty forbids " — [anoiher pause] the conclusion of his answer, on account of the noise of the street, not being quite heard. Had his modesiy been less pronounfed, he might have named himself. Charles A. Nettleton, a member now, of the Veteran Firemens' Association, was chief engineer of the New Haven Fire Department, when, July 22, 1853, the annual parade and inspection of the department was made the occasion of a holiday remembered as be- ing one of the most notable in the city's annals. Representative fire companies were present from Hartford, Bridgeport, Guilford, VVaterbury, New Britain, East Haven, Meriden, j\lidd!etown, Mil- ford, Collinsville, Norwich and New London, this state; and from Williamsburg, N. Y., Springfield and Chicopee, Mass., Providence, R. I., and New York City. The stalwart, handsomely uniformed men — the elegantly decorated engines, hose carriages, and hook and ladder trucks — the richly colored signal lanterns and brass and silver-plated speaking trumpets contributed to make the show one of interest and splendor. Thousands of people of this and other cities crowded to the Green. Chief Nettleton, who was also chief-marshal of the day, was assisted by Thomas C. Hollis, Tiiomas W. Ensign, Charles W. Allen (afterward chief), Amos Thomas, George W. Jones, John Woodruff, 2d, and Philip Pond, The line of march was in six divisions, and beside martial music there were about twenty brass bands, among which was the famous Dodsworth's, of New York. The line was formed for the parade on the Green, the right resting on Temple street, and the route through the streets was very long. After a grand review by the city author- ities there was a fine dinner, under tents, on the west section of the Green, at which Mayor Aaron N. Skinner, and other citizens, made speeches. Then followed a trial of the merit of the respective machines, the prizes being a salver and two silver goblets presented THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 105 by the New Haven department. The enghies took water from each other and played to see which could throw a stream highest, and there was a fine display of muscle and endurance by the firemen. Tremendous efforts were made for victory and there were some warm disputes about technical matters. Such a picture as the fire- men and their engines made on the Green that day, can never be repeated. When the veteran firemen meet, they make mention of this as a great event in the history of the New Haven Fire Depart- ment. But those who were on the Green at any time, beginning May 13, and ending the 15th, 1873, saw much which they will never forget. Preparations for the entertainment of President Grant, and the armies of the Potomac and the Cumberland were commenced, when the Common Council appointed committees of which Henry G. Lewis was chairman. In the City Year Book for 1873, will be found a full account of the grand doings, as written by Frank M. Lovejoy, at present Deputy United States Marshal. The city was overflowing with strangers from all parts of the Union. There were public and private receptions and various exercises occupying all of the time for three days. Mr. Lovejoy in his account of the proceedings May 15, wrote : "At one o'clock, the Second Regiment, C. N. G., marched on to the'Green and took its position on the right of the line which was to form the escort of the city's civic and military guests, in a parade through the principal streets. Gov. Charles R. Ingersoll in a barouche, accompanied by his staff, was escorted by the Governor's Horse Guards and Governor's Foot Guards, from the State House to a position in the line in rear of the Light Artillery. The governor and his Guards were preceded by the American Band of Providence, and on the Green, General Craufurd and staff took a position in the line behind the governor's party. Admiral Foote Post No. 17, G. A. R., headed by Gilmore's band, formed to left of the line, which rested on Chapel street. A few minutes before two o'clock the escort, led by two companies of police, took up the line of march to the residence of Hon. Henry WE ARE NOW PREPARED TO SHOW THE Largest Assortment oi^ GlothihC That can be found in the eiTY. LEIGH & PRINDLE 813 & 815 CHAPEL . ST. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. lO/ .Farnam, on Hillhouse avenue, where President Grant and other dis- tinguished guests were to join the procession. Passing out of the south gate of the Green, the procession moved down Chapel, through Orange and Trumbull streets, Whitney avenue, Sachem street, to Hillhouse avenue, where it halted and with appropriate military ceremonies received the guests seated in open carriages. In the first carriage were President U. S. Grant and Mayor Lewis; in the second, Vice-President Wilson and Governor Inger- soll ; in the third, Gen. William T. Sherman and a member of his staff, and Governor Perham, of Maine ; in the fourth, Lieut. -Gen. Philip Sheridan and ex-Gov. Joseph R. Hawley, while in other carriages were Generals Burnside, Hancock, McDowell, Gibbon and Devens ; ex-Governors Buckingham and Jewell, Con- gressman Kellogg and other distinguished gentlemer. The line of march was again taken up and the procession proceeded down Hill- house avenue, through Grove, College, Elm, York, Chapel, Wooster place, Greene, Olive, Chapel, State, Elm, Church and Chapel streets, to the Green, where the parade ended. The sidewalks all along the route were densely crowded by an enthusiastic throng, eager to see the honored guests and their fine looking escort ; the windows of the houses all along the line of march were filled, and cheering and handkerchief waving was indulged in bv all. As the procession entered upon the Green, the artillery, w^hich had left the line previously, fired a salute. The escort was then dismissed and the review of the Second Regiment by General Craufurd, in pres- ence of the guests, took place." Thursday evening, there was a grand ball at Music Hall, Capt. A. C. Hendrick and Miss Addie Taft, of New Haven, leading the grand march. The appearance of the Green at night, was beautiful. New Haven city appropriated $3,000 toward the expenses and a very large amount was raised by private subscriptions. Life and death have made a record on the Green. Ne-pau-puck, a chief of the Pequot Indians, was killed by law, for several mur- ders, in 1639, ^"•'-'^ head being cut off and set on a pole in the public I08 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. market-place, and within the past few years, Detective James P. Brewer, of tiie New Haven police force, found a woman at the foot of the liberty pole, with a newly born infant, and in a few months it died. There were many causes which led to the adoption of the constitutional amendment, providing for but one capital. The version of one politician hardly gives the whole matter. He said : " The city spent about $30,000 on the lobby and then passed an ordinance not to allow any more money to go that way. Another cause was the attack made upon Joseph R. Hawley when he was a candidate for United States Senator, which induced sixteen Re- publican members of the Legislature, mainly from Fairfield County, to join with the Democrats, and they voted for O. S. Ferry, of Norwalk, for Senator. Hawlev had received the caucus nomination of his party. After Ferry was elected, the Hartford and some New London friends of Hawley, indignantly avow^ed it to be their de- termination to defeat any project of importance which thereafter might be in the interest of New Haven. And they kept their word." As this is a suitable place, we give a list of United States Senators from the time of building the State House : Samuel A. Foot, ...... 1827-1833 Gideon Tomlinson, ..... 1831-1837 Nathan Smith, ...... 1833-1835 John M. Niles, .... i835-i839-'43-'49 Perry Smith, ...... 1837-1843 Thaddeus Betts, ..... 1839-1840 Jabez W. Huntington. ..... 1840-1849 Roger S. Baldwin, ..... 1847-185 1 Truman Smith, ...... 1 849-1 854 Isaac Toucey, ..... 1852-1857 Francis Gillett, ...... 1854-1855 Lafayette S. Foster, . , , . . 1855-1867 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. IO9 James Dixon, ...... 1857-1869 Orris S. Ferry, ..... 1867-1875 William A. Buckingham, ..... 1869-1875 James E. English, ..... 1875-1876 William W. Eaton, ..... 1875-188 1 William H. Barnum. ..... 1876-1879 Orville H. Piatt, ..... 1879 Joseph R. Hawley, ...... 188 1 The year 1872 was one in which one event after another had some relationship to the one capital question. January 24, the Republican Convention, at Hartford, nominated Marshall Jewell for Governor, and February 7, the Democratic Convention, at New Haven, nominated Richard D. Hubbard, of Hartford. The Legis- lature met May 2, and Hawley was nominated for Senator, by the Republicans, May 10. O. S. Ferry was elected, however, receiving the entire Democratic and some of the Republican vote as before related. August 26, Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll, of New Haven, died. October 4, Morris Tyler was nominated for Mayor of the city. December 7, was established a weather signal station, which had nothing particular to do with politics. The opposition to Hawley for Senator, grew out of something which is not clearly known. The vote May 15, 1872, was in the State Senate, for Haw^ley, 14; for Ferry, 7. In the House, Ferry, 125; Hawley, 11 ; not voting 5, making Ferry's majority 14. A gentleman active in Republican politics, speaking of the, re-election of Hon. Orris S. Ferry, said : " Later, the friends of Hon. Henry B. Harrison wanted him for Governor in 1873. The convention was held at Hartford. Two or three weeks before the convention it was well known that Mr. Harrison's friends thought he should have the party nomination, but Hartford and New London Republicans joined and nominated Henry P. Haven, of New London. Then the New Haven Repub- lican newspapers came out editorially and otherwise, hinting to the Democrats that if they would nominate Charles R. Ingersoll, of I lo THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. ■ New Haven, he could be elected. Of course they nominated him and he was elected in 1873." The last session of the Legislature held in the New Haven State House was in 1874. It was late in 1872 that the war about one capital fairl}- broke out. In that year Edwin A. Tucker, a journal- ist, reported that some members of the Legislature had been bribed with gifts of carriages, and this disclosure is said to have caused con- siderable hustling around among the vehicles in the barns of some of the representatives. Mr. Tucker was called to an account, and satisfied some of the enquirers that he had grounds for his allega- tion. He was afterward editor of the Hartford Post, and his remains are buried in Fair Haven. It was the session of 1873 that the necessary two-thirds vote of the General Assembly was obtained, to- submit the one capital amendment to the Constitution to the people. The bill had been passed at the New Haven session in 1870, by a majority vote only. The people settled the matter in October, 1873, the number of votes cast for the amendment being 36,853 and against it 30.685. Referring to New Haven's mortification, Mayor Henry G. Lewis, in his message to the Common Council, December 31, 1873, took occasion to say: "New Haven was one of the orioinal colonies and has been from its first union with the Colony of Connecticut, a semi-capital of the State and in my judgment should have remained so for the welfare of our old Commonwealth. We have lost it, however, simply from want of unity on the part of our city government and our fellow cit- izens, for which I do not hold myself respoiisible, and I desire to place myself on record as not approving the action taken by your honorable body." (Referring to the refusal of the Common Council to appropriate more money.) The version of the Mayor is as well entitled to credence as any of the manv from analvsts of divergent views. Some li^ht is thrown upon the subject, by the following, from the New Haven Palladium , 1873. " A Hartford correspondent of the New York Tribu}u\ who either THE HISTORY OF THE ST A TE HOUSE. \ \ \ is a liberal Republican or more likely pretends to be one, to suit the paper with which he corresponds, is indeed pleased to express the opinion that a New Haven nomination will excite vigorous opposi- tion in many quarters of the State. As, however, he brings in the name of Senator Ferry and says that that gentleman was represented last summer by those who favored his election, to be a liberal Repub- lican, his object is apparent. His statement has not the slightest foundation. . . . The Republicans of Connecticut were n£Lyer more harmonious and have no intention whatever of quarrelling over can- didates or reviving past issues. Nor vvill the capital question enter into the selection of a candidate, as the Iribune correspondent asserts that it will." The same paper, January 13, 1873, said editorially : " There are no reasons existing now which did not exist then [a year before] why Mr. Harrison should not be an acceptable candi- date to the Republicans of this State. The capital question, the Hartford Coura7it now has found ' franklv,' was as much unsettled then as it is now. And just here we may as well remark that it is somewhat ungracious to see the capital question urged by a Hartford journal as a reason why the candidate should not be selected from New Haven. No one in New Haven ever ventured to do Governor Jewell, of Hartford, the gross injustice and discourtesy of supposing that he would not be strictly neutral on that subject. No one in New Haven ever did Mr. Richard D. Hubbard, of Hartford, the injustice of supposing he would not have been equally impartial iiad he been elected. . . . The suggestion that any governor could do so [show partiality] comes for the first time from Hartford and does not come till Hartford, having had the candidates for seven years and the governorship for four 3^ears, gracefully withdraws in favor of S077ie other section of New Haven. As the Courant has introduced the subject, it will perhaps see the propriety of ascertaining — if it has not already done so — the views of the Hon. Henry P. Haven on the capital question." It was contended by the New Haven Republican papers that the I 12 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. capital question was never allowed to become a political one. At the May session of the Legislature, 1873, Mr. Landers objected to a postponement of the question and said he could think of no reason unless to give a lobby time to operate for New Haven. He further said he had his notion about the lobby, by reading New Haven papers and reports of proceedings of the New Haven Common Council. When the vote was given by the people, New Haven cast about seven thousand against the amendment, and there were between twenty and thirty votes in favor. Both before and after the voting the Hartford Courant said that it was evident from reports from all over the State, that there had been a hberal use of money to defeat the amendment. On the other hand it was said that Hartford spent much more money on the lobby than New Haven. The truth appears to be that the voters in country towns, not particularly affiliated with either of the semi-capitals, made up their minds that one capital was enough, and that Hartford was nearer the centre of the State than New Haven and therefore a more convenient place for the seat of government. The vote in New Haven County was 17,784 against the amendment and 1,564 in favor of it. The reader will doubtless see that since there has been but one capital, there has been more need than before for a Constitu- tional Convention to kill what has often been denominated the " rotten borough " system, and which allows New Haven no equitable share in making laws or doing anything pertaining to the government of the State. The theory that there should be no taxation without representation led to the scattering of tea on the waters of Boston's harbor and finally to the war which led to American independence. The old County Court was abolished in 1854, and cases which until then had been tried in that court, went to the Superior Court. The docket was so large that the Court of Common Pleas was created in 1869, with Samuel L. Bronson, a son of Dr. Henry Bron- son, for Judge. He was succeeded by Judge Henry E. Pardee, and in the fall of 1872, Judge Pardee refused to hold court in the State House on the ground that the dampness and general unhealthi- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 113 ness of the building jeopardized his life. He therefore moved his court into the new City Hall on Church street and occupied the Bar library room, and also, at times, the Common Council Chamber, until 1873, when he moved his court into the County Building. Daring the mayoralty of Henry Peck, a proposition was made by Aaron Kilbourn, whose father was proprietor of an iron foundry on what is now Audubon street, to bore an artesian well on the lower part of the Green. He agreed to make the well for $800, and said there should be from it a copious and never-failing supply of water. His belief was that the elevations of East and West rocks were sufficient to insure the success of such an undertaking. On con- sidering his proposal by some of the city authorities, he was asked if he would give a bond to execute the work, should a contract be made. Mr. Kilbourn was either unable or unwilling to give such a bond, and nothing more was heard about the artesian well. The spaces under the State House steps were at one time made a pound and stray cattle were for a short time impounded there, but the place was not found to be convenient, as vagrant animals were not often taken up so near the centre of the city. For some years the pound was kept on Prospect street, in the rear of the medical college, and was kept by a man named Cook. The basement of the State House was at a later time made by a city ordinance, the depos- itory for a set of baskets owned by the city and holding not less than two bushels, which it was made obligatory for all dealers in charcoal to use, in measuring out that commodity for selling to the citizens. In those davs nearlv all families bought charcoal for kindlins: the family fire, and charcoal sellers were generally suspected of not giv- ing good measure. Whenever a dealer in coal came into the citv with a load to sell, he was required to go to the State House, where the proper official loaned him a city measuring basket for the dav, and the basket was returned to the State House at night, or sooner. Owing to the fact that it appeared to be nobody's particular business to look after the baskets, they were soon permanently borrowed and none have to this time been returned to the city. The introduction of THE NOBLE ELM On the corner of Chapel and Church streets will be one hundred years old April i6th, 1890. Picture it one hundred years ago, without branches, and behold it now, with massive, wide-spreading limbs, worthy of demonstrative remembrance on its one hundredth anniversary. Boston, once a small hamlet, is now known as the ''Hub." Once it had no branches, while now they extend far and wide, benefitting man- kind. The Boston Branch Shoe Store is a fit representative of Boston's far-reaching influence. There can be found Shoes of every make and quality at prices which fortid successful competi- tion. Remember and duly honor the noble elm, and do not forget The Boston Branch Shoe Store, 845 Chapel street. D. M. CORTHELL, Manager. THE HIS TOR V OF THE STA TE HOUSE. 1 1 5 bundles of kindling wood did much to dissipate the prejudice which iiad existed against the charcoal sellers. While the State House was being pulled down, a citizen found in the basement a teaspoon marked with the initial letters of the name of Charles Fred. Lockwood who used to keep dining-rooms in the Leffingwell Building, on the northeast corner of Church and Court streets. This trilling object, with talismanic power, recalls to the mind, recollections of the numer- ous festivals and fairs which have been held in the building in differ- ent years. There was a ladies' fair held there, about fifty years ago, for. the purpose of raising money toward the expense of constructing the stone wall which is built on three sides of Grove Street Cemeter}-, and $850 were realized. But festivities of one sort and another were in fashion with some of the legislative bodies. Toward the close of the session in the year when Joseph R. Hawley was go\'- ernor, boxes of lemons and great packages of sugar were converted into cooling drink, which was kept in an open barrel in a room near the Senate Chamber and the drink was made inviting by ice and spirits. General Pratt, of Rocky Hill, led a crusade against the existing enterprise, by which legislative tipple was charged in the debenture bills against the State as "stationery," and although his voice was loudly raised against what he considered a bit of dis- honesty, his protests were ridiculed. In that year (1866) the sta- tionery bills amounted to about $10,000, a sum unprecedentedly large. A number of officials of that session robbed the State in a wholesale manner. One man made it almost a daily practice, to walk down into the centre of the city with reams of legal paper and boxes of envelopes, which he sold at any price he could get, repeat- ing the operation a number of times in one day. So annoyed was Comptroller Battel! at the wantonness and extravagance of every- body connected with the department of supplies, that he resigned his office before the close of the session, Hon. Leman Cutler, of Waterbury, being chosen to succeed him. The rising of the Legisla- ture on the alternate years when the government was carried on in New Haven, was the occasion of much interest to professional I 16 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. plunderers. On the last day of the session, when the usual compT.- nientary speeches were being made and testimonials were being pre- sented to the Speakers of the Senate and House, the subordinate officials in the building were busy packing up and conveying away everything in the way of portable property, not previously stolen. Waste baskets, inkstands, spittoons, rugs, mats, even desks, were seized upon and rushed out of the building. The pitchers, tumblers, salvers, copies of the statutes of the State and other publications — in short everything which could be converted into money — were pirated and in a few hours but very little was left, except the unmovdble desks and furniture, unconsumed coal \\\ the cellar and the books and papers to be transported to the Hartford State House. Everything was stolen as perquisites, by various persons whose familiarity with legislative proceedings rendered them expert in the matter. In the general scramble for this kind of property there was a great deal of fun and excitement and sometimes collisions between the more active of the robbers. Isaac Brown of Fair Haven furnished the stone used irt building the State House and Isaac Foot contracted for carting it, he employing in the work teams of oxen with a horse for leader. Daniel H. Brown, then a lad of seventeen years, assisted in the labor. Among the objects found at the destruction of the building were a mallet, discovered by Contractor Montgomery's men, under the roof, near the eaves, and marked with the figures " 18 13," and a bottle of ancient form, picked up in the basement, which contained lemon peel and rum, with some sort of bitters of a kind now very likely obsolete. In the cellar, there w'as found a structure resem- bling a Scottish cairn, about eight feet square, level and smooth on its top. For some time the quid nuncs who were interested in the destruction of the building, fancied that the bones of former occu- pants of the graves beneath the building were placed there, but it was finally found that this apparently rude monumental pile was simply an old foundation for a big furnace used in heating the house. The interest in the discoverv was not unlike that felt bv THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I 1 7 Mr. Pickwick, who purchased the forever famous stone record of Bill Stumps. All around the city are to be seen single blocks of marble, once part of the steps or basement veneering and which were bought from Contractor Montgomery at a price of from one to six dollars each, for service as stepping-stones, on the edge of side- walks in front of dwelling houses. INIany of these, not having been trimmed, make an unsightly appearance. In front of the premises of A. W. Johnson, No. 66 Lafayette Street, there is a stepping stone which was a part of the second of New Haven's State Houses. Mr. Montgomery has one of the blocks of marble from the building last destroyed, placed in front of his house. It has been recut and polished, and on it can be seen on one side, the inscription in hand- somely carved letters : YE OLD STATE HOUSE STEP. ERECTED 182S, DESTROYED 1889. On another side : W. J. MONTGOMERY, CONTRACTOR. The gentleman may in future years be remembered by a yet unknown poet of Connecticut, after the manner in which a more ancient poet writes of the burning of the Ephesian dome and of " the pious fool who built it." In a local newspaper is to be found the following advertisement relatins: to a matter which caused great discussion in New Haven and in many other towns of this state. It is of the date, January 16, 1824. " Whereas, on or about the 7th day instant, January, the body of a respectable female recently deceased, was unlawfully removed from its place of interment in West Haven and brought to this city for dissection : " Now, therefore, by and with the advice and direction of the Court of Common Council, I hereby offer a reward of three hundred dollars to any person who will Ii8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. discover the offender or offenders and give such information thereof that they may be brought to justice and conviction. "George Hoadley, Mayor." The circumstances of the case are calculated, even at this distance of time, to enlist the s\'mpathies of all persons. A young lad}', Miss Bathsheba Smith, aged twenty years, amiable and comely — fair in person more than any other young woman of that neighborhood — died at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Laban Smith, the house being about two miles west of West Haven centre, near the Durand place and the old Piatt place. Mr. Smith was a popular man, a sea-captain in the days when the proportion of native youth following a seafaring life was greater than at this time. He was of the kind of mariners such as the late Captains John Hood, Brintnall and Denison, all of whom were prominent socially in New Haven and more or less identified with the affairs of the town and city. George \V. Smith, the mason builder of No. 35 Park Street, is a son of the late Laban Smith. From him and from Mrs. Lewis Fitch of Orange street, aunt to Harry I. Thompson, the artist, whose portraits of some of the governors of Connecticut and other distinguished men, can be seen at the Capitol in Hartford, are derived some of the incidents of the distressing affair. At the funeral of INIiss Smith, which was largely attended, there happened to be present a student from the medical college, on the corner of Grove and Prospect streets, since occupied by some of the departments of the Sheffield Scientific School, of Yale. The young lady died from consumption and di"opsy, and her complexion and features after life had departed were very beautiful. The body was buried in the old cemetery, near the Episcopal Church, West Haven. A few nights after the burial, Mrs. Smith, the young lady's mother, was visited in her dreams by an Intelligence which will perhaps forever be a mystery. She was made certain that the grave would be despoiled. For succeeding nights the bereaved mother dreamed that the body of her child was being molested in the grave. So deep an impression was made upon her mind that she communi- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOCSE. 119 caled the dreain^ to her husband, and for nine colisecutive nights he watched by the grave, gun in hand, to prevent desecration. On a Saturday night the watciiing was abandoned. Sunday morning Mr. Smith attended church. He had previously marked the grave and on again visiting it saw evidences that there had been a disturbance of the ground. Some stall^s of straw which had been laid upon the top of the coffin to muffle the dread sound of the falling earth while the grave was being filled, were scattered about. Mr. Smith imme- diately communicated with his neighbors and he and they decided to re-open the grave. A few feet below the surface of the ground was found a tortoise-shell comb which had been placed in the hair of the deceased. When the coffin was reached, it was seen to have been split open and a log of wood had been substituted for the body. Among those who were present was Simeon Filch, brother of Mrs. Lewis Fitch and cousin of the young woman ; William Kimberly and Sidney Painter. It was reported at the time, that the body had been taken to New Haven in a chaise, by two young men [some reports said there was but one] and was held in an upright position by the person driving. The young men of West Haven were in a great state of excitement. They left the village'about midnight, in a large body and accompanied Mr. Smith to the city, where they arrived at the dawn of day. General Dennis Kimberly, a lawyer of New Haven, but whose home was in West Haven, was called upon. He advised that there should be obtained a warrant to search the medical college. This \pas done, but the search led to no discovery of the remains. There were found, however, four or five bodies concealed under some charcoal. Mr. Smith w^as not satisfied. Nor -were hundreds of young men of West Haven, New Haven, Fair Haven, and from the outlying districts, who had heard the story of the crime and who met on the Green, where they were addressed by different persons who urged an attack upon the medical college and the razing of the building. There was a furious and tumultuous crowd in College street, from the medical college building to Elm street, and another crowd on Grove, extending as far as Orange 120 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Street. The people appeared to be generally determined that the college building must be pulled down. The city's cannon were taken possession of and there was shouting and gesticulating by the hundreds of angry citizens who were almost beyond control. One fellow, more demonstrative than others, was observed by Sheiiff Pond, exciting the people to riot. He spoke loudly and vehemently. The sheriff acted sagaciously. He tapped the man on the shoulder and said : " I want you to help me in keeping order here." The man at once changed his program. Said he: "All right, sir, I'm your man," and he became forthwith one of the sheriff's best sup- porters. The late Dr. Jonathan Knight and Dr. Smith were officers at the college. After a speech from Dr. Knight and some parleying, it was agreed that Mr. Smith and a committee should further search the building. Dr. Knight preceded the committee. They went into all the rooms and descended to the sub-cellar. One of the men noticed some earth on the flagged floor, and on removing the stones the body of the young woman was found. The officers of the col- lege had positively denied that it was in the building. When the committee reappeared in the street, the excitement amounted to insanity. The body was tenderly borne to the Green. A great pro- cession was formed, and marched to the house of Mr. Smith. A grave w^as made within a few feet of the dwelling and there the bodv found rest. Members of the family watched the grave from a win- dow of the house for a long time. The inhabitants of a number of Connecticut towns were greatly exercised, and in some rural ceme- teries graves were re-opened to ascertain whether they had been desecrated. The student suspected of the outrage ran away from New Haven. The college authorities offered to give a bond that nothing of the sort should occur again. Mr. Laban Smith was never afterwards the man he had been. His health failed and his life was believed to have been shortened by the mental anguish he had suffered. The mob, if such it could be called, was mainly composed of very respectable people, among whom were some members of the Methodist Church. It was "enerally believed that the Faculty of THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 121 the college had no knowledge of the fact that the body was ever taken into the JDuilding, although at first, so great was the tumult that their lives were in danger of being lost. During the search of the buildings some of the medicines and other property were dam- aged. There are now living, a number of elderly persons who remember this sad affair. One person was tried in the Superior Court for the outrage, convicted and punished. A law passed in consequence of this affair, is still upon the statute books. At the session of the General Assembly in 1854, Greene Ken- (irick, of Waterbury, succeeded Lafayette S. Foster, speaker of the House. In the balloting for United States senators, in the State Senate, the number of votes cast was 21. Francis Gillette, elected to fill an unexpired term, received 11, F. Gillette i, C. Chapman 2, John Cotton Smith 5, and there were 2 blanks. For the six years' term Lafayette S. Foster had 13, James Dixon 3. Samuel Ingham, of Essex, 5. In the House, on the first ballot 216 votes were given. Francis Gillette, of Hartford, had 109, Charles Chap- man 92, John Cotton Smith 6, Roger S. Baldwin 5, Samuel Ingham 3, T. B. Butler i, and there were 3 blanks. For the long term, of 219 votes cast, Mr. Foster had 129, Ingham 88, Gillette 2. The election of Foster and Gillette really led to a change in the organi- zation of political parties. There was much fretting over the elec- tion of Gillette. He was not a whig, but some whigs felt disposed to call his election a whig victory. He was not however elected as a whig, but as a man opposed to the Nebraska bill. The whig caucus decided upon Foster and Gillette, and they had some sup- port from the Free Soilers and ultra temperance men. Prior to 1826, the mayors of New Haven were elected by the cit- izens and held office during the pleasure of the Legislature. Here are their names and terms of office : Roger Sherman, . . . . , . t 784-1 793. Samuel Bishop, ..... 1793-1803. Elizur Goodrich, ...... 1803-1822, The State House now lies very flat. No place for doves, or evening hat. The largest B. A. T. on earth yonll see. Tf you will only call on nie^. £iig'raviiig, that is done by me. You'll find tirst class— please call and see Illustrations, the finest grrade Of auy article that is made. I>csis^iiiiit>' done of every kind. Nice lielteriiiii', just to vour mind. AtCIiapel Sire t, Ei{ii»t T\venty-Kisl»t* The largest B. A. T. in any Slat.-. B. A. TUCKER. THE. HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 123 George Hoadley, .... 1822-1826. Simeon Baldwin, .... . 1826-1827. William Bristol, .... 1827-1828. David Daggett, .... 1829-1830 Ralph I. Ingersoll, .... 1830-1831 Dennis Kimberly, . . . . . 1831-1832 Ebenezer Seelev, .... 1832-1833. Dennis Kimberly, ^'^Z?)i ^vould not serve Noyes Darling, . . , . 1833-1834 Henry C. Flagg, .... . 1834-1839 Samuel J. Hitchcock, 1839-1842 Philip S. Galpin, .... . 1842-1846 Henrv Peck, .... 1846-1852 Aaron N. Skinner, . . . . . 1852-1854 Chauncey Jerome, .... 1854-1855 Alfred Blackman, . . . . . 1855-1856 Philip S. Galpin, .... 1856-1860 Harmanus M. Welch, . 1860-T863 Morris Tyler, .... 1863-1865 Erastus C. Scranton, . 1865-1866 Lucien W. Sperry, .... 1866-1869 William Fitch, .... 1869-1870 Henry G. Lewis, .... 1870-1877 William R. Shelton, • 1877-1879 Hobart B. Bigelow, .... 1879-1881 John B. Robertson, . . . . . . 1881-1883 Henry G. Lewis, .... 1883-1885 George T'. Holcomb, . 1885-1887 Samuel A. York, .... 1887-1889 Henry F. Peck, .... 