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HISTORY CENTER OF STAMFORD
preserving the past / defining the present / connecting with the future
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Blog authors:  Stamford Historical Society, Tom Anderson, Suzann Emmens.

The Society will be closed Saturday, December 19, 2009 through Saturday, January 2, 2010. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Winter Scene on Brush Island

Download newspaper clipping of December 7, 1940

It appears that there once was a Brush Island in Stamford harbor as described, and in another clipping, which we will show in a future post, Whitman Bailey writes that it was connected to the mainland by a small wooden bridge over marshland which was gradually filled in.

Next to the Cove, harbor scenes seem to have been favorites of Whitman Bailey. We do add the usual warning:

"At times, the accompanying vignettes are mostly folklore passed on to Mr. Bailey by residents of the areas where he was sketching.  In those instances he had no way of determining the truth of the story.  Nor have we.  It is presented as a sidelight to the sketch.  Therefore, researchers are cautioned to regard these tales as local color, interesting, thought provoking, but sometimes not entirely factual."

(Reference file: Bailey 398.jpg)

A look back: Pride and Patriotism: Stamford’s Role in World War II

was read on Twitter by A.T. Nelson's WWIIToday, of the WWII Community at The National World War II Museum.

Pride and Patriotism: Stamford’s Role in World War II  tells the story of Stamford’s experience during World War II through the lives of individuals who participated abroad as well as in the war effort at home. The individual experiences give exhibit viewers a more personal, intimate experience and appreciation of how the war affected people’s lives directly.

The exhibit includes exclusive, first-person accounts from veterans who are Stamford residents. There are representatives from all branches of the services as well as women’s divisions: the WACS and the WAVES. Stamford veterans were found in all the theaters of the war. In addition, the exhibit uses loaned weapons, uniforms, photographs, and artifacts to tell veterans’ stories. Loaned or society-owned items and objects trace the central role that local companies played in war efforts and reflect daily home-front life. A poster gallery, drawn from the Society’s World War II-era collection, offered visitors a snapshot of the U.S. Government’s efforts to attract and encourage public support for the money, material resources, labor, and day-to-day sacrifices needed for a successful war effort.

Syndicated cartoonist Mort Walker, creator of “Beetle Bailey”and other popular comic strips, was honorary chair of the exhibit. We are grateful for his permission to reproduce images from his 1945/46 scrapbook for both the exhibit and this online version, in addition to the loan of other artifacts. He also drew the "Kilroy was here" cartoon for us which is shown on all pages.

The online version of the exhibit strives to present not only the veterans’ stories beyond the excerpts shown in the galleries, but also to display images of objects they lent us for the exhibit – or in some cases donated to the Society – as well as their photos. The battle pages include links to related Internet sites for the more curious. We have added several interviews and biographies, relevant to displays and other references in the exhibit, from the book “An American Town Goes To War” by Tony Pavia, 1995, with the author’s kind permission. The book may be viewed at our Marcus Research Library.

Readers may notice that there are some blanks as far as the "homefront" pages are concerned. Hopefully, we can remedy this soon.

Apart from developing the first electric typewriter, Mr. Blickensderfer was an early proponent of portable machines. In 2003 we reproduced an article from The Guide Nature magazine of 1913, and it begins thus:

Any first-class typewriter is good to use out of doors if you have a porter or expressman to carry it for you. But there is a typewriter made by The Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company of Stamford, Connecticut, that is not only first-class but is easily portable. It weighs only five pounds and has been designed to meet all requirements in travelling.

This little gem of a thoroughly efficient typewriter is therefore entitled to be enrolled as an assistant in nearness to nature. Authors, professional people, naturalists, and all other people who love to write out of doors, or to utilize some of the time in travelling, will find in the Blickensderfer a really enjoyable and helpful companion.

So here goes: A Reprise: The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913. Enjoy the pictures and the flight of fancy!

A model in the collections of the Stamford Historical Society
click to enlarge

 

Enjoy your holiday!

Browsing through our library for inspiration, we came across yet another article from The Guide to Nature Magazine, with excellent photos of the Citizens Savings Bank around 1914.  And as luck will have it, a search in the Vertical Files produced a brochure from which the photos and some of the text were taken, meaning that there were more items, some very typical of the era, such as the "Ladies' Room" which had a little desk with a mirror and sort of a chaise lounge where the lady, no doubt exhausted from her banking chores, could rest.

as seen from Hawthorne Street
Download Newspaper Clipping of November 14, 1925

In 2005 we posted a Photo Selection of the Month A Veterans Day Special: Soldiers Monument, St. John’s Park on our website, with among other things, a picture of the dedication ceremony of the Soldiers Monument in St. John’s Park on Armistice Day, November 11, 1920.

