History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

south, wdiich is at |irescnt the ]n-operty of Patrick (since reniovi'd | of I >aniel Frost. Burke. "The old Dilible In.nsc came n<'Xt. It was built "Following this was the residence of Philo Cal- Ixdbre the Kcvidution, and became famous in local lioun, fatlier of the president of the Fourth National history as the hou.se where Wooster died. Bank in New York (.'ity. "Next came the home of Wm. Chapel. He was a "Next came the McLean phu'c, a Kevolutionary cabinet-maker, and carried on a small Ijusim-ss. His house, whicli still stands. place is now the property of Mrs. Rotf. " On the corner of South Street, in the yard of the " No other bnihling occaipied the interval between house occupied liy the late Charles Rider, stood, liity his place and the old ICpiscopal ehuich which stood j or more years ago, a store kept by a man named (iris- in the west end id' the present gravi'yard, which was I wold. It was burned down, and was not rebuilt." its churchyard. The South Centre District s(diool stood close by, as at inesent. sofTH STKKKT. "Deer Hill Aveuuewas a hme tlien. It was not I "SoufhSide. — The nmst |>romineid house on the om'-half the width it is now, and tlie most travid was street then, because in full view of JIain Street, was done li\ farm-te:\ms and cattle. The only house iu ■ the residence of Daniel Taylor at the beginning of its entire length was ocenjiied by Jlunson ( iri'gory. the century. Mr. Taylor was a luittcr. The h<m-e It stood wdicrc E. A. Honsnuin now lives, ami was was a relic of the Revoluti<in. It is now ociaipicd l>y lorn down some years ago. Rev. William Andrews Myron Clark, ami has changed but little in tlie past lived here during his pastorate id' the First Church, century. " Wooster Street was not considered a street, but a [ "Going south, the dwelling of Eliakim I'.enediel. road. It had no house nntil that of Kli .larvis was I farmer, came next. It still stands. reaehed. It still stands, and is owned by ( leorge E. [ 'Third was a small dwelling, which is at |iresent Kider. .Vearly op]iositc lived lOli Wilibnan, a farmer. * occupied by Reubei\ Tompkins. The ]ilace is now owimmI by Wilson Small. 204 IIISTOllY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. " Lovers' Lane contained one house, — a small one. It stood near to whore is now Beach Wilson's ])lacc. Lovers' Lane was a popular name for this road many j'ears ago, and everybody in Danbury knew of it. As late as twenty years ago a good part of it was shaded by overlianging branches. It is not now a walk for the sentimental, and perhaps not more than half of our citizens know where it is. "The house now owned by Mrs. B. Crofut, on the Mountaiuville Road, was in that day occupied by Benj. Griffin. " There were but three houses on White Street. White Street runs through a section called Barren Plain. It took this title from its sandy soil, which was not fit to cultivate. The bridge over the Still River, although generally known as the White Street Bridge, is yet called by many, especially older citi- zens, ' Bar'n Plain Bridge.' "There were no dwellings on the north side of the street, unless we count the i)hice of Mr. Knapj), cor- ner of Main Street. On the south side the first house was a small dwelling, owned by Abel B. ( iregory, who was a farmer. It is now occupied by Michael Zieg- ler, and stands on the corner of Canal Street. " Next came the large house of Noah Knapp, son ! of Benjamin Knap]). It is supposed to have been built (in the close of the war, if not before it. Noah ' was a farmer. The place is now the property of .Tn- seph Bell. " There was no other dwelling on the road until 1 where is now Nursery Avenue. A large dwelling, the property of Zalmon Wildman, father of Fred- erick S., stood there." KLM STREKT. " At the east end of this street, on the north side, the first house was the dwelling of Zclotes Robinson. He was a butcher, and began the peddling business with a wheelbarrow. Hcwsus among the fii-st jieddlers of meat in Danbury. Alvin Ilurd also lived there. He was a hat-manufacturer. The house stood where is now Darins Stevens' place. Mr. Hnn'.'s factory stood on the river, where Conductor A. Pulling lives. " On the corner of River Street was the next house. It was occupied by Dorastus Green, a laborer. " On the south side there were but two buildings. One of them wils the dwelling of Rory Starr, father of George Starr, the ])resent occupant. The other was his shop, and is now Daniel Starr's box-sho]). i Mr. Starr was a builder, and a very extensive one, ' too. He did most of the building in those days, [ when houses with their gable-end to the street began to nuike their ai)i)earanee here. Many of our older substantial residences were constrncte<l by Mr. Starr, the most conspicuous being the residence of Mr. F. S. Wildman, which we believe was the last he put up. Mr, Starr was elected to the Legislature, serving in both the House