Monthly Archives: July 2017

1905 Jail Renovation

Been on the walk for Jail Hill in Norwich, CT? Then you have heard the lecture of how the modern neighborhoods, those from the 19th Century through the present have developed a cyclical growth pattern of growth (establishment), stability, decline and revitalization.

When did Norwich leaders and its residents decide to encourage the decay of neighborhoods? Why did they choose decay over revitalization? Why does the City of Norwich allow their buildings to decay rather than either maintain them or sell them. Exactly how long has this been the case? What are your thoughts on the county setting an example for the residents of Norwich? Directly from the July 31, 1905 Norwich Bulletin is this tale –

IMPROVEMENTS AT JAILS. Considerable Sums to be Expended on Norwich ad New London Institutions,

The county commissioners have decided on improvements for the Norwich and New London county jails which will involve the expenditure of a considerable amount of money. The New London jail is to have a new tin roof and new concrete walks which will put the building into first-class condition. The Norwich jail, which though built in 1835, is a good solid building today, will be thoroughly renovated. The room containing the cell blocks will be entirely repainted and refinished and a new granolithic floor will be laid in it. The living apartments of the jail for the new jailer, John A. Bowen, are to be painted, papered and generally renovated. The concrete sidewalks about the premises, as well as all walks inside the grounds are to be relaid. This will be an extensive improvement, as there are more than 8,000 square feet of sidewalk connected with the jail and grounds. The county is setting the citizens of Norwich a good example in thus voluntarily going to considerable expense in keeping their sidewalks in shipshape condition. When these improvements have been made the jail will be as good as new.

Thank you for reading and sharing my history and Norwich Community blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs.

Col. F. B. Adams 1905

There are lots of stories about Norwich, CT back in the good old days. Usually it is the same old stories told and re-told, over and over again. Usually the tale originates in a book someone “researched” and wrote using the writings of other people. Its a written version of the childrens game telephone. Each version having a subtle change so the eventual ending version bears no likeness at all to the original story.

I like to discover, new old stories. Stories that have not been retold many times. I cannot verify the truth of the story and I have my doubts about many of the stories. The stories I re-tell are from the back issues of the Norwich Bulletin. Would an article of untruths be printed in the newspaper? Could a report contain errors or misquotes? If no one is left that recalls the error in the report does the error in time become the fact or the truth? I can’t say for certain one way or another but in the mean time I present to you – From the Norwich Bulletin July 15, 1905, Half Million for Holdings. Offered Former Norwich Boy, F.B. Adams for Mining Property.

Col. and Mrs F. B. Adams are the guests of Henry J. Adams, their brother at Gales Ferry. It may be of quite a little interest to know that the Colonel, who in his boyhood days was known as “Grizzly” Adams when in the minstrel business, and later on as “Yank” Adams, won the championship of the world as a billiardist, was a Norwich boy. Twenty years ago he entered the newspaper field in Chicago, meeting with the same success as in his previous occupations. Less than three years ago he invested in California mining and oil stock, which has increased in value over 2000 per cent and yesterday he received an offer by wire of half a million for his holdings. Fifty years ago the Colonel carried the Bulletin on the Fall and Norwich towns route.

So what happened? Did he sell? Did he keep his investment? Was this a hoax of some kind? I have questions and no answers. The only item of interest I could find on Col or Mrs F. B. Adams was an entry by the Art Institute of Chicago, listing a show of the Portraits of Drypoints and Drawings of Elisabeth Telling January 3 to January 23, 1922 with a pencil drawing of “Janey” lent by Mrs. F. B. Adams.

1905 Recipes

In the search for old Norwich recipes its important to keep an open mind. Some of these helpful hints are useful. Some of these you’ll have to try and report on the results because they won’t be happening in my kitchen. Some require a camping trip. All were printed in the Norwich Bulletin be sure and let me know if you like any of them.

July 24, 1905 – French Toast – Beat one egg in a shallow dish, add one teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and one cup of milk. Soak six slices of stale bread in the custard. Drain and brown them on each side on a well-buttered griddle. Spread them with jelly or marmalade and pile them lightly on a dish Serve at once. This is suitable for a dessert for luncheon or for a warm supper dish.

Watermelon Cake – For the white part stir to a cream two cupfuls of sugar with one of butter; then stir in one cup of sweet milk, mix two teaspoons of cream of tarter and one of soda with three and one-half cupfuls of flour; then stir in with the other ingredients and add the beaten whites of eight eggs. For the red part, take one cupful of red sugar, one half-cupful of butter, stirred to a cream; then add one-third cupful of sweet milk, two cupfuls of flour, in which has been mixed one teaspoon of cream of tarter and one-half teaspoon of soda; then add the beaten whites of four eggs and a cupful of small seedless raisins; bake in a round baking pan; put in a layer of white dough in the bottom of the pan, then all the red in the middle, then all the rest of the white dough around the sides and on top; bake in a moderate oven. [300-325 degrees f.] – Kate D.

