A Closer Look: Northwest Corner Main and High Streets, 1930

Here is a photo of Main and High, 1930.

Although the sign to the left of the picture is cut off, it can be determined that it is advertising Sunoco Gas.

Number One: Sunoco Gas
Number Two: Capitol (for Capitol Theatre)
Number Three: Coca-Cola
Number Four: Holcomb's Prescriptions

It could not be determined what film was playing at the Capitol- though it would certainly be interesting to know!

A Closer Look: The Community Building

Here is a photo from the East Haven Photograph Album of the East Haven Fire Department at 200 Main Street taken in 1924. The caption is-

1924 Next to fire station was the Community Building. Upstairs was Peggy Whyte’s School of Dance.

A closer look with the magnifying glass reveals some interesting details of the signs on and near the Community Building.

Number One: "Community Alleys, Bowling, Pool."
Number Two reads "Community Theater".
Number Three: "?andy? Soda ?emons, Ice Cream."
Number Four: a name and below that "Patent Medicines".

Interestingly, Sign Number Two indicates that not only was it a community building, but also a theater. There appears to be a movie poster on the sidewalk advertising the film. This theater would then be separate from the Capitol Theatre, located down at 271 Main Street by the present Margaret Tucker Park. If anyone has information or a correction to this observation please call the library.

On Sign Number Three- "?emons" is visible, the other letters blocked by the pole. a guess to the word ?emons was lemons. The sign would read: Candy, Soda, Lemons, Ice Cream. This of course, didn't make much sense.
By looking at the sign on the sidewalk, also advertising ice cream,it appeared there was an "s" in the word. A check on the Internet determined there was indeed a "Semons" ice cream company in the New Haven area. So we have an add here for "Candy, Soda and Semons Ice Cream."

A Closer Look

This 1925 photograph of East Haven Green facing East reveals some interesting features under a magnifying glass.

Number One- the billboard to the left of the picture is an advertisement for Chevrolet and states: "Quality at Low Cost" "A Dealer Near to Serve You."

Number Two- the signposts nailed to the light pole- the top one states "Momaguin,Short Beach" the bottom states "Branford, New London."

Number Three- the placard states at the top: "East Haven."
It would be interesting to know what the listings were below it.

Local Content and Community Reserve

The library is participating in Overdrive's Local Content and Community Reserve program which allows libraries to offer digitized documents, audio and video materials, in download formats.

So far, we have submitted three items--

A pamphlet on the 1911 dedication of the Soldier's Memorial on the East Haven Green, a ca. 1917 photograph of East Haven Boys prior to shipping out to serve in WW I, and a memorial pamphlet for the first boy killed in WW I from East Haven.

Below: East Haven boys serving in WW I

The library will be participating in the Local Content and Community Reserve program through OverDrive, a distributor of audio and e-books.

Archival material will be sent from the Hagaman Library in PDF form then changed into Adobe ebooks. Patrons will be able to browse, check-out and download these materials from the Hagaman website OverDrive link.

This will give patrons further accessibility to archival documents and information.

East Haven Photographs on Connecticut Treasures

It was gratifying to see some of the photographs from Donald V. Chidsey's Old Houses of East Haven up on the Treasures of Connecticut Libraries site. We look forward to seeing the entire work up on the site.

http://cslib.cdmhost.com/ctlibs/home.php

Treasures at The Hagaman

Here is another Civil War era treasure. A letter from Winfield Scott at West Point to A. Clark at Brevoort(?) House, N.Y. Again, we have an item of mystery. The text of the letter reads-

West Point, Sep. 10, 1864

Dear Sir: I thank you for your note.
I believe I have engaged apartment [sic] higher uptown.
Yrs. with esteem-
Winfield Scott

A. Clark, Esq.

Treasures at The Hagaman

In keeping with the Connecticut Treasures Project (see the 12/18/09 post) and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the library has some treasures of it's own to present on this blog.

Below is an 1863 letter calling up Hiram Jacobs of East Haven to military service.

It will be interesting to see if any further information on this individual can be found in either the library or the Historical Society.

Civil War Events at the New Haven Public Library

There will be two events on the Civil War at the New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm Street in New Haven.

On Saturday, May 21, at 10:30 am, Dave Koch will present “Connecticut African Americans in the Civil War.” An Assistant Professor of History at Housatonic Community College, Mr. Koch has offered discussions across the country and in Europe about our national historical sites. How black soldiers from Connecticut fought in this War is a compelling story, highlighting much of the best and worst of our country’s history. The Union side supported abolition of slavery, but not equality for African-Americans. In Connecticut, black free men were fighting for less pay (and much less pay-off) than their white counterparts—and despite the likelihood of savage reprisal if caught by Confederate soldiers.

On Saturday, June 4, 2-3 pm, Matthew Bartlett will present “From Colonial America to the Civil War,” an exploration of the historical roots of the War. A Meriden resident, Mr. Bartlett is author of a multi-volume series on the Civil War, The Gettysburg Chronicle (http://gettysburgchronicle.weebly.com).

Both programs are presented free of charge as part of the Connecticut Sesquicentennial Civil War initiative. Free parking is available. For more information please call the New Haven Public Library at 203-946-8835.

