Connecticut Historical Collections

town and WuHinoford range of mountains or bills passes through the eastern bortler of tlie town. Of this raivue, ]Mount Lamentation, which is in the northeastern part of the township, is the most elevated. The soil in the town is a gravelly and sandy loam, and is consideruhly fer- tile, producing grass, grain, Sic. The Quinnipiac river passes through liie southwe.'^tern part of the town, and several of its branches run through the interior. This is one of the most nourishing and enterprising numufacturing towns in the Slate. There is a considerable variety of manufactures liere, forming the chief emjiloyment of the inhabilants. The follow- ing is a list of the manuficiories, viz. 2 for patunt augers and auger bits, 3 for ivory combs, G for tin ware, -1 for Britannia ware, 2 iron founde- ries, 1 manufactory for colFee mills, 1 for clocks, 1 for Norfolk door- latches, 3 for block-tin spoons, 1 for wood coud)s, 1 for skates and iron rakes, and I for gridirons. The value of articles manufactured yearly, has been estimated from 300,000 to 1,000.000 of dollars. The Meri- den Bank is located in the village. About thirty years since a road was constructed from the northwest- ern' part of Meriden to Berlin, through a narrow and romantic glen, be- tween two ridges of the Blue Mountains; this pass, which is more than a mile in extent, is called the Cat Hole. In some parts of this glen there is but barely room for a path ; small angular fragments of rocks rise on each side, at about an angle of forty five degrees ; these rocks have been beaten down and covered with earth, which must have been brought here for the purpose. The engraving shows the narrowest part of the passage, as you go to the south. A few yards south of this place, elevated perpendicular rocks appear on the left, one of which has very much the ai)pearauce of a |:)ro(ile of the human face, and ii is thought by some to resemble in a slight degree the prolile of Washing- 228 Jr E R I 1) K N , Noith view of the Cat ILulc pass, in Mcridtn. ton, the Father of his country ; there was, however, at the time this drawin^r was taken, a defect in the under lip, wliich it will be necessary for the imagination to remedy. Following the foot of the mountain on the right, for about a mile, you will fmd large pieces of rocks l)'ing up- on each other in groat disorder, which have evidently fallen from the precipitous heights above. Underneath these rocks ice may be found in almost every month in the year. A spring issues from between them, called the Cold Spring, and is a place of resort on the fourth of July. The tradition is, tha the regicides, in their wanderings, came to Mer- iden, and made a stopping place on the bank of a stream west of the churches, and gave it the name of " Fi/grim^s ILirbor." " It is now spoken of as the " harbor," as much or as familiarly as that at j\e\v Haven." The first stage in Connecticut ran through IMeriden, on the old country road west of the central village, where the rail road is now located ; this was in 17S4. At or before the union of the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven, there was a grant made to a IMr. Belcher of a tract of land containing five hundred acres, upon condition of his building a stone house or fort \viih port holes, and to keep arms and ammunition. With the land, he was to have the right of keeping tavciii forever. 13elcher did not come himself, but it appears lie sent some one to take his ])lace. The bouse or fort was erected between the years i(iGO and 16G7. This building proving too small, another was erected about H^DO. This le- niained and was occupied till after the close of the Revolutionary war, with the addition of a wooden building, and whoever Iiv(;d tlieie kept tavern if they pleased, until the turnpike was made in 1799. It was situated in quite the upper part of the town, on the old road, and was a noted place durihg the French and Revolutionaiy wars. The village where the half-way tavern now is, has all been built during the lust fifty years, with the exception of two or three houses. JI I D D L E B IT II Y . M I L F O R P . GvJO MIDDLEBURY. IMiDDLF.BURY was incorporated as a town in 1807. h was formed from a section of the towns of Waterbury, Woodbury and Southbury. It derived its name from the fact of its occupyini^^ a viidJle position in reference to these towns. It is 22 utiles from l\ew Haven, and 36 from Hartford, boundeil n. by ^Valertown and AVoodbury, \v. by Wood- bury, s. by Oxford, and e. by Wateibury. It is about five miles in leni^th from north to fouth, and has an average breadth of about four. The surface of the town is hilly and rocky, and its a])pearance ratiier rougli and sterile. The rocks are principally granite, and the soil is a liard, coarse, gravelly loam, aflbrding tolerable grazing ; rye is cultiva- ted with some success. The town forms one Congregational society, and a society of Methodists, each of which has a house of worship in the center of the town. The number of inhabitants in 1830 was Sl(), being 31 less than