Record-Journal from Meriden, Connecticut • 14

MERIDEN RECORD FRIDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 7 1941 Two Views Oi Slain Street In The 7ts Life Long Resident Of Main Street Mrs Otis Describes Thoroughfare As It Was Seventy Years Ago Author Of Sketch Made Journey Here In '69 Daughter Wife And Mother Of Local Physicians Came Here On First Through Train From California From Lawlor's Hill To Broad Street Trees Lined Village Highway Shading Lawns Oi Fine Old Homes MANY FORMER RESIDENTS RECALLED AMONG MAIN STREET NEIGHBORS Linsley "Castle" Banker Guy's House Wheeler's Hardware Store Wooden Bridge Over Brook Were Landmarks Merit Oil company is now located That was before he built the brick house which is now the parsonage of Trinity Methodist church As children we always called Mr Linsley'a house because of its many gables cupolas and towers and thought what a wonderful place it would be to I play In the attic This house al- from the corner of Colony story The old Meriden House with great trees described by Mr Otis from the train to see the last spike In the final connecting link of the railroad driven There were no sleepers end no dining cart on that early train and she tells how her mother made up beds for the children on the car seats and how they taught baskets of food at various stops along the route and she remem bert particularly a large tent set up at Salt Lake City where food was sold to the passengers and the remarks her mother mads about the Mormons who conducts the store there Portions of the route of the railroad were through hostile Indian country and the train was accompanied by armed guards There was no schedule for the tiain which just traveled on as the train crew saw fit much as a motorist would now driving over Route 6 between here and the Pacific coast She id the widow of Dr Samuel Otis and the mother of Doctors I and Otis and is the daughter of the late Dr Newport so that throughout her seventy years residence on Main street she has been closely allied with the healing art in Meriden Upon arrival her her family lived for a short time in the Morgan block where the Broderick A Curtin store is now located Dr Newport having his office there Later they lived for a time at 88 East Main street the present site of the funeral chapel of John Ferry A Sons and then Dr Newport made his horns at 95 West Main street in the fine home shown in one of the Illustrations in this paper After her marriage to Dr Otis she lived at 16S West Main street on the corner of Goodwill avenue where she still makes her home while her sons havs'thstr offices on the lower floor of the same building My beloved Main street your beauty loving neighbor and good friends of long ago: I am thinking of you aa I take a walk thi bright sunny day I am starting from I j4wlor hill (the hill on Weet Main street just west of Vine street to called from Michael Lsw-lor who lived there In the I walk down past the houses (There were three of them in those days the (rid Moses An-1 drew homestead which has been taken over by the Meriden Histor- leal society also one a little east of it on the same side of the street and a third one across the street) Then on over the old wooden bridge to New City (The portion of the Third ward from about Unsley avenue to Bradley avenue was called New Ctty In the days of which Mrs Otis is thinking) This old wooden bridge was in about the same location as the new concrete one The embankment for the bridge over the Wat-erbury railroad tracks had not been built and the grade of the highway was about the same as now although the bridge over Sodom brook was of planks instead of concrete and the roadway was simply a dirt road and at times very muddy Across the street stands the fine old David Smith house the site now occupied by the west wing of the Lincoln junior high school What a story it could tell of the fine sons and daughters born there and of the good deeds they did There were Dr Smith the fine baseball player who later became such a skillful surgeon Frank Smith the furniture man and four daughters Mrs Julius Augur and Misses Ella Jennie and Frances Then on again and I pause while my thoughts go to one who sees beauty in all nature our beloved artist Lilia Yale who lived at 208 West Main street and to Neighbors Hulda and Roxanna Griswold Story Of Main St Began In 1721 Colony Boundary Road Formed Line Between New Haven And Hartford Meriden's Main street which now become a link In the national highway designated as Rout 8 has a history extending back over two eenturiea snd as It has served through the year to aid in the developmen' of the community it is now being called into use in developing the Industries of New England which ai so badly needed in the expansion of the national defense program The first portion of Main street Meriden which was laid out and developed as a highway is that between about the head of Willow street and St Andrew church This was In October 1721 nearly 220 years ago According to George Curtis in "A Century of the selectmen of Wallingford to which Meriden then belonged laid out a road thirty-three feet wide extending from South Colony street at about the present Armour company plant to the Middletown line This road was constructed In a perfectly straight