July 25, 1902 – Baked Bananas, Lemon Sauce. – Peel the bananas and set close together in a baking dish that has been buttered generously. Dust lightly with sugar and bake until soft. Melt two-thirds cup of sugar with three tablespoonfuls of water, and half a level tablespoonful of butter and a scant tablespoonful of lemon juice. Cook the syrup six minutes before adding the butter and juice, then bring to the boiling point, stirring well, and it is ready to serve with the bananas.

August 14, 1905 – Iced Strawberry Pudding: Boil two heaping cups of sugar and two cups of water together for thirty minutes, watching carefully that it does not get too thick. Beat the yolks of six eggs very light and add to the boiling syrup; stir a moment over the fire, then turn into a large bowl and beat continually until cold and thick like cake batter, then add one pint of strawberry juice and freeze. Other fruit juices can be used instead of strawberries if desired. (This reminds me of the soft serve strawberry custard served at the West Main Street stand of my youth.)

August 15, 1905 – To keep butter cool – Here is a very simple arrangement for keeping butter cool, one of the greatest troubles of the housewife in summer. Get a common flower pot and a piece of new flannel and soak both in cold water all night. Put the butter on a dinner plate, put the flower pot over it, and then cover with the flannel, which you have wrung out of the water. You must wet the flannel afresh every day.

The danger of burned fingers from handling hot pie plates and pudding pans is lessened by means of a simple holder consisting of three metal prongs attached to a long wooden handle. The prongs are bent so that it is possible to get a firm grasp on the edge of the pan.

Shoe Etiquette

As we whine about the heat and humidity of the summer of 2017 let us give thanks for the modern fashion freedom which allows us to wear sandals and flip flops. The freedom that encourages us to have clean feet on display and sympathy for the tired and dirty looking feet we so often see at the end of the day.

Such was not always the case. There were rules for almost everything and etiquette is a historic leader in rules. An etiquette column could be found in most newspapers throughout the country and territories. The column was not to be missed and its dictates were to be followed as carefully and as exactly as possible. The writer of this column from August 15, 1905 would be very disheartened to see the state of most of our modern street footwear today.

SHOE ETIQUETTE

The rules for shoe etiquette as adopted by the short skirted girls of a certain town are these:

Put in new shoestrings every day.
Match your stockings to your shoes.
Have your shoes polished twice daily.
Learn how to tie a fetching wide bow.
Never wear a worn out or worn down shoe.
Wear low shoes all you can. They make the ankle look smaller.
Be careful of your heels. One run over heel will spoil the effect of the walk.
Study your shoes and walk properly. Each pair of shoes has its own peculiarities.
And finally, don’t have corns.

In the August 10, 1905 paper it was noted One of the bridesmaids at the marriage of a Nelson (England) cotton manufacturer a few days ago was Miss Minnie Ogden, who is 1 year and 2 months old. The baby bridesmaid looked very pretty in blue.

These days we are still following some of the dictates. When dressed for success its fashionable to match light or dark shoes with light or dark stockings and clothing. Polished and cleaned shoes are still eye-catching and attractive to the eye. Worn heels and soles are usually a sign a replacement is needed. To all the rules I add stride with pride and dignity.

Eyecatching Displays

There were many different issues and displays in the windows of the flourishing shops of Norwich, CT in August of 1905. They were not addressed with the horror and disdain they would meet with today but with curiosity and good humor. This tickled my fancy and I hope it does yours too.

WHILE CLERKS ARE AWAY THE MICE DO PLAY.
Many Attracted by Rodents Catching Flies in Display Window. –

One of the large display windows of a store on Franklin Square is receiving more attention recently than if it was just filled with merchandise, and it is seldom that a number of people can be seen gazing into this window, both during the day and evening. At sometimes during the afternoon the number of spectators cause passersby to wonder if there has been a fire or accident. The firm owning the window do not proceed to keep a menagerie, but for the past week a continuous afternoon and evening performance has been given by several inhabitants of the store.

One of the animals is a little mouse which has the time of his life playing hide and seek among the artifices displayed in the window and amuses himself in its leisure moments by catching flies which are crawling on the plate glass window. The little fellow does not seem to be alarmed at his proximity to human beings and carries on his antics seemingly unaware of their presence. In the evening its place is taken by a large rat almost the size of a wharf rat, which is not nearly as lively as its predecessor and does not indulge in as many capers, but prefers to crouch on the piles of merchandise displayed and watch the passing people with wondering surprise. Several nights ago another of about the same size was noted keeping him company and residents of the neighborhood are beginning to wonder if the owners of the store have lost their store cat. Whatever is the trouble, it certainly makes a paying advertisement for the goods displayed in the window, which are not, however, of the eatable kind.

