Norwalk

Fitch's Point' lay between Fort and Gregory's Points, in "the planting field called the Neck," and was undistinguished, excepting as a pasture locality, until Tryon there landed a wing of his invading army, in July, 1779. It was in the possession of the Fitch family, much of whose property was water-bordered. A typical farm cottage2 stood, after the Revolutionary war, almost at the extremity of the Point, where it remained until within a few years, when it gave way to a row of modern dwellings. The cottage referred to was the meeting place of the Norwalk Mormons some fifty years ago. In the summer- tide of one of the "forties" of the present century, there came to this portion of Fairfield County a representative from the Mormon headquarters in Illinois. He was young, elo- quent and enthusiastic, and drew multitudes in both Norwalk and New Canaan. His appeal in the latter place, based upon the prophecy, " woe to the land shadow ing with w ings which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,3 w hich wings he claimed were North and South America, made at least one New Canaan convert to Joseph Smith's creed. He was somewhat more successful in Norwalk, as several were immersed at Fitch's Point. His great and about the last public Mormon effort in Norwalk was brought to an abrupt close by an unexpected "gentile" reply from the assembly which crowded the bank at said Point.4 ■The following will explain itself. In a letter Norwalk islands, since which time the same has been dated Norwalk, Dec. 17, 1829, addressed by Capt. j known as " Nauvoo." When Albert Gregory's father Samuel B. Warren to his son Dr. Hezekiah H. War- died, his son was in the west. Having, however, been ren of Medina, N. Y., occurs this passage : "The j chosen to come east for the purpose of conducting a County of Fairfield obtained a grant last spring ses- party of English pilgrims hence to Salt Lake city, he sion of the Assembly, to build a work-house or house visited Norwalk and received bis portion of the fam- of correction. The committee appointed to locate | ily patrimony. He departed with it and had reached the place for the house met last week at Fairfield. I St. Louis, where he fell a v ictim to cholera. His was with them two days. They viewed five places, j father's homestead was on the present Winnipauk one at Bridgeport, one at Mill River, two at Sauga- : road. tuck, one at Norwalk, which is the handsomest place 3Prophecy of Isaiah. and the most central. The committee have not de- 4lt was Sunday afternoon. A convert, a descend- cided as yet, but we think it will be in Norwalk, east ant of Norwalk's best stock, was to be immersed, side of the Old Well harbour, Fitch's Point." Said convert had previously denounced Mormonism *Built by Albert, son of Elijah Gregory. He in violent terms and loudly denominated its followers professed the Mormon faith and was received as a "fools." But now he is so fired with the new- relig- disciple in the Old Well Academy, which stood near ion 11s to attempt, while in the water, and just before the site of the present Second Congregational Church, immersion, a brief speech to the people. He began in South Norwalk. He was at first a stout opponent of Mormonism, but after his wife's acceptance of that belief, he soon yielded. He went west, where he was made a Mormon apostle. In the year 1842, emphatically thus : "This fool," when one of the congregation, a Norwalk manufacturer and afterward Brooklyn mayor, shouted roundly out " We see you are." It was impossible to control the congregation this people had a sort of gathering on one of the and the meeting was dismissed. +8 NOR WALK. Gregorys Point (Goodman Gregory's Neck, 1681, see Nathaniel Richards' will) is a locality-name of venerable age. The fathers' first designation of the place was "the poynt of coaste division,'' and they divided its seven and one-half acres between Matthew Camp- field and John Gregory, Sr. Subsequently Mr. Campfield sold his part to Mr. Gregory, who deeded it to his wife Sarah,' with the understanding that she was to leave the same to their sons-in-law John and James Benedict, after whose possession it tentatively bore the title of Benedict's Point. It contained, in the Campfield-Gregory days, the acreage as before stated, and was bounded on all sides, save one, by tide-water. Richard Seymour first, Samuel St. John second and afterward Samuel Smith, a son-in-law of Matthew Marvin, Sr. owned the land to the north of the seven-and-a-half acre point.' This point, geographically defined, comprises, at this day, all the territory of that area lying south of a line drawn from Charles Creek w est to N'orwalk harbor, and bounded east, south and west by salt water. During all the N'orwalk years, Gregory's Point has remained a prominent harbor projection. Meadow and sea-grasses were its ancient products, the cutting and curing of which, and the digging of soft clams at the Point's end, being about