line for the entire distance passing through ths present Perkins street right through the Main Street Baptist and the Club proper-end coming out onto the pres-East Main street about the id of Willow street It contin-I on in the straight line and up present Liberty street and on hills to Mt Higby fourteen year later in 1733 jn Merriam whose dwelling isc stood about the easterly end the present building known as lace block but facing South lony street or the old country id sequestered land for a road rty-thre feet wide running sterly from a point on the counroad just north of his house it Beaver Dam brook now own as Sodom brook This was the first lay-out of West tin street from the present traf-tower to a point at about the ner of West Main and Vine eets Previous to that there had sn flane or cart path leading his home property past his wmill which stood in the vicini-of the old Waterbury railroad tlon Vhen th turnpike was cut ough in 1812 which constituted present East and West Main eets the Liberty street route a abandoned as the highway beset) here and Middletown and proximately the present layout of at Main street was adopted uti-Ing but a very small portion of original Meriden-Middietown jhway Just west of the present hail At that time West Main eet also was widened from the ginal two rods or thirty-three st The opening of this turnpike greatly increased the traffic on Main street and was the beginning of the development of what came to be known as West Meriden the rente)- of commerce having previously been in the section called the Center and now known as Uptown The original highway which was the beginning of Main street marked the northerly boundary of New Haven Colony and was known as Wallingford North Bounds Although New Haven colony claimed the land it bought from the Indian sachem Montowese extended about a mile north of Main street Connecticut colony at Hartford claimed the territory south to Main street so that title to the territory which is now the northern half of Main street was in dispute for a number of years The town of Wallingford In older to perfect its claim to th land north of Main street which was much more fertile than much of the land of Wallingford with its sand plains purchased from Adam Puit an Indian a tract of land extending three miles north of Main street and being about six miles east and west with all its swamps rivers and meadow lands This deed was executed In 1684 Wallingford applied to the General court in vain for a title to these lands north of Main street until 1723 when it was voted that the "polls and rateable estate of all the Inhabitants living on a tract of land bounding east on Middletown north on Jonathan Belcher Est his farm northwesterly on Farmington south on Wallingford shall be put Into the gen Mrs Mary Newport Otis the author of the very interesting remln-eseence of Main street of the which appears in this issue of The Record came to Mer-dlen with her family in 1889 when she was eight years of age and she has lived on Main street continuously ever since Although born in this state she came here directly from Sacramento Cal where she and her Mrs Samuel Otis family had lived for two years They made the trip on the first through train from California to Chicago on the Union Pacific railroad inU when the train stopped at Council Bluffs Iowa she end the rest of the passengers alighted street Is Judge George Smith house It was set back some distance from Main street on Grove street and the lawn extended down to the corner Later this stretch from our house to Grove street was occupied hy the Malloy Bush-nell and CurtiB A Cook's blocks all of which still stand Across again to the south side of Main street There on the corner of Grove street where drug store was located so long is George Isbell's home and east of It Green's and Isaac Butler's homes About where Katt store has been so long is the long walk leading to George fine house in the real- between Main and Hanover streets That was before Mr Lyon built th fine house on the corner of Colony and Foster streets where the Moose club i now located I pass good grocery store at 38 West Main street and find myself In front of that fine old bouse of President Joel Guy where Dr Smith had his office for so many years I go on again and look in Mrs Mary Hadley's millinery window with the new style poke bonnets all shirred around the brim As I look acrose the street there is the Bloxham house where the beat of food is served the finest steaks and chops in town I look up and the beautiful elms still shade me from the sun Here is High School avenue and on the corner is William Lewis' fruit and confectionery Store and east of it are George Parker's harness store Franklin Hin-raan's hook store Klock's drug store and hardware storsSt 17 West Main -iiere the Grant company store is now located and through the alley in the rear is i livery stable That was before he built the fine brick stable on the corner of Church street and High School avenue OLD MERIDEN HOUSE ON THE CORNER Here Is our wonderful Meriden House With a balcony all across the front and side where one can enjoy a quiet smoke and listen to the music from Temple of though much modified still stands It was moved down to the corner of Cook avenue and Hanover street