The Reynolds Place

Sometimes the truth and the facts are lost amongst the embellishments of making a story more interesting. On your next passage along upper Washington Street consider this article from the Friday, Norwich Morning Bulletin, January 9, 1891 The New Hospital. Magnificent Building and an Increased Endowment. –

“No announcement has given more satisfaction to the people of Norwich than that of the erection of a splendid building having every modern appointment for a public hospital on “the Reynolds Place,” with an endowment which seemed ample. The present legislature will be petitioned to grant a charter for such an institution, and the prospects now are that it will be completed the present year.

It is now stated that the projectors of the institution have had a conference with reference to increasing the total fund for the object, and that William W. Backus of Yantic, who is a descendant of one of the original settlers of Norwich and the settler who gave the name of Norwich to the town, gives $75,000 to put up the building, and Mr. William A. Slater, who is ever ready to sustain and advance a worthy public object, will give at least three times that amount [$225,000] to endow it. Their noble generosity will not only be warmly appreciated by the present generation but by many generations yet unborn.”

Much has changed in the years since that article was written. The buildings, the owners and the endowment ,but, the gratitude grows with every generation since who feel the benefits of their forethought and generosity.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blog freely with your family or friends or anyone you think might be interested or in a position to take on some of the suggested projects. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to pass along anything I can. Together we can make a difference. Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com View my past columns at http://www.norwichbulletin.com/section/blogs.

1902 Business Houses

What were the businesses of Norwich, CT at the turn of the 20th Century? What was the commerce that made Norwich, CT a destination and not just another big city of Connecticut? Where did residents and visitors shop and have their needs attended to?

In Norwich, CT there has long been a hue and cry to bring businesses back to city and to make it the hustling and bustling place it once was as residents and visitors have heard on the guided walks throughout the city. So lets take a look at the Norwich Business Houses of July 1, 1902.

What were the businesses that filled the shops when Norwich was a destination to shop and would those same shops really be appropriate and profitable today? This directory is from the Norwich Bulletin Norwich Business Houses of July 1, 1902.

It states “It was a Directory of the leading Financial, Professional, Manufacturing, Wholesale and Retail Firms. It is published daily for the benefits of traveling salesmen, strangers and the public generally.

Bakeries- I. B. Brunelle, 20 Fairmont St.; A. Shapiro, 10 Thames St; Star Bakery, Taftville.
Bicycle Repairing – D. E. Hubbard, 230 Franklin;
Blacksmiths – Wm. Blackburn,15 Myers Alley, L.C. Day, Town Street;
Boots and Shoes – L. Markoff & Co, West Main St; James Moriarty 454 North Main Street
Carriage Buildiers – Geo. W. Harris, 354 West Main St; A.K. Keables, Norwich Town
Carriage Painters – George F Adams, Town St; Arthur R. Parker, 28 Chestnut St
Cigar Manufacturers – J. P. Conant, 11 Franklin St
Dentists – S.L. Geer, 59 Broadway; Dr. W. W. Clapp, 237 Broadway
Grain Dealer – Slossberg Bros. 11-13 Cove St
Grocers – C.L. Botham, 44 Main St., Preston
Harness – J.B Standish, 56 Main St; Shetucket Harness Co, 22 Broadway
Hotels – American House, 79 Shetucket St; Del-Hopp, Broadway; Roberts Tavern, 110 North Main St; The New Market, 715 Boswell Ave
Florists – Miss R. L. Spencer, 24 Elizabeth St
Horseshoeing – H.C. Lane, 17 Chestnut St; J.B. Pfeiffer, 208 West Main St; M. W. Sterry, Norwich Town Green.
Junk Dealer – Norwich Bottle & Junk Corporation, 41 Forest St; The Max Gordon & Son Corp Willow St
Livery Stables – John D. Stoddard, 127 Franklin St
Markets – Falls Market, 50 Sherman St
Merchant Tailors – A Greenberg, 227 Main St
Millinery – Mrs. Lavalle, 257 Main St
Newsdealers – P.C. Lewis, 187 Main St; E.J. Starr, 53 Franklin St
Painting & Graining – L.W. Whiting, 499 No. Main St
Restaurants – Cafe Detroit, 58 Shetucket St
Wall Papers & Paints – Archibald Buchanan, 11 Chestnut St”

Are all of these businesses appropriate for today’s society? What would you purchase from these businesses on a regular basis that would allow them to meet their bills and stay in business today? What are the types of modern day businesses that could be encouraged to become established in our city? Lets start working and talking together truthfully and honestly to create a vision of our future that we can all work towards.