1889, term unexpired In the annual report of the United Workers, for 1888, they say: *' It is now sixteen years since our foundation and we still occupy rooms in the State House." A sewing school was started in the J 24 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. State House, March, 1883, in a room granted by the courtesy of Prof. E. Whitney ]]hike, manager of the Museum of Art and Industry, occupying a large part of the building by courtesy of the city. The oro-anization of United Workers have attempted and have had some success in doing a good many benevolent things. They have had an employment bureau, and separate conuuittees on Almshouse, Relief, Boys' club, Sewing School, Coffee House, and other philan- thropic departments of their work. Mrs. Eli Whitney, Miss Harriet Russell, Mrs. E. S. Wheeler, Miss F. E. Walker, Mrs. William A. Blake, besides other New Haven ladies of means and leisure, have been prominent in the organization, the ladies whose names are given, having filled the office of president. The destruction of the State House will not lessen the eiforts making for the benefit of classes of persons coming within the purview of this charitable enterprise. As late as 1873 there were twenty-two members of the Center Church who had been members over fifty years. In the spring of 1837, there was organized at the State House, a military company, of very young men, called the Cadets. These were the olficers : N. S. Hallenbeck, captain ; Theodore Warner, first lieutenant; George Beers, second lieutenant; Benjamin Mansfield, major ; William N. Cleeton, orderly sergeant ; John B. Hanover, second sergeant ; Samuel Cleeton, third sergeant. They used to meet in the buildings for drill and for social enjoyment. Among the stories connected with the trial of cases in the County Court, when it occupied the State House, is one in which Silas Mix figured as counsel. He had been assigned to defend a poor man charged with crime. Mr. Mix was allow^ed to have a talk with his client in the lobby of the court room. Lawyer Mix: "Well, my friend, have you any money with which to pay your counsel ? " Prisoner : " No, sir. I have got* a silver watch which I would gladly give, if it would do any good." Mr. Mix took the watch. He remarked that the window of the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, I 25 room was open and told his client that he hoped he (die client) woidd not jump out of the window and run away. In a few minutes Mr. Mix re-entered the court room and told the judge that he feared the man had got away, as when he looked out of the window he saw him running toward Court street. The officers started off after the prisoner, but were unable to come up with him. At another time there were divorce proceedings in court and the custody of an infant was desired by both its parents. James Hart, the father, while the matter was being argued, seized the child and ran out of the State House, the sheriff's men running after him. He was caught on Hillhouse avenue and he and the baby were returned to court. Roger S. Baldwin, counsel for Mr. Hart, was obliged to explain to the court that while Mr. Hart was a great student and reader ot the books of learned men, yet that he had no practical ideas and no just conception of the majesty of the law. The judge, in consideration of the fact that while Mr. Hart was deeply versed in antiquarian lore, learned in theology and possessed of much knowl- edge to be found in books, but at the same time was unacquainted with the powers of a court, concluded not to punish him for what he had done. The child was given to the mother, whose maiden name was Mary Pierpont. Her remains lie in Evergreen cemetery. Roger Sherman Baldwin died in this city in 1863. At a Bar meeting held in the court-room on Church street the lawyers gath- ered to take appropriate action. Ralph I. Ingersoll, in speaking of the sfreat man whose life of inte2:ritv and usefulness had closed, said : " And clinging to life as I do and as old men will, could 1 look backward upon my years, spent as worthily as his, gladly would I be nailed in my coffin to-day." Mr. Baldwin's reputation as a lawyer became world-wide on account of his successful labors in behalf of the negroes captured on the slave ship Amistad, and who had mur- dered all but two of the white men on board, hoping to gain their freedom, on reaching a northern port of the United States. They were tried in 1840, in the District Court of the United States. At that time the President and Cabinet, the judges and almost all 126 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. official persons connected wilh the government were of the opinion that all the laws in support of slavery, should be maintained. In the case of these unfortunate black people, there were circumstances which were calculated to make it an almost impossible thing for any lawver to save them from being either convicted of murder or being handed over to men w^ho claimed ownership of them, or to the Spanish government. Indeed, there w^ere threats that if they were not released to the Spaniards, there might be war between Spain and the United States. There was a long and bitter fight in the courts, Mr. Baldwin finally succeeding in establishing the freedom of the Africans. While the legal proceedings were pending and the negroes were in confinement at the county jail on Church street, some of the friends of freedom, among w^hom were two gentlemen named Tappan, and Nathaniel Jocelyn, a New Haven artist, had determined that the slaves should not be taken either to Cuba or Spain. They secured a small vessel, which for a number of days cruised about on the waters of Long Island Sound, often approach- ing the mouth of New Haven harbor, and the intention was, should the decision of the court be unfavorable to the negroes, to forciblv remove them from jail and put them on board the vessel, on their way to their native land, from which they had been stolen. So violent a course w^as not necessary. They were declared free and soon afterwards a greater part of them were sent to Africa. Cin- quez, their leader in the rising on shipboard, went with the others. He turned out to be rather a bad man and was disappointing to the philanthropic gentlemen who had done much in his behalf. A por- trait, in oil, of Cinquez, painted by Jocelyn, is in possession of a wealthy family of Philadelphia. Mr. Baldwin w-as the father of Simeon E. Baldwin, who, as counsel for the Historical Society, did much, by means of a temporary injunction and otherwise, to retard the pulUng down of the State House. Col Stanton Pendleton was jailer, and Norris Wilcox, United States marshal, during the time when the negroes were in New Haven county jail. William B. Goodyear and another gentleman, paid an artist to paint a very large THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. ] 2 J picture, representing the Africans fighting for liberty on board the slaver. It was exhibited in one or two towns, but people generally did not go to see it and for a time it was in charge of the Historical Society and kept in the old county court room. It is now owned in the Goodyear family. Critics objected that the portraits of the actors in the tragedy were not likenesses and that the scene of the life and death struggle was not accurately represented. No lawyer of the New Haven Bar was more distinguished for high quality, old school manners, than Hon. Alfred Blackman, elected Mayor in 1865. He died April 28, 1880, and at a Bar meeting held to take suitable action, ex-Governor Charles R. IngersoU said, dur- ing his remarks upon that occasion: "No one was better known upon our streets, and his affable presence, companionable ways and shrewd and lively conversation, brought to him from all pursuits warm, personal friends." He had a most felicitous way of encoun- tering rudeness and stupidity on the part of persons with whom he was brought in contact, for it was then that his exceeding urbanity was most scrupulously and effectively exercised. All citizens knew him. He was sensitive whenever his thoroughly democratic sym- pathies were in any way assaulted. He knew Professor Silliman, and the professor knew him. But frequently when the two men happened to pass each other on the street, Professor Silliman would not appear to be aware of the circumstance. He would be glancing upward toward the sky or across the street, or would be taking out or putting into his pocket, his handkerchief, so that he would not see the polite bow of T^idge Blackman. The latter fancied that Professor Silliman's behavior savored of Hillhouse avenue aristoc- racy, offensively displayed, and once called the attention of a friend to the matter. Said he : " I do not know why Professor Silliman, who is walking this w^ay, will not see me as we pass each other, but please note that he will be doing something to prevent him. As the two men neared each other Professor Silliman took a look at the sky and did not appear to see anybody. A short time afterward during the mayoralty of Henry Peck, the President of the United States— 128 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. James K. Polk — was the guest of the city and had a fine reception in the State House. Hon. Alfred Blacknian, as chairman of the com- mittee, introduced some of the leading citizens of New Haven to the country's chief magistrate. The big doors at the north and south ends of the building were opened wide, the President and his sup- porters standing on the floor of the main hall, near the north doors, and a throng of gentlemen passed through the hall from south to north. The second man to be introduced to the President, was Theodore D. Woolsey. Mr. Blackman, impressively and with much polish of manner, introduced President Woolsey, of Yale, to Presi- dent Polk, the latter making a remark attesting his gratification at meeting so renowned a scholar and eminent man. Following Presi- dent Woolsey were some of the college faculty, and next to Presi- dent Woolsey approached Professor Silliman. Judge Blackman had seen him in the line. As he reached the proper place, Judge Blackman said to him : " Do you wish to be introduced to the President 1 " "Yes, sir," said Professor Silliman. "What name ?" enquired the polite committee-man. "Silliman." Raising his voice a little and inclining his head toward the pro- fessor, Judge Blackman again enquired : " What name did vou say?" "Silliman," once more announced the owner of the name, evidentlv astonished at not being instantlv recognized. "Ah! Yes!" Turning toward the President, the introduction was effected. " President Polk — Silliman." The President, taking his cue from the cnrt method of the introduc- ing committee-man, nodded to the professor as though somewhat surprised and in a moment another gentleman was being politelv introduced. "I r-a-t-h-e-r think," remarked Judge Blackman, to his friend whom he met on Church street, soon after the reception was over, " that the next time we happen to meet. Professor Silliman will THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 129 really recollect me. I think he will know me well enough to see me." James Buchanan visited New^ Haven, at the same time with President Polk. He was then Secretarv of State. Dr. Plinv A. Jewett was chief marshal of the occasion. In 1854, Henry Dutton was the candidate of the whigs for governor. The special interests which engaged the attention of the people, was the anti-Nebraska movement, the Maine liquor law, the Air Line Railroad and to some extent, the question of " putting none but Americans on guard," or in places of public trust. These ele- ments prevailed with about three-quarters of the General Assemblv. The result of the election gave Dutton 9,083 ; Samuel Ingham, of Essex, lacking 4,165 of an election. The candidates were Ingham. Democrat; Dutton, whig ; Chapman. Maine law; Hooker, free soil. In the Legislature the Hon. Henry Dutton had a majority of foriv- seven votes, 'i'he military line of the election parade was under com- mand of Col. John Arnold, and the troops countermaiched through Temple, Elm and Church streets. At the Tontine there was a halt. and the lieutenant-governor and other officers were formallv received. The procession marched through Crown, York, Elm, State, (31ive, Wooster Place, Chapel and Temple streets, to the State House. Charles Bishop, the chief marshal, had for assistants : Newton Moses, Noyes C. Mix, Hiram Camp, A. C. Andrews, Charles S. Candee, William R. She! ton, Howard B. Ensign, Elam Hull, Jr., Thomas Lawion, A. C. Speny, N. D. Sperry, John C. Hollister, Asa T. Cooper, George Lindley, Alfred H. Terry, S. B. Jerome, A. B. Mai lory, \V. M. White. Henry i\. Lewis, Wales French, Miles Tutlle, Jr., Andrew Hotchkiss, Stephen Bishop. Elias Bishop, Robert Foot, Lafayette S. Root, Leonard Linsley, Charles S. Hall, A. C. Blakeslee, Ruel P. Cowles, L. A. Dickinson and Stephen Barnes. The troops were reviewed on the Green by Major-General Guyer and Brigadier-General Hallenbeck. In the evening the Foot Guards gave a supper at the L^nion House. Governor Dution being pres- ent. This was the year in which Deacon Blair, the undertaker, died. Rossiter, the artist, gave an exhibition of his paintings at Brewster *9 HOUSE AND SIGN PAINTING, , WOOD niii, It A IV s o >r 11 I L, L « , 4Q2 ST-A-TE S T E. E E O? , Whose TMrty-Tliree Years Experience Ensures Satisfactory f orlt, BOOTH MEAT CO, 370 STATE STREET, Meats, Vegetables, Butter, '9 AT WHOLESALE AND RETAIL. BRANCHES: Cor. Dixwell Ave. and Foote St. C. M. Sherman, Manager. Cor. Grand Ave. and North Front St. E. J. Morse, Manager. Shamrock Market, 596 Grand Ave. Wm. H. O'Donnell, Manager. JAMES REYNOLDS, 99 Mill River Street, - - - - New Haven, Conn. Three niinutes' walk from tlie State Street Horse Cars. I'.rass, Bronze Metal, Composition German Silver, and all kinds ot WHITE METAL CASTINGS made to order. Fine Oastiiig-H for T'atterii!-* a JSpecialt > , THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 131 Plall, one of the works of art being his picture of the " Captive Israelites." The 31st of July, 1854, was the last day on which citi- zens could get a drop of intoxicating liquor, and the following day die enactment prohibitory went into full effect. A large body of "Invincibles " paraded the streets in a grand glorification or rather "blow-out," which was to be their last. Some of the closed saloons were draped in black. Eighty-eight thousand dollars had been appropriated by Congress for a new custom house, and Dr. Worthing- ton Hooker was writing his valuable physiology for schools. The New York and New Haven Railroad Company was paying $8 a cord for wood for burning on its locomotives. The prohibitory liquor law was never fully executed in New Haven although more strictly enforced than in many other places in the State. Henry Gruenert, a Dane, proprietor of the Columbian Garden on Meadow street, for many years, and the maker of a very excellent kind of root beer, in heavy stone-ware bottles, did not refuse to sell liquors to such cus- tomers as were not likely to betray him. Later, in the second story of a building on Union street, occupied on the ground floor by Norman W. Rood, as a baggage express office, the knowing ones could find something with which to quench their thirst. Soon afterward a Spaniard named Peter Munoz, opened a house on State near Grand street, where the boys could meet and drink in private, and very soon, in two or three other places, lager beer could be bought. Jt is not within the scope of such a work as this, to describe the riotous scenes or to even attempt to relate the angry collisions which in New Haven ar.d in other towns of the State, grew out of the passage of the prohibitory liquor law and the efforts toward its enforcement. Some citizens, otherwise of no particular character, became famous as supporters of the law and amateur detectives. On one occasion, when there was a town meeting (September 27) to determine whether New Haven should invest money in liquors to be sold under sanction of a prescription from a doctor, a noisy and excited crowd filled the basement room of the State House, used as a town hall. There was no possibility of preserving order, nor could a vote ] ^2 THE lllsrORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. be taken. There was an adjournment to the north steps of the Stale House. Speeclies wtre made by Rev. Leonard Bacon on one side of the question and Jonalhan Stoddard on the other. People glared at each other and abused each other like crazy men, and there was a great deal of shouting and indecorous conduct. Douglass Coan, brother of Sher. Coan, belter known as Mr. S. C Campbell, of the Campbell minstrels, and subsequently as the baritone of the Pyne- Harrison Opera Company, slapped Rev. Mr. Garheld in the face, the latter being very indignant at this insult to a clergyman. There was a majority (as counted j of 239 out of 3,053 votes, in favor of having the town purchase liquors, and the vote was considered to be a test as to whether the people would sustain the prohibitory law. It will be a relief to turn from the consideration of these stormy days, when the mad passions of men appeared to rage, to look back for a moment to the year 1724, when the number of all kinds of buildings in ihe citv was only 163. In 1787, Samuel Chittenden advertised that " having become dead to the world that he might live to God, proposes to sell (God willing) at public vendue, the house and lot where he now lives." The ad\ertisement gives no hint as to where the advertiser iiUended to reside after taking his contemplated departure from his house. In these days some of the lien-coops of the wealthy are healthier and warmer in winter than some of the homes of the poor. Society, however, is looking into this and similar matters, and there are political optimists who have faith in the abolishment of poverty at a future day. Then, perhaps, will be also abolished, the nerve-torturino- factorv whistles and the other useless noises, which have for a long time afflicted the citizens of dear, old, conservative, patient New Haven. It was in 1787, that Gov. Samuel Huntington advertised a reward for Daniel Shays, Luke Day, Adam Wheeler and Eli Parsons, ringleaders in the Mas- sachusetts rebellion, and supposed to be then hiding in Connecticut. Lead troughs were at so early a date as this, recommended to be placed around trees, to catch the insects producing the canker worm, but thev were filled with water instead of oil. This was the vear in I'HE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 133 which Alfred Hewes, of New Jersey, made and sold Windsor chairs, at his shop on Chapel street. The Palladium, September 29, 1854, said: "We agree that the Green should not have been occupied by any State House. The room is too precious for any such occupancy." In view of more recent editorial expressions regarding the question of repairing the building or removing it from the Green, the above transcription is interesting. From the great mass of arguments on both sides of the question, printed in the New Haven newspapers for the past ten years it is absolutely impossible to fairly state the reasons given pro and con. The New Haven Register was at the expense of publishing a picture of the building, showing cracks in its 'stucco- covered wall and the absence of some of the marble of the steps and of the false water table or basement veneering. One side of the question was presented as it then stood in the mind of a writer in the Palladiinn, November 22, 1888, whose screed was signed " Vox Populi," and which represents pretty well, the views of many citizens at that time. It read as follows : " It is a public misfortune for any city or state, whenever the columns of its newspapers are not open for the free and fair discus- sion of public questions ; but it is always a far greater evil and one more destructive of the highest interests of any community when any of its newspapers advocate the adoption of municipal measures which can only advance the selfish interests of a few schemers and speculators, in opposition to the plainest interests of the people." [The foregoing appears to be a reflection upon the Register, which ad- vocated the destruction of the building. — Ed.] ** Your recent edito- rial on the State House question, is therefore gratifying to me and to a large proportion of the citizens of New Haven, because of its independence of cliques and the manifest determination of the Palladinvi to represent and advance the interests of the people of New Haven. We are beginning to find out who they are, inside and outside of the Common Council, who are working to nullify and upset the late vote of the people, who by a large majority declared 134 ^^^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE J JO USE. their will in favor of an appropriation of $30,000 for repairing the State House. The speculative firms and the institution which are co-operating, each from a different but thoroughly selfish standpoint, to so befog the public mind that it will not perceive the subtle trickery which underlies the fraudulent proposition to submit the fate of the building to another popular vote on the question : ' Will you remove the building or appropriate $100,000 to repair it.-*' are well known and ought to be exposed. If they suppose their duplic- ity is not perfectly appreciated and the wretched stuff they give us in editorials, as well as the insulting resolutions of Tom, Dick and Harry, together with the insane babble of the special lunatic of the syndicate — if they suppose these are not taken at their real value, they are deceived. " The advocates of repairing the building give valued and in- telligent reasons for their opinions and those reasons have never yet been successfully controverted by either of those interested parties or their paid attorneys." [This last paragraph appears to be directed against either the faculty of Yale, or some of the professors. — Ed.] "The arguments offered by newpapers for the removal of the building are too puerile to bear repeating ; while the real princi- pals in the background seem to be no better able to enlighten us ; so that we are compelled to adopt the belief that their real reasons Cor desiring the destruction of this very valuable building are such as they would be ashamed to avow. " Tlie Court of Common Council, unwilling or not brave enough to decide the question whether the State House should be repaired, referred it to the people for decision, and at the time appointed, it was decided by the people by a large majority, in favor of repairing the building. But it would be more nearly true to say the council would never have referred the question to the popular vote for decision, if the speculators and their backers had dreamed the people would decide against them. It did, however, decide against them and in favor of the rights of the people, as against a corpora- tion. Why does the council now refuse to comply with the condi- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, 1 35 tions of its own making ? Is it because certain lawyers, as paid attorneys of one of the parties in interest, have by special pleading so mystified the question that members of the board of aldermen and council, begin to think that their former action was illegal ? Every member knows better. " But the question which that body has got to face, is this : The council does, or not, consider itself bound by its own acts. If it does not think itself bound bv its own acts, and did not intend to obey the edict of the popular will, why was the question submitted to the people for its decision ? If, on the other hand, it does regard the will of the people as of paramount authority, why the hesitation to obey its behests } If now, the council and the contractors and their responsible backers find themselves in a common hole out of which it will not be easy if it will be possible, for them to escape unhurt, who can they blame but themselves ? There is no need to name the parties and their attorneys and agents by whose means the Common Council has been led into a position so disreputable and indefensible. They are well known and are likely to become better known. But it is a pity that men occupying public positions of trust as public servants, should be willing to array themselves in opposition to the will of the people, definitely expressed, and take action for which not one of the parties, either the attorneys or their principals, has yet been able to assign a sensible reason. They all shrink from the sunlight and annoyance from behind a screen their semi-judicial opinions, but offer no reasons against putting in repair for public use, this very valuable building. " There must be, howev'er, very positive reasons — definite and diverse — but not necessarily conflicting reasons (and they may even be co-operative), why these queer people of such opposite tastes and habits of mind, should desire so earnestly the accomplishment of the same thing — the destruction of almost the best built public building in Connecticut. Who, among the enemies of the State House (and they are all antagonistic to the people and their ! 30 THE HISTORY OF THE ST A TE HOUSE. interests), is expecting to reap material or imaginary benefits by means of its destruction ? "The sclieming contractor looks for his profits in the job of removal and the value of old materials, to say nothing of possible contracts for a new library building, and perhaps the sale of land ; but the college professor who ' hopes to live long enough to see the Green cleared, not onlv of the old State House but the churches as well,' has his reasons too, perhaps, but is too politic to declare them prematurely. Very well, gentlemen, let this hocus pocus leirislation c>o on. But remember this : if the State House is to be destroyed or removed by such means, every one of the churches on the Green will have to go also. '' It has recently been suggested that some of the parties in ^ interest are hoping to entangle the question of repairs or removal of the State House with the political issues growing out of our approaching city and town elections. If so, it will be a pertinent question to be asked of gentlemen candidates : ' On which side are • you to be found ? ' If you are going to bring this subject up for another popular vote, showing that you disregard the binding force of the one already taken by virtue of legal authority, let it be so ; but when you ask for nominations in ward primaries for the various offices you seek, we shall ask : ' How will you vote on the question at issue? ' If elected to office in the city government, will you vote for or against the repair and preservation of the State House, for the ])urposes of a public library ? " The subject is not by any means exh.austed, but we rest here." The foregoing is reprinted, not as presenting the arguments in favor of saving the State House, but as a fair specimen of column after column, which if placed together endwise, would piobably measure some miles, which during the past ten years ha\e been printed \\\ New Haven newspapers, often with the effect of obscur- ing the truth and sometimes of either enlightening *' the general reader," or tending to drive him into idiocy. An excellent idea of the appearance of the Green in 1800 can be THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I37 had by a study of the accompanying picture. It was drawn and engraved with fidelity to an original picture of that date, painted in oil colors. In the distance, about midway between the two churches, can be seen the house on the Yale grounds, occupied by the presi- dent of the college. The two college buildings are on the line with it and in the vista between the Center, or " middle brick '' church and New Haven's second State House. To the extreme right, a little east of the church building before mentioned, are Sabba-day houses. The first burying in this town is also shown. At a public entertain- ment given in the city, about half a century ago, a prize was offered such patron as should, in the judgment of a committee, present the wittiest conundrum, to be read from the platform. The one awarded the prize was this : '' Why is the Green like the whole earth .? " The answer was : '' Because it has Day on one side and (K) night on the other." At that time, Jeremiah Day was living in the president's house, and Dr. Jonathan Knight lived on Church street. A very correct view of the second State House is presented. It is at the left of the picture. At the time of the first Common Council meeting in 1784, the popu- lation of New Haven was less than 3000, and for a long lime the Common Council transactions were very subordinate to the will of the people as expressed at the town meetings or managed by the select- men. At a large number of the stated common council meetings, nothing was done beyond the passage of measures calculated to pro- tect the city from fire. The Colonization Society was in a very nourishing condition in 1854. At their annual meeting that year, Governor Dutton presided, the president, Professor Silliman, being- out (jf town, Henry Clay of Kentucky was a member of the society. Mr. Ashnuin, the society's first agent at Liberia, Africa, as is told on his moinniient, was born at Champlain, N. Y., and died in New Haven, August 25, 1828. Rev. Leonard Bacon preached the funeral sermon at the Center Church. The monument to Ashmun is after the model of Scipio Africanus at Rome. Rev. Mr. Croswell offici- ated at the grave, and Mr. Gurlev, secretary of the American Coloni- GREATEST DISCOVERY OF TME IBthQ^M^UfiY STARCH SMM'ii'ilifcV'L' > ^ firw M»veii.Coww u S.*. ^ Look for the Name and Trade-Mark AND TAKE NO OTHER. YALE, BRYAN & CO 105 to 111 STATE ST. WHOLESALE GROCERS AND IMPORTERS Mlill Ag^eiitj-i ±V>i' BRIDAL VEIL AND WHITE LOAF FLOUR, Tlie T^eaclin^- Bvaiiclsj iiinde toi- Sale \yy Jill I^^ii*>it-01as*s R.etnil Grvoeern. 140 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. zation Society, made an address. The history of Liberia can be found in various publications. After Mavor Henrv F. Peck sifrned the order for the removal of the State House (June 8, 1889), some apprehension was felt by those wlio had voted for the removal, that there would be legal steps taken to prevent carrying out the order. They were not mistaken, for at the solicitation of Eii \\Miitney, E. S. Greeley, James Reynolds, E. B. Bowditch, Levi Ives, Henry L. Hotchkiss, Charles W. Scranton, Maier Zunder, Joel A. Sperry, Henry S. Dawson, Henry Bronson, Leonard J. Sanford, John P. Tuttle, Ellsworth L Foote, Daniel L. Daggett, Joseph Parker, William H, Eaton, Max Adler, Patrick H. Cronan, Charles S. Leete, Stephen G. Hubbard, R. P. Cowles, Rob- ert S. Ives, Thomas R. Trowbridge, George Hotchkiss, 2d, Horace Day, L. R. Gildersleeve, Joseph Sheldon, Simeon E. Baldwin, Wil- liam H. Kingsley, Joseph R, Colton, C. B. Bowers, Charles R, Coan, James M. B. Dwight, John H. Whiting, Charles H. Townshend, Johnson T. Piatt, W^illiam Hillhouse, Edwaid R. Hayes, William R. H. Trowbridge, Rutherford Trowbridge. Charles L. Baldwin, James E. English, William B. Goodyear, and William C. Robinson^ the Superior Court, Judge Fenn, granted a temporary injunction to restrain the city from proceeding. The order, dated June 13, 1889, read as follows : " Ordered, That the City of New Haven and John W. Lake, City Auditor, and all other officers or agents of said citv, be and they are hereby enjoined against taking any further action under the order of the Court of Conuuon Council, approved June 8, 1S89, described in said complaint, or do any act in execution thereof, and against making or attemj^ting to make anv contract for or otiierwise authorizing the destruction or removal of the old State House building, until the session of this court, to which said action is returnable and the further order of the court thereon, and its appearing that this injunction will work no damage to the defend- ants, it is ordered that this injunction issue without any bonds. " And 7f is fitrt/wr ordered, 'VhTit notice hereof be given to said citv, and said J(;hn W. Lake, City Auditor, bv some proper officer, by leaving a true and attested copy of this order and of the original complaint and jirocess in said action, as soon as may be, with the clerk of said city, or at his usual place of abode." THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I4I The paper was served by ^^'illianl E. Higgins, a deputy sheriff. The complaiiU was lenglhy and recited numerous facts, mingled with arguments, some of which are here given. The plaintiffs repre- sented $2,100,000 worth of propertv. The building was substantially built". It was well proportioned, and contained handsome rooms for any public use. The city and county had contributed toward the expense of building, and therefore tiie county liad an equitable interest in it. The State, July 8, 1874, relinquished all its interest in the building to the city of New Haven, and the title was vested in the city after the first Wednesday of May, 1876. The Young Men's Institute, the New Haven Colony Historical Society, the United Workers, the Museum of Industrial Art, the Grand Army of the Republic, and other organizations of a public or charitable character, had from time to time occupied part of the rooms, and the city had used a part of the building for storage purposes. In 1885, a commit- tee of the Connnon Council had reported that necessary repairs would cost $23,000, the report being accepted and a])proved July 14, 1885. A joint special connnittee reported October 31, 1887, that whether the building should be repaired or removed, could expedi- ently be submitted to a vote of the freemen. This report was signed on behalf of the Aldermen, by J. Rice \\'inchell, Owen A. Groark and Andrew J. Clerkin, and on behalf of the Councilmen, by Sher- wood S. Thompson, T. W. Sucher, William Keane and James N. Coe. Provision was made for submitting the vote to the people on December 6, 1887, these being the two adverse propositions : "Proposition First. — The State House building shall be removed from the Green or Public Square, at the expense of the city, as soon as may be practicable. "Proposition Second. — The State House building shall be repaired by the city at an expense not to exceed thirty thousand dollars, as soon as practicable and shall be put to such uses, under the " [etc., etc.]