Hagaman Library Contributes to Treasures of Connecticut Libraries Project

The Treasures of Connecticut Libraries Project is an online partnership between the Connecticut State Library and Library Connection, a non-profit cooperative of 27 public and academic libraries. The Project will enhance already standing digital collections of the Connecticut Humanities Council databases such as, Connecticut's Heritage Gateway, http://www.ctheritage.org/ the Encyclopedia of Connecticut History Online, http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/encyclopedia.htm and Connecticut History Online, http://www.cthistoryonline.org/cdm-cho/index.html.

The Hagaman Memorial Library's contribution to the project will be Old Houses of East Haven by Donald V. Chidsey, a page of which can be seen in the photograph above. The work written by Mr. Chidsey in 1934, consists of text and photographs of houses and landmarks of East Haven. In the preface the author states:
"The following account gives a brief history of East Haven's old houses, as well as the Old Stone Church, the Green and the Iron Works from the time of origin to the present time. It contains, in simple language, those events and incidents connected with each place which are of chief importance and general interest. This booklet is designed primarily, as a reference for those who may be interested in ascertaining the names of the owners of the few old places still remaining in East Haven. A knowledge of the history of the folk now gone forever who once lived in these old houses will perhaps create a deeper respect upon the part of the present generation for past generations who were the founders and builders of our town."

We are excited about The Digitization Project, an opportunity provided by the Connecticut State Library and Library Connection, a non-profit cooperative of 27 academic and public libraries. The Project will assist libraries in digitizing selected items from their collections, making them available to the public through the Internet. We will be choosing items from the library's archival collections as well as working with items provided by the East Haven Historical Society.

We have selected Old Houses of East Haven a compilation by former town historian, Donald V. Chidsey as our first item for digitization. Old Houses is of public interest as it contains photographs and information on historic structures of East Haven, such as the photograph of the Stephen Dodd house shown above. Our intent is to honor Mr. Chidsey's efforts to make this information available as he, in his own words, expressed:

"It has been the purpose of the author in part to gather first hand from East Haven's oldest residents detailed accounts of the old houses and the folk of yesterday who lived in them. In this way it has been possible in some instances to obtain accounts of human interest that took place in this old town in the days of long ago."

There are two versions of the Old Houses of East Haven, the manuscript and the typewritten versions. Each has its own attributes. Among other differences, the manuscript version contains a hand drawn map (shown below) which locates where the houses stood in East Haven. The typewritten version contains actual photographs of the buildings.

The digitized project will make the attributes of both of these versions available through the Internet.

West Haven Military Museum

I was delighted to read in today's New Haven Register that the 102nd Infantry Regiment Museum, which closed some years ago at its New Haven location, has found a home in West Haven. The City Council plans to lease space at a warehouse on Hood Avenue in West Haven for the Museum, which will now have the name of the Military Museum and Learning Center.

As readers of this blog know, I spoke with Frank Carrano, a veteran who served in Korea, when I was researching the photograph of the 102nd Infantry Regiment. Mr. Carrano and Beth Saba have spearheaded the drive for a museum home.

I received an excited call from Dan Garitta, WWII re-enactor and memorabilia collector concerning the establishment of the Museum. It is a rare occurrence when I can tell someone "I have already seen the article" but in this instance I had seen it earlier in the day!

Place Names

One of the interesting things about East Haven is the colorful nature of its place names. Shepherd's Grove, for instance brings to mind a number of images: a stand of sheltering trees, sheep grazing, blue sky.

According to a 1978 New Haven Register article Shepherd's Grove was named for Sylvia (Shepherd) Means. The Means family owned the Grove for more than 100 years.

The article states:

Both Shepherd's Grove, which is a 14.1 acre tract, and Mansfield Grove,are part of an area known as Half Mile Island. It is separated from the mainland by Bradford Cove on the west, setting it off from Cosey Beach and Bradford Cove Creek, which extends north, draining the salt meadows surrounding the island.

New Haven Register August 13, 1978

Soldier or Photographer?

I had thought that the "Leo Sansinon" written on the photograph might be the name of one of the soldiers. But I have gone through Connecticut Fights which lists officers and enlisted men and have not found the name there. Perhaps it is the name of the photographer.

Mexican Frontier Temperature

After learning that the 2nd Connecticut Infantry was re-designated as the 102d Infantry, I turned to our archival collection to look at Connecticut Fights The Story of the 102nd Regiment by Captain Daniel W. Strickland. Under the chapter, The Mexican Border Mobilization-

The various battalions detrained in the freight yards of Nogales and got their first taste of what Mexican frontier temperature was like in July. The rocky gound was so hot that men stood about on the edges of the soles of their shoes...a mid-day sun beat down upon a white-gray dust, the temperature being something over one hundred and twenty-five degrees.

Some Assistance from the Connecticut Military Department

Shown above is another view of the "Nogales Photograph" picturing the 2nd Connecticut Infantry in Nogales Arizona.

The Connecticut Military Department's webpage "History & Aventure - 2nd Connecticut Infantry" www.ct.gov/mil/cwp/view.asp?a=1351&q=258124

has been extremely helpful in shedding light on the Nogales photograph. The following text is used with permission from that website:

________________________________________

On March 9, 1916, Mexican rebels led by Pancho Villa attacked the United States Army garrison at Columbus, New Mexico. All available troops were rushed to the United States - Mexican border, but there were not enough regulars to patrol such a vast area. On May 9, the National Guard of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas was called into Federal service. On June 18, the entire National Guard, except for coast artillery units, were called.

Within days the first of 158,664 National Guardsmen were on their way to camps in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. National Guard units began patrolling the border immediately and columns of Guardsmen soon dotted the desolate landscape from Arizona to Texas. Among the many units on the border was the 2nd Connecticut Infantry. On June 20, 1916, the regiment assembled and began preparations for the long rail journey to the border. Within a week they were on a troop train headed for Nogales, Arizona.

Although their patrols along the border were important, the training that the Guardsmen received was invaluable. Guardsmen were physically toughened and officers and NCOs gained experience in handling troops in the field. The 2nd Connecticut mustered out of Federal service in November 1916, only to be mobilized again in February 1917.

The training that the regiment received in Arizona would be important after the United States entered World War I two months later. Re-designated as the 102d Infantry and assigned to the famous 26th "Yankee" Division, the regiment fought in six World War I campaigns. The 102d Infantry, Connecticut Army National Guard continues its proud record of over 300 years of service to state and nation.
__________________________________________



The painting shown above, On the Border by Donna Neary, depicts the 2nd Connecticut Infantry on the U.S./Mexican border. The painting is a National Guard Heritage painting and is used with permission from the Connecticut Military Department.