The Romance of Norwalk

Upon arrival at the latter place, the good boarding lady was found in tears, unhappy because she had purchased 12 new beds for the girls and had made all necessary arrange¬ ments to board them, but could not take them in. There was nothing to be done except retrace steps, so Mr. Cavan¬ agh turned right about, putting on as good a face as pos¬ sible under the circumstances and promptly escorted the group of girls to his own home, where he proceeded to overwhelm his wife with the new company. Mrs. Cavan¬ agh recovered in short order, proved an excellent hostess, saw that the girl§ were given something to eat and gave them the run of the house. Someone started the piano and soon everyone was enjoying a sort of housewarming. All went well until it was nearing bed time, when it was discovered that none of the girls as yet had any baggage. Mr. Cavan¬ agh dug down into his wardrobe and managed to find no less than 12 nightshirts which the girls borrowed with much fun and hilarity. So far so good and when it was discovered that another couple would board the girls, threats or no threats, worry seemed at an end for a while. The girls traveled in groups of four to the factory daily, each group being escorted by a man. Many remarks were passed by the crowds of strikers which followed the girls, but the latter were never touched. Men strike breakers in the hat strike of 1909 in Norwalk did not enjoy such good fortune as did the women. They were never let alone, were followed by the union men every¬ where they went and were hounded by yells and sarcastic remarks. When opportunity permitted they were assaulted. However, the strike breakers were not slow to fight or pro¬ voke fights. Morning and night, crowds averaging 500 to 700 gathered at the C. and K. plant and followed the work¬ ers to their homes, sometimes contenting themselves with 288 ROMANCE OF NORWALK verbal combat, sometimes resorting to fists. There were many street brawls. Early in March three C. and K. work¬ ers were set upon by strikers in the vicinity of Cedar st. A friend dragged them into the front garden of the home of the late Mrs. B. M. Andrews, 4 6 West ave. Shortly, William R. Pennington, captain, now chief of police, arrived to restore order, while Dr. William J. Tracey treated the workers. Som'e of the strike breakers had permits to carry revol¬ vers. Some hadn’t. The late John Sculley of Monroe st., secretary of the union hatters, told police that two of the strike breakers were carrying revolvers without permits. They were arrested. During the tenth week of the strike, a crowd of 500 gathered at the C. and K. factory and com¬ menced milling around the hatters as they fame from work. It was necessary to call Pennington who rescued several of the men from being trampled upon. And so it went. Every other night there was a battle of some sort on the streets of Norwalk, sometimes the fault of the strikers, sometimes of the strike breakers. April 29, nearly 1,000 hatters gathered at the C. and K. to tell some of the former union men who had returned to work in the open shop, what they thought of them. Two of the workers, who had renounced the union because they needed work for their families, were followed up Main st. by hundreds of taunting strikers. It was found necessary for Mayor Francis Burnell of South Norwalk with Chief William Vollmer and Captain Pennington, upon reaching the scene in an auto, to stop the procession and disperse the strikers. Judge John Keogh, then corporation counsel, was in the car with the above three. Several were arrested for creating a disturbance. Meanwhile, much had been happening at the hat shops. The first break of any sort in the strike occurred February 18 when Lamson and Hubbard of Boston agreed to use the union label. March 11, the Wolthausen Co., Woodward ave., recommenced work. May 3 saw the institution of a HATTING 289 new hat company on Raymond st., called the Superior Hat Co. August 13, a new hat factory opened in Day street, in a building formerly the home of an alcohol refinery. The worst of the strike was now over. Many of the local shops had returned to union labor with the exception of the C. and K. Hat Co. Twenty-two factories in Dan¬ bury had reopened with union labor. In Norwalk, the strike came to no definite end. Some of the hat workers went to Philadelphia; others took jobs in Danbury; still others gave up hope of gaining their strike goal and returned to work in the local factories. As a result of the 1909 strike, the C. and K. has remained open shop. NORWALK HAT COMPANIES During the past years in Norwalk, many hat companies have come and gone. Among them were : Straw Hat Co., formed by John P. Beatty and Dexter Dennis in 1873; Straw Hat Mfg. Co., organized by John P. Beatty and brother in 1857 and taken over by Arthur Wheeler in Sep¬ tember 1888, who manufactured the hats at 13 Butler st. ; Hat Forming Co., Railroad ave., incorporated in 1874, Alden Solmans, being president; Volk Hat Co., corner of Raymond and Day sts., established in 1875, of which Christian