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What's on Display
100 Years of Scouting
THE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF
GLASTONBURY’S MUSEUM ON THE
GREEN COMMEMORATES EAGLE
SCOUT PROGRAM’S 100TH
ANNIVERSARY
Feature
Exhibit on Display thru
October 31st
The Eagle Scout Award is the
highest honor a Boy Scout
can earn. It recognizes
qualities such as
citizenship, integrity,
leadership and community
involvement. In 2012 the
Eagle Scout program turns
100. Since first awarded
in 1912, over two million
young men have received this
honor, yet only about
5 percent of all Boy Scouts
earn the Eagle Scout rank.
The rigorous journey
requires earning at least 21
merit badges in areas such
as first aid, citizenship,
physical fitness,
environmental science and
family life. It also
entails creating and
executing a significant
leadership community service
project (average number of
hours to complete this
project is about 185),
serving in a Scouting
leadership role,
demonstrating adherence to
Scouting guidelines and
values, and finally gaining
the approval of a review
board.
Boy Scout and Glastonbury
High School Freshman, Peter
Koszuta Jr., solely designed
the current centennial Eagle
Scout exhibit as part of his
leadership community service
project; one of the
requirements to be completed
in order to obtain the
highly esteemed Eagle Scout
honor. The exhibit was
unveiled the last week of
August and contains a large
collection of Scout
memorabilia – with nostalgic
items dating back to back to
when the U.S. Boy Scouts
began in 1910. (The Boy
Scout Organization was
founded in London in 1907;
Glastonbury, CT troop began
in 1915) The exhibit
features two display cases
filled with numerous Boy
Scout handbooks, some dating
back to 1911, Merit badges,
rank badges, awards, and
neckerchiefs from around the
world. There are even
patches and memorabilia from
the former Lake of Isles
Scout camp-now turned golf
course at Foxwoods Resort
and Casino.
Eagle Scouts can be
found in all walks of life:
television show hosts,
famous corporation founders,
astronauts, judges,
politicians, U.S.
Presidents, and maybe even
your neighbor next door.
You’ll find photos of famous
Eagle Scouts, local
Glastonbury Eagle Scouts,
and you can even test your
knowledge and play “Can you
name these Eagle Scouts?”
The Museum on the Green’s
100th Anniversary
of Eagle Scouting will
be on display until October
31st 2012.
Anyone who is an Eagle Scout
or was a boy scout will want
to see this exhibit before
it’s gone. Troops can call
and schedule tours.
  
Our Town circa 1920
(running thru end of August)
The museum is featuring a
display in which you can see
what Glastonbury was like in
the 1920's.
The exhibit revolves around
a 1924 FADA Radio
Neutroceiver (which is in
the museum on loan - once
this exhibit closes the
radio will return to it's
owner) This radio ran on
vacuum tubes and was powered
by a 6 volt Group 1 batter
rather than electricity.
When it was new, there were
no radio stations in CT.
It received stations out of
Boston, Springfield, New
York, Newark and Chicago
with strong signals.
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The
exhibit features 1920's
photographs in which you can
see what shopping on Main
Street was like, Public
Transportation, Mail
Delivery, Fire Company #1,
Vehicle Repairs, The Ferry,
Tobacco, Pleasurable
Pastimes and an interesting
copy of the town report
which features a budget.
Josie
Campbell Dellenbaugh
Sculptor and Poet
(ended April 29th thru May
5th, 2012)
Please
join the Historical Society
in celebrating one of our
country’s finest sculptors,
Josie Campbell Dellenbaugh,
at a reception Sunday, April
29, 1-4 pm at the Museum on
the Hubbard Green, 1944 Main
St. at the corner of Main &
Hubbard St. After the Sunday
reception the show will be
open Sun-Fri. from 9-5,
closing Fri. May 5. Josie
will have a selection of her
sculptures and books of
Haiku for sale with 10% of
the proceeds going to the
Historical Society.
Josie
received a BA in Fine Arts
from Chatham University,
Pittsburgh, PA in 1969, but
only started modeling from
life in 1976 at the John
Atelier in Princeton NJ.
She learned the technique of
direct stone carving with
hand tools at the Princeton
Art Association in 1980.
Josie continued her studies
at Rutgers University Camden
with a course in bronze
foundry practice. In 2008,
she expanded her stone
repertoire at marble/Marble
XX in Colorado where she
learned to carve with power
tools. Currently, she works
out of her home studios in
Glastonbury CT and Center
Harbor NH. Several times a
year Josie journeys to
Rutland VT to carve at the
Carving Studio and Sculpture
Center quarry.
