How old is your town?

Dave,
don't forget aircraft engines down in West Hartford.
Martha

This is really interesting. All these fun historical facts and sites. So much fun to learn all about different towns and locals. I remember when rt. 1 was the only highway. Then they built the interstate called rt. 95. That was a big deal because there weren't any stop lights. Back then rt 1 was all concrete not asphalt.

Martha, You know CT!
Big hunks of our weapons industry have left including Pratt & Whitney. But Hartford will always have insurance.

Dave, Pratt has test cells and whatnot down in West Hartford. Brian goes to the plant in North Berwick, ME everyday from here to make engines. he has to go down to CT from time to time.
Martha

And let's not forget Sikorsky. Not strictly a defense company, but lots of it's work is certainly defense-oriented. I've lived in four different towns in my life but surprisingly have not really ever lived more than 10 miles from Sikorsky. The sound of helicopters flying overhead is an integral part of life here.

Speaking of flight, another claim to fame by Bridgeport is possibly the first (documented) manned flight, by an immigrant named Gustave Whitehead, which supposedly took place at Seaside Park on Long Island Sound, a Bridgeport park. This flight was supposed to have pre-dated the Wright brothers, but was not as well documented. Scuttlebutt is that the Wright family has threatened to pull the brother's plane which was flown at Kitty Hawk out of the Air & Space Museum if the Smithsonian acknowledges any other claim besides the Wrights'. Interesting stuff.

http://www.unmuseum.org/gustave.htm

http://gustavewhitehead.org/

Founded in 1670 by the French, the town was originally known as Cap Français and gained ... Cap-Pele, New Brunswick · Cap-Pelé, New Brunswick

as my family is acadian my father line cam in 1603 not sure when they got to cap-pele but we go back many generation

I now live in metcalfe and here is the info Colonel Archibald Macdonell, believed by some to be the first settler in the township, settled just south of the current location of the village in March 1827. It was originally called Osgoode but was renamed to Metcalfe in 1877.

The local agricultural fair, the Metcalfe Fair, has been held each fall since 1856


well thats it lol

Your family is Acadian? I just read a fictional - very fictional - book in which many Acadian anfd French names and words were dropped all over the place. Fascinating history. (Not the book, the history of the Acadian people and the subsequent Cajuns, etc. The book wasn't that good.)

we have found relative as far as baton rouge so we are spread all the down the eastern seaboard

Wow, what a facinating thread of history this turned out to be!!
It took me a long time to read it and then I had to look up my own town, I've only lived here 23 yrs.
South China is NOT a town. lol It's one of 4 villages that compromise China, Maine. In 1774 a family named Clark settled in the area and established Jones' Plantation.

The principal body of water within the town is China Lake, which is 7 miles long and about 1 mile wide, extending from near the northern line of the town south-west nearly to Three Mile Pond, at the south-western corner of the town. On the western side extending into Vassaihoro, and connected by a passage called the Narrows with a longer division of the lake, is another about 4 miles long and 2 wide. The Sebasticook River forms the outlet. The land along the lake rises from its gravel beach in gradual slopes to moderate heights. The rock in town is mostly granite. The usual woods are found. The soil is excellent. The western branch of the Sheepscot passes through the eastern part of the town, affording several small powers. At Weeks's Mills on this stream arc a grist-mill, lumber, and two shinglemills. At Palermo post-office, or Branch Mills, are a lumber and grist mill. The town has a cheese-factors, tannery, several small boot and shoe factories, etc. The centres of business in the town besides those already mentioned, are China Village, at the north, the seat of China Academy, and South China, beautifully situated at the south end of lake.

This is the link to a historic picture of the library...it's still that small and looks just like that! ha ha ha
http://news.webshots.com/photo/1072210009043378520sLhAez

Actually those are all old historic pictures of this area.

Martha, Pratt & Whitney had huge plants in North Haven and East Hartford which are gone now. The East Harttford plant is now the Univ. of CT football stadium and the runway is the parking lot. It's good to know they still have something in CT

Pixie, I may have missed it earlier but did you find out how China,ME got its name?