With the occurrence of 150th anniversary of the Civil War it was interesting to find this June 4th, 1937 East Haven Citizen article shown below, while working on a reference question concerning a soldier of WW II -




Caption below the photograph: Mr. Charles W. Grannis at the age of sixteen, taken at the time he enlisted in the Civil War.
The type states: Mr. Charles W. Grannis, 92, of Old Foxon Road, Foxon is the only survivor of the Civil War now living in the town of East Haven. He enlisted at the age of 16, at which time he ran away from home to join the Union Army. His father's efforts towards keeping him out of the war were fruitless, for Mr. Grannis returned to the army. He served during the whole four years of the war from 1861 to 1865. He was a member of the Tenth Connecticut, Company A, and was twice wounded, at Petersburg, Va., in 1863 and at Richmond, Va., April 2, 1864, nine days before the surrender of Lee.

Mr. Grannis is a member of the Admiral Foote Post, No 17, of New Haven, and is also a member of Lodge No. 63 A.F. and A.M. He has twice served East Haven as representative in the General Assembly, at Hartford, in 1895 and 1899, has served on the school board, and served as chairman of the Republican Town Committee for a period of eight years.

Despite his 92 years, Mr. Grannis is as chipper as a youngster, and it is hoped that he will live to see many more Memorial Day celebrations in East Haven.

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Central Connecticut State University has posted a number of events pertaining to the Civil War (see below) or see: http://finalsite.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=8704

Wednesday, May 11, 7:30 p.m. - Connecticut in the American Civil War – A lecture and book signing by Dr. Matthew Warshauer – Lewis S. Mills School Auditorium, Burlington.

Thursday, May 12, 7 p.m. – Connecticut in the American Civil War – A lecture and book signing by Dr. Matthew Warshauer – Old Saybrook Historical Society, Acton Library, Old Saybrook. http://www.oldsaybrookct.org/pages/oldsaybrookct_library/index

Friday, May 13, 2011; 6:00 PM. Woodford Descendents to Mark Their Civil War Ancestor’s Graves; GAR Medallion and Flag Placement. West Avon Cemetery, 280 Country Club Road. The public is invited to attend. Event will be held rain or shine. Information here.

Saturday, May 14 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Litchfield Awake! - Civil War Encampment on the Town Green in Litchfield, CT. Sponsored by the 2nd Heavy Artillery and the Litchfield Historical Society. http://www.the2dconn.com/CampDutton2011.htm

Sunday, May 15; 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. “Monumental Achievement: The Civil War and the Making of American Memory” - presentation by William Hosley, noted Connecticut historian - 2 p.m. Exhibit of a variety of Civil War-era toys and military memorabilia, including some collector’s items for opening day only. Ellsworth Memorial Homestead, 778 Palisado Avenue, Windsor, Connecticut. More information here and here.

Wednesday, May 18. 7:00 pm. The Power of the Press: Secession, the Lincoln Inauguration, Fort Sumter. Roseland Cottage Carriage Barn, 556 Route 169, Woodstock, Conn. 860-928-4074; Information here.

Thursday May 19, 2011, 12pm-1pm. Zachary Bodnar, the 2010-11 Gunn Scholar, lecture Gunn's Soldiers: Tales of Civil War Soldiers from The Gunnery. Gunn Memorial Museum, 5 Wykeham Road,Washington, CT 06793. www.gunnlibrary.org.

Saturday, May 21 10:30-11:30 AM CONNECTICUT AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE CIVIL WAR, Housatonic Community College Assistant Professor David Koch, New Haven Public Library 203-946-8130 x203, : www.cityofnewhaven.com/library.

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 1 p.m. – Dedication of New Civil War Monument. West Cemetery, Memorial Boulevard, Bristol, Connecticut 06010. Contact: Robert T. Barnett, 105 Jerome Avenue, Bristol, Ct. 06010 robert105@netzero.com


JUNE


June 2011, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas will present an immersion experience entitled “Freedom’s Journey,” which encompasses a series of performances, ideas discussions, and tours that address the topic of the Civil War and the cultural heritage within the state of Connecticut. www.artidea.org

Saturday, June 4, 2-3 pm FROM COLONIAL AMERICA TO THE CIVIL WAR Matthew Bartlett, author of The Gettysburg Chronicle, will explore the historical roots of the Civil War. New Haven Public Library 203-946-8835 www.bartlettjune4.eventbrite.com

Thursday June 9, 2011 at 6:30pm, Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at CCSU and co-chair of the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission, will discuss his new book, Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice and Survival. Gunn Memorial Museum, 5 Wykeham Road,Washington, CT 06793. www.gunnlibrary.org

We should soon see some of the Hagaman Library's archival photographs posted on the Connecticut Treasures website-
http://cslib.cdmhost.com/ctlibs/home.php
This is a wonderful website for anyone interested in seeing historical photographs of Connecticut.

The website is provided by the Connecticut State Library and Library Connection, a non-profit cooperative of 27 academic and public libraries. The Project has assisted libraries in digitizing selected items from their collections, making them available to the public through the Internet. Below are a selection of East Haven photographs that we should soon be able to view on the "Treasures" website. The photograph album from which they were taken was put together by Donald Chidsey with additional commentary by John T. Brereton.

















1917 Postcard of an East Haven Fire Department Fire Engine

























Closed trolley car facing east on Main and High Streets in 1895.
























Drum Corps in front of the Eliza Thompson House, 1880s






























The Samuel Bradley House built in 1792





Main Street, East Haven facing East

Then- Old and New

Mr. Nick Bagnoli obtained several copies of photographs from the Trolley Museum. This close-up of one of the photographs- a view of High Street, Main Street and Thompson Avenue, seems representational of the change from the then former mode of transportation to the new.