and ^hc Senate. He was a Metho- dist, and an active member of the local church. "That portion of Elm Street which runs over Rabbit Hill contained but four houses. These were small, and it is not known who occupied them. Two of them were tenements, belonging to Col. Ru.ssel White. One of them is now occupied by John and Charles Meedcr. Another stood where F. McCready lives, and the other is G. S. Disbrow's. " In one of these houses lived a man who was noted in the village as shiftless and improvident. He was a wagoner by professicm, but scarcely by i)ractice. His wife was entirely opposite in nature. She was both industrious and fi-ugal, and, like such people, had an ambition. Hers was to have a home of her own, or a homestead, as she termed it. Her want was frequently, if not daily, ])resented to her hus- band. Finally, becoming impatient with her de- mand, he told her one day, — "'My dear, I would get you a homestead in a minute if I had anywhere to put it.' "This covered the sulijcct completely, and the poor wonuin never again put in licr petition for a home- stead. " Rabbit Hill was thus called because its gravel pit* and clumps of brush were the home of that animal, "Gallows Hill is tlie ma.ss of rock at the head of the street, near the pond." KIVEB STREET. " The classical name of River Street, in the early days of the town's history, was Pumpkin Ground. The hill which skirts its we.st side Wiis in spots de- voted to the culture of that plain-looking but excel- lent vegetable. " River Street was a mere lane, and ran to the east of its present location. Dora-stus Green's house. which stood on the corner of Elm, had a well within eight feet of the front door. The present roadway now covers the well. Rabbit Hill was so steep in that day that a half-cord of wood was about all a team could haul up it. Mr. Green's hoii.se sat iiercheil upon a high bank. The street was o))ened by Col. Russel White for the convenience of his factory busi- ness. A good part of the hill on the west side be- longed to Rory Starr. The house now occupied by the venerable widow of Monmouth Lyon stood there then. "Richard Lovelace, who was a miller, lived o]ipo- site S. C. Holly & Co.'s faetorj-. The house still stands, " Next to him lived Wm. Earle. His place also remains. " There were but two more houses, both of them opposite E. S. Davis' factory. One of them was occupied by Jonathan Leggett, a fur-cutter. The other was the dwelling of Sergt. Joseph Moore. Both yet remain. "At the farther end of the street, near White's factories, lived Anthony Buxton." DANHTTvY. 205 BKAVKli STREET. ! water. Tlie jMiiiit on the Souiul was \Vcst|M,i(. A " Tlicri' wiTO luit twii liiiuscs nil tliis ,-trrel Iwliii-li >iirvi-y \va^ even iiiaile, the line lolhiwiiii;; near tn that is iiiipuhirly kiiowii as Kuse Hill). One ui' these was ut'the [iresent laihuad as far ih>\vii as luMhliiij;. wlierc oceu|iiecl hy Ephraini Benedict, ami is unw nwiieil Uy i it crossed over to the SaiiiratiieU Valley and theiiee to his j.'randdanjrhter, Mrs. K. I'lilley. West|ii)rt. It was |ini|iused to use Xeversinic Toiid as " Lower down the hill lived Samuel Curtis. His a leeder to the canal, 'I'lie le\ els taken >liowed Main house h;i.s been giuie tor years. He was for a long .Street at the ^Vooster House to be three humlred time sexton of the First Church, and was known to and seventy-five feet above tide-water, and Xcversink the youin;- and old "f lii^ day as siiii]>ly 'Sam.' " to be twenty t\-et above Main Street. Muidi was said and ilonc about the canal project, but it |Was finally xoRTii STUKET. deemed to be inex|.cdient l..'caiisc of the h.'avy lock- "There were but two houses on North Stn^et sev- iug that would be necessary, and was abandon, d. enty years ago. ( hie of these stood where now lives "The next project under consideration w.i- a rail- Mrs. Patience Stratton. It was the piroiierty of K/.ra ' road. This agitatimi began in l>i'''>, — the same year Barnum, a farmer. The second house was a small ! nf the survey of the Hartford and New Haven road, — building, since removeil, whicli stood on Mrs. Bene- and in that yi-ir the charter was obtained from the. diet's lot. Legislature. The idiarter was grantcil to ' Ira (Ircg- ".Vt a hder day, fifty years ago or thereabouts, ory, Kusscdl Hoyt, Eli T. Hoyt, Edgar S. Tweedy, there was a hat-factory on the street. It stood near David M. lienedict, Ephraini (Iregory, Curti-i Clark, the bridge, on the north side." Frederick S. Wildman, Elias .*<. Sanford, (ieorge W. Ives, with such other persons as shall associate with Fli.\XKl.lx .STREET. ^j^^.^^^ j.^^. jj^.^j pur]iose.' These Were to be incorpm-- " There was but one house nil the north siile of this ated as "The Fairliclil ('ounty Kailroad ('ompaiiy.' now pretty well ljuilt-U]i street. 'I'his was the dwell- with a cajiital stock amounting lo two hundred tliou- ing of Stephen Gregory, and i> now occupied by sand dollars, or three humlred tlionsaiid didlais if