The Romance of Norwalk

“When the public water system was first put into opera¬ tion in South Norwalk,” according to the pamphlet, “South Norwalk’s Public Utilities,” edited by the Board of Water Commissioners of South Norwalk in 1909, “a twelve inch pipe line, from the Crystal Lake Reservoir, at Silver Mine, furnished the city with water. At the dam and inlet gate¬ way there was constructed a filter, composed of layers of charcoal and sponges. For a while this worked well and the water was clear and free from vegetable growths. It, however, soon got clogged and filled with suspended sub¬ stances in the water and became unusable. Many of our people, probably, are not aware that the public water, over thirty years ago, was filtered. The plan proving impractic¬ able, it was removed and abandoned. As additions were made to the storage capacity, and reserve water supply, the conditions gradually grew worse, the water becoming dis¬ colored and disagreeable in taste, at certain periods of the year. A suffering populace patiently endured these un¬ pleasant qualities. Manufacturers overlooked the incon¬ venience, disadvantages and often times loss, that was in¬ curred on account of them. But the day of emancipation PEACE AND PROGRESS 3i9 came. Everyone hailed it with joy. Today we celebrate the first anniversary of the ‘Pure and Wholesome Water.’ ” The day referred to was May 2, 1908 when the Water Purification plant erected by South Norwalk was put in com¬ mission. The plant is located about seven miles north of South Norwalk in the town of Wilton. The plant, which is fed and operated entirely by gravity is about 1,000 feet south of the city’s largest reservoir, called City Lake, and into which two of the other reservoirs empty. The site chosen was at the maximum elevation that was deemed safe, so that at all times water might be drawn from the City Lake even at times of drought. The South Norwalk Water Works system now supplies South Norwalk, lower East Norwalk and Rowayton, the total normal capacity being 3,- 000,000 gallons per day. The upper end of East Norwalk is supplied by Norwalk. The city not only has a very excel¬ lent water supply but a very valuable one. Chapter XXVIII “OLD WELL”, SOUTH NORWALK South Norwalk, Formerly Called uOld Well” Becomes City In 18yo — Location Of Well Open To Question — South Norwalk Sentinel Founded In 18yo — Followed By Nor¬ walk Hour Year Later — South Norwalk Burned In 18y$. Under a charter granted by the Legislature of Connecti¬ cut, luly 5, 1870, South Norwalk, formerly called “Old Well” was made a city. At that time, according to the recol¬ lection of several of the older citizens, South Norwalk was the smallest city in the United States, with 2,000 residents. The city was formally organized August 18, 1870. THE “OLD well” That the old city took its original name from an ancient well, there never has been any doubt. The exact location of that well is open to questioning. Some place it on the corner of Water and Haviland sts. ; others on the corner of Washington and Water sts. One historian maintains that the old well was situated on the property of one Eliakim Raymond who owned a farm on Water st., north side be¬ tween Washington and Haviland sts., the old well being on the corner of Haviland and Water sts. On the other hand, Frank Becker, present owner of the property, 143 to 147 Washington st., corner of Water and Washington sts., claims that the well was and still is on his land. In the basement of the building which he owns at this address, which building now houses a restaurant, may still be seen the foundations of an ancient well, from which, he says, the community took its name. 320 “OLD WELL;' SOUTH NORWALK 321 Mr. Becker says that he was a boy of eight when his father, Michael Becker first came into possession of a large block of property at the corner of Washington and Water sts., the property then being known as the Day Farm. The entire tract was barren except for two old farm houses. The “old well” was located in the front of the property near the corner bounded by Washington and Water sts. Its close proximity to the waterfront of the Norwalk river was a source of much convenience to the sailors plying the Sound and afforded them a means of getting fresh water for their supply with little trouble. It became a byword with the sea¬ faring men that they would meet at the “Old Well.” In 1867, part of the property was condemned in order to straighten out Water st., and 18 feet of the land was re¬ moved in the project. The old well became lost in the march of progress. Now it reposes, no longer used, but still in existence, according to Mr. Becker, in the basement of his building. The first mayor of the new city of South Norwalk was Dudley P. Ely, while the last, before consolidation with Norwalk, in 1913, was Robert M. Wolfe. The complete list is given in the appendix. NORWALK NEWSPAPERS The founder of the “Derby Transcript,” E. A. Horton, established the “South Norwalk Sentinel,” November 17, 1870. The following year, on May 6, 1871, the “Westport Hour” which later became the “Norwalk Hour,” was founded. Mr. Horton ran the Sentinel for a short time by himself and then a joint stock company was formed under the firm name of the South Norwalk Printing Company, with D. P. Ely for president and Mr. Horton as manager and superintendent. During the next three years, in which time the paper consistently lost money, C. V. Arnold was editor, followed by H. E. Wing, followed by the Rev. H. N. Durney, pastor of the Congregational church. 