Norwalk After Two Hundred & Fifty Years

JSm Hi .c(;'iV.'; m .""•';■■■■.'■■■•- ■■'•.■•■. '■■'■' •'"•■• "■ II11M ersity of Connecticut libraries hbl.stx F 104.N9N67 Norwalk after two hundred & fifty 3 1153 007bMb7b S ■3. 9. -J ovumlk after two fttmoreo & fifty years <An account of the Celebration of the 250th (Anniversary of the Charter of the Bolton 1651— September 11th -1901 Including Historical Sketches of Churches, Schools, Old Homes, Institutions, Eminent Men, Patriotic and Benevolent Work, together with The Record of Soldiers and Sailors enlisted in Norwalk from i6j6 to i8gS. The Civic Progress in the Last Century and Statistics of Commerce and other miscellany of Local interest. Published under the auspices of the Norwalk Historical and Memorial Library Association. C. A. FREEMAN Publisher South Norwalk, Connecticut Mm Ludlow Monument, East Norwalk. • Charles Melbourne Selleck, the son of Henry Selleck and Mary jAnrr Selleck (nee Keeler >, was bom in Xorwalk. [anuary 17, 1831, He was a pupil at four vears of age of Susan Betts' school, Norwalk and later continued his education in public and private schools in Connecticut, graduating finally at Hall's Academy in Xorwalk. He began teaching at Cranbury Plains about lS4(i and later taught in the down-school in East Xorwalk, where he was principal for two years. He was induced to go to Troy, N. Y. and open a boarding and day school known as the Selleck School. It was. located on First Street. Troy, and continued five years. In 1855 he found the school quarters too small in Troy and returned to Norwalk, where he opened a boys' school and continued 'as principal until 1888. During this period Trinity College of Hartford conferred upon him the degree of A. M. He was ordained to the Deaconate in 1865 and to the priesthood by Bishop Williams in 1869. He served in Norwalk as Dr. Mead's personal assistant in St. Paul s parish for fourteen and a half years and in 1879 succeeded to the care of the parish. He resigned its rectorship in 1883 but was re-elected in 1889. He kept up his school to this time. He again resigned in 1891. Since 1SS4 he has labored under Bishop Potter of New York as Missionary in charge of St. John's Church in Lewisboro, Westchester County. He continued the work in that place during his second incumbency of the Rectorship of St. Paul's. He prepared and delivered an historical address for the centenary of St. Pauls in 1886. The interest excited by the wealth of materials of this historical sermon, delivered July 15, 1886, led to the greater historical work upon which subsequently he was engaged and which is known as the Norwalk History, which abounds in interesting historical and family records not surpassed by any similar publication in this country. Rev. Mr. Selleck is the author of many historical papers and addresses. He has made Norwalk his twin brother, as it were, and it has been said of him that when his last day shall come he will desire no other epitaph or eulogy than this— Faithful to God, to mankind and to Norwalk. Hispersonality is known to every citizen. His forn\er pupils scattered all oyer the land from ocean to ocean revere his name and admire his sterling qualities. His devotion to the town where he was born is an object lesson in patriotism. His assistance in the celebration of Norwalk's 350th Anniversary was memorable and the compiler of this work can testify to his untiring zeal and energy in promoting the success of that event. May his days be prolonged and his s-ervice to Xorwalk be always appreciated. S. K. W. To the Ben. Charles Melbourne Selleck {Historian of NorwaW) whose unselfish labors and fidelity to his birthplace inspired and suggested many of the features of the 23 013i Aiintoersary Celebration of tf<e Charter of tt\tt Wnvan September 8th, ioth, nth and 12th, 1901 and to whom Irs Citizens are under an Everlasting Debt of Gratitude these pages are affectionately Dedicated as a Tribute of Friendship and Appreciation on the Part of his Associates and Co-workers in doing honor to Bortoalk TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch of Rev. C. M. Selleck i Dedication 2 Preface 7 Norwalk Historical Society . . 9 Historical Sketch of Norwalk 13 First Day's Celebration 20 Historical Address by Rev. C. M. Selleck 22 Discourse by Rev. George D. Egbert 37 Discourse by Rev. J. McClure Bellows 47 South Norwalk Congregational Church 49 Trinity Episcopal Church 54 South Norwalk Methodist Church 58 Sketch of St. Mary's (Catholic) 61 St. Joseph's (Catholic) Church 63 First Methodist Church 65 Grace Church of Norwalk 72 Christ Episcopal of Westport 76 Memorial of Holy Trinity, Westport 84 Saugatuck Congregational of Westport 86 Second Day's Celebration 98 Franklin School 98 Over River School 100 Middle Five Mile River School 101 East Norwalk School 10 1 History of the First School 109 Centre School 113 The Public Assembly 114 Address by Secretary Blanchard 114 Address by Walter Seth Logan 116 Evening with Aboriginal Norwalk 118 The Lesser Ischoda 119 The Historical Tableaux 120 Third Day's Celebration 124 Historical Trolley Ride 124 Afternoon Exercises — September nth 126 " The Building of Norwalk." By Rev. A. F. Beard, D. D. 127 "A Sweet and Hallowed Time." Poem by D. John Gay- lord Davenport 146 Address by Hon. Orville H. Piatt ... 