History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The Bridge])ort City Bank — now the City National Bank — was organized Jan. 17, b'^54, under flie gen- eral banking act of 185l', with a ca;)ital of $100,000, wliieh five years later was increased to $200,000. It began business in the old post-office building, on the iiortli side of Bank Street, thence reiiii>ved to the southwest corner of Wall and Water Streets, and in 1861 completed and occu|iied its spacious building, Nos. 17 and I'.l Wall Street. The cost of this building was twenty-si.\ thousaml chdlars. March 15. 18()5, this bank was reorganized under the National Banking Act, with a capital id" $250,000. The fiiUowiiig geiitleiiicii have served as president- of the institution: .\dam P. Houston. S. F. Hiird. Ira Sherman, Sherwood Sterling, George B. Waller, and Daniel N. Jlorgan. Its capital stock is now $25o.tloo, and its surplus $58,000. Hon. D. X. Morgan, mayor of the city, is the ]iresideiit, and J. F. Fayerweatlier cashier. The director- are (leorge B. Waller, Elbert F. Hubbell. S. JI. .Middlcbrook, Nathaniel Wheeler, Ceorge :\Iallory, E. C. Sanford, D. N. Morgan, I). B. Booth, and Miles Bcardslcy. The Pei|Uoiinock Bank was chartered in 1X51, and the sum paid for the privilege was four thousand dol- lar-, which was distributed in the fiillowing manner: I Inc thousand dollar- to the liridgcport Librarv, one tliou-and five hundred dollars to the State freasiirv, for the benefit of the insaiii' poor, and the same amount to the State Keforni School. Its browustone building, cin-ner of Main and State Streets, was com- pleted and its doors opened for business Nov, 10, 1851. Following is a list of the |iresidciits of this bank: P. T. I'.arnuin. 1S51 ; Charles B, Ilnbbell, 1S55; ( 'lapp S|iooner, ISiill; Moii~oii Hawley, 1805; ('harhs i!. llotchkiss, ]8(;;i. William R. Highy wa- ca-hicr from the first organization until February, IMl'.t, when he was succeeded by I. B. Prindle. !\Iarch 18, 18(i5, the Peijuonnock was reorganized as a national bank. Its ]ireseut capital is $200,000; surplus, $40,000. The offii-crs are: I'resident, Charles li. Hotchkiss; cashier, Isaac B. Prindle; directors, C. B. HotchkLss, David Trubee, John Hurd, James H. Moore, I. B. Prindle, William M. Terry, William (i. Liiicburgh, ,T. L. AVessels, and Charles Nettleton. The Bridgeport Savings Bank was chartered in May, 1842, and began business at a .store on Water Street ill .Inly of the same yeiir. Of the twenty-two cor- porate members mentioneil in the charter, but four arc now living, — viz., Messrs. ( Hdeon Thoiiijison, Wil- liam H. Noble. Thomas Ranson, and Schuyler Seelev. At the time wdieii the charter was granted there were but eight savings banks in the State, .some of them just organized, and none west of X'ew Haven. In 1S21 the bank was removed to No. 21 Wall Street, and in 1850 to a building U]ion the site miw occupied, on the corner of Main and State Streets. The present handsome banking-house was completed in 1878, and cost about forty-four thousand dollars, or with the lots, some fifty-eight thousand dollars. The following gentlemen have been presidents of the institution: Sherwood Sterling, 1842; Smith Tweedy. ]84;i; Daniel (). AVhecha-, 1850; Lemiiid Coh'man, 1851; Sherwood Sterling, 18(14; Ilcrvey Higby, 1870; E. S. Hawley, 1875. (Jn Oct. 1, 1,S7!I, the last annual report of the hank commissioner shows that the number of depositors was 77(m. and the total assets $M,2S,S,451, of which amount about two-thirds was investe<l in loan- iijion real e,-fatc. The present officers of the institution are: I'resident, E. S. Hawdey ; vice-|iresideiits, S. C. Trubee and Luzon W. Clark; treasurer. C. P. Porter; trustees, S. C. Trubee. W. R. Higby, A. E. Joy, C. Thomp.s.m, 1'. Coiirail, J. Kartram, F. B. Hawley, L. W.Clark, 108 TIISTOKV OF F.\li;ili;i.l> COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. !•:. Birdsey, Edward Htcrliug, Dr. I). 11. Na.-^li, T. 15. De Ffirc.'it, W. H. Perry, C. P. Porter. The petition for a .-iceoiid savings liaiik in Bridge- port wa.s drawn by S. 51. Middlelirook, and wa.'; sifjned by such men its 8. Ilartwell, P. (". t'alhoun, JIanford Lyon, Rus,sell Tonilinson, Horace Nichols, A. A. Pettengill, John Brooks, and others, and a eliarter was granted for the institution in May, ISoi). Mr. S. M. Middlehrook was tlic first treasurer of tlie insti- tution, and still holds the ixisition, which he accepted nearly twenty years ago. The rooms of this savings bank have always been adjoining those of the City National Bank, at first upon tiie corner of Wall and Water Streets, and since 1861 at Nos. 17 an<l Id Wall Street. The assets of the City Savings Bank, Oct. 1, 1879, were $1,686,478, of which sum $916,883 was in- vented in loans upf)n real estate. There were at the same date 4294 depositors. Mr. llanford Lyon, for many years president of the institution, died Dec. 21, 1879. The following are tlie officers at the prest'ut time: President, Ira Gregory; treiusurer, S. M. Mid- dlehrook ; trustees, Ira Gregory, D. F. Hollister, John Brooks, G. P. Stockwell, F. W. Parrott, Courtland