There is much more on that page, including photos and a poem by local poet Charles Crandall, whose son Robert was killed at the Marne in July 1918:

St. John's Park and the memorial are still there today, but otherwise the landscape has largely changed following the urban redevelopment of downtown Stamford.

(Reference file Bailey 284.jpg)

The Society did not have any current materials related to conservation, preservation and storage of our collections, and these books will greatly aid us as we seek to better house and police our items.

The Stamford Historical Society was awarded this essential set of resources based on an application prepared by the Director describing the needs and plans for the care of its collections.  The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers.  It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

Dr. Zoubek and Librarian Ronald Marcus will give gallery talks, leading us through the "rooms" set up in both the Red and Halliday galleries.

The talks begins at 3 PM, followed by our traditional tea and raffle for tea baskets.

For reservations call (203) 329-1183
Admission: $15
Please make your check payable to The Stamford Historical Society and send it to the Society at 1508 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06903.

The Stamford Historical Society, Index of Vertical Files
Revised September 2009

The Vertical Files in the Marcus Research Library are organized in file drawers by category and subject. They contain paper based material such as news clippings, letters, brochures, and more.

Kudos to Grace Bounty who purged and updated the files over the summer!

Research requests may be sent to
history@stamfordhistory.org
Research Fees

October 22, 1909

The Stamford Historical Society was duly organized as an incorporated body at a meeting held in the office of Attorney Robert A. Fosdick. Nine of eleven parties named in the act of incorporation were present. After a formal vote accepting and approving the incorporation, several resolutions were passed merging the new corporation with the unincorporated body previously known as the Stamford Historical Society.

STAMFORD -- The Stamford Historical Society intends on proving Sting wrong. Unlike the message of the musician's song "History Will Teach Us Nothing," the 100-year-old institution contends it will.

This month marks the Society's 100th anniversary since becoming a fully incorporated non-profit on Oct. 13, 1909.

The Society will celebrate 100 years of meticulously collecting and categorizing local memorabilia through a centennial exhibit titled "100 years in the Making: Highlights from the Society's Collections," which opens Oct. 25.   read entire article

Although the Stamford Historical Society was founded in 1901, it took a number of years before the Society met regularly.  After meeting five times between October of 1901 and March of 1902, the Society did not meet again until the fall of 1905.  From then on, monthly meetings were held, other than during the summer months of July and August.  This practice continues today as there is no August meeting of the Board.  It was not until 1909 that the Society was recognized by the State of Connecticut as an incorporated body.  Colonel Woolsey Hopkins, Society President (1901–09), had appointed a committee to see to this goal as early as 1907, but it was not until after his death that the goal was realized under the Society’s second president Frederick G. Mather (1909–23). 

In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of incorporation, the Society is putting together a centennial exposition, 100 Years in the Making: Highlights from the Society’s Collections, that will chronicle our history as well as show off some of the finest pieces in our collections.

The Hallway will illustrate the history of the Society from its inception in October of 1901 to the present.  The biographies of some of our charter members will be featured in addition to pamphlets, photos, flyers and newsletters put out by the Society over the years.  We are also endeavoring to include photos of every one of our past presidents from Colonel Hopkins to the present.  The exhibit will give the viewer a thorough understanding about where the Society has been in the past, what have been its chief foci and concerns, and where we are going in the future.  Featured will be a mini-exhibit about our Hoyt Barnum House, including a scale model of the house built in the 1960s.

HBH was acquired by the Society in 1943 but did not serve as its headquarters until 1950.  It was at an historic board meeting when, after hearing a poem composed by Mrs. Hilliard, long-serving SHS Board Secretary, in which the House was given a voice through the poem, the Board decided unanimously to make HBH its home.  The Society did not move to its present address until 1984.

The Red and Halliday Galleries will feature some of our most prized pieces from the collections.  The objects will be presented in much the same style as in the American Wing of the Met.  The exhibit will be arranged chronologically with room-like settings interspersed with cases filled with objects pertaining to national events as they affected Stamford, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and WWI and II.  Many of the items that will be displayed have either not been shown or have not been seen for a very long time by the public.  Included will be furniture, decorative items, textiles and memorabilia.