. In case of the adoption of the first proposition (for removal), it was made the duty of the Board of Public Works, to advertise for bids, and award the contract for removal to the lowest and best 142 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, bidder. If the vote was to repair, the Common Council, Mayor and Auditor were authorized to contract for the repair, and the Common Council must lay a special tax to raise money for the cost. The election resulted in a majority vote for repair, of over 1,250, the total number of ballots cast being 8,689, December, 1887, the Common Council passed the following : '■'Ordered, By the Court of Common Council of the city of New Haven, that the building known as the ' old State House,' situate upon the Public Square of this city, be repaired in accordance with the terms and conditions of said second proposition." A State House Commission was created with the mayor as presi- dent ex officio,, to carry out the work as ordered. The commission made no repairs, but went out of existence December 31, 1888 ; the whole matter was referred to a committee, but it held no public hear- ing, and June 3, 1889, four of the members recommended that the auditor be empowered to advertise for bids to take away the build- ing. The point made in the application for the injunction was, that this report had been made, without the formality of first giving a hearing to the citizens, as though the whole matter had not been dis- cussed by citizens and newspapers until every thread of fact and argument was nearly worn out. The petitioners for the injunction also made the point that an order^ submitted by the committee, ordering the auditor to advertise for bids and contract for taking away the State House, had not been referred to a committee by the Common Council — that the jDrder to repair at a cost not to exceed $30,000 had not been repealed, but that without these formalities, vital to a proper conduct of business, the order was inconsiderately passed by the aldermen and June 7, 1889, by the councilmen also. The meeting, it was claimed, of the councilmen, was not legally called for acting upon the order. John W. Lake, immediately after the signing of the order by the mayor, advertised for bids, and it was averred that the passage of the order was a gross breach of trust, directing the destruction of valuable city property, in disregard THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I43 of the voie of the freemen and a violation of section twenty-eight of the city charter, which makes it the duty of the authorities to pro- tect from injury or defacement all public buildings. It was also claimed that the members of the Common Council were not owners of much property and were assessed on the grand list of taxable property only $142,000. The order to pull down was not within the power of the Common Council to make, for it delegated its power to Auditor Lake. The applicants further said that it would cost from live thousand to fifteen thousand dollars to take down the building- and that no appropriation had been made for the expenditure as required by the city charter, and that any such order must be exe- cuted by the board of public works and not by the auditor. The old State House was needed for a public library, and to build a build- ing as good as the State House would cause an outlay of not less than two hundred thousand dollars and the pulling down of the State House and erection of another building would cost taxpayers a quarter of a million dollars. Thomas R. Trowbridge made oath that these representations were true, but after the matter was given a hearing, this injunction was dissolved and Auditor Lake, after taking the opinion of the corpora- tion counsel, Prof. William K. Townsend, of the Yale Law School, made the contract with Mr. Montgomery. Citizen Benjamin Noyes, after the work of demolition was commenced, said he believed the building could yet be saved, before it should be damaged beyond repair. So he, together with Ransom Hills and a few other citizens went to Hartford and persuaded Judge Carpenter of the Superior Court, to grant another temporary injunction. Corporation Counsel Townsend being out of the city, Lawyer George D. Watrous acted in behalf of the Common Council, P^x-Governor Charles R. Ingersoll being associated with him. Ex-Judge L. E. Monson was attorney for Mr, Noves and his friends. Judge Carpenter came to New Haven and after hearing the parties all around, decided that there was no new matter in this second application for an injunction and s~aid that he had been too hasty in making the restraining order, 144 ^^^ HISTORY OF THE STAIE HOUSE. He therefore dissolved the second injunction, and Mr. Montgomery, who had been compelled for a day or two, to remain idle, resumed operations. One point made by the applicants for the second injunction, was that inasmuch as the county had been taxed to pay part of the cost of building the State House, therefore, the ciiy had no exclusive ownership in it, but a record was shown the judge, of a meeting of county representatives, in which they declared that the county had no property ownership in it. It appears that the county had no title of record or any deed from either the State or city. The work of destruction, after being commenced at the northwest corner of the steps of the building, was continued by the stripping off of the tin roofing, large sheets of which were lowered to the plat- form of the porch. In a few days preparation was made to have the six columns at the north end of the building, fall at once. Part of the roof timbers had been removed. Timbers connecting the roof of the portico with the main building, were sawed through. Holes were made above the tops of the columns at the east and west corners. Through these were passed heavy iron cables, attached to a long piece of strong, thick cordage, one end of which was attached to a windlass or capstan, anchored to the ground and worked by seven men. A gathering of people, estimated by some to be three thousand in number, assembled on the Green to see the columns fall. Photographers were on hand with their instruments. The contractor, aided by policemen, kept the large crowd of men, women and children present, outside of a line of ropes stretched at some distance from the building. Around and around walked the wind- lass-men, and as the rope began to strain, and the big pulley-blocks to creak, a great silence prevailed among the people, who watched everything with breathless interest, and eyes and generally mouths, wide open. Presently was heard an ominous sound of the cracking of the lower part of the columns, which had previously been cut about half way through, at their foundation. Bits of plaster were seen to fall and a moment afterward came the grand crash, all the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 145 pillars falling with majestic effect. The one towaitl the west leaned first, the others immediately following the motion, so that all ap- peared to strike the ground at nearly the same moment. Clouds of lime-dust, like a thick smoke filled the air. A great shout went up from the people and ev^erybody said that the whole show was a perfect success. \\'hen the columns struck the eaith. ihe neighbor- ing buildings felt the jar, and to the spectators was brought vividly to mind the accounts of famous earthquakes in past times when whole cities tumbled into ruins. Equally a success was the pulling down of the columns of the south end of the building, and it was more interesting because all the superstructure of the front of the portico was brought down with them. ' Two or three days afterward, a large piece of the front wall of the south end was pulled down. Some of the west wall had already fallen and at this point in the Save Money. Own a Hoise. Price Low. Terms Easy. This economical, two-family House was built in New Haven in 1889. YOD CAN OWN ONE LIKE THIS IF YOU WILL. R. E. BALDWIN'S REAL ESTATE AGENCY, CONN. LEWIS L. GILBERT, PLAIN AND FANCY THREE-PLY -«BAKERY» 148 Ellxrx, 184: St3- JoIxhzl, A^ :X !>' 2Q2 G- T?, ^^ nsr ID ^A^^V^EDSTTTDE iii;iiiiiiiii:ii:;iiiii;(«i,iiiiii,iiiHi!|i(i 148 THE IIISIVRY OF THE STATE HOUSE. work, the south steps having been taken awav, a photograph was taken of the ruins, of which the picture here siiown is a true copy. The photograph was taken by Bundy & Filley, 838 Chapel street, who make a specialty of this branch of the art. To the extreme right is seen a window and part of the rear of the Center Church. Looking past that, appears the building, once the residence of Joseph E. Sheffield, and occupied by the Misses Edwards, whose school for young ladies has been very successful for many years. The arched ceiling over the Hall of the Represent- atives is shown, as well as the tiat ceiling hung under it, to improve the acoustic advantages of the hall. There can also be seen the pilasters of the north wall of the hall. Also the main entrance to the building, and to the right of the centre, a piece of one of the fallen columns. Tht rooms on the west side of the building were occupied with objects of interest of the Historical Society. From the front can be seen a little of the brick arches which supported the platform of the porch. The trees on the Green are seen in full foliage. The contractor levelled the southwest corner of the struct- ure by exploding twenty-five pounds of gunpowder, on which about eight cart loads of earth were deposited, in order to give effect to the charge at the lowest part of the basement. Other attempts to bring down parts of the building by use of gunpowder were not so suc- cessful. The contractor sold the building-stone as fast as it could l)e furnished to the buyers, who used it in building cellar walls in various pans of the city. Much of the old mortar was utilized in filling depressions in some of the roadways of the city. In the City Year Book for 1888 will be found an interesting paper furnished by J. Birney Tuttle, giving a brief historical account of New Haven, together with a few statistics showing the general conditions of the city as regards improvements, manufacturing interests, and other things which go toward a complete statement of municipal affairs. From this is here made a syllabus which in connection with facts and dates from other sources, will be worth\ of preservation. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 49 Goffe, Whailey and Dixwell, the judges who assisted in condemn- ing King Charles I. to death, arrived in New Haven, 1660. The last victim of the whipping post on the Green, was in 1831. The town was invaded by the British under General Tryon and 2,500 troops, June 5, 1779. Termination of the war celebrated on the Green, the last Thurs- day in April, 1783. Population of the ciiy in 1787 numbered 3,540 souls, and in 1801, it had increased to 4,000. Grove Street Cemetery founded in 1796. Roger Sherman, the first ma3'or, died in 1793. He had signed the address of the American colonists to the King of England, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Declaration of peace made known February 13, 1815. Large fire on Long Wharf, destroyed twenty-six stores, October 28, 1820. First steamboat to navigate Long Lsland Sound, the Fulton, Captain Bunker, arrived at New Haven from New York, March 12, 1815. Farmington canal completed 1825. Hartford and New Haven railroad finished 1840. Railroad connection with New London accomplished 1852. Fight between Yale students and town boys, and stabbing of a man by a student, on Chapel near Church street, 1854. Excitement at news of the beginning of the war between North and South, April, 1861. Death of Rear-Admiral Andrew Hull Foote in New York, June 26, 1863 ; buried in Grove Street Cemetery. First Connecticut regiment leaves for the scene of war for the Union, May 9, 1861. First 'New Haven officer killed in battle. Major Theodore Win- throp : buried in Grove Street Cemetery. New Haven Grays organized 18 16. 1^0 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Gen. Alfred H. Terry, honored by Congress for his part in the capture of Fort Fisher, 1865. New Haven's losses of men in the war for the Union, numbered 497- New Haven contributed to the war in money, $29,681,409. New Haven's centennial celebrated, Fourth of July, 1884, in commemoration of the incorporation of the city. Governor Waller present. Soldiers' and sailors' monument on East Rock Park, dedicated June 17, 1887. Founders' Day celebrated, April 25, 1888, the old Lancasterian school bovs being in the procession with their teacher, John E. Lovell, in the ninety-fourth year of his age. Population in 1889, estimated 85,000. Annual cost of police department about $120,000. Assessed value of taxable property in 1888, $50,000,000. City Hall called " Hall of Record," technically, built 1861. Real estate owned by the city and school district valued at $2,000,000 in 1889. Annual cost of fire department, about $80,000. The police patrol 131 miles of streets. Elm tree, corner of Chapel and Church streets, planted April 17, 1790. First hospital building completed 1832. New Haven Dispensary for free advice and medicine for the poor, established 1872. Orphan Asylum (Protestant) established 1833. Saint Francis Orphan Asylum, supported by Roman Catholics, managed "by Sisters of Mercy, organized 1884. Home for the Friendless, incorporated 1869. Cares for unfor- tunate girls and women. First newspaper published in New Haven, 1755. Number of manufacturing enterprises about one thousand, repre- senting a capital of $25,000,000. fBE HISTORY OF THE STA TE HOUSE. \ 5 { Number of banking institutions, sixteen. Seven national banks with an aggregate capital stock of $4,764,800 and a surplus of $1,200,000. Four savings banks with local deposits of $11,526,954.41 and a surplus of $390,284.58. Vakie of carriages manufactured each year, $2,000,000 ; hardware, $2,500,000. Total annual product of manufactures, $30,000,000. Number of horse railroad companies operating, six. Board of Health, organized 1872. Average daily consumption of city water, about nine hundred million gallons. Yale College founded 1701 at Branford, Conn. Located at Kil- lingworth till 1707. First commencement, at Saybrook, 1702. Located in New Haven, 17 17. Number of Yale graduates and under-graduates in service, in the War for the Union, 758, of whom 640 held commissions. New Haven's graded school system begun 1853. Number of mutual benefit societies or branches of large organiza- tions, 52. Number of temperance societies or divisions, 25. Number of churches, 60, beside missions. New Haven Colony, absorbed by Connecticut under the charter granted to Governor Winthrop by Charles U., 1662, New Haven acquiescing, December 14, 1664. Stephen Goodyear, deputy governor of the New Haven Colony, died in London, 1658. Matthew Gilbert, a deputy governor, died 1680. His grave-stone is to be seen outside of the iron railing, in the rear of Center Church. It is but a few inches out of the ground. -David Yale, father of Elihu Yale, after whom the University is named, removed to Boston, 1645. David Wooster, after whom is named Wooster square, died at Danbur}', May, 1777, from wounds received in battle, at Ridge- field. 152 THE HISTORY OF THE STA/E HOUSE. Noah Webster, author of Webster's dictionary, died in New Haven, 1843- Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, died 1825. Buried in Grove Street Cemetery. First Episcopal Church built in New Haven, 1753. First Methodist Church building erected 1807. First Baptist Church built 1822. First Roman Catholic Church built 1834. First LIniversalist Church built 187 1. New Ha\en bought the town of Greenwich, 1640. A ship sailed from New Haven, January, 1647, ''^ which were Mr. Gregson and other gentlemen, bound for London, but nothing was ever afterward heard of her. The Dutch seized a ship in New Haven harboi, 1648. Fifty men of New Haven and Branford, altempling to settle in Delaware, were imprisoned by the Dutch, 165 1. First public "commencement '' of Vale College in New Haven, September 10, 17 18. Rev. George Whitefield arrived, 1740. All the people worried about religion. In 1745, Mr. Whitefield preached to the people gathered on the Green. First book printed in New Haven, 1755. ]Margaret, wife of Benedict Arnold, died 1775. Yellow fever in New Haven, 1794. Blue meeting house occupied for the last lime, 1815. Speech by Red Jacket, Indian Chief, at the Tontine, March 12, 1829. Death of Rev. Claudius Herrick, 183 1. Harbor frozen over, six weeks, in the winter of 1835-6. Cars commenced to run between New Haven and Meriden, 1839. Canal railroad opened to Plainville, 1848. Same year, Catholic Church burned, corner York street and Davenport avenue. First railroad cars to New York, December, 1848. A party of New Ha\-eners started for the gold fields of California, March 12, 1849. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOCST. I 53 Execution of Foote and McCaffrey, at New Haven county jail, October 2, 1850. Prebident James Monroe visited New Haven, 181 7. He was received by the military and citizens and given a dinner. Sunday morning he attended at the Center Church and in the afternoon at Trinity. Wonderful exhibition of shooting stars in the morning of November 13' 1833. Rev. Edwin Harwood elected rector of Trinity Church, 1859. Rev. Harry P. Nichols elected assistant minister, 1883. First rector of St. Paul's Church, Rev. Samuel Cooke, elected July 22, 1845. St. Thomas' Episcopal Church organized in 1848. Christ Church, now in Broadway, organized 1856. First service in the present building, January 6, i860. Grace Church, Blatchley avenue, organized April 10, 187 1 The Howard Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, organized 1872. St. John Street Methodist Episcopal Church, organized 1840 First Baptist Church organized October 30, 18 16. A second Baptist Church formed 1842. The Grand Avenue Baptist Church organized October 24, 1871. Rev. S. M. Whiting, first regular pastor. The First Universalist Society erected a church in 1850, on the corner of State and Court streets. Afterward they built a church on Orange, above Elm street, called the Church of the Messiah. St. Patrick's Roman Catholic parish organized 1850. Their church building, corner of Grand and Wallace streets, completed and consecrated, 1853. Corner stone of St. Francis Roman Catholic Church, Ferry street, laid May, 1868. Charles Goodyear, inventor and discoverer of uses for India rubber, born in New Haven, December 29, 1800 , died in New York, July I, i860. 154 ^^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Leila Day Nursery founded 1883. Young Women's Christian Association, incorporated 1882. Board of Associated Cliarities organized 1878. A memorable evening was that of the 5th of September, 1887, when the Board of Aldermen passed a resolution, in which the councilmen concurred, on the 12th of the same month. It was this: " Resolved, That a special committee, to consist of three aldermen and four councilmen, be appointed to consider the expediency of submitting to a vote of the people, at the next December election, the propositions whether the old State House shall be repaired, or whether it shall be removed, and if removed, what use, if any, shall be made of the site ; such committee to submit their report to the Court of Common Council on or before the first Mondav in November next." The committee was able and conscientious, and November 7 their report was read, amended and accepted by the aldermen, and cer- tain orders providing for submitting the matter to a vote of the people, were passed. The councilmen concurred with the alder- men, November 14. Both chambers also accepted the supplemental report. The text of both follows : Report. *' To the Honorable Court of Covwwii Council : "Your joint special committee, to whom was referred a resolution, charging them with the duty of considering the expediency of sub- mitting to a vote of the people, at the approaching December elec- tion, certain propositions, to wit: whether the old State House sliall be removed from the Green, or whether it shall be repaired ; and if removed, what use, if any, shall be made of the site now occupied by it — beg leave to report that they have attended to the business assigned to them, and have to report as follows : " Upon a careful examination of the records of the Court of Common Council, during the past five or six years, we find that the question of repairing or removing the ' old State House ' has been one involving much feeling, and one which has given THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 155 rise to more heated discussions and exciting wrangles than any other subject ever brought to the consideration of a Common Council in this city. The community itself has been aroused and led into unwonted discord, and is divided into parties, each equally earnest with the other in its belief. Committees have been repeat- edly appointed by various common councils ; numerous public hear- ings, with many heated debates, have followed ; majority and minority reports have been submitted to the several appointing bodies, all of which have been finally disposed of, either by rejection, tabling or indefinite postponement, still leaving the vexed question of, What shall be done with the State House .'' apparently as far from determination as ever, " Meanwhile, the building itself has been growing more and more dilapidated and unsightly, and the demand for some definite and positive action by the city has necessarily become more imperative. In its present condition the property is not only a blot upon the fair face of our beautiful Green, but is a ruinous-lookino- disjjrace to the city whose possession it is. More than this, it is liable to become positively dangerous to life and person from the unloosening of some of the bricks or stones used in its construction, which mav without warning, fall upon the heads of passers-by, inflicting damages for which the city will become liable. At this verv time repairs are in progress upon the roof, at the city's expense, the same having become necessary, if the building is not to be abandoned to utter ruin. The building in its actual condition is of no practical value to tlie city, yielding no revenue as against the expense of its maintenance, and being put to no valuable use other than the occupancy of a small portion of it by the New Haven Colony Historical Society. If this were the property of a private individual or corporation, ordinary business shrewdness would suggest that it be put in thorough repair for practical purposes or altogether removed. And shall the Court of Common Council, chosen to protect and advance the material prosperity of the city of New Haven, refuse or neglect to do, or to provide for the doing of that HILL, TROWBRIDGE & CO. Ooi'. Olixii'cli and Oeiitei* Sti*eets. STOCKS - BONDS vlC-^LOCAL IHVESTMENTS{<-;iC ^VOT^TVTJi!; t^OIl "i^iTi: Liverpool, London and Globe FIRE INSURANCE CO. HOBAET E. SMITH MA NUFA C TURER OF Shafting, Pulleys, Hangers, Eto. 29 t0 35 Artizan Street New Haven, Gonn. JOHN B. WARD, ^ttonrtg at fafo, 838 Chapel St., New Haven, Ct. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I 57 which, as business men, we should not postpone for another day ? Is it the faithful, conscientious and courageous discharge of official obligations to shirk or avoid a responsibility, or to transfer it to our successors in office ? " After maturely considering the influences prevailing in the com- munity and operaiing more or less directly and indirectly upon the minds of the people, your committee conclude that any decision of this important question by the mere- action of any Court of Common Council not chosen with this issue as a paramount one in the elec- tion of its several members, would occasion serious popular dissatis- faction, whatever might be the action of such Court of Common Council in relation thereto ; and furthermore, that such action, with- out submission of the question to a popular vote would be much more liable to lead to legal complications and contentions than if the will of the people were first expressed at the polls. " Doubt is expressed by some as to the wisdom of entrusting to the people the decision of a question involving interests so impor- tant, of whicii, it is hinted, the people are not sufficiently intelligent, or competent to judge. In answer to this we would remind object- ors that we who owe our official position and powers to the people, can scarcely impugn the wisdom of our constituents without reflect- ing upon ourselves. To the people are entrusted the highest and the most sacred duties in state and nation. If to them may be left the selection of our highest rulers and lawgivers, and if upon them we rely for the maintenance of all that is dear, valuable and desirable in every community, can we not with perfect confidence entrust to them the solution of a problem in our own city which peculiarly concerns every citizen in New Haven, in that every resi- dent, every freeman possesses a life interest in and to the use and enjoyment of the Green in accordance with the intent and purpose of the original proprietors, who so wisely set this beautiful plot apart for the uses and purposes of the people ? "Therefore, for the purpose of bringing to a final, and, we trust, to a happy conclusion, this long-discussed and vexatious question, and 158 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. of adjusting it in a manner carrying with it the force and authority of the voice of the people, your committee respectfully recommend the adoption and enforcement of the following orders. "All of which is respectfully submitted. "Done at the city of New Haven, this 31st day of October, a. d. 1887. " T. Rice Winchell, ) r^ \ \ \c c ^ ;\ . ^ ' r On behalf of the '* Owen A. CjRoark, ,- .^ , c \\\ , . ^ ,. ' V Board of Aldermen. "Andrew J. Clerkin, ) " Sherwood S. Thompson, ) "T. W. Sucher, 1^ On behalf of the " William Keane, ( Board of Councilmen." " James N. Coe, J There followed the formula for the orders necessary to carry out the plan for submitting the matter to a vote of the people. The committee also made a supplemental report, which follows : Supplemental Report. " Your committee beg leave to report further, in regard to that part of the Resolution referred to them which relates to some con- templated use of the site occupied by the present State House, in the event of its removal, that in their opinion the site referred to would be an admirable one for our Free Public Library with addi- tional rooms for the New Haven Colony Historical Society, being central in location, very accessible, free from exposure to external fires, remote from noise and dust, and affording abundant light. Being upon ground under control of the city and originally set apart for uses in which all the people are interested, there would appear to be nothing repugnant to the original dedication of this spot to public purposes, in the occupancy of this site, or any other available portion of the Green, b\- a suitable building for the objects mentioned. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 159 " Your committee, however, do not feel called upon to make any special recommendation upon this subject, leaving its consideration to the wisdom of the Court of Common Council. " Respectfully submitted." This supplemental report was signed by all the members of the committee. Their reason for making it was that one of the argu- ments in favor of repairing the building, was that it would, if repaired, be just the thing for the city's free library. Those aldermen voting for the report and accompanying orders were George D. Watrous, George L. Dickerman, John W. Kenney, Robert A. Hollinger, William Noonan, John Clancey, Edward Wines, Frank D. Grinnell, Andrew J. Clerkin, Richard M. Sheridan, John T. Doyle, James D. Whitmore, J. Rice Winchell, Noyes E. Edwards, Hugh Dailey, Charles W. Biakeslee, Jr., Samuel Heming- way, Francis S. Hamilton, James E. Connor, Owen E. Groark — 20. Those voting against submitting the question to the people were Samuel H. Barnes and George B. Martin — 2. The councilmen passed the orders unanimously, as amended by the aldermen. The people having voted in favor of repair, the aldermen, Decem- ber 8, referred to the Board of Finance of the city, certain orders for carrying out the expressed will of the people. They took similar action regarding the proposed creation of a comm'ission consisting of the mayor and auditor, together with two aldermen whose terms would not expire prior to December 31, 1888, two councilmen elect to serve during the year 1888, and two taxpaying citizens, all to be nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the Board of Aldermen, who should have charge and supervision on behalf of the Common Council, of the work and detail of the repairs. This com- mission was to have a clerk, and a tax was to be laid, to raise not less tlian thirty thousand dollars, to pay the charges. Before finally referring the matter to the Board of Finance, a motion was made that the orders lie on the table. This was lost, 16 to 3, only Aldermen Martin, Whitmore and John T. Pohlman voting in favor of tabling. l6o THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. The councilmen, December 12, concurred with the aldermen. On the 1 6th, the aldermen passed the order, creating the State House Commission, with the powers and money restriction as already re- lated. The councilmen concurred December 19, 1887. This com- mission, November 5, 1888, made a long report to the Common Council, it coming first before the aldermen. They recited how that the people had voted for the " second proposition," which was to repair the building for not more than $30,000, and how they (the commissioners) had held meetings, heard opinions and after confer- ring with the library directors had caused plans to be prepared. They had submitted these to competent builders and others and found that the total cost of repairs and alterations would be over $57,000. Plans on a cheaper scale would not do, but would be false economv. If the building were to be repaired, there was no use to which it could be put, better than the library. They would go ahead, at the figures named, if the Common Council so voted. The commission took the opportunity to speak a good word for the New Haven Colony Historical Society and the posts of the Grand Army of the Republic. Although the estimates called for less than $60,- 000, still there would be other expenses, perhaps. They therefore recommended that $65,000 be appropriated, to be raised by a special tax. h. significant sentence in their report, read as follows : " Your commission cannot ignore the fact that the large increase of cost in repair of the building beyond what was contemplated and provided for in the popular vote of December (last) opens the ques- tion as to the proper interpretation of the people's will as expressed in said vote." [Providing for repairs at a cost of not more than $30,000.] This report was signed by Hon. Isaac Wolfe, clerk. It was tabled for printing. November 12 the councilmen wrestled with it. The report, it should be said, mentioned the fact that the $30,000 repair proposition had been adopted by the people by a majority of 1,251 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. l6l votes, out of an aggregate of 8,689 votes cast. The councilmen fol- lowed the aldermen and tabled the report for printing. This gave the orators a chance to take breath, and, if they should see fit, to warn their friends against all attempt at bribery by promises of re-election to office or the exercise of influences to secure memberships in the executive boards of the city government. November 15, 1888, the aldermen had before them an order empowering the State House Commission to repair and alter the State House at a cost not exceeding- $65,000. It was also in the order, as a second part of it, that when the repairs should be completed, the commission might put the building under the control of the directors of the free public library, provided also that should the whole building not be needed for a library, then the New Haven Historical Society and the Grand Army of the Republic might have consideration, should they desire to have rooms in the building. The order furthermore provided for taxation for the expense of the repairs. Now when the order was put upon its passage, Aldermen George L. Dickerman, John W. Kenney, Samuel H. Barnes, Charles Kleiner, Andrew J. Clerkin, James D. Whitmore, J. Rice Winchell and Charles W. Blakeslee, Jr., voted " Yes 1 " Aldermen George D. Watrous, Frank C. Bushnell, Richard M. Sheridan, John T. Doyle, Hugh Dailey, Timothy F. Callahan, Owen A. Groark and Patrick Kent voted "No!" There being a tie vote, the mayor' declared the orders rejected. The councilmen also rejected the orders, November 19, 1888. After this action, a petition was brought, signed by Joel A. Sperry, Charles Henry Townshend, W. B. Goodyear, John S. Fowler, Joseph Porter, Edwin A. Smith, James M. Mason and George P. Hooker, taxpayers and friends of the library, asking the Common Council to secure the removal of the Free Library and Reading Room to the State House as soon as possible, and as soon as the repairs could be made. They alleged that to erect a suitable building would cost $150,000 or $200,000. December 27th it was received and read by the council- men, it having been treated in the same manner by the aldermen November 22, i< II 1 62 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. The aldermen, December 14th, tabled for printing an order for a special elecLion, to be held January 29, 1889, when the freemen were to vote on the following : "Proposition First. — The State House building shall be removed from the Green or Public Square, at the expense of the city, as soon as practicable. " Proposition Second. — The State House building shall be repaired by the city at an exjiense not to exceed sixty-five thousand dollars, as soon as practicable, and shall be put to such uses, under the control and direction of the Court of Common Council, as that body may determine and prescribe." But November 22d, in the Board of Aldermen, a petition signed by- James E. English, R. P. Cowles, B. H. Douglass, Robert S. Ives, A. C. Wilcox, Charles Henry Townshend, Thomas Trowbridge, Amos J. Beers, Andrew L. Kidston, D. L. Daggett, William K. Townsend, Sylvester Smith, I. Burton Hine, John R. Garlock, R. R. Palmiter, Benjamin' R. English, H. M. Welch, M. Zunder, George Hotchkiss^ G. B. Martin, Justus S. Hotchkiss, W. R. H. Trowbridge, George C. Cruttenden, L. O'Brien, O. B. North, Levi Ives, Horace Day, Edward R. Hayes, N. W. Merwin, William F. Coburn, W, H. Tuttle, and L. J. Sanford was read and received. It asked for an appropria- tion of $57,000 and the immediate repair of the State House. No- vember 22d in the same body, was read and received a petition signed by these friends of a free library: H. B.' Harrison, C. R. Ingersoll, S. E. Merwin, Henry G. Lewis, James D. Dewell, E. F. Mersick, F. B. Farnsworth, N. D. Sperry, Henry C. White, John T. Sloan, John E. Earle, asking the Common Council to appoint a joint committee of both boards, to consider and report upon the subject, they believing that it was inexpedient to take any action on the proposed repair, for the purpose of having the building used for a public free library, until further examination of the points involved. They concurred with action taken by the councilmen November 19, 1888. They sim- ply received it. The aldermen, November 22, 1888, had before them the $65,000 order for repairing, and this record is found on page 285 of their printed journal : ThE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 163 "BOARD OF COUNCILMEN, November 10, 18SS. " Ordered, read and passed, the words ' one hundred thousand dollars ' being substituted in each instance, where the words ' sixty-five thousand dollars " occur. " lioAKiJ OF ALDERMEN, November 22, 1SS8. " Order amended by striking out Sioo,ooo and substituting -$65,000 in lieu thereof and as amended, j^assed." Alderman Walious moved to amend by striking out the first Tues- day and inserting in lieu thereof, third Tuesday of December, 1888. Amendment lost. The roll-call resulted as follows : Yeas — Aldermen Dickerman, Watrous, Bushnell, Kenney, Sheri- dan and Daily — 6. Nays — Aldermen Clancey, Barnes, Kleiner, Clerkin, Whitmore. Winchell, Edwards, Avis, Callahan, Groark and Kent — 11. We are now in the thick of the waifare. Citizens were burning with enthusiasm for either repair or removal, and the newspapers were loaded with communications, some of them absurd in state- ments and evidently inspired by an intent to confuse the general judgment. Others were pathetic ; a few didactic, and some tinctured with plaintive sentiment. 