and the ground floor of it is now occupied by Quinlan's store Now I am in West Meriden and on the bank across the street I see the house of John Sutllff (ltl West Main street and Bela Carter (119 West Main street) The little Cunningham house Is below the hill Just east of Mr Carter's house and through the gate and across the beautiful lawn is Dr Nickerson's house (This house stood In the rear of 107 West Main strest and the lawn extended down to i the street Later Dr Nickerson lived at 120 Cook avenue and still later he moved to Washington street) Next is the Whipple homestead about where the entrance to the Loew-Poli Palace theater is now located (H Whipple treasurer of the Parker Whipple Co) I think of the many good time with Schoolmates Frank Annie and Norm Across the street stands the Hillard place where the YMCA building is now and between that and Butler street is grove where we have our gay picnics This grove of beautiful pine trees occupied the site which was afterward used for the building of the hotel known as the Curtis house which in its day waa a fine hostelry The grove was owned by Charles Weber who lived on Butler street and who built the brick building now standing in the rear of the old Curtis house structure and in which he had a bar over which drinks were served to picntcers in his grove On the other corner of Butler street where the Fox building is now located is the home of Deacon Butler from whom the street derived its name This house still stands though It has been moved back and turned to face Butler street and now used as a rooming house by Mrs Nora Rost at 10 Butler street waa yard Across the tr- jt almost opposite Butler street is I)r Newport's home with its lovely front yard filled with flowers and the talking parrot on the porch Here I spent my girlhood days and east of our house almost to Grove street waa thc swamp with Green's photograph wagon on wheels Latef print shop was built there and after a while it burned down Then on the comer of Grove from Center street Thc brick building at the right is Franklin Otis In her story aits down to rest after her walk-up the hill to Broad street who lived where the Meriden Auto station is now located MRS Across the street at 231 West Main street is Austin Bowe home and his carriage shop in the rear jjext to Deacon Butler's house where Bowe A Chalker make wag- that 0f Knight where ons of all kinds and do repair Oatia' lunch now stands There Fenn the fine musician boarded Next (at 80 Vest Main street) I work as well as shoeing horses Many of the carriage repair and Main Street Now Part Of Cross-Country Highway Renumbered Route 6A Becomes Part Of Theodore Roosevelt Highway Cape Cod To Pacific a view some years later than Its balcony may be seen In are seen in the distance centers of population with Route 20 and passes just south of Chicago It then goes through DesMoinee Iowa Council Bluffs Iowa where Mrs Otis as a child saw the final spike driven on the Union Pacific railroad while making a trip on the first through train from California to Chicago and through Omaha Neb to Denver Col It enters Utah some distance south of Salt Lake City passing through the town of Spanish Fork and from there through Ely and Tono-pah Nev and thence to Los Angeles This highway passes through fourteen states and is 2700 or 2500 mfies long It goes through eight states in its first thousand miles from the eastern seaboard thousand miles and the balance some 700 or 800 miles takes it three more state for the next through three more states shows are given Tom Thumb Buffalo Bill real exciting times A I stand and look up Liberty street I see Dr A Tracy's home Fasy'a art store where St John's church now stands and Soda works where they afterward built the high school the building now used by the city welfare department as its bead-quarters It is getting late and I must start for home but I am thinking of the many changes As you read witl you remember Clark's bus to Hanover or bus to the North-end or the Eagle's Nest on Soqth Colony street? At Coiner' a the downtown section of the cLy was called I cfoas the churchyard where the Sears-Roabuck store now is to the Comer school where so many of us graduated from Profeasor A Mather's room What fine teachers they all are Mias Dowd Mis Shelley Miss Linsley Miss Rics and all and how the children love Mias Bradley! It is late I will hasten down past Mrs Linsley house where A Austin afterward built hla livery stable and down High School avenue with it row of brick houses past Thomas Fowler's place with it air of Old England and on to my dear old Main street of the Seventies I have enjoyed thinking of every house and of the dear friends who lived in them 1 look back now after many years and think that it has been a blessing to me to have lived on our lovely Main street so long watching It slow changes being able to trace them back and to feel that my children end my grandchildren will always love it Sincerely MRS MARY OTIS A West-Skier West Main street looking west the time depicted in Mrs the right foreground The East Main street looking east hall on the steps of which Mr gun and sporting goods store and Francis' harness shop which later was cqnducted by Chaiies Stockder Mr Francis was Mrs A Alderman's father and the