Josie’s
work has been part of many
solo and juried exhibitions
in New England and the mid
Atlantic region. One piece
was part of an exchange
exhibition to Moscow,
Russia. She has won
numerous awards, including
the Phillip Mill Patrons’
Award in PA, the Liskin
Award, the Isenberg Award,
the DeBellis, & Richman
Awards at the Salmagundi
Club in NYC, and the Montana
Memorial Award at the Hudson
Valley Art Association in
NY. Josie’s work is in many
private collections as well
as Planned Parenthood of
Pennsylvania and St. Paul’s
Church, Chatham NJ.
She is
member of the National
Sculptors Association, the
Salmagundi Club in NYC, CT
Women Artists, and currently
serves on the board of the
New England Sculptors
Association.
Josie
Campbell Dellenbaugh
2030
Main St., Glastonbury. CT
06033
860-659-8456,
www.beechgate.com
Girl Scout Exhibit
Sue
Motycka
(ended April 24th 2012)
I
In
recognition of the 100th
birthday of Girl Scouts of
the USA, the Historical
Society of Glastonbury is
featuring a special exhibit
at the Museum on the Green.
The display includes
uniforms, photos and
memorabilia from local scout
troops. Of particular
interest is a khaki uniform
from 1924, which is on loan
from GS of CT.
Local
women willingly provided
mementos from their scouting
years. Junior Troop 10805
and several Cadettes from
Troop 10855 dressed
mannequins and helped create
a pictorial scrapbook. Two
former Senior Scouts
assisted with the exhibits
in the display cases.
Join us on Sun.
Mar. 18 to share memories
and enjoy Girl Scout
Cookies.
Click
HERE
to see
Sue Motycka on WFSB's Better
Connecticut: Her 100 Years
of Scouting
Civil
War Exhibit
(ended February 2012)
The War of the Rebellion was
a tremendously popular war.
To Save the Union, to Free
the Slaves, pulled at the
conscience of the North.
Out of Glastenbury’s total
population of 3,363, 296
Billy Yanks went to war.
Sixteen of those men served
in the 29th and
30th Colored
Volunteers.
On September 5, 1860 sixty
Wide Awakes, a group of
young Republicans, paraded
through town wearing capes
and carrying torches,
campaigning for Abraham
Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin.
Glastenbury’s involvement
had begun even earlier.
There were strong
abolitionist feelings by
1850. Deacon Joseph Wright
wrote “Slavery should not be
allowed to spread”. Hannah
Smith and her five
daughters, along with 36
other women from town, held
anti-slavery meetings at the
Smith home where they wrote
and signed what is believed
to be the first anti-slavery
petition sent to Congress.
It was presented by former
president John Quincy Adams.
With the Confederacy’s
firing on Fort Sumter on
April 12, 1861, President
Lincoln called for troops
and 10 men from Glastenbury
responded. They were:
Robert
McManus James Adams
John
Daniels Harvey
Taylor
William
Abby Samuel
Dickinson
William
Gordon Edward Risley
Burgess
Hale Walter
Load
Money was needed to send
these volunteers to war and
a promissory note was signed
by James B. Williams,
William S. Williams, Isaac
Plummer, Benjamin Taylor,
and Thaddeus Welles.
Thaddeus’ elder brother
Gideon was already in
Washington. President
Lincoln had appointed him
Secretary of the Navy. He
would be instrumental in the
development of iron clad
ships and come to be called
the Father of the Modern
Navy.
Glastenbury provided more
than men to the Union.
Hopewell Mill, owned by
Franklin Glazier and Martin
Hollister, produced cloth to
be made into soldiers’
uniforms. Curtisville
Manufacturing ceased making
German silver tableware and
became Connecticut Arms &
Manufacturing Company,
producing pistols and
rifles.
The War between the States
left many widows and
orphans. The Civil War was
the most deadly war ever
fought by America. More
American men died in its 4
years than in the
Revolution, the War of 1812,
World War I, World War II,
Korea, and Viet Nam
combined.
The toy soldier held by the
young boy is painted as a
Zouave. This uniform
was found impractical early
in the war.
The Museum is open....
Monday,
Tuesday, & Thursday, 9:00a.m.-4:00p.m.
The Third
Sunday of the Month from
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Call
860-633-6890 for information
or visit
www.hsgct.org. The
Museum is located at 1944
Main Street at the corner of
Hubbard Street in
Glastonbury.
Permanent Exhibits
SHIP BUILDING
From 1614 when Adriaen Block
sailed up the Quinnihticut
River until 1931 when the
steamship, Middletown, last
docked across from the
coming Community Center,
many people first saw
Glastonbury from the river.
A model of The Exact (1830)
stands in the entrance. She
was one of more than 350
ships built in Glastonbury
shipyards. Known as the
Seattle Mayflower, she was
hired at a stop in
California by the first
group of emigrants to
Seattle, Washington.
The Shipyard Diorama gives a
sketch of how a ship was
built. It is based on
Roswell Hollister’s Log
Landing Shipyard. Ships
built at Glastonbury could
not be large, ocean-going
vessels because of the
sandbar at the mouth of the
Connecticut River. Smaller
ships, used for trade along
the coastlines and to
Caribbean Islands, had
shallower drafts and could
pass over the sandbar.