there were in 1810. Agriculture is the prin- cipal business of the inhabitants. A satinet factory has, however, been recently erected at the outlet of (^iiasipaug pond or lake, a body of water on the western bortler of the town, which tlischarges its waters into the Housatonic. This pond, in some places, is of great depth, and furnishes at its outlet very su])erior water privileges. There is in the place a pm/)p manufactory upon a new plan, recently invented by JMr. Daniel Abbot. About a mile north of the meeting houses in this town, is a hill of considerable elevation, called Break neck hill. It derives its name from the ciicumsianc-e of one of the cattle falling and breaking its neck in descending thehill, while employed in transporting the baggage of the troops under the command of (Jen. La Fayette. I'he army, w liich was passing fiom the eastward to Hudson river, encamped one night on the suuuuit of this hill. I/a Fayette and some of his oliicers lodged in a tavern in the valley eastward, then kept by ]\Ir. Isaac Bronson. A new house has been recently erected on the site by his grandson. I\I I L F O R D . INIrLFOTii) is one of the oldest towns in Connecticut. It was one of the six plantaiions which composed the "Old Jurisdiction of iN'ew Ha- ven." The seiiletnent was commenced in 1639. The first purchase of land was made of the Indians on the 12th of February, which com- piehended about two miles of what is now the center of the town. I'lie deed was given to Mr. William Fowler, Edmond Tapp, Zaclieriah Whitman and Alexander Bryan, in trust for the body of planters. The consideration was "6 coats, 10 blankets, 1 kettle, besides a number of hoes, [viiives, hatchets and glasses." The instrument was signed by Ansantavvae, the sagamore, by Arracowset, Anshuta, Manamatijue and others. Afterwards at different times other purchases were made. The 230 M I L F O U D . tract lying west of the settlement, on the Ilousatonic river, was bought on the 20th of December, 1G59, lor the siiin of £26, to be paid^'in goods. The Indian Neck, lying between the East river and the Sound, was purchased on the 2d of January, 1G59-G0, for the consideration of £25. A reservation of 20 acres was made by the Indians in this tract for planting ground, which reservation they sold on the 12th of Decem- ber, 16GI, for six coats, two blankets and two jjair of breeches. By this last agreement, " Ansantawae, and wife, and his sons Tountone- moe and Ankeanach, in case of danger," were granted " liberty to sit down for shelter in some place near the town, where the townsmen should think most fit." A tract of land lying above the path that goetli from Derby to New Haven, a mile and six score rods in breadth, was bought on the 17th of June, 16S5. A tract, commonly called the two- bit pm-chase, '* lying north of J^laden's brook, and extending to Lebanon brook, a mile and six score rods in breadth," was bought on the 29th of February, 1700, for the consideration of £15 in pay, and 155. in sil- ver; and that tract commonly denominated the one-Lit purchase lying north of Lebanon brook, and running upward to Beacon hill river, a mile and six score rods in breadth, was purchased on the 23d day of February, 1702, for £5 in money, or otherwise £7 10*. in pay. I'bus it appears that the town once extended 20 miles north to Waterbury line, but its territory has been ceded to helji form other towns, till it is now contracted into a little triangle of about G miles in length on each side. Parts of these ancient purchases are now contained in the towns of Waterbury, Derby, Woodbrldge and Orange. The town is (now) bounded west by the Ilousatonic river, southeast by Long island sound, and northeast by Orange. The Indian name of the place was Wcjiawaug. The original settlers were mostly from the counties of Essex and York. A number of them came lo New P^ngland with Messrs. Eaton and Davenport's company, and remained \\'ith them at New Haven during the year of IGoS. Their pastor, IMr. IV'ti-r Ihudden, (from l^dgi-ton, Yorkshire,) i)reached with the people of VVethersfield, who at that lime hati no minister, while iiis congrega- tion were making preparation to commence the settlement. While he oniclated there, a number became so attached to him, that when he left, they accompanied him, and incorporated with his church. These were before from Watertown, JNIassacbusetts, and were part of Sir Richard Saltonstall's company. The first planters of the town stand enrolled in the following order on the first page of lilb. I. of jMilford Records. Niu-cDibcr •2{)lh, IfioO. — " 'I'liosf persons whose names are hereunder written, are al- lowed to he Fioe Pluiilers. hiiviii^ Ibr the prrscnl, liberiy t(j net in tiie ehoyce of public oliioers, Cor the carrying on of public alFaires in this jilanlation. Zechariah Whitman Mr. Peter Prudden Nathaniel Baldwin Thomas AVolch William Fouler .lames Prnddcn Thomas Wheeler John Astwoud Thomas Baker Edmond Tapp rtiehard Baldwin George Clark, senior Thomas Buckingham Beujamin Feiin George Pliibbard , Biehard Miles ' Samuel Coky Jasper Guiin