'J1ie interests of the State House and library were again hitched together, when December 11, the alder- men had before them, an order that the petition of H. B. Harrison, Charles R. Ingersoll, and others, should be referred to the State House Commission. In the Board of Councilmen, there had been a reconsideration of the action taken November 27, and this later and substitute order had been passed. Toward the end of the year 1888, the matter popped up again in the meeting of aldermen and there was more tabling; this time for printing. The matter dis- cussed was about having a special election by the freemen of the city. It provided that should the people decide to pull down the building, it should be the duty of the Board of Public Works to • attend to it, the tax for expenses not to exceed five thousand dollars. In his annual message to the Common Council, delivered January 31, 1889, Mayor Henry Y. Peck, said : 164 THE in STORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. " It seems to me that good faith toward our constituents requires that having asked for and received a public expression of their will, it should be obeyed. And I think also that the building is a valuable one, adapted to many public uses and can be put in good condirion for less than the $30,000 which has been voted." But after the vote of the Common Council to pull down the building, Mayor Peck, though urged to withhold his signature to the bill, concluded that he would not defeat the measure, and therefore he signed it, thus giving legal effect to the vote. It will be pleasant to bring before ourselves a few memory- pictures, in which the happy, innoceiit faces and sweet voices of New Haven children, aided in a very remarkable way to fill with joyousness ihe hearts of thousands of people. The anniversary of American Independence was gloriously celebrated in this city, July 4, 1858. In the afternoon, was performed on the north steps of the State House, a "Juvenile Oratorio of the Revolutionary War," under the direction of Prof. Benjamin Jepson of this city. The chorus consisted of five hundred chil- dren, who arrived nt tiie place in procession, some interesting features of iheir parade being the Boston tea party, by a company of boys, painted and costumed to represent Indians ; thirty-one misses, representing the states of the Union ; Brother Jonathan, wiih bell- crowned hat, long, swallow-tailed coat, and short pantaloons of a material known as ''drilling"; the Goddess of Liberty, riding in a fanciful chariot drawn by a Shetland pony, and escorted by Conti- nentals in uniform ; the whole line made brilliant by hundreds of flags, banners, and various patriotic emblems and devices suited to ihe festival. The New Haven brass band, John Lyon, leader; headed the procession, and the Old Gents' Band, Frank Smith, leader; accompanied the children's singing. There were short addresses by Rev. Dr. Kennedy, John G. North, Esq., and others. At the close of the exercises, the children partook of a banquet in the basement of the State House, which had been prepared by patriotic ladies and gentlemen under direction of Messrs. Thomas Rawling and George M. Coe. The concert was enjoyed by about THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 163 - twelve thousand people. Many of the boys and girls who took part, have since become well known in social life, some of the boys having become identified with public affairs or distinguished in various honorable positions. Another grand, patriotic celebration, drew to the Green thousands of the inhabitants of New Haven, July 4, 186 1. About six thousand children, under the management of Professor Jepson, were in the line of march. They were gathered upon the north steps of the State House, where, under the leadership of their teacher, they delighted the people with their singing. The following is a transcript from the afternoon program of the citizens' com- mittee, John G. North, chairman : Program. Jepson's Brigade of children will assemble at National Hall, Olive street, where they will form into line and proceed up Chapel street, south side, to Temple, through Temple to the north side of the Green, to the north portico of the State House, in the following order : Divis/on o/ Boys. Band. Hokeepokeewurapechepum Tribe of Indians, representing the Boston Tea Party. Washington Zouaves. Wide Awake Engine Company. Marine Guard. Washington Lancers. Infant Rifles. Division 0/ Girls. Band. Daughters of Columbia. Goddess of Liberty, seated on a floral car. Young America, with Continental Guard. Brother Jonathan, in full costume. Union of States, represented by thirty-four young ladies. Fairy Light Guard. All along the line of march, great crowds of people testified by cheering and waving of flags and handkerchiefs, their pleasure at the spectacle. The exercises consisted of singing patriotic songs by the children, accompanied by the band ; stirring addresses by his Excel- JE^TA.13LISJHEr> 17 84. The John E. Bassett & Co., PROPRIETORS OF THE IN THE T S 4: CHAPEL ST. 3 1 S AND 3 2 O STATE ST. ^VE n^VE Builders' and Manufacturers' SUPPLIES, Mechanics' Tools, Cutlery, Housekeeping Goods, &c. Our Assortment is Large, Well Selected, and offered at the Lowest Prices. Kespectfiill^^, JOH\ E. BASSETT, PRESIDENT. OEORfiiE J. BASSETT, SECY and TREAS. I 68 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. lency, Governor William A. Buckingham, ex-Governor Henry Dutton, Daniel C. Gilman, Deacon George F. Smith, and Mr. John G. Norih, The exciting events of the war for the Union, having aroused the sensibilities of the people, a special interest was felt in these observ- ances. Mayor Harmanus M. Welch presided at the exercises. He and Professor Jepson, together with the children and speakers, were enthusiastically cheered at the close of the afternoon doings. The section of the Green, east of Temple street, has been the place of many enthusiastic gatherings of children. One of these occasions was the twenty-seventh annual meeting of the New Haven Sunday-school Union, June 9, 1869. The children assembled by divisions, to the number of six thousand, in the various churches near the Green. As the schools arrived upon the east part of the Green, they were marched past the platform placed nearly opposite the front of Center Church, and were drawn up in columns seven or eight deep. This manoeuvre took nearly half an hour to accomplish, and it appeared as if there was no end to the line which kept pour- ing into the Green. The scene was truly most splendid! The moving of so many well-dressed children over the greensward to the music of the band stationed upon the platform, the beautiful banners waving in the sunlight, tlie foliage of the old elms enclosing the whole in a majestic framework, made a picture of rare loveliness. After all the schools w^ere properly placed, Professor Jepson, under whose supervision the songs had been prepared and taught, mounted a dais on the platform, and under his directorship the immense body of children sang several songs with spirit and line effect. The time kept by the children singing in unison, under the handling of Professor Jepson's baton, was very remarkable. The procession was under control of Jesse Cudworth, Jr., chief-marshal, and these assist- ant marshals : Samuel C. Johnson, John G. North, Charles L. Bald- win, M. C. Sweezey, and F. W. Pardee. This was a day long to *be remembered. Without doubt, the grandest spectacular exhibition of children which ever aroused public admiration on New Haven Green, was at THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 169 the time of the great centennial concert, July 4, 1876. Twenty-eight hundred children, selected from the public schools, occupied a ter- race stage, fifteen seats high, on the south side of the east section of the Green, and extending from Church to Temple street. So worthy of preservation is an account of this interesting event in the annals of New Haven, the reader will like a copy of the program : Order of Exercises. 1 The Glorious Fourth of July. Unison Chorus, by all the Schools. 2 Red, White and Blue. Full Chorus, with Solo, by Woolsey School. 3 Rally Round the Flag. Full Chorus, with Solo, by Dwight School. 4 Union Dixie. Full Chorus, with Solo, by Washington School. 5 Hail Columbia. Unison Chorus, by all the Schools. Selection^ by the Teutonia M centierchoy . 6 Watch on the Rhine (.Original Words). Full Chorus, with Solo, by Eaton School. 7 Russian National Hy.mn (Original Words). Full Chorus, with Solo, by Webster School. 8 Beautiful Flag. Full Chorus, with Solo, by Skinner School. 9 My Country, 'tis of Thee. Unison Chorus, by all the Schools. 10 Yankee Doodle. Full Chorus, with Solo, by Hamilton School. 11 Glory, Hallelujah ! (Original Words). Full Chorus, with Solo, by Wooster School. Selection^ by the Teutonia Mcennerchor. 12 Star Spangled Banner. Full Chorus, w ith Solo, by the Class of '76, and Duet by the Scholars of Hillhouse High School. 13 Old Hundred, with " Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow." Grand Chorus, by all the Schools and assembled people. The schools assembled under direction of J. D, Whitmore, chief- marshal, with the following named principals assisting : High School, T. W. T. Curtis ; Webster School, J. G. Lewis ; Eaton School, Joseph Gile ; Wooster School, R. H. Park ; Dwight School, L. L. Camp : Skinner School, H. C. Davis ; Washington School, 170 THE HISTORY OF I'HE STATE HOUSE. George R. Burton ; Hamilton School, Rev. M. Hart ; Woolsey School, Mark Pitman. The children formed near the Hillhouse High School and marched at about 2:30 in the afternoon, preceded by the Board of Education : the 4th of July committee, and the Ameri- can Band, followed by the Pioneer Corps, a youthful company of personated aborigines, representing the Boston tea party, who were also the Pioneers of the Revolution. Next in line were the Cen- tennial Legion, composed of High School boys. They looked finely in their unique costumes. Their evolutions and marching were a great credit to Captain J. Phile, of the Governor's Foot Guard, who had the boys under drill for some weeks. Young ladies of the High School, '76 and '77, represented the thirty-eight states of the Union. Their dresses were white ; sashes of red, white and blue silk. They rode in the wheeled barge " Nightingale," in the front part of which was Miss Lee of the High School, who looked charming in her per- sonation of the Goddess of Liberty. Then followed a large body of High School girls, wearing over their dresses tastefully arranged drapery of stars and stripes. The High School was succeeded by the pupils of the grammar schools, wearing in about equal propor- tions the national colors over their clothing. The schools marched in two columns, going on the sidewalk, through Orange to Elm street, to Temple street, and on arriving at the stage on the Green each school took its allotted position in fine order. As row after row of the children took their seats, their varied costumes making a pleasing combination of color, it soon became apparent that the entire stage, from side to side of the eastern section of the green was taking on a resemblance to two American flags, their fields of blue joining at the center. At exactly four o'clock, a large balloon ascended from the Green, the children manifesting their pleasure at the sight. After it passed from view, Professor Jepson took a posi- tion in front of the children, his appearance calling out the cheers of the people. After a few measures of introduction by the band, the opening chorus " Glorious Fourth of July," was sung by the twenty- eight hundred children. In this and all the other choruses, the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 171 "time ".was as perfect as possible and was very remarkable. The harmony of parts and great volume of musical sound will always be gratifyingly remembered by all present. People a mile from the center of the city, said that the music and words were distinctly heard at that distance. To every school, with its hundreds of voices was given a solo to be sung in unison. Each school performed its solo without fault and all were cheered again and again. A beau- tiful feature of the concert was the " conducting " of Yankee Doodle by the six-years old son of Professor Jepson, the whole chorus keep- ing time to the motion of his little baton. At the conclusion the lad was caught up by Mayor Lewis and presented to the enthusiastic populace. At intervals in the red, white and blue chorus, the chil- dren were trained to interpolate hurrahs, which were given with won- derful precision. The enthusiasm reached its highest point when each child drew forth a flag and waved it during the singing of the " Star Spangled Banner," The Teutonia Maennerchor sang two pieces and "were loudly applauded. Brother Jonathan sang a song abounding with local hits on the mayor, the celebration committee, the conductor, the teachers, and " the jackets we wear," Mayor Henry G. Lewis addressed the children, thanking them for the fine entertainment, and at his call three rousing cheers were given for the conductor. The children reciprocated with cheers for the mayor. The finale — " Old Hundred " — closed the exercises. The city presented Professor Jepson with some handsomely engrossed resolutions, in acknowledgment of his talent, skill and patriotism. What does the reader suppose has become of all the jDersons who used to amuse themselves by cutting the initial letters of their name on the cumbrous, heavy, wood settees which used to stand against the walls inside the town hall in the State House basement ? These settees were transferred thither from State House No, 2, and had begun to disappear before the last State House was destroyed. One was taken to the passage leading to the rear door of the town agent's ofiice on Church street, and on Fridays was occupied by the poor people waiting for aid from the public treasury. The crippled, trem- 1/2 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. bling wrecks oE humanity have sat for hours on many a cold day, waiting for the opening of the iron door, closed between them and the selectmen's disbursing clerk, who smoked his cigars and talked politics in his warm office. Very many of those unfortunates have passed away and are beyond the need of $1.50 a week, with which to keep soul and body together. In the returns of the office of vital statistics, their deaths are tabulated, and the name is given of the disease from which they died. Those returns mislead the statis- tician, for they died on account of poverty, with its hunger, expos- ures, want of medicine and nursing, and want of human sympathy. But the system of what is called "out-door relief" is still a part of the policy of the town administration and there are always plenty of beneficiaries. One of the old, high-backed wood settees was in the basement of the State House, when the work of demolition com- menced. Either cut into the wood or written with pencil were marks and names. Among them were found "George W. Smith, 1800"; "Jabez Collins, 1822"; " G. Avery, 1820"; "Frank Crosby, 1824"; "Barnard Little, 1824"; "Tom Brown, 1822"; " Jonathan W, Nott, 1825 " ; " T. Jess Noyes " ; " A, Harvey, 1814 " ; " Holcomb, of Granby " ; " Aaron Tinch," besides a few^ obscure marks. The names and dates are suggestive of many bits of local history which will perhaps never be written. On the same bench is written, " Steamboat question. May 16, 1822, S. P. Staples, one of counsel — For S. F, Monson — Smith," Here is a chance for an antiquarian to study the local history of the town. An incident in connection with holding the courts in the State House shows what good men will sometimes do under the pressure of temptation. Henry G. Lewis was clerk of the county court. His court records were kept in a vault in the basement. Every morning the books needed for the day were taken by the clerk to the court- room and at the close of business were returned to the vault. Mr. Lewis, on opening a book of record one day, discovered to his sur- prise, that there had been an erasure of some part of the record, without his knowledge. As it appeared to have been the intention THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 73 of whoever made the erasure, to fill the vacant space with something, the clerk thought of a plan to detect the forger. He consulted with Lyman Bissell, then captain of the watch, and it was decided that the latter should enter the vault before its being locked for the day and remain there until something should be discovered or the vault should be regularly opened the forenoon following. It was a dark and lonely vigil kept that night by Captain Bissell. Toward mid- night, however, he heard footsteps. A key was put into the lock, the door of the vault swung open, and Captain Bissell and the unknown confronted each other. The man was one of New Haven's respected citizens. He confessed his intention of falsifying the record. By advice and after a full consideration of the matter, the man was allowed to go free of punishment in State prison. To the day of his death. Major Bissell would not tell the name of the man, nor will ex-Mayor Lewis. As they and a judge of the court were the only persons cognizant of the facts, there is no foundation for a "scandal," as is sometimes denominated an exposure of crime. There were many exciting episodes in the days when the county court was held in the State House, In 1836, there occurred a fracas between lawyers Henry C. Flagg and Silas Mix, which resulted unpleasantly for both gentlemen. Much feeling was created among the friends of the adversaries. One Dr. Goodsell, a witness in a case on trial, was charged by Mr. Mix with having talked with another witness. Mr. Flagg addressed the court in favor of Dr. Goodsell. Mr. Mix, with some vehemence, cried out: "What is all this harangue for ? " Mr. Flagg answered that he was vindicating Dr. Goodsell. After some warm words had been exchanged between the two lawyers, Mr. Flagg, turning to the judge, said : " I will take no insolence from this gentleman." Mr, Mix immediately said : 'You are an insolent puppy ! " Mr. Flagg looked toward the judge. His Honor not saying anything, Mr. Flagg said : " I will, then, defend myself," and struck Mr. Mix. The client of the latter flew to the rescue and was roughly handled by Mr. Flagg. When the fuss was over, Mr. Flagg was fined $35, and he and Lawyer Mix LOCAk LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE The Public Station of tiie Formerly located at 347 State Street, has been removed to Eoom 1, lower floor, of the Telephone Build- ing, at 118 Court Street. The PUBLIC can here take advantage of FIBST-CLASS FACILITIES for communication with all Exchanges throughout the State, over the JS'eiv St/ste in of 3Ietal- lic Service operated by the company, and also with New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Spriugfield and other cities, over the wires of the Long Distance Co^niHiny, The Public Station will be very shortly equipped with Pri- vate Conij^artnients so that conversation may be held with- out being overheard or i\\Q jmrties disturbed by the noise from street or building. Fxperienced Ojjerators are in charge, and the service will give very pleasing results. Appointments may be made and conversations held, giving all the advantage of a personal interview. Five minutes conversation may be had with any subscriber in the State for 25 cents. DAY. NIGHT. New York City, $ .75, $ .50. Providence, 1.25, .60. Philadelphia, 1.75, .90. E. B. BAKER, Gen. Supt. DAY. NIGHT. Boston, $1.50, $ .75 Worcester, 1 .25, .60 Springfield, .75, .50 D. F. BURRITT, Local Mgr. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, 1 75 were suspended from practice at the Bar for three months. At another time, Charles T. SheUon said to a prisoner whom he had been defending : " When I say ' Go ' — go." The lawyer felt certain that a verdict of acquittal would be given by the jury and he did not want the man to linger around long enough to be again arrested on a new complaint. The prisoner heard Mr. Shelton say "Go !" and off he started. The sheriff tried to stop him, but Mr. Shelton said : •' You cannot do that, because the man is still under bail." Pres- ently when the jury returned to the court-room with a verdict of "guilty," the prisoner had already departed. Prosecuting attorneys in these days look out for such contingencies and are not apt to allow prisoners to find out what are the verdicts, at the end of a long telegraph wire. The liberty pole on the lower part of the Green was erected the day before the solemn funeral services, when President Grant was buried. Until then there was no liberty pole. The old one had a long time before been struck by lightning and the vane was knocked off. What became of it nobody knows, except the person and those who may have assisted, who carried it away. When the pole was reconstructed, the four points of compass were replaced at its top. After a while it became dangerous to life on account of decay and the Common Council ordered it taken down, together with a dilapidated structure called a band stand, which had been an unsightly object for some years. From this band stand orators in favor of reforms for workingmen used to lecture to the people of evenings. Political speakers addressed " fellow citizens " on cam- paign issues, and the Good Samaritans held meetings there. When x\9X. otherwise occupied, in the daytime children played on its steps and platform at the risk of tumbling off and receiving bodily harm. Many citizens were desirous of having a liberty pole planted. Mayor George F. Holcomb and Auditor John W. Lake took counsel together. They went to Hanscom's ship-yard and although it appeared that there would not be time to do the work, he agreed to have a new liberty pole in position, so that the city's flag could 176 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. be flown at half mast, the day of President Grant's obsequies. Mr. Hanscom made good his promise. Dr. William Hillhouse and a number of other citizens wanted the " points of compass " replaced at the top of the pole. This was not done, but instead, there was placed at the top, what is customarily known as a liberty cap, and which is somewhat calculated to bring to mind the horrors of the French Revolution. There are some citizens who believe the orna- ment is intended to represent the hat of a chief engineer of the fire department in the days of the volunteer fire service. This lib- erty cap is gilded, and perhaps the gilt should be emblematic of the precious character of the principle of which the object is in- tended to remind us. The memorial services held Tuesday evening, August 4, 1885, in lionor of General Grant, were of a solemn, impres- sive character. In seats in the body of the church, two hundred members of the Grand Army were accommodated. Also sixty members of the Women's Auxiliary Society of the Grand Army organization and thirty-five of the Sons of Veterans. Platform and reading-desk were appropriately draped. On the platform were Governor Harrison, Adjutant-General S. R. Smith, Rev. Newman Smyth, D. D., of the Center Church, Rev. D. A. Goodsell, D. D., of the First Methodist Church,, and other ministers representing various religious creeds, besides Hon. Henry G. Lewis, representing the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and Col. S. J. Fox, representing the Grand Army. The choir sung a requiem. Rev. W. H. Buttrick prayed. Rev. Dr. W. E. Vibbert of Fair Haven read from the sacred Scriptures. An anthem "When in the Earth," was rendered. The address of Governor Harrison was in the nature of a noble tribute to the patriot soldier. In one part of his address. Governor Harrison said : "And after all his achievements and his triumphs, it was needful that he should suffer calumny, poverty, distress of mind, humiliation of spirit and the bitter pains of a lingering death — and therefore all these things came upon him — in order that the affections of the THE HISTORY J)F THE STATE HOUSE. I 77 people of the North, and the affections of the people of the South might fuse together with fervent heat, and overwhelm him with a passionate devotion, so that his character and his work should remain henceforth sacred and secure forever. " And now, oh Death ! where is thy victory ? " Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth and Rev. Dr. Goodsell also spoke. They were followed by Hon. Henry G. Lewis. Rev. A. P. Miller read the closing hymn, and Rev. Dr. Vibbert gave the benediction. The Republican League, Washington Camp of Patriotic Sons of America, took suitable action, and throughout the whole city there were manifold evidences of the common sorrow. When it became known throughout the city that Judge Fenn, of the Superior Court, had dissolved the first injunction, which restrained the city from taking further steps toward removing the State House, there were many sad hearts. When the second injunction was dissolved by Judge Carpenter, after the work of demolition had been commenced, Mr. Benjamin Noyes, who was in the lobby of the court room, was greatly chagrined, but the latter attempt, by legal process, to save the building, had been made with- out the co-operation of the important members of the Historical Society, who had given up the struggle before the second injunction was obtained. It is necessary to a full understanding of the matter, that there should be briefly told what was done between the ist of January and the ist of July, 1889. We find the following in the journal of the aldermen, January 7, 1889. " Resolved, That all business pending in and unfinished, by the Court of Com- mon Council of 1888, be placed in the same status before the Court of Common Council of 1889 as it occupied in said Court of Common Council of 1888, at the close of the last municipal vear." This was adopted and the councilmen concurred. In Mayor Peck's message to the two legislative chambers of the city govern- ment in joint session, January 31, 1889, occurs these words : " The commission not having made the repairs, the building 178 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. remains in the same condition as before the vote of the people was taken, notwithstanding they directed it to be repaired 'as soon as practicable.' " The following, presented by Alderman Patrick Kent, February 4, was adopted : "■Resolved^ That the city auditor is hereby requested to have placed upon the desk of each member of this board at its next meeting, a printed statement of the expenses incurred by the State House Commissfon, since they were appointed." February 14, the auditor reported that the expenses had been, for C. H. Stillson's plans and specifications $505.05, and for Isaac Wolfe, clerk, $300 ; making $805.05. Alderman Morris T. Lynch's motion to indefinitely postpone the order for a special election con- cerning the State House, prevailed. March 5, a number of orders were favorably reported upon, which had been drawn in accordance with suggestions in the mayor's message, but here is one order which was tabled, nine others being passed : " Ordered, That so much of said message as relates to the Old State House, be referred to a joint special committee of two aldermen and three councilmen." March 12, a petition regarding the reference of State House mat- ters to the commission, was tabled by the aldermen. April 15, the following was before the same board and tabled for printing : " ^YHEREAs, At a city election held December 6, 1887, a majority of registered freemen cast their ballots for repair — " Whereas, a State House Commission was created — " Whereas, the terms of the city officials who were members of the commission have expired and said commission has not completed said repairs, it is therefore hereby " Ordered, That the State House shall be repaired in accordance with the terms and conditions of the second proposition. " Ordered, That a commission be and is hereby created, to consist of the mayor and auditor, together with two aldermen, two councilmen, and two citizens, who shall be residents and taxpayers, shall be nominated by the mayor, and confirmed by the aldermen, and authorized to complete the repairs at the cost o^ not ov^r $30,000," THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. I 79 As the proceedings in the Board of Aldermen, April 15, are of importance in connection with the order finally made, a part of the sayings and doings are here given. The following was read : " Ordered, that so much of said message as relates to the ' Old State House ' be referred to a joint special committee of two aldermen and three councilmen." Alderman Kent moved that the order be passed. Alderman Frank C. Bushnell amended that the two aldermen be elected by this board, and that they be Aldermen McGann and Douglass. Alderman Kleiner moved to indefinitely postpone. A vote on this resulted in a tie, but the mayor voted in the affirmative, and there- fore the motion prevailed. After more motions of one sort and another, there was a recess, after which Alderman Bushnell moved that the whole matter of the State House question be referred to a committee of two aldermen and three councilmen, to consider and report. This was adopted. Up rose Alderman Charles Kleiner, to a point of order, namely : that this was new business, and therefore out of order. The chair decided the point not well taken, and Kleiner appealed from the ruling, but the chair was sustained. On Alderman Bushnell's motion, it was voted to reconsider the action on the order introduced by Alderman Lincoln's order, and this order was taken from the table. Alderman Bushnell amended this order, that the two aldermen be elected by this board. Being asked to put it- in writing, after a recess, he offered a substitute order for an order which had been offered bv Alderman Lincoln. Now was offered a motion which was adopted ; that the whole State House question be referred to a committee of two aldermen and three councilmen, to consider and report. Alderman Charles Kleiner said that this being new business it was out of order. The chair decided the point not well taken. Mr. Kleiner appealed from the decision, the chair being sustained thirteen votes to ten. The vote for Alderman Bushnell's motion was sixteen in favor to seven against. He now moved that the committee of two aldermen and three councilmen to be raised, be instructed to vote for the removal l8o THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. of the Stale House. This was seconded. Alderman Samuel R. Avis amended that the committee be instructed to vote in favor of repair. One alderman made the point of order that this action was out of order and wouldn't do at all. The chair so ruled. Alderman Morris T. Lynch moved that his Honor, the Mayor, and Aldermen Bushnell and McGann be appointed a committee to be raised as proposed by Alderman Bushnell's resolution. This was seconded. Alderman Sheehan amended that the committee be appointed by the mayor. This was so voted. How the city fathers did wrestle with the thing, to be sure ! At a meeting May 6, a long report was presented to the board, which may have had a more or less remote influence over their action regarding the State House. This report, signed by C. E. Prince, William A. Chamberlin, and George W. Bromley, was tabled for printing. It was in favor of allowing the First Ecclesiastical Society [which is the society of the Center Church] to erect an addition to the rear of the Center Church. The report contained this: "The addition besides being adorned with tablets descriptive of historical events, will have placed in two niches, statues of Daven- port and Eaton. The architectural beauty of the addition can be readily seen," etc. " The entire cost is estimated from $25,000 to $30,000. ... It will be not only worthy of the events and men it commemorates but will be an ornament to our Green." With the report was submitted the following : " Permission is hereby given to the First Ecclesiastical Society of New Haven to erect on the rear of their church edifice a memorial structure not to extend over ten feet in depth and eighteen feet in width, the final plans to be submitted to the committee on squares for their approval, and work on said structure to be commenced during the year 1889." On the 2oth of May, this report and proposed permission were recommitted to the committee, in concurrence with action taken bv the councilmen. At the session of May 20, the aldermen voted for having a committee to report upon the expediency of having band concerts on the Green. The couwcilmen had already so voted. The THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. l8l committee found that it was not best to have the concerts. The following was adopted by both chambers of the Common Council. '' Resolved, That the Corporation Counsel be requested to consider and report to the Court of Common Council, whether in his opinion, the City of New Haven has any such title to, or interest in the ground occupied by the Old State House, that it can legally sequester or appropriate such ground to city uses, and whether the Court of Common Council can legally lay a tax for the reconstruction or repair of said building, in order to establish it as a permanent incumbrance upon the public square as a city building, in derogation of the general public use to which such square was originally, forever dedicated." This history of official transactions in connection with the State House is drawing to a close. As the final report made to the Com- mon Council was the matter upon which was based the order to pull down the building, it is here given in full, together with the action taken and the date of such action in the two Boards of the Court of Common Council : Report. " 2^0 the Honorable Court of Couwioii Council of the City of New Haven : "Your committee, to whom was referred the Old State Hoi se question, beg leave to report that they have attended to the business assigned and make the following report : "In order to ascertain in what manner the facts upon which the Committee appointed by your Honorable Body in 1885 made its report, were obtained, a sub-committee of this committee called upon the two Hartford builders who made an estimate of $23,000 for the repair of the State House, the estimate which his Honor, Mayor Peck, referred to in his message, and learned that these builders « went over the State House with Professor Trowbridge and several others. These builders stated they were not asked what repairs ought, in their opinion, to be made, but were told that it was pro- posed to make certain repairs and were asked to make estimates of the cost of such repairs. They were told that it was not proposed to W. H. FARREN, Prest. R. B. FARREN^ Sec'y 8l Treas. THE FARREN BROTHERS CO., MANUFACTURERS OF lv£etallic SprizrL^ !Bed.s, No. 4 AltTIZ^lV ST., fitli a Successful Career of 20 Years Slauiliui and witli nearly FIFTY YEARS EXPERIENCE IN OUR VARIOUS LINES, We will continue to give our patrons in the future, as we have in the past, the best work obtainable in DYEING, CLEANING, LAUNDRYING, Oarpet Boating- aiicl Sooiii'iiig:. I Offices, 878 and 645 Chapel St,, New Haven, I 18 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Works, State, Lawrence and Mechanic Streets, THE HISTOID Y OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 83 make any repairs on the inside, but only to make such cheap, neces- sary exterior and other repairs as would make the building good for fifteen or twenty years. These builders thereupon made estimates only on such repairs as were pointed out to them. No plans or specifications were made, but only a rough estimate made in pencil, on the spot, after a brief and hurried examination of the building. The figures w^ere a mere estimate and not a bid. An examination of the estimate reveals the cheap, unsatisfactory, and inadequate character of the repairs proposed. It strips off all the marble facing of the building and in its place puts nothing but brick, thus destroy^ ing the architectural effect of the building and making it, in compar- ison, a cheap looking affair. It repairs the stone steps at the north end by using the old stone in the steps at the south end. These stones, as is well known, are small in size and of crumbling marble, taken originally from the top of a quarry, so that the steps at the north end must have a patched up and make-shift appearance. It proposes to build the south steps anew, but of what kind and size of stone it is not stated, and when it is known that these steps cannot be built of soft Ohio stone for less than $6,000, it can be seen that the estimate of this committee of $2,700 is very inadequate, unless the steps are very inferior, both in construction and material. It proposes to patch the stucco work where broken. It does not pro- pose to paint the whole work, but to leave it in such shape that the patches will show. These builders stated that these repairs were much less than required to fit the building for permanent occupancy, and they further stated that even these repairs could not be made now for what was then estimated, as material and labor are higher now than then, and the building is still more dilapidated now than when these estimates were given. "This then is the new exterior under this estimate. The building altered and cheapened in its appearance by being stripped of all its marble facing, old and cheap crumbling marble steps on the north end, steps of some other kind of cheap stone on ihe south end, a building covered here and there with big blotches of patched stucco 1 84 "^HE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. work and very little clone to fit the building to be occupied. And this a public building to stand for a century to come, in a conspicu- ous position in the centre of the city, in a city of 80,000 inhabitants and a grand list of $50,000,000. Such repairs would be a deception and fraud and a reproach to the fair name of this city. "A letter was received by the commission from Mr, George M. Grant, in which he offered to repair the building at a less sum than the amount of the bids, but the repairs proposed were essentially of the same nature as the repairs proposed in the estimate of $23,000. The commission thought the repairs as proposed by Mr. Grant were entirely inadequate and insufficient to put the building in proper con- dition for occupancy, and the bid was unanimously rejected by the commission. " Your committee also examined the doings of the commission of 1888, and from a careful examination of the records made by the clerk of said commission, they report as follows : " They find that it was fairly and impartially constituted, consisting of the mayor, auditor, three aldermen, three councilmen, and three citizens, and all shades of opinion Avere fairly represented. This commission considered the question as to what kind of repairs should be made on this building, fully and thoroughly, and they made a thorough and reliable estimate of the cost. They first asked the question : ' What repairs are necessary to fit this building for permanent occupancy and give it a respectable external appear- ance ? ' To answer this question they examined the building from top to bottom with an architect and the auditor, who has had much experience in such matters and whose business it is to look after the city buildings. A list of repairs that it was necessary to make was finally presented to this commission. This commission carefully went over this list of repairs in detail, and they unanimously agreed that all the repairs named in the list were necessary and that none of them could be dispensed with. Those who favored repairs were ably represented in this commission by Mr. T. R. Trowbridge and others, and they all to a man agreed that all the repairs as called for THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1R5 should be made. A sub-committee consisting of Mr. Trowbridge and two others was then appointed to procure plans and specifica- tions of the repairs agreed upon, so that they could be submitted to builders for estimates. When prepared, these plans and specifica- tions were submitted to builders and bona fide bids obtained. And in accordance with these bids the commission unanimously reported to the Court of Common Council that an appropriation of ^65,000 was required for needed repairs. But it may be said that these plans were made with reference to a library and that part of this expense should be put down to library appropriation. It is true that in draw- ing these plans a library was had in view, but the architect was especially instructed and did not put more repairs on for a library than would be necessary to fit the building for occupancy for any other use. The Hartford builders and the New Haven architects all agree that such is the fact, and that if either story was fitted for a public hall the expense would be still greater. "Your committee further submitted these plans and specifications to several architects in this city, all of whom gave their written opin- ion that the repairs mentioned therein were not more than were actually needed to put the building in proper condition for public use of any kind, and that the above estimate of $65,000 was a fair and reasonable one. These architects also examined the estimate of the commission of 1885, and were unanimous and emphatic in their opinioa that the repairs mentioned therein were entirely insufficient to put the building in proper condition. " Tn view of all these facts your committee have come to the con- clusion that the old State House cannot be repaired for $30,000. Your committee do not see how^ it is possible to get more accurate and trustw^orthy estimates of repairs than that made by the commis- sion of 1887. Any new estimates to be honest and reliable can only go over the same ground again. "It being clearly settled that the building cannot be repaired for $30,000 it becomes an important question what is the duty of your Honorable Body in the premises. 