Shipbuilding required
supplies, and many
industries grew up in
Glastonbury to meet those
needs. One of these was the
South Glastonbury Anchor
Works, later known as
Pratt’s Forge. The anchor on
the bottom shelf of the
display case is an example
of a small Pratt’s Forge
anchor. The photographs show
anchors as heavy as 3,900
pounds, which were also made
at the Forge and shipped to
New York for use on ocean
going vessels.
In the display case are many
items used by sailors. The
logbook is from the whaler,
the Alert, and kept by
Hezekiah Hale of
Glastonbury. On each day a
whale was killed, Hezekiah
stamped a picture of a
whale. Sailors would
occasionally leave their
ships when in port, so new
sailors would be hired along
the way to keep a full crew.
When the Alert reached San
Francisco, Hezekiah Hale
hired a young seaman whose
name was Richard Henry Dana.
From his travels on the
Alert under Hezekiah Hale,
Dana wrote the novel, Two
Years Before the Mast.
HOW THE WORLD LOOKED
- The
Keith Hook Map Collection
These maps were printed in
England and France between
1775 and 1835. The United
States did not have the
technology to do fine
lithography so surveys were
taken and brought back to
Europe to have plates
engraved and maps printed.
One of the surveyors was
Peter Jefferson, the father
of Thomas Jefferson.
There are seven maps in the
collection, which are shown
on a revolving basis.
NATIVE AMERICANS
The Native Americans of
Glastonbury were members of
Algonkian-speaking tribes.
They lived in clans of
approximately100
individuals, each group
ruled by a sachem. Clans
took names from features of
the land where they were
centered. Naubucs lived in
the Plains to the East, the
flat area at the North End
of town. Nayaugs lived near
the Noisy Water, at the
mouth of Roaring Brook.
Wongonks lived at the Bend
in the River, where the
Connecticut River turned in
the 1600’s. The tribes were
peaceful and agricultural.
In the summer, clans lived
along the river in
Longhouses like the model on
the table, made of saplings
and bark or woven mats. In
winter, they moved to the
hills and lived in South- or
West- facing caves. The
artifacts from the Phillips
Dig were found in such a
cave in East Glastonbury.
The cases contain many
examples of stone implements
and clay pottery created by
the tribes, as well as
contact material; items
which were probably received
in trade from colonists who
settled in the area.
Note the pottery along the
back of the bottom shelf.
The oldest piece was made
between 1,000 and 1 BC. On
the right of the top shelf
is a soapstone dish. It is
very rare that one is found
whole. Dishes carved from
soapstone were used before
Native Americans learned to
make clay pottery.
COLONIAL GLASSENBURY
Glastonbury was purchased
from the sachem, Sowheag,
and his clan in 1636 for 12
yards of trading cloth. In
1639, surveyors laid out 34
strips of land running 6
miles north to south and 3
miles from the river into
the wilderness.
Glastonbury’s current Three
Mile Road marks the three
miles from where the river
flowed in 1639. Width of the
strips was determined by the
amount of useable, fertile
land in each strip and
adjustments were made to
accommodate rocky or swampy
land, unsuitable for
farming. This was the First
Survey in Connecticut. An
interpretation of it hangs
on the wall over the display
case. For 50 years, this
land was known as Naubuc
Farms and was part of
Wethersfield. In 1650, the
General Court granted
permission to form a
militia. In 1673, an
additional four miles to the
east, known as East Farms,
was purchased. The 34
households living in this
area built a Meeting House
on the site of this Museum
and hired Timothy Stevens as
a minister. Permission was
granted to them in 1690 to
form a town, and in 1693,
Glassenbury was
incorporated.
In the case are examples of
colonial currency,
household, and building
materials. The brick is from
the Matthew Miller House
(1780). It is imprinted with
Spanish Pieces of Eight and
is most likely a ballast
brick carried on a ship
traveling from South America
or the West Indies.
The spoon mold, dating from
1710, is one of the oldest
known American made spoon
molds still in existence.
Also in the case is a
photograph of Thomas High
Lord Talcott, who lived in
the house shown in the photo
below his. It stood on Main
Street, about where the J.B.
Williams Memorial (south
wing of Academy School)
stands today. A sample of
the wallpaper in the photo
is beside it. It was the
first wallpaper in
Glastonbury, imported from
England in 1738. The leaded
window glass is from the
Talcott house and is one of
a very few examples of
Colonial leaded glass known
to exist. Mr. Talcott is
shown holding a musket. It
hangs on the wall over the
display. Above the musket
hangs a Colonial Era pike.
The blade of this pike is
make from the blade of a
sword.