Another early industry in CT was whaling. A good sense of that is maitained at Mystic Seaport.

Oh yes Dave, the name of the town was chosen by Japheth Washburn. He wanted to call the town Bloomville, but people from the town of Bloomfield objecting, saying that the similarity of names could cause confusion. Mr. Washburn settled on the name China, because it was the name of one of his favorite hymns

Cool. Thanks

Pixie, those photos are great! I like the guy on the pole, lol. Notice he's wearing a hat, even though he's working? The area looks awfully open though - I guess I just expect more trees in New England, farm or not.

I was wondering how China got it's name too! Thanks for the answer - not as exotic a reason as I thought, lol.

Oh we have trees......lots of trees. Spend an few hours on anyone of our interstates and you'll realize we have alot of trees. Victors littlest boy mentioned that exact fact to me when I met him this summer... it was pretty funny!

I know Vermont was deforested in the 1800s quite a bit, then conservation stuff went into place and now we have a ton of trees and at least one national forest. Probably a common story all around.

Oh, and I live in a village. What a lot of pain it has caused in modern times (do we split, merge or keep status quo).

It is beautful up there evie.
And yes, it is hard to believe that the NE has more forest now than it did a century or two ago. I always thought it was the dramatic drop in farming, not conservation efforts, that was responsible.

1938 the no name hurricane took down a lot of trees. I can take you to a place now where you can still see all the trees knocked over and not much growth.

These posts are all fascinating to read. Keep them coming !

The only really interesting and preserved historical areas around here are the Calif. Missions. The one closest to me, in San Juan Capistrano, is gorgeous and has an amazing garden.

We do have one extremely old cemetary here with the old leaning headstones, etc. dating back to the 1800's. Evidently, there was some horrible flu that killed a LOT of children back then, mainly those under two or three years old.

It's kinda neat to walk the old cemetaries.

This mansion on the other side of town was built in 1892, has different activites thru out the year and at Christmas a big winter festival with house tours and model railraod open house in the basement(haven't seen that yet line is always too long) The owners of the mansion were involved with the beginning of Fox films and they had a tennis club on their property and all the tennis stars of the 20's and 30's would come and play.
http://glover320.blogspot.com/2006/12/2006-kuser-farm.html

Oh yeah, cemeteries are great places! When I was a kid my mom used to take us on day trips, and one of my favorite places was Wethersfield, CT. I loved the old houses, and I remember going through the cemetery and reading a huge stone that told of a man who unfortunately killed his wife and children. I guess we don't have a lock on those horrible things nowadays.

Anyway, I do love to read old gravestones and get a sense of the people who came before us and lived real and full lives. We tend to forget sometimes that these people were as human and alive as we are.

One of the best cemeteries I was ever in was in Ireland, in Glendalough, at St. Kevin's monastery. We were there on a rather foggy, cloudy day, and let me tell you, you couldn't build a better set for a horror movie. We wanted to go back at night but were too afraid, lol!

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/8896622

I wish I could find a better photo. Graves at all angles, heaved out of the ground - very cool. And VERY old!

Dee do you do any rubbings?

I live in Bridgeport and went to the Barnum Museum today to hear people talking about Bridgeport. I was surprised to find that Bridgeport wasn't officially a city until 1836! Bridgeport was the winter home to the Barnum Circus and the Locomobile was built in Bridgeport. (My dear neighbor's father was a test driver for locomobile!)

Bridgeport was called the Arsonal of Democracy for the role it played in WWI and WWII supplying munitions. The Tommy gun was built in Bridgeport. Singer started his sewing machine business in Bridgeport - the factory still stands today. Bridgeport has one of the few remaining shot towers in the country at the Remington Arms factory. I think that the Remington forest is the larget urban forest on the East Coast.

Bridgeport had a socialist mayor, Jasper McLevey from 1933 - 1957. He was an excellent mayor and took the city from bankruptcy to AAA bond rating. McLevey is (wrongfully) quoted as refusing to spend money plowing the streets saying "God put the snow there...let him take it away." (My girlfriend recently published a book on the McLevy years and she says it was NOT McLevy but the person who ran the public works department.) To this day you can hear people say around election time "What we need is another Jasper McLevy".

