Monthly Archives: February 2018

Freight Steamer City of Norwich

If you are from Norwich, CT you have seen the photograph of the freight steamer “City of Norwich” at least one hundred times. It’s a lovely shot on a clear calm day with the ship front and center in the now ancient Norwich harbor. The photo has been used in numerous calendars, in newspaper advertisements, in nearly every history of Norwich book. You know the picture I am talking about now? Good.

So what happened to it? Not the photograph. The photograph will live on forever but the ship itself. What happened to the ship? Well here is a little bit of a follow-up with grateful thanks to the Norwich Bulletin of March 10, 1894. I put brackets around clarification details.

City of Norwich Sold. – She will in future plow southern waters. – The Norwich line freight steamer City of Norwich has been sold to parties who will employ her in southern waters. She has been idle for several years and of no use to the company so the sale is accounted a very good thing. She will be delivered at the convenience of the purchaser.

The City of Norwich was built in the early sixties [1860’s] and in 1867 caught fire and went to the bottom of Long Island sound. She was afterward rebuilt.

The particulars of the sale are not known in this city. [Norwich]

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.

Pride of Norwich

Back on February 2, 1894 neither the Norwich Board of Trade or the Norwich Bulletin were shy about extolling the many virtues of living in Norwich, CT. While vague in specifics its descriptive words could be used today by some enterprising people interested in promoting the City of Norwich as a good and progressive place to live and work in Connecticut or the nation.

“Record of Norwich.”
“The advantages of Norwich as a residential city and business place is something the Bulletin does not mean that her citizens or the world shall lose sight of.

The annual report of progress made by the Norwich Board of Trade for 1893 and published in the Norwich Bulletin Thursday morning showed,
First, that Norwich is a good place to live in.
Second, that it is a good place to do business in.
Third, that it is a good place to start a business in.
Fourth, that it is an A1 place to educate one’s children in.
Fifth, that it is a live, prosperous and progressive town which invites people to it.

The record of Norwich for 1893 cannot be duplicated by many cities of her population in the country. That year will go on record as the blackest year of this century, yet Norwich advanced in every category.”

I want to be reading these statements and hearing them on the radio. It is almost budget time and the leaders of Norwich need to stop taking surveys and sponsoring yet another study from which they learn nothing they don’t already know and which do not lead them to take action. It is time for the leaders to lead. To take an action. To take a direction. To stop wondering and to state outloud, “Norwich, CT is a good place to live. A good place to do business. A good place to start a business. A good place to educate children. A place that is lively, prosperous, and progressive. Join with us as we move with pride into the future.”

Then they have to get out of the way and encourage things to happen.

Cleveland Spoons

Reading this article in the Norwich Bulletin of March 7, 1893 as copied from an unspecified date of the New London Day caused me to wonder if any of the spoons were still around and if there was a historical organization or museum that cared enough about the history of Norwich, CT to create a display of them for the general public to see.

Let me first introduce Deacon William Cleveland who learned the trades of silversmith, watch and clockmaker here in Norwich. His jewelry shop, later became Adams’ tavern in Norwichtown. That is where he manufactured spoons; where on the back of the handle is the name CLEVELAND embossed in bold letters.

Over the years the spoons of Aaron Cleveland were periodically presented to a descendant of President Cleveland an event which may have triggered the printing of the article as one of the spoons was presented to Aaron Cleveland’s great grand-daughter Ruth, a daughter of President Grover Cleveland per an article in ‘”The Sun, N.Y., Feb 6, 1893.”

“They abound in the Vicinity of Norwich.” – At the sale of the effects of the Backus estate, Norwich, a few days ago, Enoch Crandall of New London, bought half a dozen silver spoons which he valued for their intrinsic worth and the old fashioned pattern. Since his purchase he has discovered that they were made by the grandfather of the reigning house, to wit, President Cleveland’s grandfather, and are therefore priceless if office-seekers are disposed to follow the Norwich party who sent a genuine Cleveland spoon to Baby Ruth.

The road to post offices and foreign consulates might possibly be hewn out with a silver spoon of the right pattern, insignificant as a tablespoon may appear to be. As a matter of fact the country families around Norwich have Cleveland spoons in abundance from well-to-do grandfathers as the original silversmith Cleveland seems to have been a thriving man in his trade and to have had a monopoly in silver spoons which, of course, his grandson, the president, would not have approved, had the man of destiny been destined for an earlier time.