On the wall over the case is
a 1776 Map of New England
from the Keith Hook
Collection, a tin lantern
made in 1776, and a
Paymaster’s Sheet, recording
the signatures of men from
Glastenbury who received
their pay for serving with
the Sixth Regiment at the
Battle of Brooklyn Heights
under General George
Washington.
Of note is the Pilgrim Era
Chest, made in the 17th
century and updated in the
19th century. The original
construction is visible on
the back of the chest.
EARLY INDUSTRY
The strongest industrial
influence in Glastonbury was
shipbuilding. Sawmills,
forges, blacksmiths, and
coopers were needed to
supply materials to build
the 350 ships that came from
three shipyards. Men were
needed to do the work of
producing raw materials and
assembling them. The workers
and their families required
food, clothing, shoes, and
other things.
All of these needs made
Glastonbury a busy place. In
1760, one of several
gristmills in town was built
at Nayaug. This Great
Gristmill boasted a bakeshop
and an oven, as well. In
1769, Elisha Treat’s “Lineet
Mill” produced linseed oil,
important for wood
finishing. The first sawmill
was built in 1667. By 1791,
there were 7. In 1801, Oswen
Welles was operating his
woodenware shop. In 1814,
cotton, imported from the
Southern states, was woven
into fabric in Cotton
Hollow, and by 1822, Samuel
Welles’ factory was
producing woolen goods in
Eagleville. In 1826, Azial
Goslee was producing hoes
and other farm implements.
George Stocking and his
sons’ gun powder factory on
Roaring Brook in South
Glastonbury was one of 4
suppliers in New England
bringing ammunition to
General Washington’s army
during the Revolution. In
August 23, 1777, Eunice Cobb
Stocking was returning from
Boston after delivering a
shipment of gunpowder. In
Bolton Notch, 15 miles from
home, she felt the earth
shake and saw a cloud of
black smoke to the west.
Knowing that only the
gunpowder factory could
cause such an explosion,
Eunice returned home. Her
husband and three of her
four sons had been killed.
With a lot of courage and
some help from Howell
Woodbridge, Eunice rebuilt
the factory and continued to
supply Colonial Troops.
The story of the explosion
is on the gravestone of
Thomas Kimberly in the Green
Cemetery.
Glassenbury Glass Works was
located in the Wassuc
section, south of Buck’s
Corners on New London
Turnpike near the entrance
to Route 2. The industry was
started in 1816 as a
spin-off of the Pitkin Glass
Factory in Manchester. It
closed in 1830. Examples of
its products are in the
case.
SAMPLERS
So important was needlework
to early American Society
that it was taught to all
young girls, regardless of
social class. They began
with simple stitches and
marking, or the embroidering
of letters. A sampler may
have been kept for the
remainder of a woman’s life,
used as a personal pattern
book when marking household
items after marriage. A
young girl might learn this
skill at a “dame school”, or
a neighborhood school taught
by a woman for young
children, approximately 4 to
9 years of age.
Having learned the basics
well, older girls sometimes
attended a “female academy”
where they would have their
first chance to live away
from home. Painted and silk
embroidered pictures were a
measure of the young lady’s
accomplishment while
attending such a school.
Look at the sampler done by
Sarah S. Harris. We know
this sampler was done at
Anna Cornwall’s school in
her home at 1200 Main
Street. Read the poem and
look at the formation of the
letters. Now look at Sophia
Hill’s work. Do you think
she attended Miss Cornwall’s
school, too?
THE J.B. WILLIAMS SOAP
FACTORY
James B. Williams had a drug
business in Manchester in
1840. On the side, he
experimented with chemical
formulas for shaving soap.
When he had produced a
formula that satisfied him,
he moved his business to
Glastonbury. Two years
later, he was joined by his
brother, William Stuart
Williams. They formed what
is believed to be the first
commercial soap
manufacturing business in
the world.
Although shaving soap was
their first product, they
also made ink and shoe
blacking. Products made by
the J.B. Williams Company
included Williams ‘Lectric
Shave and Aqua Velva, which
were known world wide.
Around 1922, J.B. Williams
expanded to Montreal, then
later, to England and
Argentina. In 1957, the
company was sold to
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of
Cranston, NJ. The plant was
moved to New Jersey in 1960.
Ten former employees
organized Glastonbury
Toiletries and continued
operation into the 1970’s.
Remaining parts of the
complex are currently the
Soap Factory Condominiums
and the Glastonbury Board of
Education office.
THE CIVIL WAR
After the firing on Fort
Sumpter by Confederate
troops, Abraham Lincoln
called for volunteers across
the country. James B.
Williams, William S.
Williams, Isaac W. Plummer,
Thaddeus Welles, and
Benjamin Taylor signed a
promissory note to provide
funding for Glastonbury’s
volunteers and 10 young men
stepped forward. Among them
was William S. Abby, who
became a captain in the 25th
CV Regiment.
Also among the first 10 was
Edward Risley, who was
captured by the Confederates
and was held at
Andersonville Prison, where
he died.