There is some revitalization happening in downtown Bridgeport today but consider that it is the largest (I think) city in Connecticut and has a single (1) big box store, no mall and a single movie theater (located on the city line). Some years in recent history it has had one of the lowest per capita incomes and also / or has been the highest taxed entity in the US.

DiggerDee & YankeeCat....years ago I visited a cemetery which was, I think, in Bridgeport. Winding paths. Beautiful masoluems and art. Some of it was on a hillside. Do either of you know of it? Can't recall the name or exactly where it was.

David - I used to visit a graveside. Many years ago - her name was Sarha.

Okay - well, I grew up in North Vancouver, BC - which is relatively young - the earliest homes were built in the early 20th century. Lots of advantages - like streets laid out in a grid that makes sense - no paved former cattle paths. Also, newer infrastructure since most of the city was built after the 1950s (and probably a third or more since 1975)

Currently, I live in Springfield, MA - which I believe was first incorporated in 1633. And many of the streets make no sense at all because they really are paved cattle paths (significantly widened and now having sidewalks). I doubt there is any house in the city older than 160 years old. The original settlement was centred where the downtown core is now located. Much of that area was severely damaged by a flood in 1934.

I live in a historical neighbourhood - Forest Park Heights. One of those new fangled purposefully planned suburbs that first emerged in the late 19th century. My own home is 100 years old.

The glory days of Springfield are in the past - it is known as the city of firsts because so many innovations occurred here - including the first American gasoline automobile, and soooo much industry was here! There were all kinds of jobs - but the factories have closed - the jobs have been moved to the Southern states or overseas. Now the cities is bifurcated into upper-end professional jobs (two major hospitals and many other health speciality clinics located in Springfield and 15 colleges within commuting distance). Also, there is a large insurance industry based here. But there are few other good paying jobs; much of the remaining jobs are low pay service jobs.

I was told there is a headstone in a graveyard not far from my house... that has "See you later alligator" on it

Digger...VERY COOL link !!!

What a photo!

Hey Jasper. How've you been?

I gotta run out so I have to cut it short (very difficult for me to do, lol!) but David, perhaps the cemetery you are thinking of is Mountain Grove? I have never been inside it, but it is often commented on as being a very beautiful cemetery - P.T. Barnum is buried here, and lots of fancy monuments, etc. My great-great-grandmother is also buried there, but in an unmarked pauper's grave, or so I'm told.

The only thing is, I don't think there are any hillsides there. I believe it is a relatively flat piece of land, although I may very well be mistaken - after all, I've never been there, lol. There is a cemetery that I know is on somewhat of a slight hill - Park Cemetery. Lots of my relatives buried here (about a block from where they all used to live). Many bodies supposedly disturbed when they put a highway through, sadly. But it's not an especially nice cemetery, which leads me back to thinking you are referring to Mountain Grove

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Grove_Cemetery,_Bridgeport

This link is better - and does refer to "rolling hills" lol!
http://cityofstones.com/mountaingrove.htm

Okay, this was supposed to be short, lol. Gotta go! :)

Quote from Wiki:

"The town was first settled around 1780 and was part of the Schuyler Patent of 1788. The Town of Poughkeepsie was established in 1788 as part of a general organization of towns in the county. In 1854, part of the western section of the town, already an independent village, became the City of Poughkeepsie. At least two National Historic Landmarks are located in the town: the Vassar College Observatory and Main Building (Vassar College). Actress Margaret Hamilton who was best known to audiences as Miss Almira Gulch/ Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz was cremated here in its rural cemetery two days after her death, but her ashes were scattered in Amenia."

Where's Amenia? Or do you say ARMENIA? This font is hard to read sometimes. D'oh.

I wonder if her ashes were green...

Great idea for a thread and fascinating to me, a relative newbie to Massachusetts. Three years ago my husband and I moved from California to Yarmouthport (part of the town of Yarmouth, incorp. 1639). One of the three English farmers who founded Yarmouth was John Crowe, ancestor of my son-on-law. HIS son, our grandson Charlie, is the 14th generation of the male line of the family to be born on the Cape. . . which says a LOT about Cape Codders LOL!