Swartz was president after its reorganization in 1880; Hubbell and Barthol, established in 1880; Universal Hat Co., corner of Clay st. and Railroad ave., established in 1875; William B. Hubbell Co., 22 Woodward ave. formed in 1891; Hoyt Wolthausen & Co., Day street, es¬ tablished in 1895; Espenscheid Hat Co., incorporated in 1902; A. A. Hodshon and Co., 53 Railroad Place, estab¬ lished in 1898; J. C. Wilson and Co., Cross and South Main sts. F. Berg and Co. went out of existence in 1929. The year 1920 found a new hat company started in East Norwalk, started by D. L. Davis who had a capital of only $1,400. He commenced business in a little shack. In 1924, the firm was joined by A. E. Pope and at the time was 290 ROMANCE OF NORWALK doing a half million dollar business yearly. It has since gone out of business. At the present writing, Norwalk has the following hat companies: Crofut and Knapp Co., organized in 1858, now has 1,500 employees, turning out 3,000,000 hats yearly. American Hat Co., Grand st., organized in 1922, employs 250; South Norwalk Hat Co., formerly the H. Goldman Hat Co., Inc., 50 Day st., December, 1928, 80 hands; Level Hat Co., Inc., 85 Washington st., January 1, 1928, 75 hands; Norwalk Hat Mfg. Co., Wilton ave., 1922, between 100 and 200 workers, depending on season; S. J. Palinkos Co., Monroe st. ; Rough Hat Co., Mulvoy st., formed 30 years ago, employs no; Sabel Hat Co., Inc., 50 Day st., organized in New York in 1923, came to Norwalk in De¬ cember 1927, employs between 50 and 60. Hodshon-Berg Co. incorporated first of August, 1929, employs 300. CIVIL WAR Chapter XXVI I Norwalk Responds With Volunteers Even Before Presi¬ dential Call — Local Companies at the Front — First men to Die — Trail of the “Fighting Seventeenth” — Few War¬ riors remain to Tell the Tale. Norwalk, first in war, first in peace, and first in a good many other things, commenced raising men for the defense of the Union, at the outbreak of the Civil War, even before President Abraham Lincoln issued his memorable procla¬ mation, Monday, April 15, 1861, calling forth “the Militia of the Several States of the Union, to the aggregate number of seventy-five thousand,” to serve for three months. In some way, the news that the President needed men reached this city on the Sunday night before the proclama¬ tion. Early Monday morning, Eben Hill and his son Eben Hill, Jr., later successful manager of the Norwalk Iron Works, gathered together a group of young men, found a drummer and a fifer and commenced a parade of the streets of Norwalk, according to C. F. Hallock, brother-in-law of John Batterson of Woodward Ave. Mr. Hallock wrote an ' article on the Civil War which appears in “Norwalk 250 Years Ago.” Taking along with them the Rev. J. J. Wooley of the First Methodist Episcopal church, who made the first war speech in Norwalk, the two Hills, father and son, and a band of volunteers, marched up and down the main streets of the city, gathering recruits as they went. Norwalk was wild with excitement. 291 292 ROMANCE OF NORWALK FIRST MEN TO GO During the war, Norwalk sent nearly 1,000 men to the front, 800 being recruited from this city and about 200 local men going from other cities. Among the first local men to offer their services to the government were: Hon. Orris S. Ferry, at that time a member of Congress, and Hon. A. H. Byington. These two were in Washington, D. C., when war broke out and both enlisted in the Cassius M. Clay Guard in Washington, D. C., which organization patrolled the streets of Washington until relieved by the troops from the north. Norwalk sent men to the first regiment which was raised in the state of Connecticut, according to Mr. Hallock. This regiment was known as the First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and was recruited mainly from the volunteer militia, to serve three months. The regiment was mustered into service, 780 strong, April 24, 1861, and was the first regiment to ascend the Potomac. In it were, from this city: Theodore Benedict, Thomas D. Brown, George D. Keeler, Thomas Hooton, Morris Kransynky, William C. Murphy, James Reed and Howard Wheeler. In the second regiment, there seems but one man from here of whom there is any record, Samuel C. Barnum. The Third Regiment was raised in Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, Danbury, New Fairfield, Hartford, Meriden, Norwich and Stamford. The regiment was mustered into service in May 1861 for three months with 750 men. Company A was composed almost wholly of Norwalk men, the officers being: Captain Douglass Fowler after whom the local G. A. R. post and auxiliary are named; First Lieu¬ tenant Gilbert Bogart, Second Lieutenant Stephen D. Byx- bee, First Sergeant James L. Russell. The Third took part in the Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. General Keyes in his official report said: “The gallantry with which the Second Regiment of Maine and the Third of Connecticut Volunteers charged up the hill upon the enemy’s artillery and infantry, was never, in my opinion, surpassed.” David CIVIL WAR 293