The Romance of Norwalk

“Voted that this town is opposed to the petition of the Middlesex Society to the General Assembly praying to be incorporated into a Town, because the Town of Norwalk by repeated mutilation is already reduced below the ordinary limits of a town and because a majority of that portion of ROMANCE OF NORWALK 196 the Inhabitants included in the limits of the proposed town are desirous to continue in the town of Norwalk.” April 30, 1819 Norwalk showed signs of weakening in her self-surety, by a town record under above date, similar to that of May 1 1 , 1818, except that the words “A majority of that portion of the inhabitants” were changed to read “a very considerable proportion of the inhabitants.” April 29, 1820 found Norwalk still in opposition. But Darien, after its heroic struggle of 16 years or more, at last suc¬ ceeded in gaining recognition and in that year was organized a town. In 1821, Darien named its first representative to the General Assembly, Thaddeus Bell. CARE OF NORWALK POOR About this time, 1803, the problem of the care of the poor and the aged aroused the town to action. Hitherto residents had cared for their own unfortunates. In cases where the penniless one had neither kith nor kin, it was cus¬ tomary for church groups to provide support. But the town was growing and the charitable minded people of Norwalk, who up to this time had been supporting any and all who seemed in need, found the burden growing too heavy for them. So in December, 1803, Thomas Belden, William Betts and Samuel Burr were appointed a committee to confer with some of the neighboring towns respecting the building of a home for the poor. Thus was born the idea of a county almshouse. John Hanford, Thomas Belden, Samuel Burr or Burrall were named to look over the land “north of Selleck’s Dam.” A year later, the committee ap¬ pointed to confer with neighboring towns about the project, reported in part : “That it is expedient for said towns, Norwalk, Fairfield and Weston, to unite and erect a house for the accomplish¬ ment of the aforesaid object, that the poor of said towns may be supported within said house under good regulations at about one third of the present expense, and that said PAPERS— PAUPERS 197 house together with its necessary furniture will cost about $1,000. Your committee therefore beg leave to suggest that in persuing and accomplishing said object the following plan will best serve the interest of said towns. “That said house be built by said towns in proportion to their lists and that a tax of 7 mills on the dollar will be sufficient for said object. “That it will be for the interest of said towns to purchase a lot of land somewhere between Saugatuk bridge and Beer’s trip hammer in Wilton, on or near the line between the towns sufficient in quantity to accommodate said house, which may also be purchased with the avails of said tax.” The several towns were to contribute to the maintenance and support of the house in proportion to the number of poor sent there by each town. It was suggested that a committee of two be appointed by each of the towns, the gen¬ eral committee to have full power to buy the land, erect the house, adopt the plan and lay out the tax. When finished, the house and lot were to belong to the towns in such pro¬ portion as they had contributed to the expense. Wilton asked to be included in the plan and was accepted. In closing, the committee, “hoping that the Towns will not think that the committee have wantonly assumed on them to dictate but that circumstances of the case required it,” proposed: That the above report be accepted, that a com¬ mittee be appointed to carry out the above plan; that a tax of seven mills on the dollar be laid; and that a collector be appointed. The town fathers followed the advice of the committee: William Betts and Samuel Burrall were named to carry out the plan, the necessary tax was voted laid, and John Everslee named collector. Just a year later the building committee reported that plans were complete. They asked and received permission to go ahead with the ordering of the furniture. One more year passed and in December, 1806, it was decided to name an agent to supply the poorhouse and to manage the concern. In 1809 William Betts was ordered to get in touch with ROMANCE OF NORWALK 198 Fairfield, Wilton and Weston on the matter of establishing a workhouse in connection with the poorhouse. Just what happened to this county almshouse we do not know for certain. Little more appears about it in the town records until 1832 when Samuel B. Warren and Lewis Greg¬ ory were named a committee to confer with the other towns “concerning the erection of a poorhouse and workhouse in said district.” Meantime, several men had been named, through the years, “to prosecute for claims which this Town has against other towns for the support of their Poor.” Conjecture is that the county almshouse plan was a failure because of the neglect of the several towns to pay their share of the expenses, leaving the main burden to Norwalk, the originator of the idea. At any rate, we find that in 1846 Thomas Butler, A. E. Beard and Jonathan Camp were named “to ascertain facts in relation to the erection of a Town Alms House.” Nor¬ walk decided that as long as she was being called upon to expend so much money for the poor and aged, that money might as well be spent on her own unfortunates. She there¬ fore planned to have her own poorhouse. Three years later, $3,000 was appropriated from the town treasury to purchase a farm and erect buildings in Norwalk to be used as a poor¬ house. It was increased to $4,000 in October 1849. Two years after, 1851, it was decided that the almshouse should also be a workhouse and a house of correction. Harsh rules and regulations were laid down, under date of March 14, 1851, and no talking, no entertainment, no letter writing and no spitting were allowed. Another story was added to the almshouse and work- house in 1852 and it was decided to erect a building to be used as a pest house when necessary. In 1862 it was voted to erect a building 20 by 24 on the almshouse property for a workshop and lodging room. Seven years later, the num¬ ber of the town poor having increased so fast, the town fathers were called upon to choose between enlarging the almshouse or building a new one. PAPERS— PAUPERS 199 PRESENT POOR FARM In 1*871 the town came to the conclusion that it would be best to sell the 17 acre town farm with the buildings thereon and to build another almshouse on a new 13 acre tract about a quarter of a mile from the first institution. This is the present Naramake home which is situated on Strawberry Hill ave., between King and County sts. It was built by A. Golding, now deceased, father of Miss Ruth Golding, clerk of the Probate court in the office of Judge Henry Gregory. The almshouse which preceded this one was located in the same vicinity. Upon the building of the new almshouse, the old one was moved several blocks to a point on Strawberry Hill, between Tierney st. and Walter ave. It is now occupied as a residence by Charles Low. The present town poorhouse, which, in spite of its age is in fair condition, might do well with a little interior decora¬ tion or cheerful trimming, as it now seems possessed of an unusually bare and forbidding atmosphere. There are now at the Naramake home some 20 or 30 men and about six or seven women. WAR OF 1812 Chapter XIX i Norwalk Burns IVith Patriotism — Passes Fiery Resolution Against Homeland — Rest Of New England Cold — Har¬ bor Here Closed To Shipping — Local Soldiers In W ar — Icy Summer Sweeps Over Country Norwalk may have been slow to exhibit any signs of patriotism at the commencement of the War of the Revolu¬ tion, but when the War of 1812 broke out, she could hardly conceal her ardor. So strongly did the Norwalkers feel in the matter that under date of September 25, 1812, they drew up in town meeting, a set of Resolutions which burned so hotly with the fire of patriotism that they would have scorched the whiskers off King George had he come any¬ where near them. Full of scathing sarcasm, the writing re¬ veals a cankerous bitterness toward the one-time mother country, and a desire to set before the world in black and white the insults which Norwalk felt the United States had suffered, in an effort to rouse to action other communi¬ ties in the country which were not manifesting as great a degree of patriotism as Norwalk felt they should. New England, and Norwalk especially, because it was a prominent sea port had cause to feel bitterness against England. Shipping and fishing, the two greatest industries in the New England states had suffered serious interference from foreign countries since the year 1805. At that time Fox’s blockade which closed French ports from Ostend to Brest to American vessels was in force. After that came various blockades which refused to allow the passage of American ships: Napoleon’s Berlin decree of 1806; Eng¬ land’s hated “Orders in Council” which extended Great 200 WAR OF 1812 201 Britain’s blockade to every European port from Copenhagen to Trieste; and the Napoleonic decree of December, 1807.