As a Westener, I always envied you New Englanders for your old houses and for the sense of history all around you. Not to mention to sheer loyalty to place that keeps your families staying in the same area for generations! This is not the California mode.

But just to note that we Californians do have a bit of history, I researched my original town of Monterey, which was the home to numerous firsts in California history:

"First established in 1770 by Father Junípero Serra and Gaspar de Portolà (governor of Baja and Alta California (1767–1770), explorer and founder of San Diego and Monterey), Monterey served as the capital of California from 1777 to 1849, under the flags of Spain and Mexico. Portola erected the Presidio of Monterey to defend the port against an expected Russian invasion. It was also the site of the July 7, 1846, Battle of Monterey during the Mexican-American War. It was on this date that John D. Sloat, Commodore in the United States Navy, raised the U.S. flag over the Monterey Customs House and claimed California for the United States. In addition, many California "firsts" occurred in Monterey. These include California's first theater, brick house, publicly funded school, public building, public library, and printing press. California's first constitution was also drafted here in October 1849."

You left California for these winters????

Ashes?...I thought she melted.

"...I wonder if her ashes were green..." LOL!

CCG, that is VERY cool about your grandson! It reminds me of some kind of genetic testing they did in England (the town of Cheddar) where they found this body that was thousands of years old. They did genetic testing, and found a teacher in town who was supposedly descended from this old guy! Imagine, being in the same spot as your ancestors from 1000's of years ago. How cool!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar_Man

I, unfortunately, can't make that claim. My mom's side of the family has been in Bridgeport for about 110 years, and that's the longest I can claim. Although, doing some research into my maternal grandfather's line, I think we may have family going back into the 1700's, which really excited me because I thought my entire family came over in the late 1800's - Ellis Island and all that. The guy from the 1700's was in NY, though, so even if related, we did a bit of moving around.

You reminded me of when I was in high school and spent a summer in Phoenix (yes, you read that right - a SUMMER in Phoenix - phew!) I remember there was some building or other that was going to be torn down because it was "old". I laughed because it had been built in the 50's (this was the late 70's). When I told the kids I was with that my high school had been built in the 20's, and wasn't really considered old, they were floored. They thought it was ancient, lol. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

One more thing on that - when I was lucky enough to go to Italy, my first day in Rome was very dreary, rainy, and we, being young and poor (as opposed to old and poor now, lol) were staying in a rather cheap hotel in a not so glalmorous part of town. I remember sitting in the cab thinking "Man, this city is a dump!". By the next day, I was in love. The sun had come out, we explored many other parts of the city, and my love of history and old architecture were having a field day! Here were people living and working in buildings that were hundreds and hundreds of years old, and they (the buildings) were completely functional (can't speak for the people in them, lol).

All I could think of was, in the US, we would have torn the builidings down, either to replace them with ugly (IMO) new buildings, or to put a highway through. It's amazing how they respect their history there. And it made the houses from the 1800's and 1700's, and even the few from the 1600's, that I grew up around seem like mere new construction, lol.

Yep, they knew how to build them then! My house (from the 50s) feels like junk. The stuff from the 1850s is holding up better and the stuff from the 1750s is pretty solid.

Here's a pic of the forge of the Saugus Iron Works. It is taken from the top of the smelting furnace. The archaeology was done back in the late '40s-early '50s. Everything but the house was reconstructed from the archaeological evidence. The museum houses what artifacts were dug up and the only actual remains of the works is the giant slag heap. But the furnace, forge, and slitting mill are operational, driven by waterwheels. A historic boatbuilding group built a shallop. which is a boat like the ones they used to ship ore and smelting materials in and iron products out. The park just went through a three year renovation which included a dredging of the river so that the boat could be displayed at the dock and go up and down the river. A street crosses the river now, but it was built up high enough so that the shallop can go under it if it takes down its mast. It's a National Historic site and a beautiful green oasis in the middle of Saugus.

This message was edited Feb 1, 2009 11:33 PM