Robert G. Welles, son of
Thaddeus Welles and nephew
of Gideon Welles, served as
a captain in the 10th
Regular Infantry Division.
He was severely wounded at
Gettysburg and died in
Glastonbury in 1866.
Men from Glastonbury served
in the 1st Connecticut
Cavalry Unit. Connecticut’s
only Cavalry unit, it
accompanied General Ulysses
S. Grant to Appomattox Court
House to meet General Robert
E. Lee. This unit was chosen
to represent the entire
Cavalry at the laying of the
cornerstone at the
Gettysburg Monument. It was
the only Cavalry unit
present at the ceremony.
Glastonbury’s involvement in
the War Between the States
was more than military.
Before the battles began, 40
women, including Hannah
Hickok Smith and her 5
daughters, signed a petition
denouncing slavery. It was
presented to Congress by the
former president, John
Quincy Adams, and is
believed to be the first
anti-slavery petition
brought before Congress.
By the time the war began,
Glastonbury was becoming an
industrial town. At Hopewell
Mills, cloth was produced
for Union troop uniforms. In
Curtisville, the Connecticut
Arms & Manufacturing Co.
produced pistols and rifles
used by the Grand Army of
the Potomac.
Gideon Welles, born in the
house that currently stands
at 17 Hebron Avenue, served
as Secretary of the Navy in
the Cabinet of Abraham
Lincoln. He is considered
the Father of the Modern
Navy and is responsible for
the development of Iron Clad
ships.
Gideon Welles was a
Glastonbury Tax Gatherer,
editor of the Hartford
Times, representative to the
State Legislature from
Hartford, and Hartford
Postmaster. President
Abraham Lincoln became aware
of Gideon Welles through his
newspaper articles. An early
supporter of Lincoln, Welles
knew he would be asked to
serve in Lincoln’s cabinet
and hoped to serve as
Postmaster General. Because
of Welles’ shipbuilding
knowledge, Lincoln named him
Secretary of the Navy.
Gideon Welles served under
Presidents Lincoln and
Johnson from 1861 until
1869. It is said that he and
Admiral Farragut planned the
Battle of Mobile Bay on the
front porch of the Welles
Home on Hebron Avenue. A
piece of the boom from
Farragut’s ship, the U.S.S.
Hartford, is part of the
shipbuilding display. The
lithograph of Lincoln’s
Cabinet includes Gideon
Welles. He is the gentleman
with the impressive beard.
The wooden gate is from the
Welles Home on Hebron
Avenue.
THE PRISONER’S PEN
Originally, this structure
was in the criminal
courtroom of the old
Hartford Court House; a
square, red brick building
with sandstone trim, high
arched windows and mansard
roof of blue slate, which
stood at the southeast
corner of Allyn and Trumbull
Streets.
Perhaps the most noted
criminal to occupy this pen
was Gerald Chapman, on trial
for the murder of Policeman
James Skelly of New Britain,
October 12, 1924. Here
Chapman stood at 10:35a.m.,
Saturday, April 4, 1925, to
hear the judge call for the
verdict, and the foreman of
the jury respond, “Guilty”.
He stepped from this pen and
was led before the judge’s
bench to receive the
sentence, “that you, Gerald
Chapman, forthwith be taken
to the State’s prison at
Wethersfield and there
confined until June 25, 1925
when, before sunrise of that
day, you shall be hanged by
the neck until dead!”
Gerald Chapman received
three reprieves and was not
hung until midnight, April
5-6, 1926.
By an act of the General
Assembly in 1935, the method
of execution was changed
from hanging to
electrocution. The old
courthouse was demolished
soon after the new Hartford
County building was build on
Washington Street in the
late twenties, and this pen
was brought to Glastonbury
and used in the town court
which was held in the south
room of the second floor of
the old Town Office
Building, once the Second
District School, on the
northeast corner of Main and
School Streets.
THE ERASTUS SALISBURY FIELD
PORTRAITS
The portraits on the wall
are the Jedidiah Post and
George Merrick Families done
by Erastus Salisbury Field
in 1831. The two women,
Eliza Post and Nancy Merrick
are sisters; they are the
daughters of shipbuilder
Roswell Hollister of South
Glastonbury. The three
children are the son and
daughters of Jedidiah and
Eliza. One of the earrings
both women are wearing was
made into a necklace by one
of their descendents. It is
in the case near the Bill of
Sale for the paintings,
showing the cost of these
six portraits to be $30.00.
The sixth portrait may have
been one of the Merrick
Children. Its whereabouts is
not known.