1 86 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. "The proposition voted for by the people in December, 1887, was in the words following : Proposition Second. — The State House building shall be repaired by the city, at an expense not to exceed $30,000, as soon as practicable, and shall be put to such uses, under the control and direction of the Court of Common Council, as that body may determine and prescribe. " Now interpreting this vote by those principles of common sense which govern people in such matters, this vote in effect said : If this building can be put in good condition and fitted for public use for a sum not exceeding $30,000, we vote to have it done. It did not say : In voting to repair the building at a sum not exceeding $30,000 we mean repair it regardless of cost, even if it be double or triple that sum ; nor did the vote say : in voting to repair at a cost not exceed- ing $30,000 we mean spend $30,000 on it as an entering wedge, no matter if that does not half repair it for use, no matter if $30,000 or $40,000 more must be added to it. " It would be paying a disrespect to the honesty and intelligence of the people to suppose that was their meaning, or to suppose that the limitation of $30,000 was put in the vote as a deception and fraud. " Now when it is ascertained that the building cannot be repaired for $30,000, the vote of the people becomes inapplicable and mean- ingless, for the condition on which the vote was based is found to be wanting. The question, therefore, comes before your Honorable Body as if the vote had never been taken, and the following two courses are left open to us : ist, to submit the vote again to the people under the new state of facts, which has been found ; or 2d, to decide the question ourselves upon its merits, upon the facts as now found. " After this one experiment of submitting a question to the people, which it is the duty and business of your Honorable Body to decide, we think it the general sentiment, both in the Court of Common Council and among the people, that the experiment should not be repeated. We think therefore the question should be decided by the Court of Common Council. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 87 " In conclusion, we beg leave to summarize the following points : " I. The estimate of $23,000, referred to in the Mayor's message, is found to be entirely inadequate and unreliable from the testimony of the builders themselves, owing to the peculiar circumstances under which the estimate was made. In this view, two of the leading architects of the city, who have been consulted, emphatically concur. An examination of the estimate, even by a non-expert, reveals the superficial and insufficient nature of the repairs proposed. " 2. It is the unanimous opinion of all the builders who made the estimate of $23,000, and architects whom we have consulted, that in case the city desires to have a building on the Green or elsewhere, either for a library or a public hall, public offices, or any other use, it would be economical in the long run to tear down the present build- ing and erect a new one in its place, and to this they add the fact that a new building could be made much more suitable and con venient for the purposes designed. "3. The commission created by the Court of Common Council in December, 1887, to have charge and supervision in the matter of repairs, and to consider the public uses to which the building might be put, unanimously reported that an appropriation of $65,000 was required for repairs, and that any plan or system of repairs less thor- ough and complete w^ould be inadequate to the purpose designed, and discreditable to the city, and it is thus made evident that the building cannot be repaired without an utter disregard of the expressed will of the people limiting the cost thereof. Certainly the Court of Common Council would not be justified in spending in excess of the limit expressly fixed by the people. Neither w^ould it be justified in spending the $30,000, unless that expenditure accom- plished the object for which repairs are to be made. "4. It is difficult to overestimate the value of a public Green situ- ated as ours is in the very heart of a large and growing city. Such a park contributes to the beauty, the reputation and even the wealth of the community, and it should be sacredly preserved, as far as pos- sible, as an open space for the use of the whole people, for their I S3 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. health, their enjoyment, and their recreation. A number of years ago the city government, together with Hberal minded citizens, con- tributed thousands of dollars for the removal of an old church from the upper part of tiie Green, thus adding largely to its area and beauty. Shall we be less wise and less liberal minded in these mat- ters than those who have gone before us ? A rare opportunity is given to the Court of Common Council of 1889 again to make an invaluable addition to the area and beauty of the Green by removing an old and dilapidated building, unfitted for any modern use, deserted by its original owners, and given up to the city. By such action we shall deserve, and shall in the end doubtless receive, the gratitude of the city, not only for the present but for all time. "In view of all- the facts in the case, your committee recommend the passage of the following order : '* Ordered, That the old State House building be removed from the public Green, and that the Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to advertise for bids for the taking down and complete removal of said building from the Green ; and in the event of there being no acceptable bids the Auditor of the city is hereby empowered and directed to contract for the taking down and removal of said building on such terms and conditions as may appear for the best interests of the city." " All of which is respectfully submitted. *• James E. McGann, '' Chas. H. Wardell, " D. T. McNamara, " Harry W. Asher." Board of Aldermen, June 3, 1889. Report accepted and order passed. Board of Councilmen, June 7, 1889. Concurred. After a wild night of uproarious storm in midwinter, when through the dark hours, the steeple of the old Center Church has swayed and creaked and groaned as if in disapproval of the strong fierce blasts THE HISTORY OF THE ST A TE HOUSE. 189 which threatened to hurl it from its monumental station, the pensile boughs of the old elms on the Green, covered with a glaze of ice and lighted by the morning sun, brilliantly gleam with vivid light and splendor, as of the radiance of polished steel and silver. Pris- matic colors' flash and play as amid the spray of fountains. As the wind moves them, the tree-tops let fall glittering bits of diamond-like splinters which drop at intervals in showers, and as the warmth increases, water-drops trickle downward from each spray and twig, increasing the wonderful beauty which dazzles the eye, and fills the soul WMth unwonted admiration. As day advances, hundreds of delighted children, laughingly calling to each other, in irrepressible and infantile pleasure, hurry with their vari-colored sleds to the sloping bank at the north end of the State House. Some of the more venturesome coax and encourage the less brave of their play- fellows, to make the perilous descent from the platform at the head of the State House steps, their sleds going down with a rush which makes them hold their breath. Far away, at the bottom of the incline, with gleeful cries and much shouting, the youngsters glide swiftly over the places where but a few feet underground lie the bones of their puritanic ancestors, the youthful life above and the tranquillity of death beneath having, if the children could know, a strange, mysterious relationship. But the children have no thought of care at such a time as this ! What for them is the sorrow that has passed or the brightness of days to come ! All the more delightful is this present scene, for the reason that it cannot be enjoyed at every Christmas season, and that to some of the little men and w^omen there can come but once in a lifetime, such a jocund experience. Upward, over the slippery State House steps, struggle the small actors in this day's fun, the big boys carefully holding their little sisters' hands. And then, oh joy ! the thrill of the quick descent and the rapid gliding into and out of the shadow of the North Church and so on, around and around again, until eyes sparkle and roseate cheeks are flushed with healthy blood. The fallen icicles scattered thickly under the big trees, furnish ample 190 JTHE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. and innocent refreshment for the thirsty ones. Boys toil like heroes of knighthood, bearing burdens of snow-crust which they place w^here needed to improve the slide, and among the frailer sleds, each wiih its fancifully lettered name, gangs of daring young chaps guide the dreadful double-ripper, loaded for the most part, with frightened girls. How rare such days and such sport, on New Haven Green ! How long to be cherished among the pleasantest of child- ish recollections ! Soon will the winter with its mirth be past, and the rattle and clatter of the corporation lawn-mower will succeed the gladsome music which fills the crystalline air. And the unambitious driver of the sleepy old horse attached to the noisy machine, cares not, as he puffs his short clay pipe, what sort of fairyland the Green has ever been or ever will be, his only earthly hope depending upon the city's estimate of the value of a day's work and of the necessity of paying for it promptly. Darkly in contrast to such pictures of peace are those which depict the hasty gathering of armed men on the Green, their brows scowling with hatred and their faces white with fear, as they consult together upon the safest and most expeditious ways for exterminating by sword and bullet, King Philip's fated warriors. The town was fortified in 1675 against a possible invasion by these wretched Indian savages, who never dreamed of such a matter as " justification by faith." Citizens who conscientiously voted to have the State House repaired, because they believed that money spent in the work would be well invested, will be alike interested with those who voted for its removal on the ground that it could not be made safe and suitable for any public use, in learning from a competent witness something about its construction. A. M. Holmes, the house mover, whose years of experience in pulling down old buildings, give weight and value to his observations, says : ''The roof, which appeared slightly built, with small rafters and cross timbers, was so stayed and strengthened, that the roof was the strongest one I ever saw." Mr. Holmes successfully pulled down the columns at both ends of the building and had the best opportunity for examination. He gave it THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, 191 as his opinion, that the columns were as strong as lime, bricks and sand could make them — much stronger when torn down, than any mason-work of the present day. The walls, from foundation to plate, were made largely of chips of stone, held together with lime — a large proportion of lime with some binding-stones. The lime being of superior quality, the walls were hard and with a good foundation ; the walls from the first floor upward were strong enough to stand for ages, with the exception of one section, on the west side, about midway of the building, and for a width of about twenty-five feet and as high as the second floor, where there was an appearance of an absence of lime. The basement walls on both sides, were badly weakened by continued dampness, caused by water freely running behind the marble veneering, there not being a sufficient water-shed. The end walls of the basement were rotten. At the north end, the basement wall crumbled and fell on account of the strain in pulling over, by sections, the upper portion of the wall. The life of the mortar had departed. The foundation for the steps was simply a cob-house, and it is a wonder that they were supported in position, considering the character of the substructure. " It is evident," said Mr. Holmes, "that with a proper water-shed and sufficient ventilation, the rotten walls would have remained sound and the building would have stood many years, notwithstanding that owing to a poor foundation, especially under the north and east walls, the building had badly settled, causing large cracks in the north end and on the east side, some of which were plainly seen, while others were closed by filling them with material at different times. The timbers were generally sound." Sidney Adolphus Thomas, who for a number of years kept a private school for boys at the corner of Olive and Wooster streets, in frequently impressing upon the mind of his pupils the importance of building on sure foundations their superstructure of knowledge, as potent in the formation of character, or pursuit of wealth, or anything desirable, used to tell them that wdthout the solid foundation they would fail, and like the State House, have no endurance. 192 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. A large book would be needed in which to tell of all the remark- able things which were done in the basement of the State House. On occasions of holding agricultural and horticultural fairs in the building, the more ponderous productions of the vegetable kmgdom were displa3^ed upon the basement floor of the town hall. Big melons, abnormally large beets, turnips and potatoes were there inspected and admired, and pumpkins, big enough for Cinderella's golden coach, were always principal features of the display. On the main floor, in the hall above, were arranged long tables covered with white cloth, on which were displayed and classified all sorts of fruits — grapes, apples, pears — and beautiful collections of flowers, the superb and stately dahlias, at one time extensively cultivated in New Haven gardens, contributing much to the beauty of the exhibition. As a successful cultivator of those flowers, Mr. James Craig, a Scotchman, for some years was awarded prizes annually. On the floor of the main hall and in the different rooms, were arranged the displays of needlework, from bed-quilts to lace collars and specimens of knitting and all sorts of fancy work. The railing around the circular opening in the floor of the legislative halls, was adorned with evergreen shrubs and trees, and behind these were stationed the brass band and the quartette or perhaps quintette of singers. The exhibitions are among the pleasantest things in the memory of people about sixty years old. They were patronized by almost everybody, and one or more enchanted evenings " at the fair" fur- nished the occasion for some of the most delightful recollections of a season of courtship by young people. When the eye grew tired with viewing the lovely and interesting objects in the upper hall, it was always a relief to descend to the more dimly-lighted and cool base- ment, where the crowed was less dense and the opportunity for saying tender things and paying compliments was better. Many a New Haven matron and mother of a happy family, will perhaps remember what was said as she pensively contemplated seme monstrous speci- men of ruta baga or the broad disk of a tremendously large sun- flower. Forty odd years ago these annual fairs at the State House, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 93 served not only to bring all the people together in agreeable social converse ; they tended to develop the garden and the cultivation of fruits and flowers which has long been declining here. hX. the outset of these assemblies, the competitors for prizes were not pro- fessional cultivators, but in a few years, the persons who made gardening a trade and those who only bought and sold flowers learned to take the most prizes, and the general interest in the fairs gradually expired. The late Stephen D. Pardee was at one time an enthusiastic cultivator of fruit, his contributions to the fairs being of great excellence. The daughters of Elbridge Gerry, from their large garden on Temple street, sent lovelv flowers of their own tending. Dr. V, M. Dow was another contributor whose love for gardening was very catching. From these annual fairs grew the weekly or monthly exhibitions of fruit and flowers, at some convenient store on Chapel street, C. B. Whittlesey's drug store being frequently chosen as the place for these shows. For a love of strawberry cultivation, the people were considerably indebted to Charles B. Lines, who first made known the superiority of the Hovey seedling. As the demand for land for building purposes has increased, and as year by year, large gardens have been built over and real estate dealers and town assessors have learned to put an exact money value on every inch of ground where a rose bush might flourish, New Haven gardens have lost much of their attractiveness. When the crimson, palatable to- matoes were first cultivated in New Haven, they were named "love apples " and were grown for their beauty rather than for the table. Whovever ate them had to take lessons in getting used to them and the modern tomato seems to have little of the original flavor. A few years ago, the Michigan board of health sent an enquiry to the New Haven board, as to whether tomatoes were found to be one cause of cancer. The question was considered by the New Haven board as preposterous. The yellow tomatoes, forty years ago, to be found on sale with other vegetables, appear to have disappeared from market. In rear of the old Capt. Ben. Beecher homestead, on Chapel, below York street, there used to flourish a famous pear tree 13 194 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. of great age, each pear in good seasons, weighing one pound. From the back door of Captain Hoadley's house, which was on State street at the foot of Grove, there was a grape arbor reaching to Olive street, and to walk in its shade in autumn and see the ripened grapes was a great pleasure. When the land was cut to make a path for the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, the arbor was ruined. It appears to be a settled principle that all purely domestic advantages must give way before the requirements of business, and New Haven gardens are only following the rule. Yet, old people cannot but lament the loss of such gardens as was that of Titus Street, which extended from his house on Elm street, through to Court street, and the large garden formerly in rear of Miss Seeley's school, which covered an extensive plot of land in the rear of the house on Chapel, below Union street. But there have been heard in the basement hall and all the base- ment rooms of the State House, other sounds than of instruments and singing. Loud outcries of insane rage-^ugly oaths and ribald jests have disturbed the sensibilities of people whose avocations led them to the vicinity. For a part of the basement was once occupied by the police force of the city as a headquarters and lockup. Cap- tain John C. Hayden was head of the police from July i, 1855, until June 4, 1857. Jonathan W. Pond was chief of police from June 27, 1861, until July 16, i8(' t, and these two chiefs had headquarters in the basement. The lockup was moved to the new City Hall on Church street after the completion of that building in October, 1862. The police office und'-r the State House had its front entrance facing College street, and the prisoners were confined in a room, one side of the upper part of wnich, for ventilation and light, was built of a stout lattice of wood bars. When the lockup was in the county jail, where the City Hall now sUi -'s, there was much dissatisfaction felt by the policemen, because, as the law then stood, prisoners arrested by them were taxed the costs connected with the arrests, and the deputy sheriffs and constables pocketed the fees. There was so much bad feeling engendered that the deputy sheriffs finally agreed to give the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 1 95 policemen half of the fees paid for making the arrests. In these days the policemen are not paid court fees. The State House base- ment was always damp and unhealthy and Mr. Pond attributes a rheumatism which has troubled him for years, to the unsanitary condition of the police headquarters when there. It was in tiie base- ment that Gen. Alfred H. Terry, the " Hero of Fort Fisher," spent much of his time, when his father held the ouice of town clerk and kept the town records there. The entrance to the Probate "court" was the first doorway on the east side of the basement, toward the south end of the building. Judge Hinman was thought eccentric in some of his ideas, and harsh judgment was passed upon him by those citizens who guessed at what manner of man he was by his dress and deportment. In a political lampoon which had great popu- larity and entitled "The Menagerie," Mr. Hinman is mentioned as " Dandy Jack," a monkey. Copies of this interesting and amusing production are yet in the possession of some of our older citizens. Its authorship was kept a profound secret, but was ascribed to a number of different persons. As Philip S. Galpin was somewhat waggish, he was thought to have had a hand in its composition. Mr. Hinman is said by those who knew him most intimately, to have been a man of very kindly and generous traits of character, all the prejudice against him having grown out of some peculiarities of his dress. He wore a blue dress coat with gilt buttons, a tall, white hat and light-colored pants, and was so particular about the fashion of his clothes that he cut his own vests and other garments, all of which had a style not recognizable on any of the fashion plates of his day. When he died, the Freemasons went in a body to his funeral, which was largely attended. Over the door of entrance to his court, was painted in letters several inches high, the word : " Probate." One day a friend called at the court room, and after an exchange of greetings Judge Hinman said : " ^^'hy, I wonder, do people look at my office door and then laugh ? For about a week I've noticed that as they pass my door they behave like fools. Is there anvthing wrong about me ? " He had been in and out of his 196 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. doorway a number of times every clay for a week but had not noticed that somebody had painted as a prefix to his sign, the letters " re"' so that it read " reprobate.'' After a time the extra letters were scraped off the marble, but their outline could be seen for years. In the early days of the State House there were many leading minds among New Haven's freemen, and at every town meeting there were exhibitions of temper and strong individuality of char- acter, such as in these days are nev^er encountered. One of the best living representatives of the typical toun meeting attendant sixty years ago, is Mr. George Hotchkiss, 2d, who speaks right out, when- ever the school district has a public meeting to lay a tax for the support of public education. A prominent freeman of this typical character, was Dr. Booth, of the wholesale drug and varnish firm of Booth & Bromham. When, at one of the town meetings, the ques- tion of allowing the introduction of water into the city, by means of distributing mains, was under discussion, Mr. Booth argued against the improvement. He is reported as having energetically opposed the project and saying, in the course of his remarks : "They tell us, Mr. Chairman, that we need this water for bathing purposes. Let the ' char ' look at me. What do I want to bathe for? I never bathed in my life." The speech amused his fellow townsmen, because Mr. Booth was rather corpulent and to all appearance in the best of health, though not over-nice in regard to his personal appearance. It was on a motion of Henry G. Lewis at one of these town meetings that the first order was passed to have the road between New Haven and Fair Haven covered with oyster shells. Much of the time at the annual town meetings was taken up in passing votes affecting the interest of oystermen. It was in the basement of the State House that collations were spread on long tables, for the refreshment of soldiers on their return from the battle-fields of the South and there were many occasions of the kind, when Mayor Tyler and others made eloquent and patriotic addresses, which revealed the fact that the friends at home had been kept well informed of the deeds of each of the Connecticut regiments. Some of these receptions were THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. tg^ given in Music Hall on Crown street, the stores of the ground floor being convenient for the purpose. The building, erected by Mr. Samuel Peck, was opened November 19, i860, with a promenade concert by the New York Philharmonic society. It was for some years known as the Grand Opera House, and was owned by Mr. Clark Peck, who in 1884 leased it to Manager G. B. Bunnell, who still has a lease of it. The doors of the State House basement were for years often to be found open all night and before the tramp became a legally recognized nistitution for whose benefit the commonwealth has made special provision in the State's prison, he found shelter from the demoralizing cold and night air, either under the arches supporting the steps or in one of the rooms, or in some shadowy recess of the mouldy-smelling basement. With a great rush, thousands of people hastened to the Green, April 23, 1852, to see and hear the famous Hungarian patriot, Kossuth, whose mission to this country in behalf of fallen nobility, aroused the sympathies of the entire population of the United States. Gov- ernor Kossuth, accompanied by his wife and Madame Pulsky and several gentlemen of a Massachusetts committee, arrived hither from New York, in charge of a delegation of New Haven men who had been sent to meet him. He was received at the railroad station, by Mayor Aaron N. Skinner, the aldermen and councilmen, and a com- mittee of citizens, and by Governor Baldwin, Lieutenant-Governor Kendrick, Ralph I. Ingersoll, Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon, Rev. S. Dryden Phelps and others and was escorted to the south portico of the State House, where arrangements had been made for him to address the multitude of people assembled to see the illustrious man. The National Blues assisted in keeping order. The bells of the churches were ringing, and cannons were fired in testimony of New Haven's welcome. On arriving at the State House, Kossuth was saluted by the Blues, Captain Quinn. A reception speech was made by Mayor Skinner, and the Magyar-General spoke in reply for forty minutes. Hundreds of young men present, wore on their heads black, soft, felt hats, in the bands of which were stuck a small black 3L_ 13:. JOI3:I^TS03iT, Fi^ectical Moi^se Sheep, 51 WHALLEY AVENUE. NONE BUT COMPETENT WORKMEN EMPLOYED. PERSONAL SUPERVISION OF ALL WORK. Horses called for and delivered in any part of the City, and sat- isfaction guaranteed. BI?,^^lSrCH: 1T9 G-EOI^&E ST. H. H. JOHNSON, Business Manager. Telex>lioiie Connections. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 199 feather as worn by the city's guest, and for years this sort of hat went by the name of Kossuth, and was worn by nearly all young men, some of whom also wore the feather. After finishing his address General Kossuth was received by a committee of the Yale Faculty and conducted to the Trumbull gallery of paintings, in a small building on the Yale campus, and now occupied by President Timothy Dwight and the financial officers of the university. He was intro- duced to Prof. Denison Olmsted and was received in a social way by Professor Silliman, in presence of only members of the college faculty and ladies of their families, together with a few ministers and selected citizens. He was here introduced to some gentlemen of Whitney ville, and left the college grounds to receive a present of rifles from the workmen at the Whitney Arms Factory. On arriving at W^ntneyville, a salute was fired from the top of East Rock. On a bridge, connecting two buildings of the Whitney manufactory were ranged in order twenty handsome rifles, the gift of the workmen to .Kossuth. Over them was covered a white cloth bordered with ever- greens and on it was painted: " Material Aid for Hungary." Eli Whitney showed Kossuth through the factory, Mrs. Kossuth being escorted bv a New Haven citizen from Germanv. In due time, the party arrived on the bridge, in front of the row^ of guns. At this point, the workmen were each introduced to Kossuth by name, Mr. Whitney being master of ceremonies. Each man shook hands with the Hungarian. Mr. Whitney made a short speech, presenting the guns, and Kossuth, in returning thanks, remarked that if he had one more opportunity to contend on the field of battle, for his beloved country, those arms should be given to chosen men who should be ever near him, and he w^ould not fail to remind them from whom the gift came, and he believed they would not dishonor their cause or the patriotic impulses of the generous men who made the arms and gave them to his country. At the New Haven House, Leopold W^aterman, on behalf of the German Lodge, No. 14, O. S. D. F., presented Kossuth with a purse of twenty-five dollars. After dinner, Kossuth was given up to the Massachusetts committee, in 200 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. whose company he travelled northward. In his speech Mayor Skinner said among other things : " On the very spot where we now stand, a little more than two centuries ago, was a savage wilderness, and just two hundred and fourteen years ago, the very week past, a vessel sailed into the harbor, with a company of brave and Christian men, who, as their very first act, on a peaceful Sabbath morning, of which the last Sabbath was the anniversary, met under the spreading branches of a large oak, a short distance from this spot, in the public worship of God. You behold before you here, as you will elsewhere in New England, the descendants of that race of men who preferred civil and religious liberty to all else which men commonly hold dear; who forsook home and country, the hearths, the altars, the graves of their fathers, for the great idea — as one of our poets expresses it — for freedom to worship God. ... It is precisely because we love liberty — because we respect law — because we reverence the Chris- tian religion, that we are deeply interested in your native land. We know that your own liungary has been a battle-field of nations ; we know that Hungary has been the bulwark of Christendom against the Moslem and the Turk ; we know that a brave and chivalric race has for ages defended your native soil. We have read the story of that young and heroic Queen, who, surrounded by the armies of three great powers of Europe, and overwhelmed by calamity and misfor- tune, fled in the darkest days of her adversity, for protection, to the brave and the gallant people of your native land. She asked for help from your nobles and she received it. When the pale and pen- sive but imperial queen stood before them in deep mourning, the crown of her ancestors on her brow, her right hand leaning upon the hilt of the sword of the Austrian Kings, and leading by her left hand her little daughter, and committed herself and her children to their protection, the youth, the beauty, the calamities of the heroic queen, roused to the utmost intensity the chivalric devotion of those war- like magnates, and grasping their swords and waving them over their heads, they shouted simultaneously : ' Moriamur pro rege nostra THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 201 Maria Theresa ." They made good their words — they did fight and die for their queen — drove back her enemies and restored her to her rights and her throne. . . . And finally, what a pang of deep and bitter sorrow and despair smote our hearts, when we found that all vour valor, vour sacrifices, vour heroic devotion to vour countrv had been in vain, and that brave, noble Hungary had fallen in disastrous but not inglorious battle! " Doubtless the mayor in this address represented faithfully the views of most of the Chapel street merchants, as well as those of men who worked in New Haven shops and factories. In his reply, Kossuth said : " Public instruction here yields its everlasting fruit. You are instructed in the principles of the divine revelation, and therefore you are a free people — you are an intelligent people : you are a Christian, a religious people — a people able in the best manner to govern yourselves. From such men I am not surprised to meet with sympathy in New Haven." It was in the same year (1852), while the friends of Winfield Scott and of William A. Graham of North Carolina, were working hard to secure their election respectively as President and Vice-President of the United States, that New Haven celebrated in a very noteworthy manner, on July 4, the 76th anniversary of American Independence. There was an imposing parade of military and citizens, commencing at -11.30 in the forenoon, the Blues, the Grays, and the Governor's Guards being in the line. The orator of the day and civil authori- ties were in carriages. At the State House, in Representatives' hall, Hon. A. N. Skinner called the assemblage to order. Rev. Dr. Cleaveland prayed. The Declaration of Independence was read by Henry B. Harrison. Hon. Eleazer K. Foster, the orator, had for his text : "The dangers which threaten our country and their remedies." He mentioned the dangers from immigration, unwise reforms, and