Grover, however was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, a fact which might furnish some idea for some artificer in silver in making souvenir spoons.”

Harbingers of Spring and the GBBC

Mohegan Park is a great place to participate in The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) February 16 – 19, 2018. The GBBC is free, fun, and easy for bird watchers of all ages. Everyone becomes a citizen scientist when counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at gbbc.birdcount.org.

Mohegan Park is open from dawn to dusk. Suggested viewing areas are along any of the four walking
trails. There are benches, rest and scenic areas, parking lots and picnic areas attractive to birds. Park Center offers views onto Spaulding Pond, and woods. While not in bloom the Rose Garden offers delightful hiding places for views of tiny birds. Some larger birds have made their home near the Lower Pond and beach areas.

While not as organized as the GBBC, birds have always been a part of Norwich, CT history. For example from the March 30, 1893 Norwich Bulletin is this article titled, “Winged Harbingers of Spring. – The blue birds and robbins have appeared about this city, considered a sure sign that spring is here. The robins sometimes remain north during winter, finding warmth and food in the cedar woods. The crow blackbird which is not so hardy as the crow itself is once more making its hoarse cry and preparing to turn over the first bit of earth or stone that gives evidence of bugs or beetles beneath. The welcome chipping sparrow, generally called chipping bird, has not yet appeared but may be expected any day. His relative, the song sparrow, whose “olit, olit,olee” has such beauty ought to be everywhere now. Flocks of wild geese are daily flying over the city.”

I hope you will be joining me in counting and reporting the harbingers of spring.

Lincoln and Darwin

Which famous or notorious person do you share your birthday with? If you were born on February 12th you share a birthday with both Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln. Did I forget to mention you also had to be born in 1809?

Of course I thought that no one had noticed the birth dates until the 2010 Time magazine article. I was wrong. Again. In the February 24, 1893 Norwich Bulletin was a rather lengthy article on how there should be a joint celebration of the two men as they had so much in common. A strong recommendation was to make the “occasion an interchange of graceful and kindly courtesies between Englishmen and Americans.”

Wouldn’t that make for a pleasant gathering?

Neither man showed much promise of greatness as a child. Darwin said of himself, “At no time am I a quick thinker or writer; whatever I have done in science has solely been by long pondering, patience and industry.”

So were there any other parallels?

Both men lost their mothers at an early age. Susannah Darwin died in 1817 and Nanacy Hanks Lincoln died in 1818.
Both men loved Shakespeare.
Both men loved music but it is widely reported that neither could sing.
Both men became prominent after age 40.
Both men experienced the death of a child. Edward Lincoln died at age 4 and Anne Elizabeth Darwin died at age 10.
Both were abolitionists.
So how were they different? Lincoln loved cats. Darwin loved dogs.

Happy birthday gentlemen!

O. H. Reynolds’ New Stable

Staring at the same old photographs of old Norwich, CT is very nice but I get more excited when I find the descriptions of the buildings or structures that tell me just a bit more about what I am looking at. Knowing the details stretches my imagination to include the rest of my senses.

For example in the March 14, 1893 Norwich Bulletin I found this description of O. H. Reynolds’ New Stable, Well Ventilated and Conveniently Arranged.

Mr. Oliver H. Reynolds has just completed his new two story stable on Shetucket Street. The building stands upon the site of his former residence and is 50×115 feet in size. It is to be wholly devoted to the stabling of horses. The sanitary arrangement is complete. There are twenty stalls on the first floor and thirty on the second, with a large box stall on each floor. The upper floor is approached by a gently inclined brow covered with leather so that the sound of the horses going up and down is deadened. The floors are lighted with skylights on the roof as well as by side windows. The building is thoroughly piped and a basin of concrete in each stall connects with a drain pipe beneath, and the drains are flushed from the water-shed of a portion of the roof every time it rains. The compost is thrown into a compartment of such ample proportions that a two horse wagon can be driven beneath the stable for its removal. This is ventilated from the roof and is separated by brick walls from the stable proper. The stable on the lower floor is concreted; and the second floor is ceiled overhead, and is well ventilated. Adjacent to the stable is an oat-bin of 1,200 bushels capacity. The hay loft will be separated from the new stable by a brick wall and fire-proof doors. All the horses are to be kept in the new part, and that part of the old stable row used for stabling the horses is to be remodeled and used for a carriage house. The floor is to be dropped to the level of the street, and it is to be made as easy of access as the carriage house now in use.