building Is still known as building UNCLE CANDY MARBLES Right there across Pratt street is Uncle Billy Hagsdon's news stand and candy store where we bought the moet for our money the very large candy marbles six for a cent There is ths Christian Haags house where the Variety Bake shop is now located so long occupied by Mueller Buese hair dressing store (74 East Main where the Goodyear Service store now Is) the Beach home at 88 where the John Ferry funeral chapel now stands Looking on up the hill on the north side of the street is Dr fine home He was the father of Mrs Cooke and his home was where the Masonic temple now stands On his front lawn waa a large Iron dog which attracted much attention Nexf is Mrs Hutchinson's house and then the Frank Hall home at 120 East Main street where the Elks' club now is snd Dr Catlin's home at the top of the hill Opposite the Haaga house I see on the corner of Veteran street the office of the Meriden Daily Republican predecessor of The Morning Record There is Editor William Graham quite a spicy writer Then to thq right of the Republican office is th Meriden Savings bank where Mr Edwin Curtis the president is always ready to greet you On the easterly corner of Veteran street lives Mr John Cos with fin stable In the rear Next Is Deacon Paddock's stately home and then there are the homes of Mr A Austin Mr Easton and Francis I cross Willow street and stand before Mr Joseph Morse's home with the big iron dog in the front yard Thi dog is standing up not lying down like the one across the street in Dr yard Dr Rust and George Wtlmot live up on the terrace and next to them Is th Methodist church with its lovely lawn I go on across Pleasant street to the Lawrence homestead where the Curtis Memorial library now stands and next ia the home of Dr Timothy Fisher Davis father of Dr Charles Davis and Wilbur Davis and grandfather of th present Judge Wilbur Davis Next Is the beautiful home of -Mrs I Lewis where Mr William Rice Smith now live I cross Elm street and come to the home of the Rev John Parker Cr he large square white house on the bank Just west of the state ar lory) Then I come to the Charles Parker house which stood on th westerly comer of High street and which was recently removed to make room for the Uptown Service station Across the street on the other corner was the Enoch Co place which was moved back snd turned to face horse shoeing shops of days gone by went out of business but this shop conducted by Mr Bowes sons in after years kept up with the times and went Into the automobile business In recent years has been A O'Brien's Service station and- has been taken over recently by Budd Motors as its Meriden headquarters At 217 West Main street between Bowes shop and Lewis avenue is the home of A Boardman father of Albert Boardman who was our registrar of voter so long and grandfather of Rhoda Burleigh see Neighbor Cyrus Kelsey place where the Outlet is how located What a wonderful cook Mr Kelsey was and how we children loved to have her pass around her perfectly cooked doughnuts From there to the corner of South Grove street is the yard of 8 Williams with its apple trees and how we loved to play there (X Williams who conducted a dry goods store in the Home bank building and who later built the house on Colony street which is now the American Legion home our present day dancing instruct Uvd whre thc Laurtl col1pge or Also along there are the Higby nm ocat(d Rnd fh nd hetwwn Dunham and Andrews homes the latter on the corner of Lewis av- there and the corner of street his side Musle down stairs (Th Temple of Music was where Pinks' drug store was located so many years the most westerly store in the Meriden House building) Looking across th street I see that remarkable Gaylord's 99-Cent store (at 18 West Main street) and next to the bank book store with Henry Mather's jewelry store occupying one side of it (This was where the Ailing Rubber company's store is now located) Next is clothing store where the French Shop is now located end Colllne A grocery store in th present location of Then comes Ellbree's drug store and on the corner of South Colony street where store hi now located Is Griswold Richmond A Lewis' hardware and tin shop Thatwas before Glock joined th firm On th opposite corner where cigar and news store Is located is the Rogers hotel Now across the railroad tracks and the wooden bridge over Harbor brook we find th office pf th Water department with Alexander Duncan proprietor of the plumbing shop In charge and Bowdltch's furniture store (These two places of business were on the present location of th Puritan Bank A Trust company) I am n'ow at the Crown street comer looking over at the Morgan's block That is where my father Dr Newport had his first office in Meriden in 1889 snd we lived In an apartment there Later before moving to West Main street we lived for a time at 88 East Main Street where Dr Hughes afterwards built on the alt of ths present Ferry funeral chapel Hiram Francis' crockery store is down stairs where the Broderick A Curtain drug store has been for so many years Upstairs is the Odd Fellows' hall Dr Rust's office and David photograph gallery Right next la John A Thomas' 95 West Main the home on th porch was one of the Childhood Home Of Mary Newport