the growth of sectional feeling. The remedies were the dissemina- tion of religious truth and knowledge, a well defined sense of right and a spirit of mutual concession. The company, after the exercises at the State House, sat down to a dinner in the Tontine, kept by S. 202 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. W. Allis. This was the principal feature of the day. Hon. Aaron N. Skinner presided at the table, assisted by Col. N. S. Hallenbeck, Capt. James Quinn, Capt. James M. Tovvnsend and Lieut. J. Mont- gomery Woodward. In a speech by Henry B. Harrison were the following sentences, which are very worthy of preservation. "It is well for us to go back from time to time, to the source from which these doctrines flow. It is in civil as in religious affairs ; the child at first receives understandingly from its mother, the great, yet simple truth of religion, and though in after years he may wander away into speculation, yet at last must he come back to cling as his only hope to the doctrines contained in his early lessons. So we, although we mav be led at times to doubt the superiority of our institutions, will be forced at last to return to those principles which lie at the foundation of our freedom and our prosperity." Among the toasts given, was one in memory of Nathan Hale, which was drank in silence, and a Mr. Allen proposed one as follows : " Dr. yEneas Monson and Captain Gad Peck. The only surviving soldiers of the Revolution, that are residents of our city. May their declining days be cheered with the thought that their children and children's children will continue to commemorate the annual return of the country's birthday." The dinner party broke up on account of the arrival from New York of the National Guards. They were escorted by the military to the Green from the steamboat. In the evening there were fire- w^orks on the Green, the closing piece being a temple surrounded by American flags, on the top of which w^as seen an eagle, while within appeared a large statue surmounted by the word " Washington." Hardly had Contractor Montgomery commenced his destructive assault on the State House, when there arose among the people drawn thitiier by their interest in the work, the question as to whether there would be found a corner-stone ; whether there was concealed in any part of the foundation, a small or large box of THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 203 either wood or metal, which, upon being opened, would be found to contain the coins, documents and newspapers sometimes placed in corner-stones of public and some large private buildings. It was not recollected by any of the workmen who were employed in the construction of the building that there had ever been any ceremoni- ous deposit of the kind. The consensus of opinion among a num- ber of persons who had worked on the building during the time of its erection, was that if a corner-stone concealed any historic matter, it must have been placed somewhere under the walls, without the thing being made public. Some of the workmen who aided in the construction, said they never heard of a corner-stone. Yet it appears unlikely that in so large a building and of such a kind, there should have been no " corner-stone." One day the contractor, by the explosion of twenty-five pounds of gunpowder, at the foot of the pier on the southwest corner, caused a great downfall of that part of the building. The stones, bricks and rubbish displaced by the explosion were carted away forthwith, or at least the work of removal of these stones was at once commenced. There was picked up a few feet from the building, where it lay near some de'bris, a flat stone about twenty inches square, which had the appearance of once having covered the deposit place of the "box" containing corner-stone archives and treasure. This stone looked as though it had been laid over a square, hollow space inside of brick-work, and as though it had been the cover placed over the receptacle prepared for the interior box or canister in which historical relics might reasonably be expected to be found. Those who saw this flat stone, were of the opinion that it was the cover, as described. The con- tractor thought the same, and he had no doubt that somebody had slyly carried off the sought for treasure. One citizen had offered him seventy-five dollars for the box inside the corner-stone, should one be found. An old lady who lives out of the city, was quite sure that she saw a corner-stone laid, but upon being interrogated as to under which corner of the building it was placed, she could not remember. Hundreds of people who saw the flat stone, were agreed 204 ^^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. that it was over the square cavity built around with bricks and into which the articles for preservation were probably put. But no inside box of treasure was found by the contractor, who said he believed there had been one and that it had been stolen. A few bricks found near the flat stone, on some of their sidtrs appeared not to have been used in the ordinary work of building, and they were perhaps built into the corner of the foundation for the purpose suggested. The first association of a few people in New Haven who rejected the doctrine of everlasting punishment for the unbelieving, was con- sidered as a shocking affront to religion, and in orthodox churches prayers were offered in an indiscriminate way, for pagans, infidels and " Universalists." It required a great deal of courage for a pious person to be a Universalist. A few citizens who felt alike with regard to the teachings of the New England primer, met Sunday evenings in a quiet way, and while they formed but a small associa- tion, their meetings were occasionally held in the basement of the State House. An elderly citizen remembers seeing some Universal- ists sitting on benches placed along the wall, in the basement of the building, and lookmg, to his imagination, very much as if they were conscious of doing something highly improper. At one time they met regularly in Saunders' Hall, on the northeast corner of Chapel and Orange streets, and the first church was not built until 1850. It was on the southeast corner of State and Court streets. Tliey after- ward worshipped in what had been the church of the First Baptist societv, now owned by Dr. P. C. Skiff. Moses Ballou, the son of Hosea Ballou, known as the Father of Universalism in tlie United States, at one time ministered to that denomination in New Haven. Their pretty little church, with parsonage attached, on Orange, above Elm street, is on land once a part of the large garden of Eli Whit- ney, the inventor. A second Universalist society worshipped in a chapel on Davenport avenue, they having bought it in 1883. There was brought before one of the chambers of the Common Council, August 5, 1889, a resolution for removing the posts at the entrances to Trowbridge square. This square was formerly " Spire- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 205 worth " square, the persons who donated the land and otherwise effected the improvement, having had the square named. The res- ohuion was amended so as to make the order apply to all the 23ublic squares in the city. At this time a few public spirited citi- zens entertained the idea of making great improvements on the Green, by removing all the posts and fences and having a curbed walk of concrete or artificial stone made all around the Green, inside the street walks. Benches were to be placed along this walk and at night electric lights were to illuminate what was to be known as a " mall." When the matter was spoken of, considerable opposi- tion to the project was at once developed. In due course, the mat- ter was referred to the city's committee on squares. Then was presented by Councilman James T. Moran, a remonstrance, which was by both chambers referred to the committee. It is evident from the reading, that the remonstrance was hastily prepared and an exact copy is here given of it. Precisely what part of it is a copy of the former remonstrance, and how much of it is new matter, does not sufficiently appear, but the main matter is quite perspicable. " The undersigned, petitioners, residents and property owners of the city of New Haven, respectfully represent that the public neces- sity and convenience require that a petition now before you be 7iot granted, which asks for the removal of the stone posts at the corners of the Green and Wooster square, also requesting that the iron fence around the same should be taken away. " They therefore respectfully ask your honorable body to order that the petition be not granted. " And as in duty bound, they will ever pray, etc. " Dated at New Haven, this 12th day of x^ugust, 1889." This remonstrance was as follows : Copy. "Whereas, A proposition is now before your Honorable Body for ^!a. n. loper coT]^ • • LIMITED. ♦♦ L^ — ^* c ^fr MI^MMi^ ^ 856 Ghapel Street, A. N. LOPER, C. L. PERKINS, (Special.) NEW ha™, Com, c^'i^ FOR A LUNCH OR A FULL MEAL GO TO Parlors Especially ^rrai]ged for Ladies. Prompt Service and Courteous ATTENDANTS. -^^^ICl CREAM 10 CEHTS^l^^ THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 2O7 the removal of the stone posts at the entrance of the Green and Wooster square : •' Whereas, The above proposition is urged, as we believe, only by a very few persons, and is opposed, as we believe, by a large majority of our citizens : "Whereas, No petition has been presented in its favor, and a remonstrance signed by many of our most prominent citizens, has been presented against it : " Whereas, It is even frankly avowed by the friends of the measure, that this is only a beginning, and their ultimate object is to have the iron fences around the Green and Wooster square entirely taken away, a step involving the destruction or alienation of many thousand dollars' worth of city property, and a measure extremely obnoxious to our citizens and the public : " Therefore, we, the undersigned, do also respectfully remonstrate against the removal of said stone posts, and request that said posts and fences be left as at present. " I. Because the same proposition was brought forward in 1835 and was then met by a remonstrance signed by many of our best citizens, and therefore failed to pass. " II. This remonstrance above given, although only a few hours' time remained to procure signatures, was signed by many of our most eminent citizens, by most of the presidents of our banks, by the pastors of the churches on the Green, and other clergy, we believe ; by Governor English, Governor Bigelow, and Governor Harrison ; by the late Hon. Thomas R. Trowbridge, and many other prominent business men ; also by the present president and two ex-presidents of Yale College, and by all of its faculty who could be found in time. "hi. It was also signed by almost every one of the residents around the Green and Wooster square, who are even more interested in this matter than the rest of our citizens. " Their strong show of public opinion was then decisive with your Honorable Body, and the whole matter was dropped, as we hope it will be again. 2o8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. " IV. There is no reason to believe that there has been any change in pubHc opinion since that time. "v. It is very important to the comfort and safety of ladies and children that these posts and fences should remain. Where our wives and daughters with infant children and their nurses are, there should be entire freedom from danger and sudden fright, either of being stampeded by crowds, or hurt by runaway horses (two run- away accidents having happened in Elm and Church streets in one forenoon), " VI. The Green is not a city square, but a park. It is i6 acres in extent, filled with beautiful trees, and adorned with noble build- ings, and forms a true park, a place of seclusion set apart from busi- ness purposes for rest and recreation, and all that makes a lovely park so great a gift to the people of a city, where ladies, and chil- dren, and the weary and heavy-laden can find rest and refreshment. " VII. These posts and fences serve as city ordinances and as policemen, for the protection from danger and disorder, from sudden crowds, and frightened animals. " They were removed from Union and Madison Squares in New York, under the notorious Tweed administration, and those squares have ever since been illy kept and little used by ladies and children, thus taking away their most valuable purpose. The same tendency to desecration and neglect of our city parks will follow here, if the posts and fences are removed. " VIII. Our parks are of recent origin in this country. But in Europe they have long been beautiful decorations of every city, and we know of no European city where the iron railings and gates of their splendid parks have been levelled, but always maintained, and adorned, and made beautiful enclosures for the turf, and trees, and fountains within. Let us be guided by the wisdom and experience of older nations in this matter. " IX. Mr. Andrus, the late Commissioner of Parks, has stated that these posts cost about $23 apiece. The iron fence with the stone posts between sections is believed to have cost some $15,000, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 209 We ought to think twice, and many times, before ordering the destruction of so much city property. "Let us preserve the Green and Wooster square in all their beauty, in all their safety, for the common enjovment and happiness of all, and the ladies of New Haven will ever be grateful to your Honorable Body. "James M. B. Dwight, " WiNi. T. Bartlett, " Wilbur F. Day, "John P. Tuttle, "Geo. a. Root." The amended petition and the remonstrance are the bases upon which the arguments for and against the project will be made. There are a number of citizens who felt grieved to see the State House fall, and some of them are much opposed to any further movement in connection with the Green. Thev hold that should the mall be made, and the fences be removed, the improvement will open the way for those public-spirited reformers who desire to see the three churches removed. But other citizens say that the Green, as things are arranged, does not afford as much accommodation for people to enjoy rest and relaxation as is desirable. It is impossible to predict what final action will be taken, but those who favor the improvement^ say they feel certain that it will in time be accom- plished. There are many things, in relation to city parks, now attracting the attention of the entire population of New Haven. The Board of Aldermen, August 5, 1889, referred to the committee on squares the following, which was offered by one of their own body : " Ordered^ That the Committee on Squares investigate the pro- priety, feasibility and expense of removing the fence, widening the walks, and placing of more seats on what is known as the public square or Green, bounded by Chapel, Church, Elm and College 14 210 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. Streets ; and that they request all citizens interested to appear before them and give their views regarding the changes proposed. " The committee are further directed to report on the above to this Court of Common Council, on or before the first Monday of November, 1889. " Frank C. Bushnell." Arguments for and remonstrances against proposed public improvements are usually strengthened by the mention of " promi- nent citizens," in a general rather than specific way. So, too, when any project is started which its promoters fancy desirable, their petitions to the Common Council are apt to contain the information that it has the approval of taxpayers and residents. One of New Haven's prominent residents and taxpayers was King Lanson. He was pre-eminent in depravity, and died at the almshouse in the night of May 28, 185 1, aged about seventy-five years. He was a colored man and built Long Wharf by contract and at one time was worth not less than $40,000. King Lanson, in early life, was engaged in various works requiring some engineering skill. In time he became abandoned and grew to be notorious as a representative of wicked- ness. The old Liberian Hotel, which was totally destroyed by fire, September 17, 1825, stood at the foot of Greene street, the site at this time of the Mai lory, Wheeler & Company lock manufactory. The house was the resort of lewd and dissolute persons, both white and colored, and the firemen made no reasonable efforts to prevent the fire from burning it down. Lanson, or Lansing as he was some- times called, with a good education and good moral training, would have made a valuable member of society and probably have become as distinguished for talents and virtues as he was for the absence of the latter, for he was endowed with more than a common mind. The year in which King Lanson died was the same in which Jenny Lind visited New Haven to sing, and the same year in which extra- ordinary efforts were made to destroy the canker worms, whose ravages threatened to seriously injure, if not destroy, the life of all THE HISTORY OF THE STA TE HOUSE. 2 I 1 the elms on the Green and in Temple street. An incident of the visit of Jenny Lind to New Haven is remembered with pleasure by those who were present at the time. She lodged at the New Haven House, corner of Chapel and College streets. At a late hour of the evening, Mr. Henry Thomas, Mr. Ainsworth, and the two brothers Munger, gave her a delightful serenade. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Ainsworth played first and second flute, and the Mungers first and second violin. It is right to say that sweeter instrumental music was probably never heard in New Haven. After playing two pieces, the gentlemen were invited into the parlor of the house, where they spent a short time very agreeably in the company of the famous singer. The site of the New Haven House was occupied in 1653 by the mansion of Deputy Governor Stephen Goodyear, with whom resided Mrs. Elizabeth Godman, who before the Court of Magis- trates, accused Mr. and Mrs. Goodyear and other persons, of talk- ing about her and saying that she was a witch. The court, after hearing her complaint, decided that she could prove nothing and warned her not to go into people's houses and generally make her- self offensive by her eccentric carriage. She again complained, how- ever, and in August, 1655, the Plantation Court sent her to prison. She died in 1660, after a good deal of suffering caused by her sensi- tive temper and the gossip of her neighbors, her home at the time being in the house of Thomas Johnson. Rev. Leonard Bacon, pastor of the Center Church, was in Rome, Italy, in 185 1. What effect his journey to the Old World may have had in modifying the religious opinions held by him in the early days of his pastorate cannot be determined, but he was a conspicuous figure on the platform erected for the convenience of the bishop and clerg}', at the laying of the corner stone of St. Mary's Roman Cath- olic Church, on Hillhouse avenue, a few years ago. In the early part of 185 1 New Haven felt the influences of a considerable relig- ious awakening, and in one and perhaps more churches, meetings were held every evening. The celebrated revivalist. Rev. Mr, Kirk, preached in the Center Church to a crowded house, and at the 2 1 2 THE HIS TOR Y OF THE STA TE HOUSE. North Church, John B. Goiigh lectured on temperance. In the evening of January 21, of the same year, there was a general turnout of citizens and their wives and children, to see the parade on the occasion of a visit to the city of Humane Engine Company, No. 13, of Philadelphia, and a delegation from No. 31 company of the New York Fire Department. James T. Hemingway, chief engineer of the New Haven Fire Department, was chief marshal and rode " Bold Tiger," a famous, handsome parade horse. The Grays performed escort duty and the column extended from Broadway to State street. New Haven's vote for governor in that year was 1,512 for Lafayette S. Foster (whig) ; 1,428 for Thomas H. Seymour (Democrat); and 64 for John Boyd. For Congress James F. Babcock, afterward a judge of the city court, received 1,467 votes, and Colin M. IngersoU 1,345. New Haven County gave Babcock 4.795 votes, and IngersoU 4,990. Middlesex County gave Babcock 1,999, '^^^'^ IngersoU 2,336. Mr. Ingersoll's nomination was engineered by some of the younger men of the Democratic party and in opposition to the management of party affairs, which had for a long time previously been supervised by a number of old politicians, who used to arrange things at their meet- ings in the editorial room of the Register^ the organ of the Democratic party. It was by a division of the party of a similar character, at a later date, that Hon. Francis Wayland was elected Judge of Probate over Levi B. Bradle}', although, had the " old " and "young" Demo- crats been united his election would have been impossible. Mr. Wayland had been active in promoting recruiting of soldiers for the war for the Union. Ten years before the breaking out of the war. Mayor Skinner, in a message to the Common Council, deplored the want of military spirit among the citizens. He complained that in a city of 23,000 inhabitants, there were not enough soldiers to make a respectable holiday parade and in one part of his message, delivered in April, 185 1, he said : " I was surprised on a recent occasion, when it was thought proper to invite the military to unite in a public solemnity, to find how small is our military force. There are nominally three companies THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 21 3 in the city, but they are so reduced in numbers that the total would scarcely make one full company." At the north steps of the State House was erected a speakers' stand for the Fourth of July celebration in 185 1. All the surviving soldiers of the Revolution in the parade that day, rode in one barouche. In the procession were the Hibernia Provident Society and the Montgomery Benevolent Society. The Declaration of Inde- pendence was read by Charles H. Pond, of Milford. Hon. Hiram Ketcham, of New York, made an oration over two hours in delivery, and he embraced the occasion to warn the ministers of religion against promoting sectional discord by their sermons. Ki the dinner^, in the Tontine, which followed the exercises at the State House, Mayor Skinner, who presided, was assisted by vice-presidents Henry Button, J. B, Robertson and Henry G. Lew^is, the two last having since served the city as its chief magistrate. A large body of the Order of United Americans from New York, and the Brooklyn Continentals, although visiting the city, were not in the procession. The children had a great celebration on the Green the 23d of the month. They marched in at the Chapel street end of Temple street. William H. Elliott, Jr., after whose father the Elliott House, corner of Chapel and Olive streets, is named, was chief marshal. His aids were E. H. Frisbie, Bernard Reilly, A. C. Chamberlain and John D. Candee, the latter for many years before his death, being the editor of the Bridgeport Standard^ an organ of the aristocratic element in Republican politics. Seats were placed under the ehns in front of the churches, for three thousand children. A table in the vicinity was laden with delicacies which were passed around among the children at proper intervals, and the infantile singing was re- lieved from monotony by music from the New Haven brass band. The whole affair w^as a pleasant thing to remember. Thanksgiving Day of that year Rev. Dr. Bacon preached one of those powerful sermons which he could preach when he felt so disposed and which served to make him famous throughout the whole land, in which he 214 ^-^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. maintained that there was a law more binding upon Christian pro- fessors than any of human enactment. He made no mention, how- ever, of the slavery question, but all who heard the sermon knew what he meant and all the "free soilers " and "compromise" politi- cians were much pleased and edihed. In this method of shaping public opinion by ministers of religion, the thoughtful reader will find reason to consider whether the present system of public educa- tion fully answers the purpose for which it has been established. Precisely because the state has fostered " a system " is it not pos- sible that citizens are liable in the future, to reason all alike and if so, would it be a happy thing for our Commonwealth ? Writes an eminent thinker and historian : " On the whole, how unknown is a man to himself ; or a public Body of men to itself ! ^sop's fly sat on the chariot-wheel, exclaiming. What a dust I do raise ! Great governors clad in purple with fasces and insignia are governed by their valets, by the pouting of their women and children, or, in con- stitutional countries, by the paragraphs of their Able Editors." Thomas McCaffrey was tried in the county court room in the Slate House, in 1850, and convicted of the murder of an aged couple named Smith, who lived in a small house on East Rock. Robbery was the motive of the murderer, who was convicted and hanged. Sheriff David H. Carr, who traced the wretch to Canada where the arrest was made, was credited with havinor admirablv manaired the pursuit and capture. The principal evidence against the murderer was a bullet which was found to fit a pistol owned by him, and his sudden flight from the city was an incident to his disadvantage. The trial of Willard Clark for the murder of a young man named R. \V. Wight in 1854, drew to the same court room a crowd of interested citizens. Clark, who kept a small store on the corner of York and George streets, had expected to marry Henrietta Bogert, aged about seventeen years. He had from his own limited income paid for her instruction in music, and their engagement to be married was known to all their friends. Wight had boasted that he could take the girl away from her lover and he did succeed in getting married to her. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 21^ Clark felt in his grief and disappointment that Wight had done an act of treachery and from no higher motive than vanity. He believed that the girl would never be happy, and determined to remove Wight. He went to the house where the newly married couple lived. Wight was in a stooping posture, doing something to the fire. Clark stepped up quickly and shot a bullet from a pistol into the back of his head. The funeral of the murdered man took place from the College Street Church, and was attended by people from all parts of the city, many of whom were unable to enter the church Ob account of the great crowd present. A full report of the trial was prepared and printed and sold by H. H. McFarland, who afterward became a minister. He lost money by the enterprise. Hon. Charles Chapman, of Hartford, and Hon. Henry B. Harrison, of New Haven, were the counsel for the defence at the trial, and E. K. Foster, the State's attorney, was assisted in the prosecution by James D. Keese, who had been a schoolfellow of Clark's. The jury acquitted Clark on the ground of insanity. He was ordered by Judge Ellsworth to be confined, and he was kept for some time in the county jail. Afterward he was sent to the State's prison and finally died about 1880, in the Middletown insane asylum, whither he had been transferred. While in the State's prison, a gentleman named Dorsey, through whose generosity the prisoners were treated once a year to a roast meat dinner, endeavored to effect Clark's lib- eration. He consulted with the State's attorney, and a judge was found who would be willing to accept Mr. Dorsey's bond as a guar- antee for Clark's good behavior, provided Clark w^ould say that when he killed W'ight he had done a wrongful act. This the prisoner would not say. He insisted that he had done right and that under similar circumstances he would again do as he had done. This obstinacy precluded all hope of his ever being set at liberty. Before the commission of the tragedy Clark had been a reader of books in which religious creeds were discussed, and was known to entertain views considered heterodox and therefore dangerous. He had the reputation of being an honorable young man, and the day before the J. G. NORTH. J. C. NORTH. NORTH'S ^-S-AGIHCYi JH©. 70 (shttr-ch Street. FIRE, LIFE, ACCIDENT, mmm m m-cuss buce. REAL ESTATE LOANS. , THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 217 shooting he had busied himself in paying a number of small debts, due to different persons from whom he had bought merchandise. His conduct during his long confinement had been exemplary and he gave his keepers no trouble. In the same court room, some years previously, was tried a man named Abbott, who was sent to State's prison for life for killing his wife, by pouring melted lead in her ear while she was asleep. During the trial he appeared indifferent to the proceedings and chewed plug tobacco. McCaffrey was hung at the same time with a fellow named Foote, who murdered a niece to prevent her from disclosing an outrage of which he had been guilty. A very shocking thing occurred on the Green, the Fourth of July, 1850. There had been a fine celebration and the large procession had for chief marshal, John E. Wylie. The people assembled at the north portico of the State House. Rev, Dr. Harry Croswell prayed. Hon. William W. Boardman, who once represented this Congressional district in Washington, read the '* Declaration." The oration was bv Hon. Henrv B. Harrison. The dinner was under a big tent west of the State House. Mayor Skinner presided, and Hon. W. ^^^ Boardman, Henry Peck, William H. Ellis, Frederick Croswell, Henry Dutton, John B. Robertson and Charles L. English were the vice-presidents. Among the volunteer toasts was one offered by the Mayor and which found enthusiastic endorsement. It was : " The Orator of the Day. The equality and brotherhood of the human race has had this day, a most eloquent and able advocate." As each toast was announced, a cannon was fired by Mr. Hub- bard. The gun was not elevated so as to throw the wadding used in loading over the heads of people, but before each discharge, warn- ing was given and the people, among whom were scores of children, divided right and left. Just before firing, while the space in front of the cannon was clear, Norah Welch, aged ten years, started to follow her twin sister, who had crossed the open space. She was a 2 l8 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. little nervous and hesitated a moment while in range of the gun. The hesiiation was fatal to her, for her head was knocked off by the ball of wadding. For an instant, the gunner thought that it was his own child who was killed and was almost prostrated by his emotion. The child was a daughter of Robert Welch. The Revolutionary war men in the procession that day were Jonathan Maltby, aged 92, New Haven; Ebenezer Hotchkiss, aged 92, Prospect; Gad Peck, aged 86, New Haven ; Wilson Hurd, aged 88, Seymour ; and Joseph Bronson, aged 87, Waterbury. On the thirteenth of the month the entire city was in mourning, it being the day of the funeral of Presi- dent Taylor. In the evening the New Haven band played a dirge on the Green. The first snow that autumn was seen November 17. The receipts of the New York and New Haven Railroad Company in July, 1850, amounted to $46,653 an increase of $22,733 over the receipts of the corresponding month of the previous year. There was a very successful fair held in the State House the same year and among the exhibits were shirts of the Winchester manufactory. The introduction of the shirt making industry gave employment, not only to women and girls in New Haven, but also in neighboring towns, and a great deal of money was paid into families by means of this kind of work. At present, about twenty thousand persons, mostly women and girls, receive at least a partial support from the manu- facture of corsets. Possibly a mystery of climate caused the death of A. N. White- horne, of New York, the nth of Februar}^, 1878. The gentleman arrived at New Haven the day before, apparently in health. His body was well nourished and he was calm of demeanor. He regis- tered his name at the Tontine, in the afternoon of the loth, and after walking about the city, took supper there. In the evening he walked as far as Broadwav and entered a saloon where two or three men were playing at a shuffle-board. After looking at the game a few minutes, 'Mr. Whitehorne asked for a glass of ale. He drank a very little and setting down the glass, went to the Tontine and at an early hour retired to bed. At about five o'clock the mornins: follow- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 219 ing, two or three persons who happened to be crossing the west section of the Green, saw a well-dressed man sitting on one of the lower steps of the State House, at the south end, take from his pock- et a small glass and a vial. He poured the contents of the vial into the glass which he raised to his lips. Almost instantly he fell on his side and when reached by those who had noticed him, the man was dead. Charles R. Whedon acted as coroner, and there was a jury of inquest. Telegrams were sent to New York and it was soon learned that Mr. Whitehorne, who looked like a German, was a Freemason in good standing and a much respected man, aged about forty-five years. He was forehanded, owing no debts and had no enemies. He was proprietor of a large job printing office in which many presses were kept at work. Of an amiable temper, he had always been of a home-loving frame of mmd and all his leisure was spent with his wife and children. He had always been in his right mind. The jury of inquest found that he died of paralysis of the heart, caused by taking prussic acid. No motive for the suicide could be discovered. A few years previously, a young and intellectual-looking Ger- man, with light-blue eyes and flax-colored hair, sat on the grass of the Green between the State House and the Center Church. He was seen to tear into small pieces a paper which may have been a letter. These he scattered on the grass. He then fired one shot from a revolver into his head and died in less than a minute. His identity was never learned but he had the appearance of having been a scholar. It was conjectured that in the cases of both men, they had come to New Haven with suicidal intent. The conservative spirit of New Haven was finely manifested in the spring of 1853, when the expediency of distributing what Pro- fessor Silliman, in a report upon that subject, said were " the sweet waters of Mill River," throughout the city by means of street mains was being discussed. The principal argument which had been made against the introduction of illuminating gas in 1847, namely : that it would kijl all the trees, was not available, The second dwelling 220 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. house in New Haven, lighted by the gas, was that of Mayor Henry Peck, through whose efforts mainly, the improvement in lighting had been brought about, the first one having been that of Prof. B. Silliman, Jr., on Hillhouse avenue. When the gas war was fought out there was no question as to whether it should be introduced by the city or a private corporation, but the water discussion embraced that consideration. Many speeches were made and the newspapers were overloaded with communications touching the proposed substitution of pipe water for well water. It is related that when the matter was to be put to a vote at a freemen's meeting in the State House and it was about to be settled whether the city should embark in the water business, Mr. Benjamin Noyes, actuated then, as he ever has been, by a strong feeling of interest in whatever was for the good of New Haven, desired to make a speech. Not being able to say all that he wished in the crowded town hall in the basement, and also being determined to see if the vote Avas fairlv counted, he climbed a tree, from among the foliage of which he was told by Mayor Skinner to " come down." Mr. Noyes did come down, but not until he had made his remarks and satisfied himself that there had been a fair counting of the vote. There was a city meeting, March 19, 1853, at which it was voted that polls should be opened the 26th of the month. At a meeting in Brewster's Hall, corner of Chapel and Union streets, the evening of the 25th, powerful speeches on the water question were made by Dr. E. T. Foote, Marcus Merriman, Charles B. Lines, Ira Merwin, Mayor A. N. Skinner, N. Booth, Mor- ris Tyler, Oliver F. Winchester, James Brewster, Rev. Dr. Leonard