163 The Home Gathering ." 165 Letter of W. T. Clark, of Memphis, Tenn 166 Letter of D. James M. Taylor 167 Up-town and Down-town; by Rev. Paul M. Strayer 168 Address by Rev. Chas. M. Belden, of Wilton 171 3 Address by Hon. Edward H. Knapp, of Bridgeport 172 Address by Rev. W. J. Slocum 173 Fourth Day's Celebration 174 The Military and Civic Parade. 174 Norwalk's Patriotic Record 179 Names of Norwalk Soldiers in Indian War 179 Graves of Revolutionary Soldiers 180 -v_ Norwalk Men in War of 1812 184 - Graves of U. S. Volunteers, 1861-1865 185 Names of Norwalk Men in Spanish American War, 1898 . . . 193 Military History of Norwalk 196 South Norwalk Ladies' Patriotic Society, 1861-65 2°° Norwalk Chapter of the D. A. R 211 Education in Norwalk in the Nineteenth Century. By A. Blanchard 214 District School Committees: 1854-1901 227 South Norwalk Union School District 230 Springwood Union Sunday School 234 Northwest School • 236 West Norwalk School District . 239 South Five Mile River School 243 Civic Progress — Commercial Navigation 244 Commercial Statistics 252 Banking in Norwalk. By Eben Hill, Esq 254 St. Paul's Church 268 Other Churches 269 Advent Christian Church 270 South Norwalk Baptist Church 271 Hungarian Reformed Church 273 Hungarian Congregational Church 273 First Baptist Church 274 ~ The Legal Profession of Old Norwalk 280 Some Old Homes in Norwalk 288 The Borough of Norwalk 306 The City of Norwalk 308 South Norwalk Public Library 312 Town of Norwalk Vital Statistics 319 Benevolent Orders — Masonic 320 Grand Army of the Republic 326 Woman's Relief Corps 328 O. S. Ferry Commandery 328 Norwalk Chapter D. A. R. Objects 328 Founders and Patriots. Objects 329 Officers of the Historical Society 330 Central Club 33° Women's Club 33<> Friday Afternoon Club 331 4 The Norwalk Club 331 South Norwalk Club 332 Various Clubs and Associations 333-334 Temperance Organizations 335 Lodges and Chapters and Commandery's 336-337 Independent Order of Odd Fellows 338 Norwalk Hospital Association 340 Improved Order of Red Men and other societies 341-356 Norwalk Industries 357 Presidential Vote 380 City of South Norwalk 381 ERRATA, The exercises of the school meeting, on the bottom of page 145, should have been included in the proceedings mentioned on page 114. On page 212 the name of Rev. S. Parkes Codman should read Rev. S. Parkes Cadman. Page 280 — The article upon the legal profession should be credited to Hon, A. B. Woodward, R HIS volume has been prepared under the nominal direction of the Commit- tee on Statistics appointed at a meet- ing of the Norwalks Historical and Memorial Library association to pre- serve in permanent form an account of the proceedings and events connected with the 250th an- niversary celebration of the charter of the Town of Nor- walk. Most of the labor of this compilation has devolved upon the Chairman. It is not intended as a work of preem- inent literary merit. Whatever merit there is in it belongs wholly and solely to those who have contributed to its pages. Their names will be found appended to their several sermons, sketches, articles, descriptive papers 01 otherwise. It is not for a moment supposed that it is free from errors, or that it is not lacking" in reference to sev- eral interesting local topics which might have been ap- propriately, exhaustively and profitably included. No apology is offered for such omissions. The most persis- tent efforts to obtain additional papers on such themes, as are omitted, from some of our most gifted townsmen failed to secure their co-operation. Apparently their nat- ural modesty, so common to the Norwalks, prevented their names from appearing in this volume. This may be and indeed is, a matter of profound regret but it re- flects a higher degree of credit upon those who accepted the invitation to contribute to these pages. Future gen- erations will bless the contributers for the descriptive and historical stories told by each of them. The accounts of the celebration are mainly copied from the local newspapers and it is to the credit of the Norwalk Hour and the Evening Sentinel of South Nor- walk that their work was done so creditably that it needed but slight emendation. The compiler expresses his obligations to them for completeness of their stories. Thanks are also due to Miss Angeline Scott of South Norwalk for her industrious researches and painstaking efforts to discover, utilize and formulate all sources of in- formation bearing upon the various parts of the book. Thanks are given also to all who have assisted in the preparation of the work, as authors and advisers. It is evident that the material gathered by the author of the "Norwalk" history has been extensively used that a word of praise should be accorded to the historian.