Otis The renumbering of the highway known as Connecticut Route 14 and designating it Route 6-A thereby creating an alternate route on Route 8 between Woodbury and Willimantic through Wat-srbury Meriden and Willimantic makes East and West Main street Meriden a link In the through route from Provlncetown Mass to Los Angeles Cal known as the Theodore Roosevelt highway The old Route 8 through Thomaa-ton Bristol Farmington Hartford and Manchester to Willimantic will be retained West of Woodbury and east of Willimantic no changes are being made This route of which East and West Main streets ars now a part starts from Provlncetown Maas passes through Providence I then through central Connecticut New York Pennsylvania and Ohio to ths city of Cleveland It then alternates back and forth between High street' to make room for Socotiy station I walk slowly up the hill past the old Central hotel to Broad streeit and I stop to rest on the steps of the old brick building thinking of the fine young school which Mrs Fannie Augur conducts and of Miss Emily Leonard both very able teachers and much beloved by all their pupils (This building which stood between Center Congregational church and Main street on that corner was known as Franklin hall and was the scene of the dances held by the young people of Meriden Center as that part of ths town was called) FATHER WALSH OF SAINT ROSE'S Now that I am rested I cross the street and there on the north corner Is the old White Tavern On down the hill past several small stores I come to Center street and looking down that street I thinking of Father Walsh rector of St Rose's church who is so kind to everyone Now I am passing the Edgerton house William place where at Myra Bull still lives f'e beautiful home of Dr John Talt who was well loved by a 1 wU siowly past Deacon Lyman Ctar''s home at 222 East Main street Mosher's home Dr A Churchill and El wood A house which stood on the corner of Norwood street the property nova owned by St Paul's church Next our stately town hall with Us wide front steps and balcony lighted with oil lamps with reflectors at the back Her great WHERE OLD OAKEN BUCKET ONCE HUNG Across Lewis avenue on the present site of St Joseph's church is thc WilUaim Goodwill home Most of the land on the east side of Lewl avenue and Goodwill avenue is Included in his farm His wife Elisabeth Merrlam was one of the descendant of John Mer-riam the original settler In this section of Meriden who first laid out West Main street two rods wide running through his farm to his saw mill But what is remembered most about this place is the well that stands in front of the house where paseers-by are wont to stop for adrlnk of cool water from the old oaken bucket that hangs there free tor all There is Mary Elisa the housekeeper at the Goodwill home who had an impediment in her speech but who took it upon herself to see that no one allowed water to drip back into the well or to drink directly from the bucket instead of the cup provided She waa a valiant assistant of the health officer in keeping conditions about the well clean and sanltsry I go down to Linsley hfU where Mr Randolph Linsley lives among his flowers and hit fruit orchard and I stop to rest thinking it is a beautiful sight with its stately elm-lined street Mr Linsley whose farm took In nearly ail the land between Cook and Linsley avenues from Main to Hanover street at hat time lived on the corner of Cook avenue where Dr Eg-(lesion lived for so many years and there the service station of the eral list of Wallingford and thJ said inhabitants are to give i)f their lists to the listers of the fown of Wallingford'' Two years later in 1725 the General Court adopted a resolution that those inhabiting the land northward of Wallingford commonly called Wallingford Purchase lands be a separate society for setting up and carrying on the public worship of God among themselves The bounds for this society were set at approximately the present boundaries of Meriden except that the Belcher farm called Meriden was not Included At the May session in 1728 it was ordered that Meriden farm be annexed to the society and th society together with th- farm was annexed to Wallingford and that th society shall be called and known by the name of Meriden Thu the status of the parish was established and christened by the name of Meriden which name had previously been borne only by the farm near the Peat Works lake These developments led to the settlement of the territory more raptdly and as the term North Bounds" was frequently used in describing property transferred and the uncertainty as to just where that line was led the selectmen of Wallingford to apply to John Hitchcock New Haven county surveyor to establish the west half of that line which he did in 1744-45 He ran the line beginning at the Farmington boundary Southington) and placed every eighty rods Then the men laid out a highway Just south it this line from th Farmington line to rosd that goeth west through John Merriam' farm Thie road came down Johnson's hill and was in a straight line with Liberty street a part of the original rosd to Middletown Residence of the late Dr Newport which formerly stood at in which the author of this story lived sa a girl A talking parrot neighborhood delight 1.