THE RISE OF FELDSPAR
courtesy of Brian Chiffer
The Tryon Street Bridge in
South Glastonbury crosses
Roaring Brook at a point
approximately one quarter of
a mile upstream from its
mouth, where High Street,
Water Street, and Tryon
Street intersect. It used to
be known as the Spar Mill
Bridge. Records suggest that
as many as five different
businesses existed on the
banks near this bridge. Many
artifacts and remains
persist to this day for the
curious history-minded to
explore. Early on, the land
in this area was owned by
members of the Hollister and
Welles families. In 1720, a
Welles built a sawmill just
upstream from the bridge,
and in 1775, a gristmill on
the opposite bank, the
foundation of which still
exists. A red private home
adjacent to it may have
served as a bakery shop. In
1854, because a flood had
weakened the foundation of
the gristmill, it was moved
downstream below the bridge,
to an area where a fulling
and carding mill may once
have been. This move set the
stage for the industry for
which the area is best
known, the milling of
feldspar.
“Spar” is a mineral composed
mainly of silica and
alumina. It is added to
ceramics to decrease its
melting point during firing
and to lend body to it
during shaping. It can be
found in everything from
bathtubs, to ceramic tiles,
to false teeth.
In the 1860s, George Andrews
discovered spar on his farm
in South Glastonbury near
the Portland town line. In
1870, he started to quarry
it and built a small mill
there. About 10 years later,
he sold his operation to
Joshua and William Husband
who then moved the mill to
the site of the old
gristmill on Roaring Brook.
The old stone wheels that
once ground grain proved
ideal for grinding feldspar.
In 1905, after several other
changes in ownership, the
mill was bought and expanded
by Louis Howe.
The intricate design of this
fascinating area is evident
from the remains that still
exist. The mill was powered
by water from behind a
wooden dam located just 15
feet upstream from the
bridge. When water was
required, a gate would be
opened, sending water
through an underground flume
located beneath the bridge
on the mill property. The
water turned a wheel
connected to the grinding
stones that sat in concrete
cylinders which remain
today. Little chase stones,
seen scattered about, were
added to the spar to make it
easier to grind.
The raw spar was mined at
the Andrews quarry located
diagonally across the street
from Old Maids Lane, then
carted down this street to
Tryon Street, over the
bridge and into the entrance
to the mill were the wagon
was weighed on a scale by
the office building (now a
private home).
The milled spar was also
weighed going out and carted
to loading docks where it
was ferried to the railroad
across the Connecticut River
for shipment. Howe operated
his mill until well into the
1920s when the mining of
spare became unprofitable.
Records show that he closed
the mill in 1928.
Interestingly, another spar
mill existed further
upstream from Howe’s mill on
Water Street, close to the
Main Street Bridge on
Roaring Brook’s north bank.
Very little is known about
this particular mill which,
in 1901, was owned and
operated by the Glastonbury
Flint and Spar Company, with
its president, John W.
Scanlon of Hartford.
Although a law office and a
private home now occupy this
site, remnants of the mill’s
foundations, a few grinding
wheels, and bits of feldspar
are still there. This mill
went bankrupt in 1904.
THE PEACH KING
In 1866, John Howard Hale
and his brother, George,
planted their first
strawberries on a sandy
hillside on the family’s
200-year-old farm. They
borrowed a push cart from a
neighbor, which they later
purchased for $1, and had
modest success selling their
berries from it. When it
became apparent that more
money was needed to buy more
plants and fertilizer, thus
increasing their profits,
14-year-old J.H. took a job
milking cows twice a day, 7
days a week, for $12.50 a
month. He also assisted in
selling the milk door to
door from the milk wagon.
When the dairy farmer’s
garden produced an excess of
vegetables, they were also
sold from the milk wagon.
Except for money spent on a
good suit of clothes and the
first bought overcoat he had
ever had, J.H. put all the
money he earned back into
the business he and his
brother were building. When
neighbors warned their
mother that the boys were
ruining her best planting
ground with their briar
patch, she acknowledged
them, but did not stop the
boys from planting more
strawberries and
raspberries. J.H. and George
learned that fruits brought
larger profits than
vegetables, that healthy
plants could be sold for a
profit, that a catalogue
with good pictures and
descriptions of the fruit
plants could sell more
plants, and that fruit
packaged in a way that was
pleasing to the eye could
bring a higher price than
the same fruit packaged less
carefully.
Commercially growing peaches
had been abandoned in New
England because disease and
heavy frost frequently
killed the trees before they
reached fruit-bearing age.
J.H. and George noticed a
small grove of their
grandfather’s peach trees.
These trees were
70-years-old. They did not
suffer from “yellows”. They
did produce fruit. From
these old trees, J.H. and
George developed an orchard.
For seven years, the orchard
produced nothing and the
berries carried the farm.
When a May freeze killed the
strawberry crop, a church
group, comprised mostly of
tobacco growers, which held
the $2,000 mortgage on the
farm, gave the Hales until
October to pay. By
September, the peach
orchards finally produced as
the brothers had hoped. The
crop brought $9,000.