Bacon, George W. Jones, Isaac Thompson, Ralph Benedict, Stephen Lawton and James Punderford. Two things were to be settled at the polls. First : " Shall the city have water at an expense of not rnore than $325,000 .'' " Second : " Shall the water committee apply to the legislature for the necessary powers to carry out the project .'' " The vote on the first point was, "yes" 1,044; " uo " 927. On the second point, "yes " 1,030 ; " no " 902. Water commissioners were appomted. There were in Ward No. i, 687 voters ; in Ward 2, 440 ; THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 221 Ward 3, 712 ; and in Ward 4, 1,210, the city being at the time divided into four wards by the intersection of Chapel and Church streets. But the vote did not settle the controversy, which was carried on in a riotous and tumultuary fashion at freemen's meetings, from time to time. The matter got into the courts and finally a private corpora- tion secured the business of furnishing water to New Haven. With- in the past five years there has been an agitation of the question whether the city should bliy out the water company. A ballot set- tled the matter in favor of having the company supply the water. But the city can still take possession of the company's plant should the people decide upon the expediency ^f so doing. The Center Church bell which for many years had done good ser- vice, not only on Sundays and occasions of public rejoicing and mourning, gave out a queer sound, October 30, 1853. There had been an alarm for fire the Saturday night before and violent ringing had cracked it and destroyed its metallic melody for all future time. It was cast in New Haven and had been re-cast once or twice. The fire, on which its last energies were spent, was in a barn, near the Gregory place, in the western part of the city. There was an important gathering of distinguished and learned men at Representatives' hall in the State House, in August, 1853, where the Institute of Instruction held its sessions. This body of educators, actuated doubtless by the purest motives, put a dagger into the hearts of all school boys, when they acted upon a resolution offered by a delegate, in the following words : " Resolved, That it is the sense of this Institute, that keys to arithmetic and algebra, in the hands of pupils or teachers, tend to make superficial scholars, and that thorough instruction and the highest good of our common schools require our unqualified disapproval of their use." Here was a blow struck at the business of the booksellers, which, in the light of comparatively recent decisions of courts, rendered the gentlemen of the Institute liable to prosecution for boycotting. It is not possible to tell how many different societies, associations, 222 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. organizations, and groups of men have been photographed while in position for the purpose, on the soutli steps of the State House. There have been photographs taken there, of various classes of college students, of the police force, of almost every kind of asso- ciation with a New Haven record. The very last photograph of a group, taken with the State House for a background, was that of a company of Knights Templar and Freemasons, and the last open air meeting on the steps was that of Safety Temple of Honor, Sun- day, June 3, 1889, presided over by Arthur W. Judd, and addressed by Dr. Charles Vishno. The last prayer of many thousands offered there for public hearing, was one by Rev. James W. Denton, who was present on the last occasion mentioned. The first meetings in behalf of organized labor were held on the same steps, by a number of striking printers. They employed speakers to make known the justice of their cause and printed a small sheet in newspaper form, whicii was, after a time, succeeded by the New Haven Union. The Morning News was originated by striking printers. On the same steps, about forty years ago, there appeared on a Sunday afternoon, two Mormon missionaries, who addressed the people for a few suc- cessive Sundays, but without making converts. A few years ago, religious meetings were held every Sunday on the steps. Superin- tendent Starkweather of the Hospital, being their conductor. The singing of hymns by the choirs, on these occasions, was oftentimes excellent, and large numbers of people who were not known to enter a house of worship, assisted in the exercises. The managers of these meetings were earnest in their efforts to do good in a dying world. So, too, were various temperance lecturers who held forth there from time to time ; and later, the organization of Good Samaritans had speaking there as well as on the band stand on the east section of the Green. At some of these religious meetings, John G. North was a speaker, his remarks being generally addressed to young peo- ple, and he had a happy faculty of illustrating his points by telling a story or an anecdote, with a pertinent application to the subject or text. Ever since he was a young business man in New Haven, this THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 223 gentleman has been interested in the welfare of children, and although not as strong physically as he used to be, his love for chil- dren is as lively a sentiment in his heart, as ever. During: a session of the Legislature a few years before the breaking out of the war, there was a personal collision in the porch of the State House, be- tween Col. James Montgomery Woodward and David J. Peck. The friends of the latter gentleman were pushing him for the major- generalship of the Connecticut militia. Colonel Woodward, editor of the whig newspaper, wrote some editorials adverse to the selection of Mr. Peck for the position. No braver or more competent New Havener held a commission in the Union armv than Mr. Peck's brother Frank, and his death in the service of his country was greatly mourned by all who knew of his manly traits of character. David J. Peck, who died while a judge of the city court, was a man of brilliant mind and more than average culture. He made a voyage to the Orient, with Admiral Gregory, and was chosen to be one of the two clerks of the County Court, the other being Alfred H. Terry, who, until accepting the call of his country, discharged with accept- ance to the Bar, the duties of the office. There have been a number of interesting and well patronized poultry shows at the State House, the north portico being enclosed with boards in order to make more space for the exhibits. These were remarkable for the display of all kinds of pigeons and pet animals. When the State House was built, there were two or three citizens who adhered to the continental fashion in their clothing. Deacon Beers, who lived on Elm street, wore knee breeches, tied at the knee with a neat black ribbon. Chief-Justice David Daggett was the last man in New Haven to wear top-boots, the tops being of colored leather, and Rev. Harry Croswell was the last man who wore boots of that kind, the tops being of black leather. In the warm political contest between the Know-Nothings and Democrats, in 1856, Samuel Ingham, of Essex, received 32,704 votes ; William T. Minor, 26,108 ; Welles, 6,740 and Rockwell, 1,251. The Legislature had to elect, Minor receiving 135 votes and Ingham 116. :est.^^bIjISh:eid ises. JOHN ADT & SON, Gor. State and Mill River Streets. DSTo'w ZEHZa-veix^ Ooxxn.. i; 1 IB-uL±lca-ex'S o± I]VIIa;Clti.±ziLex*y For StraigliteuiiiE aiifl CiittiiiE Wire to Accurate Leugtlis from tlie Coil. Bu-tt 3Xilliiio- 3Xacliiiiie!S9 BvTtt I>i'illiiio- J^Jaeliinei'y, Stax:>le ]>Jficliines?J, also, MACHINERY FOR HARDWARE AND OTHER MANUFACTURING. Butt and Hinge Pin Machinery, Countersinking Machines, Wire Milling Machines, Foot Presses, Etc. SE]VI> FOU ILI^X'!5»TI1A'J7I2I> CA.TALOGTJE. THE HISTORY OF THE ST A IE HOUSE. 225 Albert Day was elected Lieutenant-Governor. Then came the six weeks' fight over the election of a senator to represent the State in Congress. Isaac Toucey, James Dixon, Francis Gillette, Roger S. Baldwin, ex-Governor Holley and Samuel Ingham were fhe principal candidates, Mr. Dixon being finally elected. It is refreshing to recall the political condition of things during the " dark lantern " days, when the Know-Nothing party believed that no man born on foreign soil could be trusted to hold any office in the gift of the people. When this American movement was started, the whig leaders were startled and worried. They took counsel together and decided that it was for the interest of the party that they should join one' or more of the secret lodges of Know-Nothings. Some of iheni were refused admission, and were obliged to go to Fair Haven and join the organization there. The notices for meetings of the associations or lodges were printed in newspapers in such phrase- ology that the uninitiated could have no knowledge of what was meant. In a newspaper, generally amid the reading matter or at the top of a column, would appear a single line, like a motto of no particular significance, and this was the notification of the time and place of meeting. The principal idea among the members of the Know-Nothings or American party was understood to be, that the liberties under a republican form of government were in danger of becoming lost or subject to the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church. The wildest and most untruthful things were said. One gentleman named Smith, who afterward became an office-holder of the United States Government, used to say, and apparently with candor, that he believed the Catholics in New Haven were suffi- ciently powerful and numerous to rise in a single night and murder every Protestant in the city, thus repeating the fearful tragedy of St. Bartholomew's eve. This feeling of apprehension was fostered by waggish folks, who enjoyed stirring up timid people by stories of dark things seen and heard. One evening a small package of white powder was found in the pantry of a family living in the south part of the city and there was a writing on the package 15 226 THE lilS'IORV OB THE STATE HOUSE. to the effect that it was poison for administering to Protestant heretics. A great fuss was made and it was finally ascertained that the hired girl in the family, becoming disgusted with what she had heard, determined to play a practical joke. On being examined, the white pow^der was found to be sugar. In some streets, letters were dropped and afterward found and read, disclosing abominable plots to burn all the dwellings and other buildings owned by Protestants. None were traced to any source, and it soon came to be understood that they were written in fun and to arouse the fears of Protestants. The whole American party in the country was dissolved when its principles were attacked and ridiculed by that eminent politician, William H. Seward. There were three murders committed in this county on the same day, and the trial of the " Wakemanites," as they were called, in the County Court, commencing April i6, 1856, brought to the knowledge of the public the existence of a queer company of religious fanatics. None of the persons who had anything to do with the strange crime were possessed of much knowledge or discernment, but they were very much in earnest. These persons met at the house of Rhoda VVakeman, in the western part of the city, and they discussed and strengthened each other in a belief in some singular nonsense. They had prayers and singing and other observances, and after a time a man named Matihews was persuaded that he was haunted by " the man of sin." At a meeting one night, Matthew^s consented that it was better he should die rather than live and give " the man of sin " power to destroy his sister, and by consequence all the rest of the world. Matthew's consented to his owui death. The others bound his limbs. One of them stuck a fork in him, and he was also knocked on the head with a club of witch hazel. After he was dead, or perhaps before, his body was tumbled into the cellar of the house, where in a few days it was accidentally discovered. Miss Thankful Hersey, a neat, quiet old maid, a partly demented man known as *' Sammy " Sly and Rhoda, were acquitted of the charge of murder, on the ground of insanity. Sammy Sly lived some years in the '/HE HISTORY 01 THE STATE HoOsE. 22'' ( ouniy jail, where he died. He spent most of his time in reading liis Bible and his knees had become swollen and calloused by kneel- ing in frequent prayer on the stone floor of his cell. Miss Hersey, who was simple-minded, had the good fortune to engage the sympa- thies of a wealthy gentleman living on Whitney avenue. He gave a large bond to the court for her safe keeping, and she was taken into his family, where she did plain sewing when she liked, and she lived peacefully for some years, A colored man named Jackson, arrested with the others, escaped trial, Editor James F. Babcock making con- siderable effort in his behalf. Charles Sanford, a vouno- man in bad health and having every appearance of being far gone with con- sumption, was also a Wakemanite. He lived in Woodbridge, and on the same day of the murder of Matthews, he took an axe, while in a frenzy, and murdered Ichabod Umberfield, at the foot of Carrington's hill. He waited in the road until Mr. Enoch Sperry, father of N. B. Sperry, of New Haven, passed that way in a sleigh. Sanford killed him by a blow of the axe on the back part of his head. Two juries of inquest with twelve men on each were summoned. The jury in the case of the death of Mr. Sperry had Nathan P. Thomas for fore- man, and the foreman in the Umberfield inquest was Thomas Darling. The officers had some trouble in getting twenty-four jury- men the same day, in the little hamlet where the tragedy occurred. Sanford was verv crazv and did not live long. There was confined for a long time in the county jail a man who made his appearance one day in the town of Guilford, and going into a farm-lot, he killed a pair of oxen. No one knew who he was, and he could give no account of himself further than that he recollected having once lived in a house painted white, w^hich stood near a river. He must have been missed from somebody's family, but whose, could not be learned. The first State fair in New Haven was held in October, 1854. Some of the exhibits were in the Orphan Asylum, corner of Elm and Beers street. The next one was in 1856, in Hamilton Park, and the venerable Thomas G. Pitman, a foreman for many years in the office 228 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. (^f the Jourtial auT Courier and siill in employment wi.li ihe same newspaper, look a premium for an exhibit. The annual State fair is an institution likely to be maintained, the last one ha\ing been held at Meriden this year. It was not a success owing to unfavor- able weathei. There is very little of the old-fashioned feeling left, which formerly actuated Connecticut farmers in the establishment of agricultural fairs. Mere buyers and sellers of farm products, place on exhibition whatever they happen to have bought for sale, no mat- ter whether raised in this State or elsewhere, and owing to a short- sightedness in the management of modern fairs, these exhibits are as likely to be awarded medals or other prizes as those shown by our own cultivators. It was this mistake which discouraged exhibitors at the interesting fruit and flower shows which were once held in the Slate House. The agent and not the inventor or maker of a plough or mowing machine, took the prize, and it was to the advantage of the agent in advertising his business. Among the ladies, embroid- eries and fine needlework and knitting had to compete with work made by the aid of the sewing machine or knitting machine, and no manufacturer ever relinquished his prize to the workmen by whose ■>\<\\\ and labor it became possible for him to receive the award. But there have been years when on the Green, larofe wagons from Bethany and towns near New Haven, made a very attractive appear- ance, trimmed with evergreens and adorned inside and outside with specimens of golden corn, big squashes and strings of red pe[)pers and other vegetables, the most charming exhibit of all being the healthv and lively daughters of the people who rode in the wagons, wearing holiday attire. And there were few finer sights of a big fair than the long line of famous red cattle from the Woodbridge hills, the sweet breath of morning in pearly shimmer on their broad, cool noses. What' large, intelligent and lustrous eyes had those cattle of the Connecticut hill-sides I One of the most singular uses to which the S'ate House was put, was for the holding of a pig-pen and pig. The pen was located about the miildle of the first floor above the basement, and patrons THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 22g of the fair of the Universalists were offered a prize for correct guess- ing of its weight, lliis was the last fair held in the building and was made a success through the energy of John McCarthy, who made all the arrangements. The fair was held in ihc winter of 1888-9 and there was dancing every evening during its continuance. When the contractor's men were demolishing the upper part of the building, they found and removed to the Green, three plaster-of-paris statues, each representing a female, wiih her head and shoulders covered by drapery. Each statue represented the woman as having one foot pressing to ihe ground a viper or some other sort of snake. Some- body had found in the basement a tin sign on which was the legend " Lager Beer." This was set in front of the three statues. One citizen of a historical turn of mind, suggested that the three figures were plaster goddesses having in charge the hopes and interests of the Pilgrim Fathers. Another thought they were intended to com- memorate that peculiar affliction, by the vulgar denominated "jim jams." ]\lr. T. D. Read, though not exactly a classical scholar, viewed the line proportions of these inanimate works of an unknown artist's hand and felt sure they were goddesses. After they had been sufficiently admired, they w^ere tumbled into one of the carts of rubbish and taken away by the contractor. The Boston Advertisci- in August, 1889, editorially expressed some of the views of those citizens of New Haven, who would have pre- vented the removal of the State House had they been able. The article upon the subject read as follows : "That old State House is a priceless memento of a glorious past. It is a perpetual reminder that New Haven was originally an inde- pendent colony, and that, for nearly two centuries and a half it shared with Hartford the honor of being a state capital. \A'ithin those walls were uttered words whose echoes reached the continent and beyond the sea. Its style of architecture suggests the classic learning which, from the beginning, has been more faithfully taught in that locality than anywhere else in the new world. Those Doric columns are not more noble in their stately simplicity than is the 230 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. character of mind and morals that Yale College has, during many generations, stiiven, not unsuccessfully, to fashion ; so that her sons have been among ihe chief pillars of our Republic. Tens of thou- sands of men and women throughout the land, who are now in middle or advanced age, remember, with all the pleasure that attaches to youthful impressions, the picture of the capitol building at New Haven, Conn., which was in so many school books forty or fifty years ago. To tear down that building would be to obliterate one of the chief milestones on the path of time." But the New Haven Register^ in re-printing the article, commented upon it, and a part of its editorial published August 18, 1889, con- tained this : " It will be news to most New Haveners to be told that the State House is a ' priceless memento of the glorious past.' It is not, nor has it ever been priceless. It is a memento of New Haven's folly in allowing Hartford to gobble up the capital. It is a perpetual reminder that New Haven in the past has shown a deplorable lack of public spirit in important crises. It is not a 'chief milestone on the path of time." Rather is it an encumbrance, a public nuisance, a bone of contention, an eyesore, a laughing stock, a hideous pile of brick and mortar, a blot on the fair surface of the Green. The Bos- ton paper doesn't know what it is talking about." When about noon, August 8, 1889, Judge Carpenter dissolved the second temporary injunction to restrain the contractor from pro- ceeding with the work of removing the building, Benjamin No3'es was walking in the lobby of the court room. He was asked by a newspaper reporter what would next be done. He is reported to have said : " I don't want to talk ; I want to murder somebody." When the suggestion was made that he (Mr. Noyes), together with William H. H. Hewett, George Hotchkiss, 2d, George E. Bates, Ransom Hills, John G. Chapman and B. J. Stone, the petitioners for the injunction, might be sued for damages for the loss suffered bv THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 23 I Mr. Montgomery, by stopping his work, Mr. Noyes said : '' Now see here, I don't care to be the subject of ridicule by you or anybody else; I am too old a man. What do I care about Montgomery ? Go' and ask him if he proposes to sue ; what have I got to do with him ? I want to have the public understand that I am not bereft of reason, by any means. The newspapers better be pretty careful what they print about me. I'm a respectable citizen, and I don't propose to stand any ridicule." Mr. Noyes, although well along in years, has never ceased to take an interest in New Haven's local affairs. In his younger days he was influential in almost every movement of citizens for the glory or benefit of the city, and the magnificent granite front Insurance Build- ing on Chapel street, opposite the Green, is a monument to his energy and good taste. The nomination of Erastus C. Scranton to the mayoralty was owing to the influence of Mr. Noyes. Mr. Scran- ton lost his life by being run over by some part of a railroad train on the New York and New Haven Road, he being at the time president of the company. A writer to a New Haven paper of June 10, 1888, in giving his recollections of men sixty and sixty-five years before the date of his letter, wrote: "The venerable forms of Jonathan Ingersoll, lieutenant-governor; John Hunt, trial justice; David Dag- gett and Nathan Smith, in knee breeches and buckles, powdered hair and queue, crossing the Green, were daily seen." While the question of removing the State House was being considered in the Common Council, a friend of the building furnished a newspaper with the following estimate : "Removing 50,000 loads of debris at 25 cents per load, $12,500; carting 25,000 loads of earth, to fill the site, $6,250; cost of grading and turfing the site, $1,000; total $25,750." Of course the writer had not interviewed Contractor Montgomery. The state of feelinor in New Haven at the time of the election of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, cannot be briefly told. There were very many excellent and influential citizens who had voted against him. They anticipated the grief and bloodshed o ^ 184.3.) PERIODICALS IN ALMOST UNLIMITED VARIETY. Slibscpiption ilgcnctj FOR ALL MAGAZINES AND PAPEIiS, ^11 1]ew Paper l]ovels as sooii as Publislied. THE BEST AND CHEAPEST. THOS. H. PEASE & SON 102 01x-uL3?olx S-bx-ee-b, NEW HAVEN, CONN. 7 HE HISTORY OI THE STATE HOCSE. 24') iiiiis were daiiia;ied. The courts could do uu bjsiiiess tor three days. Thursday morning the public schools were re-opened, but the great piles of snow on the Green were added to for some days there after. Th^ largest deposit was made just where the children sung on a beautiful summer day as herein before mentioned. In 1653 New Haven owned four cannon, two of w^hich were kept on the Green, the other two being located so as to command the harbor. At this time the colonists w-ere afraid of a Dutch invasion. In 1673, when a " Grand Committee " was authorized to have charge of military affairs, it was decided that New Haven should raise fifty one of the five hundred dragoons who were 10 be prepared to resist the Dutch. None of the troops did any fighting, as peace was made between England and Holland. Of the New Haven quota Robert Treat was major, Thomas Munson, lieutenant, and Samuel Newton, ensign. War was declared against the Narragansett Indians in 1675, and Captain Nathaniel Seely, a son of Robert Seely, of New Haven (at the time of the expedition against the Indians, a resident of Stratford), was killed. Under his conimand were sixty-three New Haveners. Captain Seely's company lost twenty men. From the old records it is reasonable to believe that the people of New Haven loved to fight Indians. The business meetings of the second com- pany, Governor's Guards, founded in 1774, were held in 1775 at the old State House. Their dress was a scarlet coat, wdiite linen vest, breeches and stockings, black half-leggings and rufHed shirt. Since 1816 the New Haven Grays have had a continuous existence. They were originally called "Iron Grays'' on account of their uniform. The enlisted members held a meeting in the court-house on the Green, September 13, 1816, and elected these ofiicers : Sophos Staples, captain; Thomas G. Woodward, first lieutenant, and Samuel J. Hitchcock, ensign. There is a history of this company, written by Jerome B. Lucke, which can be read with much interest by all New Haven men. When President Madison was in the city, July 1817, the company took part in the grand review of the military. They had the right of the line in 1824, when there was a military parade 250 J 'HE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. of ihe Second Regiment on the Green, and hardly a year has passed when the company did not appear there on important public days. They participated in the reception to President Andrew Johnson, and paraded at the inauguration of Roger S. Baldwin, governor, in 1845, "^^^^ have always been relied upon to do the handsome ilnng on all days of special ceremonial. Their members were the first to enlist in the war for the Union. For the three months cnmpaign, these were the ofHcers : E. Walter Osborn, captain ; Albert C. Stevens, first lieutenant ; George L. Northrop, second lieutenant ; Albert C. Hendrick, William W. Morse, George D. Sanger, Henry C. Merwin, sergeants ; William M. Blake, Charles W. Cornwell, Edwin F. Chapman, George F. Peterson, corporals. The National Blues were organized in 1828, and were a company of artillerymen. They had a brass six-pounder gun. At the celebra- tion of Washington's birthday, its one hundreth anniversary, in 1832, the Blues wore their hair powdered. They had the right of the line in the parade, June 28, 1847, when President James K. Polk was given a reception. The City Guards, organized 1861, had George A. Basserman for their first captain. The New Haven Light Guard, organized 1862, had for captain, Benjamin N. Tuttle. The Sarsfield Guard were organized 1865. The action of Governor Minor and the State authorities, during the period when the " Hindoos " or " Know- Nothings," were in the exercise of political power, in repressing the military ardor and patriotism of the voung Irishmen of New Haven, was signally rebuked, when, upon the call for soldiers to fight for the Union, many of them — the same men who had been unable to pro- cure arms from the State for their volunteer military organizations — enlisted and made a war record which has been an honor to New Haven and the State. In 1867 the Wooster Guard, composed in part of colored men who had fought, was organized, with Henry McLinn, captain. The company drilled in the basement of the State House at first, and afterward in the hall of the colored Free- masons on Webster street. It became a part of the National Guard, May 14, 1879. Upon its disbandment a new company was formed, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 25 I named the Wilkins Guard, with Thomas J. Griffin, captain. The officers and men of the Second Regiment distinguished themselves by arresting a large party of men from New York, at Charles Island, off Milford, who were to enjoy a prize-fight. Many of the parties arrested were New York politicians and office holders, and for a short time the New Haven lockup was crowded with them. The affair created great excitement and has discouraged prize-fighters of other States from selecting a Connecticut town for a rendezvous for pugilistic encounters. Much credit was due to Charles S. Scott, the high sheriff of New Haven County, for his prompt action, and to Governor Jew^ell and Adj.-Gen. S. E, Merwin, Col. E. E. Bradley and Lieut.-Col. Stephen R. Smith, for this enforcement of law. Some of the New York aldermen were mortified and worried and pawned their watches and diamonds to secure temporary freedom by giving bail. They paid court charges and judgments with alacrity. A few of the prisoners escaped from the military, while on their wa\ to New Haven, and a few were improperly released from the police lockup, by a police officer, who gave as a reason the excuse that he and they were members of the same secret society. The police com missioners condoned his offense. The last person buried m New^Haven Green was Mrs. Martha Whittlesey, October, 18 12. Her remains lie under the Center Church, where also is the grave of her husband. Rev. Chauncey Whittlesey. More than a hundred and forty persons were buried there, some of the persons having been very influential in shaping the history of New Haven. It is believed that the bodies of more than ten thousand persons have been deposited in Grove Street Cemetery. Evergreen Cemetery is owned by a private corporation, and the day may not be distant when the city will take measures for the establishment of a public cemetery, charging no more for family lots and single graves than a fair price, after estimating the cost of land and improvements necessary. The remains of Benjamin Eng- lish, who was stabbed by a British soldier, while in his own house, 1779, lie in Grove Street Cemetery. He was seventy-four years old. KIMBEKLY & EOOT. Banl^ers and Broilers, No. 1 33 Orange St., New Haven, Conn. LOMBARD INVESTMENT COMPANY 6 PER CENT, LOANS AND DEBENTURES. This Company has Loaned over 50 Alillions elnring the last 35 Years loithout loss to a single Investor. Over 200 Savings Banks anel Instiin- tions are holders of the Seeu- rities of this Company. SPERRY & KIMBERLY, ^-^:fire insurances * 133 ORANGE ST. After Five Years of earnest work to save the State House by having it repaired, made useful, and its arehi- teetitral beauty preserved — alivays voting in the inler- ests of the people, but ivithout- suecess — as the State House is destroyed, I will noiu devote my time, as dur- ing the past fourteen years, trying to make the same people happy bv sellijig good m, m\, mi, n m m In its Season. Htall 1 aiTcl *^, - - - Oit.v Max-lvet. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 253 When the pulling down of the State House led to the removal of ihe few cumbersome wood benches in the old town hall, a aentleman found in a crack in one of ihem, a copper cent, minted by James Jarvis, authorized to make coins for Congress. The coin was made in New Haven, under a contract with the government. One side has thirteen rings linked together and the words "United States." In the centre are the words : '"We are One." On the other side is a dial, on one side of it the word " Fugio," and on the other " 1787." Below the. dial are the words: "Mind your own Business." The coin factory was on Water Street, near where are now the Sargent & Co. manufactory buildings. A man named Buell, who worked at making these coins, was afterward, with other persons, engaged in making cotton cloth in Westville. In Dr. Henry Bronson's paper written for the New Haven Colony Historical Society, will be found an account of coining in New Haven. At the time of this publication, there is pending a suit against the City Auditor, growing out of the first injunction to restrain the agents of the people from carrying into execution the vote of the Common Council, ordering the removal of the building. The destruction of the building disembarrassed the directors of the Free Public Library as to a site for the library. They therefore bought from Wallace B. Fenn the stone structure built for the Third Congregational Church, on Church, above Chapel street, the price paid being $70,000, or $800 a front foot. This building, after the North and Third Churches were consolidated under the name "United Church," was bought at auction by E. B. Bowditch and sold to the First Presbyterian Church, and the society sold to Mr. Fenn, afterwards buying a building site fthe Reynolds place), on Elm, below Orange street. The State authorized a lottery in New Haven in 1790. for the pur- pose of aiding the glass-making enterprise, which, however, does not appear ever to have been a New Haven industry. An old citizen remembers seeinir Gen. Hezekiah Howe officiating at the draw- ing of a State lottery on the steps of the brick (second) State House, the now venerable Henrv Howe, author of the "Historical Collec- 254 ^-^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. tions of Ohio " and other works, assisting, he being a son of the Gen- eral. It was Henry's part of the business to draw out the lucky numbers. There was an exciting affair on and near the Green on the night of March 17, 1854. The talented Homan brother and sister were giv- ing theatrical entertainments at Exchange Hall, corner of Chapel and Church streets. These were well patronized by the students of Yale as well as by people of the town. The students, by their free- dom of manners, had for a number of evenings been giving offence to the quieter portion of the audiences and considerable ill feeling existed between students and town boys. The evening before the occurrences here narrated, some students, sitting together, arose from their seat and while adjusting shawls, preparatory to leaving the theatre, were rudely requested to sit down. They made a pro- voking reply, and at the close of the performance there was a fight in the street, some of the students being knocked down. Their battle cry, "Yale! Yale!" brought other students to their rescue. There were about fifty students at the theatre, the next night. That trouble was brewing everybody knew. An alarm of fire, at the close of the entertainment, brought to the neighborhood about a thousand town boys. The crowd of young men outside, with yells and insult- ing shouts, dared the students to come outside. In the meantime there was passed around among them a written request that they should remain until other patrons could retire. Under direction of Lyman Bissell, captain of the watch, the students walked two abreast up Chapel street, the town roughs running along in the street and jeering them. When the line reached a point near where now is the great dry goods establishment of William Neely & Co., in front of Fitch's book store, the students were assailed with bricks and stones. Some were hurt by these dangerous missiles. There was for some minutes, a lively, running fight. Some of the students fired pistols at the crowd, A man named Patrick O'Neil, caught hold of a student and at once fell, stabbed to the heart by a large dirk, Two or three other persons had been hurt by pistol bullets, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 255 The students soon reached the college campus and disappeared within the buildings. The town mob was furious with rage. Some of them rang the church bells, as if for fire. Others went after and took possession of a cannon, used in the jDarades of the artillery company and after heavily loading it with gunpowder, stones and pieces of iron, dragged it to the Green. Captain Bissell, who endeav- ored to stop the rioting, was not heeded by the mob and he quietly accompanied the gun. When it had been placed in position to. bat- ter down the walls of the south college building, the discovery w^as made that the gun had been spiked. Captain Bissell had taken the only course left for him to take and he had done the right thing at the right time. Some of the windows in the south college were smashed by the mob. The mayor appeared on the scene and addressed the crowd. Toward morning the riot was over. The body of O'Neil was taken to police headquarters. He had been a barkeeper. There was a suituable official action taken and no officer of the law ever found out by whom the fatal dirk thrust was given. Very soon after the fall of O'Neil, a small party of young men entered a basement place of refreshment, on Chapel, a few doors below Church street. One of them had in his hand the knife or dirk. It was seen by a number of persons there. The young men soon left the place. They hastened to the college campus and stuck the dirk in the ground, pushing it down out of sight. As it was thought by the students that there might be arrests of some of their number, they called upon Alfred Blackman, the lawyer, and asked if he would accept a retainer from them. After he had learned the whole story he said that he would, and directed that the dirk should be brought to him. When, in a short time it was handed him, he laid it on a piece of white paper and with a pencil garefully drew an outline of its form, after which he handed it back to the students' committee. It is said that for years Judge Blackman car- ried that bit of paper in his vest pocket. But it was never needed in court. A young New Havener who knew something about the affray, was so apprehensive of being called upon to make disclosures H ^A 781 CHAPEL STREET, ROOM 4, (OLD REGISTER BUILDING.; Portraits Painted from Life, OR COPIED FROM Photos, Tiq T!