322 ROMANCE OF NORWALK In February, 1873, a change was made in the ownership of the paper and its financial luck bettered. At that time, the stock company was dissolved and the concern purchased by E. A. Horton and James Golden, the latter from New York city. The paper now made money. Horton and Golden ran the Sentinel for a little more than a year when Mr. Horton retired and R. H. Golden, a brother of James, took his interest. The firm then became Golden Brothers and its business was successfully conducted by them, until April, 1879, when another brother, John F. Golden, was added to the firm, the paper continuing its success. In 1879, the paper was moved from its location on South Main st. on the site of the present store of James Donnelly, to Washington st., into a building erected by General Nelson Taylor and later known as the “Sentinel building.” At the same time the stationery and paper business was added to that of publishing and proved very successful. At the time of which we are speaking, the paper was published every Wednesday, its policy being independent. The paper became a daily, Saturday, Dec. 3, 1887. James F. Golden ran the business until he died. Publication was continued by his estate until 1923. At that time The Evening Sentinel was purchased by the newly formed Sentinel Publishing Co., of which Leigh Danenberg is president; Wendell P. Milligan, vice-president and treasurer; and A. Golden Kelley, secre¬ tary. An irate commuter on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company was the direct cause of the founding of the Norwalk Hour. One fine day in 1869, B. W. Maples, commuter to New York, was expelled from the train because he had mislaid his commutation ticket and re¬ fused to pay the single trip fare demanded by the conductor. Mr. Maples promptly sued the railroad company. The case did not come up immediately, there being many post¬ ponements. In the meantime a number of articles favoring the company, appeared in the newspapers. The commuter noticed that they always appeared just before the case was “OLD WELL,” SOUTH NORWALK 323 scheduled to come up. He decided on a little experiment and dispatched articles favoring himself to every newspaper in this vicinity. Only one article was used. That settled Mr. Maples. He decided to have a news¬ paper of his own where he could print articles which would favor his side of the case. Being unable to buy one any¬ where around here, he founded a newspaper instead, the Westport Hour coming into being, May 6, 1871. For ten months the paper appeared bi-weekly. At the end of that time, it was published once every week. In December, 1874, Mr. Maples won his suit. He no longer had any use for the paper and decided to discontinue it. On looking over the books, however, he found that the paper was making money and so decided to keep it. In 1873, the paper had been removed to Norwalk. The following year, it was consolidated with the Westport Ad¬ vertiser. The paper was independent at the time. For a long time the new paper carried two names and was dated at both Norwalk and Westport. Mr. Maples ran it until his death. In 1895, the Norwalk Hour became a daily. In 1901, the Hour Publishing company was incorporated with Arthur Wheeler as president and Edward Thomas as treasurer and general manager. In 1923 Mr. Thomas be¬ came president and has continued in that office ever since. The “South Norwalk Champion,” the “Norwalk Record” and the “Norwalk Democrat” were three local papers which lived and died during the past century. It will be remembered that the first paper in Norwalk was commenced in 1800 and that in 1818 Roswell S. Nichols and Philo Price purchased the Picket concern and issued the “Norwalk Gazette” every week. During the fol¬ lowing years the paper changed hands many times, being in the charge of first one and then another: Seth W. Benedict, James Reed, Timothy Merwin, lawyer; William G. Hyer, later Episcopalian clergyman; J. U. Ammerman, brother in law of P. T. Barnum; Judge Stephen Smith, George Taylor, James H. Hoyt, A. Homer Byington, Henry W. 324 ROMANCE OF NORWALK Hyatt. In April, 1858 Joseph B. Ells and George N. Ells were joint owners. From that date until 1880 the Gazette was being conducted under the firm name of A. H. Bying- ton and Co. The paper continued until 1900. % SOUTH NORWALK BURNED