By 1915, Hale Farms had
grown from a borrowed
pushcart to 2,000 acres in
Glastonbury and Seymour,
Connecticut, and 1,000 acres
in Georgia. They had
cultivated over 350,000
peach trees. A special
railway spur picked up
peaches at the Hale property
every evening and delivered
them before dawn to New York
City. Hale peaches were
shipped all over the
country, and J.H. Hale
became a pioneer in
nationwide produce
marketing. He was the first
to grade his fruit, so that
a crate held the same size
peaches all the way to the
bottom.
Not only are Hale peaches
still available, but they
have been used to create
some of the modern hybrid
fruit available today.
Although John Howard Hale
never went beyond grade
school, he understood the
value of education. His
efforts contributed largely
to the founding of the
Glastonbury Grange and the
Connecticut State Grange. He
was also important in the
establishment of Storrs
Agricultural College, which
we know today as the
University of Connecticut.
HARRIMAN MOTORS
Frank Herbert “Bert”
Harriman was born in 1868 in
East Orland, Maine. He was
an avid reader with a
photographic memory and a
knack for mechanics. At the
age of 19, he left Maine for
the industrial town of
Brockton, Massachusetts.
There, Bert met a man who
thought he had possibilities
and secured a position for
him in Menlo Park, New
Jersey with Thomas Edison.
By 1898, Bert was working at
Hartford Hospital in
Connecticut with Dr. Ansel
Cook, a pioneer in the
development of X-rays. Bert
developed an arc light and
sold all rights to GE for
$10,000. With this money, he
opened a marine motor
manufactory in Hartford. In
1907, Harriman Motors moved
to 1123 Main Street, South
Glastonbury. Bert took out
mortgages and bought a
manufacturing building and a
house for himself, his wife,
Bertha, and his daughter,
Gladys, from the Taylor
family.
Bert was fascinated by the
work of the Wright Brothers
and by 1909, had built and
flown his own aero plane.
The fuselage and propellers
were made at Taylor’s
sawmill and cooperage. Doug
Taylor, a cabinet maker,
carved the propellers from
laminated layers of wood.
Several fabrics were
experimented with for the
skin of the aircraft,
including rubberized
Goodyear cloth and silk
which had been doped and
varnished. In the end,
unbleached linen woven 60-70
threads per inch was used.
It was pulled taut over the
frame, then shellacked or
varnished. The skin was two
layers of cloth with wire
reinforcement between. Given
coats of linseed oil, it had
a yellowish appearance. In
his foundry, Harriman cast
bearings of brass or bronze.
His sales slogan read, “Raw
Material to Finished Product
in one factory”.
When Harriman’s planes would
not fly because of
overheated bearings, he
experimented with coating
them in silver. Legend says
Bertha canvassed the
neighborhood for silver to
purchase for her husband’s
bearings. Gladys remembered
the silver being bought from
a company on Elm Street in
Hartford. Years later, Pratt
& Whitney solved its own
overheating difficulties by
coating engine bearings with
silver.
The first plane crashed and
was repaired in the meadows
of South Glastonbury. By
1910, Bert was flying in the
meadows of South Windsor. By
1915, he flew in air shows
at Minneola, New York. He
gave flying lessons in the
Meadows south of the ferry
in Glastonbury.
Around 1910, Bert built the
concrete and steel building
that still stands at 1123
Main Street, South
Glastonbury. This was the
first factory built
specifically for the
manufacture of airplanes in
the state of Connecticut,
and Harriman Motors was the
first organized
manufacturer. The original
wood frame building was
demolished in 1932.
In 1914, a four-ox team
hauled a seaplane, its wings
detached, down Water Street
to Log Landing for a test
flight. It crashed on the
breakwater near Red Hill but
still drew attention to
Harriman Motors. A U.S.
Government Inspector came to
Glastonbury to keep an eye
on the developing
hydroplane. This aircraft
had a wingspan of 32 feet.
Harriman claimed it could
lift 2,000 pounds which
included fuel, operator, a
small machine gun, and 1,000
rounds of ammunition. It had
two seats, was
dual-controlled and armored.
Bert Harriman believed he
had a firm commitment from
the U.S. Navy for 20
seaplanes.
Harriman Motors built aero
planes and aero plane
engines in 30, 50, and 100
horsepower models. They
continued to build marine
engines. Anticipating orders
from the U.S. Navy for
engines for use in torpedo
boats, Bert Harriman
increased the size of his
plant and his work force.
Mr. Huen Chi from China came
to observe the factory and
the hydroplane experiments.
He stayed in the Harriman
home during his visit to the
United States. Prices and
specifications for the 100hp
aero plane engine were
requested by Russia and
sent. Mr. D.A.Thomas, a
purchasing agent for
European countries, met with
Harriman to negotiate a
$500,000 contract which
included 125 planes for
England and 30 for France.
None of these orders ever
materialized.