^ypcs, Sic. EVERY STYLE OF WORK FROM THE CHEAPEST TO THE HIGHEST GRADES. From the Cheapest to the Most Elaborate Designs. Cartoons, aiift all Styles of Fancy or Decoratiye Painting, 781 CHAPEL ST., - - NEW HAVEN, CONN. THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 257 that he ran away to New York, where he remained and acquired a large fortune. His remains are in Evergreen Cemetery. The feel- ing between the town boys and students was much strengthened by the quarrel bet\veen the two large political parties, with regard to allowing students to vote at elections. Democrats generally took the ground that the students, if allowed to vote anywhere, should vote in the places where they lived before coming to college. Some of the speeches of Democratic orators, were abusive of the college. On the other hand, the friends of a liberal education believed that the votes of the students would be intelli2:entlv cast and would hKt in favor of good men for office. These men thought the whig party more worthy than the other. While recalling this tragedy, another is brought to mind, although it had nothing to do with the New Haven Green. After two o'clock of a Saturday morning, November 3, i860, a party of young men who had been drinking in the " Temple," corner of Orange and Court streets, became involved in a quarrel with three students. George S. Stafford, aged about twenty years, was fatally stabbed by a knife in the hands of a student. He died Sunday evening. The three students arrested for the killins: were William H. McCullock, held for trial in the Superior Court and released under $3,000 bail; Nelson A. Baldwin, bailed in $2,000, and R. K. Belden, for whom bail was at first refused. The father of the young man who was killed did not favor pushing the prosecution against the young men, as he felt satisfied that the murder had been without malicious intent and connnitted in the heat of a combat. Neither of the students were finally punished. The two first named were discharged and Belden was allowed to forfeit his bail, amounting to $2,500. The Sophomores and Freshmen were having a quarrel on the college campus, Saturday evening, September 30, 1843, "^^ 'it-n tutor John B. Dwight appeared on the scene. He and another tutor undertook to come up with a few students who had broken windows in the north middle colle2:e buildinir. Tutor Dwig-ht caught hold of a Philadel- phia student named Robert Fassett, both, it was said, falling to the 17 258 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. ground. Fassett, with a dirk, stabbed Dwiglit in three places. The wounds were not at first thought dangerous, but tutor Dwight took a fever and in three weeks died. Fassett, who was at his home, came to New Haven vohunarily and his father, a wealthy man, furnished a bond of $5,000 for his appearance for trial. The trial was postponed a year and in 1845 ^^^^ bond was forfeited. In fact, the matter was settled out of court. In the State election of 1840, forty votes were cast by students. The State House, and particularly the steps of the building, have been utilized by the students of Yale for many purposes. The elec- tion of members to the Scroll and Key Society and to Skull and Bones weie somewhat similar in method. Self-stationed outposts on and near the State House steps were used to announce the names of the men selected for the honor of membership. At the close of its meetings the Scroll and Key Society used to march to the Green and to the State House steps and thence to the college campus, singing the song " Gaily the Troubadour touched his Guitar." The pow- wow custom was started about the year 1850, the occasion being the Freshmanic advance in college to Sophomoric dignity. It was always held upon the State House steps and the exercises consisted of funny speeches, songs and recitations. The pow-wows were attended by the Sophomores, who by cheers and ironical shouts of admiration endeavored to overwhehn the voices of the Freshmen. The fresh- men were provided wdth a big banger each, a tin horn each, and they made as much noise as they could. Sometimes the pow-wow^s lasted until nearly daybreak. The last burial of Euclid was by the class of 1863. The students assembled on the State House steps November 16, in the evening, and with lighted torches and preceded by the New Haven brass band, marched to a hall in orderly procession. There the literary exercises took place, the funeral procession start- ing for the place of interment late at night. There was a collision on the Green between the students and police in October, 1870, growing out of a violation of the city ordinance, which forbade kick- ing football on the (Jreen. There was great exasperation on both THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 259 sides and policeman Owen Kelley knocked a Sophomore on the head with his billy. The hurt was at first thought to be such that the student would die, but he finally recovered. The students tried to have Mr. Kelley dismissed from the police force. There was a tie vote by the four police commissioners and as the mayor declined to give a deciding vote, the students were foiled. But Mr. Kelley did not remain on the force much longer. In consequence of the row five students paid fines and costs into the city court. The name of David Austin, which occurs elsewhere in this book, should be gratefully remembered. His labors in setting out trees on the Green and doing other w^ork for its improvement were performed entirely for the benefit of his townsmen and for posterity. Mr. Austin was born in New Haven in 1760, and he traveled in foreign countries. As a preacher, he is said to have been earnest and elo- quent. In a poem by Governor Livingstone in which there are lines in honor of this pious man and public benefactor, there is one which speaks of " his florid genius and capacious mind." He taught that Christ would begin his temporal reign on earth on the Fourth Sun- day of May, 1796. He built on Water, east of what was then the foot of Meadow street, a block of wood dwellings for the accommo- dation of the Jews, who, he fancied would soon be passing through New Haven, on their way to Jerusalem, which, according to scrip- ture prophecy, they were to rebuild. He died in Norwich, Conn., in 183 1. About seven years ago, the skirmishers of the Salvation Army, an English organization of which General Booth, of London, was the commander-in-chief, arrived in New Haven for the purpose of prop- agating religion according to a spiritually-military plan. They were soon followed by others, and their methods of arousing the zeal of the indifferent were novel and to pious persons of a conser\ative mind, rather objectionable. Choosing a public place, they marched thither, to the sound of drums and various musical instruments badly played ; they held forth in the open air and preached to the people in very bad grammar, warning tliem of the wrath to come. STYLE The Treat & Shepard WHOLESALE AND RETAIL J^hsic Holisc, NEW HAVEN, CONN. MUSIC m riMO, um, mi, mii, um, AND A Choice Selection of Strings for all Stringed Instruments. fflisical MMm of M] SOLE AGENTS FOR THE WONDERFUL Farris Banjo and Banjay. 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They secured a headquarters or " barracks " on Union, north of Chapel street, where meetings were held in inclement weather. Boys and young men attended them, to have fun, and there was much indecorous behavior among the crowds of idle per- sons who attended their nieetings and followed the Salvationists through the streets. Their performances were disturbing to the public peace and Mayor Lewis was called upon to restrain them from making a noise in the streets and on the State House steps. He had considerable trouble to manage matters so that the disturbances on the Green and in the streets were made to cease, as he, in com- mon with all lovers of the state constitution and of the United Slates, felt unwilling to do anything which might look like an arbi- trary restriction of the freedom of religious meetings. After about two years of bother, the mayor positively forbid the Salvationists marching through the streets, singing their songs, pounding upon drums or blowing into brass instruments of music. As the mayor's orders were not respected and the city ordinances were not obeyed, the police arrested some of the " army '' while on the Green and locked them up at the police station. The/ gloried in what they felt to be religious persecution and put up fervent prayers for the mayor and police officers. One of the brightest and most persua- sive of the officers of the Salvation Army was Mrs. Captain Dixon, the mother of two children, who played a pair of cymbals, when on parade, and at other times sold copies of the War Cry, an organ devoted to the interests of the army. This woman afterw^ard, in company with two or three other persons, conducted a mission, in a building on Union, below Wooster street, and later a mission in a 262 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. building on Chapel street, formerly the place of business of the New Haven Register^ which had moved into Crown street in 1884. The Salvation Army made but little impression of a devotional char- acter upon New Haven people, and after about two years' existence in New Haven, the members went to New York and other places. They made a few converts of ignorant persons. For the use of preachers who had no other place, the State House steps were found convenient in pleasant weather. When the famous Lorenzo Dow was making his journeys in this part of New England, he preached from the south steps. So did William Munson, whose son of the same name is at present an attache of Deputy Sheriff William B. Catlin's office in the Glebe Building.' So did John S. C. Abbott, the historian, whose powerful address on a topic connected with the war for the Union, was more of a political character, than a sermon. George Mundy, of Philadelphia, the hailess prophet, harangued the people from the south steps. In his own city he was punished for disturbing the peace by preaching on street corners. Judge Parsons of that city sending him to jail. Anybody who cared so to do, preached from the State House steps. Daniel Pratt, the Great American Traveler, occasionally paid a visit to Yale College, and his grandiloquently absurd speeches to the students were laughed at and paid for by money collected from his amused listeners, at the State House steps. Pratt traveled to all cities where there were colleges. Although a lunatic, he knew where to find profit from his eccentric talk and behavior, and he was an exemplar of a class of half-crazy men, found in New England villages sixty years ago, but who, owing to improved laws and better courts of justice and an increased love of order, have generally passed from sight. About thirty years ago, a man of this sort, named Terrell, and generally addressed as " Pro- fessor," lived a short distance from the east bank of Mill river, on the road between New Haven and East Haven. His principal hobby was of a mathematical description, but he had other fancies. One day when the Legislature w^as in session. Professor Terrell appeared in Representatives' hall, flourishing a sword with a curved THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 263 blade. He was ejected. Have not members of the Legislature sometimes done things in a body, as lacking in decorum as the conduct of the professor ? For instance, at the session of the Legis- lature which ratified the fourteenth amendment to the United States Constitution, the representatives on a certain forenoon commuted the death sentence of a man named Starkweather, of Hartford County, who had chopped his mother to death with an axe, because she would not give him money, to imprisonment for life, and on the same day, in the afternoon, under no apparent new influence except that of a good dinner, they reconsidered their action and the murderer was finally hanged. In the case of a Fairfield County murderer, human life was recently trifled with in a still more shocking man- ner. Professor Terrell, when not agitated with some sort of invention or problem in mathematics, appeared sane. Once, he was buying groceries at a store at the junction of Olive and State streets. He was calm and sensible. Somebody asked him if he had any new invention. Striking an attitude indicating the necessity for caution and secrecy, he said, in a whisper : " Hush .... mum ! I can't explain this to anybody but stockholders." Two or three gentlemen present immediately subscribed for $100,000 of stock. This amount, the professor said, would be satisfactory to himself and Professor Olmsted of Yale College, who, in the mind of the pro- fessor, was always associated with himself (Professor Terrell) as joint owner in his inventions. Taking from his pocket a folded paper, which the professor said was a model of his new flying machine, in which he had just made a trip to California and back, in precisely three minutes, he further said that Professor Olmsted was negotiating for its sale to the government. He said that it carried many million tons of coal and the boiler would hold one thousand million hogsheads of water which he could draw from the clouds with a big auger and a funnel which he always carried on these trips. "Now," said the Professor, " suppose this nation was at war and the enemy were twenty million strong. I can boil all the water in thirteen seconds. Then I can sail in the air, above the enemy, pull 264 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE, out the plug and they are all scalded, don't you see?" On another occasion, iii? paper model represented a three-wheeled wheelbarrow. " Hush . . . mum," he began. After a sufficient subscription to shares of stock was obtained, the professor explained that one wheel moved on its axis: one acted as a fulcrum and the other didn't. He did not expect ordinary mortals to understand the working principle but assured his hearers that this was the greatest invention that him- self and Professor Olmsted had yet made. A steamboat boiler explosion moved Professor Terrell to invent a boiler which could not explode, for he showed by his paper model that no boiler could burst, if the steam was all kept on the outside of it. All the windows of the police lockup were kicked out by a prisoner named Tom McCabe, when in confinement in the State House basement. During the time when the police office and lockup w^ere in the basement, a woman was arrested for street-walking. Later in the night a young man was arrested for intoxication. When he was released the next morning, he expressed a wish to talk with the chief of police. He was granted the desired interview, and with great heartiness thanked that gentle- man for having afforded him an excellent opportunity for social c^njoyment. Said he: "But for the kindness of your policemen \ should have become disgracefully drunk and I thank you much."' Said the young man, " I had no idea of the reputation of this place." The chief asked what he meant by the last remark and the young man said : " Why, owing to your thoughtfulness and kindness I have passed what would otherwise have been the weary hours of a long night, in company with one of the handsomest and most entertaining of women that I ever met." The chief recollected that he had in cus- tody a female who for two days had been furnished no food. She was discharged at once. There are hundreds of fine anecdotes having an origin in the State House. During the warmest of the season of controversy between the Whigs and Loco Focos, Eben Thompson, a New Haven grocer, made a journey to Florida. He also visited Mobile. He was a whig in politics and on his return to New Haven, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 263 was asked if he saw any whigs at Mobile. He said that he had. He further said that having had occasion to take a horseback ride through the country, he stopped at a hotel and asked for the land- lord. A good looking white woman responded to the call. She said her husband w^as in the garden. Mr. Thompson went to the garden but found nobody but a very black man, engaged in cultivat- ing watermelons. Mr. Thompson asked him for the landlord. 'Tm the landlord," answered the black man. Being surprised, Mr. Thompson, on going inside the house, enquired of the woman how she could have demeaned herself by marrying a colored man. She replied, " I did much better than my sister ; for she married a Loco Foco." Admiral Andrew Hull Foote had a great funeral in New Haven, July I, 1863. The day before, .there arrived from Bridgeport, a battery of light artillery. At evening the steamboat Elm City, broupht marines under command of Lieut. H. ]. Bishop, who had been detached from the United States' ship North Carolina. Many military organizations and distinguished men gathered in New- Haven to pay their respects to the dead hero. At ten o'clock on the forenoon of Wednesday, the marines bore the body of the deceased to the State House, where it was laid upon a bier, in the wide hnll. The coffin, partly enveloped by an American flag, was metallic, covered with black silk-velvet, ornamented with silk tassels and having a solid silver plate with a plain inscription giving the name, rank and age of the deceased. The large double doors at the north and south ends of the State House were opened and a con- tinuous stream of people passed through the main hall until two o'clock in the afternoon, when the remains of the Admiral were taken to the Center Church, which had been draped in black. The six pall bearers were Admirals Gregory, (of New Haven), Smith, Stringham. Davis, and Stewart, and Captain Simpson. Revs. Bacon, Cleaveland, and Harwood were in the pulpit. Rev. Dr. Bacon gave out the hvmn : CARPET WAREROOMS, 914 Chapel Street, NEW HAVEN, CONN. IN GREAT VARIETY, AND AT THE LOWEST MARKET RATES. 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The route was, out of the Green to Chapel street, to College, Crown, Temple, Ciiapel, State, Elm, Temple and to Grove Street Cemetery, where salutes were fired over the grave. The whole city mourned. A trombone once served to deliver a worthy and popular fellow- ciiizen from great jeopardy, on the Green. John H. Phoebus was a teacher of vocal and instrumental music in this city for some years. He was amiable, jolly, short and fat, and a fine tenor singer. All the children liked him, and along in the " forties " he arranged for concerts in some of the public schools. In his day there were many blood-thirsty brindle dogs in town, of great ferocity, and unless with their masters, were liable to attack any citizen who came in their way. One evening Mr. Phoebus was crossing the Green, when one of these terrible dogs advanced upon him with savage intent. Mr. Phoebus had no weapon of defence except a trombone. With great presence of mind he blew through it an awful sound, and the dog, howling with fright, rapidly disappeared. The genial music teacher was afterward much congratulated at his escape. The last dividend paid to the depositors in the Townsend Savings Bank was disbursed in a room at the northeast corner of the State House, and the few dollars remaining unpaid were taken to the office of a broker on Orange, above Chapel street. There has been a great deal of adverse comment upon the management of the bank, by people who were not in a position to know or judge of the facts. There is little room for doubt that had there been no concerted assault made upon the bank, the depositors would have been paid every cent due them. A number of circumstances operated to pro- 268 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. duce the failure, one of which was the depreciation in real estate, on which money had been lent, within the rule requiring that no more should be lent on any mortgage more than half the value of the property securing the loan. It was found that property, mortgaged for no more than half its value, at the time of the loan, oftentimes could not be sold, to realize what in a more prosperous season had been a reasonable investment. There were investments promising well, but which could not be recalled by the bank in season to pre- vent a panic among depositors after the raid on the bank had been inauo'urated. Luzon B. Morris was judge of probate for six terms — 1857-63. When he entered upon his official duties, in the court room in the basement of the State House, he found things in a sad state of dirt and disorder. Scattered on the floor were documents of the court, many of which were without any outside indexing, to give a hint of their contents or value. Many papers which should have been on file, were undoubtedly lost through carelessness. He had shelving- made, with pigeon-holes for the proper classification of the archives, and he was a year in getting things straight. His labors extended back among the records and files for more than a hundred years, and he made the first general index of papers. In 1857, when he took office, the only walk on the Green was of brick, in front of the churches. Later, a narrow flag walk branched oft, toward the State House, and prior to that improxement, ever3'body having business at the probate court, waded through mud to get to the State House. Judge Morris has filled with great acceptance a number of positions of public as well as private trust, and no citizen of Connecticut has a higher stand in the esteem of all the people. He was sent to the Legislature first by the town of Seymour, and he represented New Haven in the General Assembly, four times — 1870, 1876, 1880, 1881, and he served in the State Senate in 1874. He has also served the State as one of the commissioners to fix boundarv lines between Con- necticut and New York. New Haven people regretted the death of William L. Storrs, chief- THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 269 justice of ihc Supreme Court of this State, who died at Hartford, June 24, 1861. He was a Yale graduate. In the House of Repre- sentatives his death was announced by Representative Carter, of Norwalk, who said, during his remarks : " But whether we consider Judge Storrs as a member of the General Assembly of this State; as an occupant of the speaker's chair; as a representative in Congress from this State ; as a professor in Yale College law school ; as a practical lawyer at the Bar, or as holding the highest seat in the highest court of judicature of this State ; in all these positions we found him realizing the highest expectations of him, even by those best acquainted with his great intellectual endowments." August 6 of that year the funeral of ex-Governor Trumbull was followed by the death of his wife, the night of the same day. Mrs. Eliza Storrs Trumbull was a sister of Chief-Justice Storrs. The death of Mrs. Mary Beers, widow of Nathan Beers, occurred in New Haven, Sep- tember 5, 1861, at the age of ninety-nine years. Her husband died in his ninety-sixth year. They lived on Elm street, and Mrs. Beers was the mother of Dr. Timothy P. Beers, for many years the principal accouching physician in this city. William H. Jones, formerly post- master in New Haven, died in Hartford in November, 1861, aged eighty-three years. There are various anecdotes and amusing bits of gossip touching the old Farmington canal. A captain of a canal boat who had become offended at something done by unpopular Constable Skinner, had the name of the boat painted on its stern, " Dr. Skinner," in big letters. On one side of the bow of the boat he had a smudge of black paint, to represent the funny black spot on one side of the con- stable's nose. The debates over the canal enterprise did not all take place at the State House. There was one held in Exchange Hall, northeast corner of Chapel and Church streets. Professor Silliman was there to advocate another public loan to the canal company and Jonathan Stoddard was there in opposition. Professor Silliman told how that while traveling in Europe he had seen a railway train wrecked by a rail which had pierced the bottom of a car, tearing its 270 THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. way through the top, and cogently asked : ^' Who ever heard of such an accident to a canal boat ? " Mr. Stoddard enquired if anybody could tell him what the Fair street canal bridge had cost. Captain- Elnathan Atwater stood near Mr. Stoddard. Evervbodv knew that Mr. Stoddard frequently called at Captain Atwater's, to spend an evening in company with the latter gentleman's daughter. The Cap- tain asked a number of questions as to the cost of the different bridges over the canal. He finally asked the cost of the bridge in Orange street. Henry Peck answered that the bridge had been partly paid for by private subscription. Mr. Stoddard said that lending the company more money would lead to further loans and finally to the ruin of the city. Captain Atwater was greatly incensed at the position taken by Mr. Stoddard. He said : " You fool ! Do you come down to my house and take away your geranium ; I won't have you there again." This sort of argument was much enjoyed. The funeral of Maj. Theodore Winthrop, June 22, 1861, caused a gloom throughout the city. Arthur D. Osborne, a college classmate, went to New York, to accompany the body of the dead soldier to New Haven. There was a large and imposing funeral pro- cession in which were the Governor's Foot Guard, Major Norton ; Veteran Grays, Major Sidney M. Stone ; Emmet Guards, Captain Cahill (afterward Colonel of the Ninth Regiment) ; a company of cadets from General Russell's institute, under Captain Peck (who afterw^ard died of wounds received in battle) ; National Blues, Captain Bristol, besides officers of the City Guard, Home Guard and Horse Guards. The members of the city government and several hundred other persons attended the funeral. Winthrop was born September 21, 1828, and died for his country June 10, 1861. In an address at the funeral President Noah Porter of Yale, said among other things ; " He was a descendant in a direct line, from the first John Winthrop who in 1630, conducted from England that choice and noble com- pany of immigrants, to which so many of the families of Massachu- setts and Connecticut have been proud to trace their origin." The dead body of Col. Noah L. Farnham of the Ellsworth Zouaves, was THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 27 I brought to New Haven Saturday, August 17, 186 1. There was a large funeral. He was killed at Bull Run and was son of George W. Farnham, formerly of New Haven, but then of New York. The judges of probate from 1829 to the time of the removal of the courts from the State House were : Charles A. Ingersoll, ist term, .... 1829-1834. Nathaniel R. Clark, ist term, . . . 1834-1835. Charles A. Ingersoll, 2d term, . . , . 1835-1838. Nathaniel R. Clark, 2d term, - o . 1838-1842. Robinson S. Hinman, . . . . 1842-Oct., 1843. Alfred Blackman, ..... 1843-1844. Eleazer K. Foster, ist term, .... 1844-1846. Ezra Styles, ...... 1846-1847. Eleazer K. Foster, 2d term, .... 1847-1850. Frederick Croswell, ..... 1850-1854. Cyprian Wilcox, ...... 1854-185 7. Luzon B. Morris, ..... 1857 The first official record of a town meeting in the State House, is dated October 3, 1831, Col. William Mosely being moderator; but the annual town meeting was first held there in the same year, when William H. Jones was moderator and Elisha Munson, clerk. A par- tial list of tythingmen appointed at this meeting is given, that it may be seen who were some of the more respectable gentlemen of the town : Nathaniel Olmstead, Samuel P. Davis, Richard M. Treadway, William Dwight, Jeremy L. Cross, Isaac M. Hall, Nathaniel Booth, Stephen Inness, Thomas McCauley, Charles C. Rowley, Thomas Cummins, Obed S. Squires, Isaac Plumb, James Trowbridge, Guy L. Hotchkiss, Elias Gilbert, Joseph Barber, Newton Wheeler, Alfred Daggett, Zelotes Day, George Gill, James Punderford, Elias Carey, Rowland Winchel, Sidney Hubbel, William Jones, John Lange, Hezekiah Augur, Israel Harrison, Horace Peck, Willard Lyon, Lewis Morehouse, Richard Beach, Lewis M. Kimberly, Nathaniel S. u H H U DEALER IN PICTURES, ART-TYPES -t-II5SIlItSxilID«EltM1IlI!S CANVAS AND STRETCHERS. IFx'axixes o± all ZE^ii^-ds inx Stioclls: an^-d- "bo Ox*ca.e3?. 127 U]^IO>^ STEEET North from Chapel Street, NEW HAVEN, CONN, THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 2/3 Jocelyn, John Skinner, Avery C. Babcock, Enos A. Johnson, Charles B. Lines, Jr., Marcus Merriman, Jr., besides twenty-live others. The action taken at a town meeting held January 6, 1844, will have an interest for thoughtful and observant citizens who are informed regarding the large sum of money paid every year into the treasury of the city court. The meeting adopted a number of votes regarding the duties of prosecuting grand jurors and among others, this: '•'Resolved, That inasmuch as the law imposing a fine for getting drunk, is pru- ductive of no good, but is often the means of taking from the drunkard's famil\- the last dollar and leaving them without bread and in that case, dependent upon the town for support, that therefore it ought to be repealed and some provision made for the temporary confinement in the almshouse, of persons found drunk and incapable of taking care of themselves." The resolution was not adopted in haste, for it had been laid on the table at a preceding meeting, presumably to allow sufficient time for a fair consideration of the matter. There was another vote passed at a town meeting in 1834, which shows that taxpayers were not wanting in sensibility: '■'•Voted, That this meeting disapprove of the law passed by the last Legislature entitled : ' An Act regarding Anatomical and Medical Science,' which authorizes the selectmen of the several towns to deliver over the bodies of paupers without friends for the purpose of dissection, and that the selectmen be directed to cause all such paupers as may die in this town to be buried at the public expense." The first New Haven directory was brought out in February, 1840. In 1842, the office of the city auditor was at No. 11 Union Wharf ; that of the tax collector, was over No. 75 Chapel street ; that of the town clerk at the State House. The office of the mayor and city clerk was at No. 13 Exchange Place. The office of the street commissioner was in the Phoenix building. At this time there were flourishing a number of benevolent organizations, managed by women. Such were the Female Orphan Asylum, with Mrs. James Kingsley, president ; the Dorcas Society, Mrs. Joel Root, president : 18 2/4 ^^^ HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. the Our Society, Mrs. F. T. Jarman, president; the Beehive, Mrs. Anna Twining, first directress ; the Female Education Society, Mrs. Jeremiah Day, president ; Female Bible Society, Mrs. Timothy Dwight, president ; the Martha Washington Temperance Society, Mrs. Walter D. Smith, first directress. New Haven has been as remarkable for benevolent societies as its Common Council has ever been for its numerous committees. When we think of the time of the building of the Pyramids and the lives of the slaves that were spent in the terrible toil of the desert ; when we think within how comparatively a recent period, slaves were bought and sold in the good commonwealth of Connec- ticut ; when we read in a newspaper only a little over a hundred years ago, namely, June 15, 1763, such an advertisement as the following, the event to which reference is made, will appear remark- able indeed : " To be sold by the subscriber of Branford, a likely negro wench, eighteen years of age, is acquainted with all sorts of Housework ; is sold for no fault." For on a pleasant morning, January 3, 1870, the Green was crowded with the people of a once despised and subject race, who .vere gathered there, in holiday attire and looking happy and pros- perous, to joyously celebrate their more than magna charta — the Emancipation Proclamation. White citizens of the town were so interested in the great festivity of freedom that the Wooster Guard, composed of colored men, had great difficulty in preserving space enough on the Green for the evolutions necessarv to set the merrv- makers into line. The arrangements for the day had been made by Rev. J. F. Floyd. All things passed off in a most satisfactory man- ner. There was a fine dinner in the old probate office, in the State House. In the evening the colored people held a large meeting at Music Hall on Crown street. A noble letter from Hon. Joseph R. Hawley was read, and one of the first and strongest of the champions of human liberty — William Lloyd Garrison — pronounced an oration. Unlike the great leader, Moses, M^ho saw but could not enter the THE HISTORY OF THE STATE HOUSE. 2/5 promised land, this abolition hero lived to see the end of his labors. Old Grimes, who until a few years ago was a familiar figure in New Haven's streets, had been a slave in the South. He ran awav and after great hardships found himself in the town of Litchfield, this State, where be kept a barber's shop for a time. He came thence to New Haven, and in his age was a successful policy player. This is a business which keeps all the players poor, except those who man- age the play. It is a game which has worked much wretchedness among poor and ignorant people, but no session of the Legislature has been able to produce a law for its suppression. Grimes was shrewd and witty. Asking alms once of Rev. Dr. Croswell, the clergyman, enquired : '' Grimes, why don't you work ? " "Ah, sir," said Grimes, "you and I know too much for that." The theology of Grimes was of a peculiar sort. Being asked one day whether he believed in the Bible or not, Grimes made answer: "I wouldn't dare to disbelieve it whether I believed it or not." The little houses built in different parts of the city, for the use of slaves who had run away from their Southern masters, have, one after another, disappeared. Within a very few years there was one on Orange, above Audubon street, the site being now covered by the dwelling of a wealthy carriage maker. Still later there was one on State, below Trumbull street, in which formerly lived a colored woman named Ellen Thompson. During the mayoralty of Hon. Henry G. Lewis, the city was presented with a fine lot of gray squirrels. Mr. Lewis took great pains to have them domesticated on the Green. He caused a number of wood boxes to be placed among the boughs of the elms, and for a long time fed the squirrels with nuts of his own purchas- ing. But they gradually disappeared, and many of them ran from tree to tree, up Temple street, and to the Hillhouse woods, and further into the country. It has been remarked by observers, that the woods of Whitneyville this fall, are greatly populated by the gray aVid other kinds of squirrels. One reason is, that owners of estates near New Haven, will not now allow hunters to trespass, and FOR PRINTING, TJSE ELECTROTYPES 3XAI>E 15^" BARNUM£ WOODSTOCK, NEW HAVEN, CONN. 83 COURT ST. One ea.le:r!S i:iv oO'TT rr\>TTOkOk-Ok.f-» --i v®i i^(^m, v^x i^^ry ^ry rv t^ No. 353 State Street NEW HAVEN, CT, Telepljone 5S7^ VAV ^4V ^iV ^IV ^iV X o H W X CO rn d^ ::u > O :o Z o o m m CO CO H o c o ^ "0 m m z CO c) ^ H rn -p m o CO r m o z m H CO m H P> z o ff 2 <^ 3. ^S i < o • g 3" C7^ I 1 ^ > O > 0) r o CD tn z m t/9 € t^ o o i o Ox tn > P ^ r o z J. C. PECK & SON, HOUSE FURNISHERS. 755 ™ 763 CHAPEL STREET, NEW HAVEN, CONN. J