Thank you ladies

In July of 1903 amid great pomp and circumstance was the dedication of the Hubbard Gates at the Norwich Town cemetery by Henry P. Goddard of Baltimore, MD.

In a long reminiscence of his life in Norwich, CT more than fifty years prior was a tribute to the women of Norwich, CT and the impacts to the city they had made. He first made mention of a list of women that he felt indebted to for their “loving acts of kindness,” then he went on to speak with eloquence of “the fairest of a fair sisterhood, famous not only for her personal beauty but her musical accomplishments, Miss Louise Downing Reynolds.”

Then Mr. Goddard reminded his audience of a few names and accomplishments that remain familiar to the audience of 2017. Well at least some of them do.

“Next to the name of our beloved and ever-to-be-honored war Governor, William A. Buckingham, our soldiers loved the Norwich Soldiers Aid Society founded by those two fair women of blessed memory, Miss Eliza Perkins and Miss Lizzie Greene. I know, no one knows it better; all Norwich aided in this good work and the names of those who labored for it would fill volumes – but I mention these two prime movers in it, as they have gone over to the great majority and I cannot help dropping a rose of remembrance over their graves.

But it is not only the storm and stress of war that we trace the legend of good women in this town. How is it that the “Rose of New England” is the cleanest, sweetest, prettiest town in the commonwealth? The women of Norwich have made it so. Who put up the monument to our ally Uncas and the Narragansett patriot Miantonomoh? The women of Norwich. Who founded the village improvement society, the Sheltering Arms and Rock Nook Home and the School House Club? Aye, who was it that rescued this ancient hallowed ground from desecration? The women of Norwich again. Every time it is the women of Norwich.”

The list of “good women” who have thought beyond themselves and taken action for the improvement
of the community and the city has grown exponentially in the years since Mr. Goddard spoke . Now it is our responsibility to take a moment now and again to say their names aloud and to recall their accomplishments and once more give thanks for their vision and dedication to the preservation of their past and present that makes our present and future richer and possible.

Thank you ladies one and all.

Summer Treats

Are you looking for a different but healthy snack? I saw this Fish on Toast recipe in the July 4, 1902 Norwich Bulletin. I do not know where they got if from. – Take a cup of cold cooked halibut or cod, freed from skin and bone and finely chopped; set a cup of milk or cream into hot water until hot, melt a tablespoon of butter, add one tablespoon of flour, a dash of cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt; add gradually the hot milk or cream , one teaspoonful of lemon juice, the fish, and three tablespoonfuls of grated cheese ( Parmesan, if convenient.) When thoroughly hot spread on buttered toast or thin crackers, sprinkle with minced parsley [or chive or dill] and serve. Hint: I skipped the lemon juice and sprinkled with grated lemon rind.

Rice Muffins – Measure a pint of flour after sifting; add a level or less teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and sift thoroughly to mix. Then rub in a large tablespoonful of butter. Beat two eggs light and add them to a cup of milk; stir this into a cup of cold cooked rice and add in the dry mixture and beat to a smooth batter. Pour into buttered gem pans or muffin rings and bake in a quick oven [375 – 400 degrees] for half an hour.

It’s summer and this sounded wonderful but being as lazy as I am, I prepared the filling as directed (mostly. I left out the sugar and used cool whip instead of whipped cream) and brought it to a picnic to serve with vanilla wafers. None was left. Hint: If the mix is too juicy, add the extra juice to the hot or cold drinks such as water, tea, soda or lemonade.

Princess Tart – This is a delicious dessert, and not difficult to prepare. Bake a crust shell; when ready to serve fill with slightly crushed strawberries, shredded pineapple and one orange cut fine, the juice of another, one-fourth of a cup of pulverized sugar [powdered sugar]; cover with whipped cream seasoned with grated orange peel.

Once in a while a quote or article from a newspaper, however old and dated just makes you feel good. This quote is from the Norwich Bulletin of July 8, 1891.

“The Bulletin does not believe in double-dealing, duty-shirking, false-pretenses or pedagogical masquerading; but it does believe in that fundamental American principle, the will of the majority. It knows that the people of this city, as with one voice, have three times declared in favor of the granting the use of electricity to the Norwich Street Railway company, and that still the legislative resolution is unendorsed.”

In 2017, though the Norwich Bulletin owners are different. The publisher is different as is the staff. Time moved on and the Norwich Street Railway is no more. Yet I have confidence that the Bulletin still maintains the same beliefs and fundamental American principle it stated in 1891.

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