When the entire establishment is rebuilt Mr. Reynolds’ stable will be one of the most comfortable and convenient in Eastern Connecticut.

How is your imagination now? Can you smell the fresh hay? Can you hear the horses clopping softly on the leather covered incline? I am imagining petting their soft noses while they eat slices of fresh apple from my hand.

Through the Ice 1894

Its winter in Norwich, CT so everyone brings out and posts their photograph of the photograph of the winter when the ice was so thick in the Norwich harbor people were skating on it. Oh hum. Yes. I consider that to be old, trite and boring. I want to know the rest of the story.

For example this story called “Through the Ice” is from the February 14, 1894 Norwich Bulletin. Not precisely Norwich but a good example of what I am looking for in a historical story and representation.

“A New London Horse and Driver Get a Wetting.”
Quite a number of local horsemen went to Miller’s pond Monday morning with the expectancy of having an afternoon’s good sport trotting on it. They were disappointed however, after one of them had gone horse and all through the ice, got wet through and created no end of excitement.

Tyler Earl volunteered to be the first man to make the attempt to test the ice. He had the horse Chester. Morris attached to the elephantine cutter of his and drove on what he thought was a good spot.

He hadn’t gone far from the bank when the ice broke over about three and a half feet of water, and let horse and sleigh down to the bottom. There was great danger of the horse being injured in his struggles and Earl waded up to his head. The animal was thrown on his side and Earl held his head while the harness was being cut. All the horsemen set to work, or rather as many of them as could be given something to do, and it was but a short time before the horse was brought ashore. The animal was then thoroughly blanketed and given some fever pills. Then a young man was found to ride him into New London, and last night the horse didn’t seem any the worse for his cold bath.”

I am looking for a similar Norwich story and will let every one know when I find one. Pictures, sketches and photos are nice but they don’t hold a candle to the details of a story.

1894 Snow Solution

How was snow cleared back in the day? Here is how it was reported in the Norwich Bulletin on February 14, 1894.

“A Snow Blockade. – Trains Delayed But the Hanover Mail Came Through.
The street railway employees fought all Monday night with the engulfing snow, and ran plows and cars incessantly. Supt. Shaw personally directed the schedule and provided a clothes basket of sandwiches for the men. It was a cheerless taskrunning through the dark, deserted street in the blustering snow storm. After a trip the men had a chance to warm up, and it sounded rather like railroading to hear someone in authority say at 9 a.m, “Well, boys, lets take a run up to Norwich Town and tunnel the drifts.”

The railway people were busy Tuesday and Tuesday night clearing the tracks, and they carted off several hundred loads of snow from the narrow thoroughfares.

The trains were late on both roads Tuesday morning and the 9:35 train on the Norwich & Worcester railroad did not come in until between 12 and 1 o’clock. The Boston papers did not arrive until 3 p.m. The 10:55 train on the Northern did not arrive until 1 o’clock. The boat ride from New London due at 5:50 a.m, came through at 6:50 p.m. The 9:30 a.m. Train for Boston was stalled at Oxford.

The Hanover stage arrived in the city at 10:45 o’clock on Monday and was about an hour late. Mr. Judd brought the mail through safely but reported big drifts. The road was bad at the foot of Lee’s Hill and above Taftville. Mr. Judd carried a snow shovel and broke the way through in some places. “

OK so you know I want to know who actually made the clothes basket of sandwiches and who really paid for them. Where did they cart the snow off to and who unloaded it? Do the papers arrive on a special train or wagon? Did the passengers just remain on the boat while it worked its way up the river? I hope someone thanked Mr. Judd for delivering the mail regardless of the bad weather and having to carry and use a snow shovel through the drifts. Some things don’t change over the years. Thank you Wally for delivering my mail through all types of weather. I want to assure everyone that the snow shovels back then were heavy. I have a snow shovel from the 1930’s because it still works, and it is substantially heavier than any of my newer plastic and metal ones. No one ever wants to use it or borrow it because it is so heavy.

Norwich Nuggets

Just another Admin Blog Sites site