the only industry there practiced prior to the days of steamboat navigation, when a dock was built southwesterly out to the channel for the landing of passengers at certain states of the tide, and for the accommoda- tion of Bridgeport boats, which there made a "stop" on their trips to and from New York. A little bciore the middle of the present century, a ship-builder of Huntington, L. I., Isaac Scudder Ketchum, conceived the idea of converting the Point into a ship-yard. He con- sequently purchased, on Sept. 15, 1837, of Curtis Peck, six-sixteenths, and on Sept. 21, 1837, of James Quintard, Algernon E. Beard and others, seven-sixteenths more of the property, and built what many remember to-day, the long two-story Gregory Point House, the west end of which contained, on the first floor, a square room for living and office purposes, directly over which was an apartment of the same size, but unplastered, which was used for the making and storing of models, leading out of which room was a loft for timber, and underneath this loft, on the ground floor, an open spacious area where work was done. Mr. Ketchum had progressed thus far with his project, when for some reason, he relinquished his purpose, and decided not to quit Huntington.' The property remained idle until the spring of 1.X51, when James W. Underbill, of Stockton. Cal., purchased the Point (seven acres) and house for $993 .50.-1 Isaac Scudder Ketchum built the first house, but Mr. Under- hill built the first substantial dock at the Point. The "cribs," still standing, were made by 'By will executed An;. 15, 1689. On Nov. i, for the consideration of a grant of one-and-one-half J6N.0. Mrs. Gregory was deceased, and her two sons- acres near-by Ins father s home-lot. This, (see vol. In-law, John and James Benedict, "declared them. I |v, fol. I22, Norwalk Town Records) was the begin- -ehes satisfied with their portion" of her estate. ning of the future Gregory's Point Road. *The pioneers early opened and operated a path 3He bough, Gregory's Point for a ship-yard, but to the Point tins path became a way or road after his (amilv objected to his quitting Long Mud. the town action of Dec. to, ,710-11 when John Bene- +Said Underbill was , "king relatives in Norwalk d a sr. agreed to part for "lawful and public use. when the suggestion of the Point's purchase was ,th ,e way that ,- and hath been tmproved along made. He at once embraced the idea, and left for ",r0l'S,, ' - lan" »nto *« W Huntington and accompiisbed his purpose. XORW A L K him, and filled with stone brought from Goose and Cockenos Islands, and then planked over. After spending something of a sum upon the premises, Underhill also gave up the same. The gold fever over, he returned from the Pacific Coast, and sold, on Aug. 2, 1855, the property to Capt. John Burke for $1500, who enlarged the house and closed it in, making several improvements thereon, and upon the dock also. Burke there kept a hotel for several years, and finally sold out, July 29, 1859, to Philip W. Harclenbrook, of Harlem, N.Y., who completely re-modelled the house, converting the original 20x56 struc- ture into a square building and making the whole spot more valuable and inviting. It afterward, with increased acreage, passed for $12,000 on July 5, 1864, into the hands of Aaron W. Raymond, of Ravenswood, L. I . who held it nearly four years, selling it on May 5, [868, for $[ 5,000. On this date it became the purchase of Henry F Guthrie, Geo. S. Bell, C. C. St. John, Melville E. Mead and Thaddeus Bell, which gentlemen composed the "Gregory's Point Marine Railway Company," a body politic, incorporated by the General Assembly of Connecticut, (May session, 1868, and bill approved June 26, 1868.) The Point (twenty-five acres) was formally sold to this corporation on Aug. 17, 1868, and ex- tensive ship-building arrangements were projected. The Marine Co., on Feb. I, 1873, leased for five years from April 1, 1873, the hotel and dock portions of the Point to Geo. W. Hooper of Norwalk, at an annual rental of $500.00, agreeing on March 15, 1873, to dispose of the leased portions to said Hooper upon the following terms, viz. : $10,000 should purchase be made previous to April I, 1873 ; $ II. 000 if purchased before April 1, 1874; $12,000 if purchased before April I, 1875; $13,000 if purchased before April 1,1876; $14,000 if purchased before April I, 1877, or $15,000 if purchased at the end of the lease, April 1, 1878. This scheme seems to have fallen through, as the Co. on Oct. 2, 1874, sold through its authorized agent, Henry F. Guthrie, the hotel and dock accommodations, (one- and-a-half acres) with six additional acres of near-by salt meadow, to Philetus Dorlon, of Brooklyn, N. V., for the named consideration of $7,000. The spot now took the name of Dorlon's Point, and Mr. Dorlon there, for several years, maintained a hotel establish- ment. After his death, the property passed into the hands of the present owner.1