I would like to thank our great team of volunteers mentioned elsewhere who made this all possible.  Their efforts have given the Society better control of its collections.  They have also helped us to preserve items. Each one of our volunteers has contributed to this exhibit and to the strength of the Society.  We look forward to seeing all at the opening of the exhibit on October 25 when we will celebrate the Society’s 100th!

Looking East Across Rippowam Park

Download Newspaper Clipping of October 15, 1932

In the background, across the barely discernible Mill River with its concrete banks, can be seen the Roger Smith Hotel on Washington Blvd., later victim of urban redevelopment.  We wrote about the hotel earlier in the year.

Today's Advocate has an article (this link will probably no longer active after two weeks from today) about wildlife returning to the river, including minks, herons, and egrets, a very gratifying development of a healthy ecosystem downtown. Don Russell, who seems to have been against the project in the past, wrote in a recent column (at the time when the last section of the Mill River dam came down) that he now has changed his mind.

Skating Scene at Rippowam Park (scroll down for sketch).  Further up, the Old Swimming Hole, "Sandy Bottom," At Woodside Park is unlikely to be restored, Scalzi Park is already there and well established.
Ice Harvesting on the Mill River

We add the usual warning: "At times, the accompanying vignettes are mostly folklore passed on to Mr. Bailey by residents of the areas where he was sketching.  In those instances he had no way of determining the truth of the story.  Nor have we.  It is presented as a sidelight to the sketch.  Therefore, researchers are cautioned to regard these tales as local color, interesting, thought provoking, but sometimes not entirely factual."

However, since we are in the election season, this paragraph made me chuckle:

(Reference file Bailey 287.jpg)

Music, magic, games, and crafts.

Admission $10
ages 4-12 $5
under 4 free
Ice cream, cake, drinks and goodies included.

EXHIBIT OPENING
100 Years in the Making: Highlights from the Society's Collections

Family Fun at Stamford Historical Society’s Touch-A-Truck
Location: The Stamford Historical Society, 1508 High Ridge Road
Time: 1:00 PM, Saturday, October 3rd

On Saturday, October 3rd the Stamford Historical Society will be hosting its 3rd Annual Touch-A-Truck Day from 1 – 4 PM in the afternoon. In addition to the trucks, there will be free face-painting for the children. Drinks, healthy snacks, and baked goodies will be available for purchase. Admission is $5/person and children under 4 are admitted free.

One of last year’s attendees thought sitting at the controls of an excavator was the “coolest” part of the day. Others enjoyed racing around in the fire department’s command vehicle. Visitors will be able to explore modern and historic fire engines along with a variety of construction trucks. Young or old, come toot the horn on a “big rig.”

All proceeds from “Touch-A-Truck” go to benefit The Stamford Historical Society, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that acts as municipal historian for the City of Stamford. The Society is an educational and research institution, whose primary functions are to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit materials relating to Stamford, Connecticut and the surrounding region.

Contact the Stamford Historical Society at 329-1183 for further information.

Last year's photos

Download Newspaper Clipping of September 4, 1954

Toms House in 1979

In the above mentioned survey, the house is listed as in the Vernacular style.  According to this page, the definition reads:

“Vernacular architecture” is a term used to describe traditional building methods and materials, especially of domestic (houses), agricultural (barns, silos, fences), and industrial structures (mills, factories, warehouses). Carpenters and builders learn the methods by training and observation, rather than through formal schooling, and decoration may be absent or may also be traditional.

The house in 1979 is described as "[a] small two-story, shingled house with gable facing the street has an off-set doorway.  The interior retains many original features, including low ceilings, parlor stove, narrow stairway and small rooms. The kitchen is now in the rear addition."  As of 2008, it was still a 5-room house.  Ron drove by and confirmed that the house still is covered by brown shingles.

We add the usual warning: "At times, the accompanying vignettes are mostly folklore passed on to Mr. Bailey by residents of the areas where he was sketching.  In those instances he had no way of determining the truth of the story.  Nor have we.  It is presented as a sidelight to the sketch.  Therefore, researchers are cautioned to regard these tales as local color, interesting, thought provoking, but sometimes not entirely factual."

(Reference file: Bailey 199.jpg)

Barbershops in Stamford

There is one mystery though:  two photos are labeled "Carmine Cerrata Barbershop."  However, we can't find any listing in the city directories, nor do census pages help.  The second and later photo gives the street address of the Davenport Hotel on West Park Place.  Any assistance is greatly appreciated!