Kelsey, C. K. Averill, Horace Nichols, J. Baylies, H. S. Peck, Horace F. Hatch, Burr Curtis, L. W. Booth, S. M. Middlehrook, George K. Birdscy, Levi B. Booth, Nathan Birdsey, and Marcus C. Hawlcy. In June, 1860, upon petition of Nathaniel Wheeler, .Tames C. Loomis, William H. Perry, Siierwood Ster- ling, George B. Waller, Frederick Wood, Ell)ert E. Hubbell, P. C. Calhoun, Ira Sherman, and others, the People's Savings Bank was incorporated. Its place of business was for some time upon the corner of Main and State Streets, in the building of the Pequonnoek Bank. Its present handsome banking- house was erected in 1X70, and cost about forty-three thousand dollars. The assets of the institution, Oct. 1, 1879, were *1,268,14.S, a little more than half of which wiis invested in loans upon real estate, and the number of dejjositors 2893. The officers arc as fol- lows: President, George B. Waller; treiusurer, Egbert Marsh; trustees, William E. Seeley, S. W. Baldwin, S. S. Booth, E. W. Marsh, 1). W. KJssam, E. E. Hub- bell, B. Sanlbrd, S. P. Glover, K. Toinlinson, C. B. Hotchkiss, and Eli C. Smith. The Mechanics' and Farmers' Savings Bank wiia incorporated in 1871, and commenced business Oct. 1, 1873, in a building upon Washington Avenue, East Bridgeport. Sept. 1, 1878, it was removed across the river to the rooms beneath the Cr)nnectieut National Bank, and .Vpril 1, 1880, to the premises now occu- pied, 4*19 Main Street (Barnum Building). The whole nunil)cr of depositors, Sept. 1, 1880, was 730, and the total a.ssets same date, $142,838.(19. The officers of the institution were: President, William G. Line- burgh; vice-|iresidents, George Lewis and Andrew Burke; secretary anil treasurer, Lyman S. Catlin ; trustee.s, David Wooster, S. C. Kingman, I. W. Smith, G. W. Peck, Carlos CurH»i, K. B. Lacey, D. N. Jlor- gan, B. Soules, H. R. Parrott, L. B. Still.son, C. Morton. D. B. Lockwood, G. W. Hayes, L. F. Curtis, (Jeorg.- Keeler, John L. Wessels, F. B. Hall, and Isaac 1!. Priiidle. nOAItll OF THAIii;. The Bridgeport Board of Trade was incorporatecl in 1876 " for the promotion of trade, the giving direction arul impetus to commercial and manufacturing enter- prises, the encouragement of intercourse between business-men, and for the general growth and prf)s- perity of Bridgeport." Among the substantial results already achieved may be luentioned the location here nl Messrs. Warner Brothers' and Thompson, Langdon & Co.'s corset-factories, the Bridgeport Paper Bo.\ Com- pany, the Frary Cutlery Company, the Sharjis' KiHc Company, and other manufacturing establishments. A ma|) of Bridgeport, with two columns of letter- jire.ss upon tlie mai'gin setting forth the merits of the place as a site for manufacturing, has been jmldished and extensively circulated. Besides the monthly meetings, annual bantjuets have also been held, ai which much eloquence has been displayed which tin- world will not willingly let die. The officers of the Board of Trade arc as follows : President, David M. Read; vice-i)resident.s, N. Wheeler, P. T. Barnum; secretary, R. B. Lacey: treasurer, T. R. Cruttenden ; directors, W. H. Nobli . B. Soules, J. Morford, H. R. Parrott, I. De V. Warm. . E. G. Burnham, and M. W. Seymour. Bridgeport is not inapjirojiriafely named, as tin- whole nund)er of bridges, great and small, crossing the Pequonnoek River, Pembroke Lake, and tin- various streams known as Ash Creek, Horse Tavern Brook, Island Brook, and Rooster River, cannot he less than twenty-five or thirty in number. Time does not permit even an enumeration of them all, and only those crossing the Pequonnoik River will be men- tioned, taking them in the order of their construction. 1. First in point of time comes the bridge crossing the river upon the line of North Avenue, at the upper end of Berkshire mill-pond. This bridge is of no very ancient date, but its predeees.sor was buill long before the Revidutionary war. 2. The l.,ottery Bridge, which was erected in 179:?, extended from near the foot of Wall Street to Stratford Avenue upon the axst. Having become dilajiidated it fell over, and was replaced about the year 1807 by the i>resent Bridgeport or Lower Bridge, who-^e western terminus is at the foot of Fairlield .Vvenue. Toll continued to be collected at the Bridgeport Bridge until the year 1868, when it was s(dd to the city for about eighteen thousjind dollars and made free for public travel. The covered way for foot-passengers was built in 18.">0. 3. The dam acro.ss the river just above the Berk- shire Mill was constructed in the year 1783, but that there was no bridge at that point for at least nine l!l!lli(iHl'i)i;T. ■ 1(19 TASrAl/riKS AMI ( KIMKS. years alUiunids is iniiilinl, iIhuil;!! imt cxiHcssly widlli, wliilc the draw, which measures two liuiidri-d stated, ill an act passeil liy the Legislature ill ( )i-liiliir, and ten lcc(, is the Imijiol in \cw I'jiiiland. The 17!I2. 'I'lic )ircsciit l!crl<sliire Ilridiic. cniiiiectiiiL; custntthi^ liriil^e was, in riaiiid imnilii r-, imc hiin- AVashinj^tdii Avenue and l!erks|iire Street, is, Iciw- ih'ed thim^and dcdhirs, and it was cuniplelcd and