Harriman Motors logo
includes a winged gear with
the letters “HF” on it. The
“F” is J.F. Fitzpatrick, a
company officer who lived
with the Harrimans for a
time and may have helped
with design. He was believed
to have stolen equipment
worth $3,000 from Harriman
Motors. Bert Harriman hired
a watchman to guard planes
and equipment left overnight
in the cove south of the
coal docks.
Bert Harriman held one
patent, dated 1920, for a
fuel economizer for
automobiles. It was
manufactured in Essex,
Connecticut.
The Wright Brothers owned
all the patents on aero
planes and actively pursued
large licensing fees from
anyone attempting to sell
planes or plane engines for
profit. Enlarging his plant
and his workforce had
overextended Harriman.
Claiming Harriman’s motors
to be useless, Albert
Oulette of Sanford, ME sued
him for $1,000. There were
other lawsuits, including
one for $37.50 due on the
company typewriter. Heavily
in dept, Harriman re-formed
his company with Joe Pratt
of Hartford. Mr. Pratt was
to manage the business,
leaving Bert free to develop
engines. Bert tried to
convince the superintendent
of Cheshire Correctional
Institute to have the
inmates produce his planes
as part of a machinist’s
training program, but the
plan didn’t come to be.
Lacking capitol, Bert
Harriman filed for
bankruptcy on May 13, 1921
in Hartford Superior Court
and left Connecticut for
Long Island. There, he sold
his ideas to a company that
put them into profitable
practice.
By the time he left
Glastonbury, Bert Harriman
had built and flown a
bi-plane, a tri-plane, and a
hydroplane. His were the
first aero planes built in
the State of Connecticut.
Frank “Bert” Harriman is
acknowledged as a forerunner
of modern aviation.
ROSER’S PIGSKIN TANNERY
In 1695, just about the time
Glastonbury became a town,
Kasper Roser left his home
in Strasburg, France,
seeking religious freedom.
He moved his family and his
tanning business to
Stuttgart, Germany. Seven
generations later, in 1883,
the Roser family was still
known for quality leather
tanning.
Herman, the seventh son of
that seventh generation saw
no future for himself in
Stuttgart. There were too
many brothers ahead of him
and traditionally, the
oldest inherited the family
business. A cousin, who had
traveled in England and
Scotland selling leather,
said Scotland thought the
best quality pigskin came
from America. After much
discussion, Herman’s father
allowed him to cross the
ocean to the land “over run
with Indians and gun-toting
criminals”. In 1883, Herman
traveled to the United
States. Each Roser had
learned every job in the
family tannery from the most
menial to the most skilled,
then had worked in other
tanneries across Europe.
Herman came with solid
experience and had little
trouble finding work in
American tanneries but he
wanted to run his own
tannery. He looked for an
established tannery with a
good source of pure water, a
good source of oak bark for
the tannin it provided, and
a good source of pigs.
Isaac Broadhead and Edward
Hubbard had established a
tannery in Glastonbury in
1854. Edward Hubbard died in
1872 and by 1886 Isaac
Broadhead was ready to sell
his tannery. It used the
water from nearby Neipsic
pools. Oak trees grew well
on Glastonbury’s hillsides.
Glastonbury was a farm town:
there were a lot of pigs.
Herman Roser bought the
tannery in Glastonbury.
When Herman first took over
the Tannery, the only
machinery used was a
water-powered bark grinder.
As time passed, technology
developed and power went
from water to steam to
electricity. New machines
were assessed and added to
the process. Herman’s sons,
John and Martin, joined him
in the business. Other
industries were progressing
toward modern methods, too,
and industrial wastes were
dumped into the brooks and
ponds. Because tanning
requires pure water, Roser’s
developed its own research
department. In 1942, the
Tannery received one of the
first awards from the
Connecticut Riverside
Council for water
purification research. By
1949, Roser’s had one of the
most complete plants for
disposal of tannery wastes
in America. Its capacity was
100,000 gallons per day.
Leather tanned at Roser’s
was used to make saddles for
the U.S. Cavalry, upholstery
for Pierce Arrow limousines,
watch bands, book binding,
luggage, belts, briefcases,
wallets, and fine shoes.
When the tannery was sold to
Allied Kid Corporation in
1965, Herman Roser was
considered one of the
founders of pigskin
processing in the United
States.
PEQUOT SODA WATER
The third family business
was begun in 1916 on today’s
Spring Street Extension. It
used the pure spring water
in its soda. Local Native
Americans had believed these
springs to have magical
properties. In the 1960’s,
trucks delivered cases of
soda to homes in and around
the Glastonbury area. In the
case are original ads and
bottles.
THE FATHER OF THE MODERN
POULTRY INDUSTRY
About 1900, Frank Saglio
arrived in Glastonbury from
Italy. He took a job with
J.H.Hale and worked his way
up to foreman, supervising
other Italian immigrants. By
1917, he had earned enough
money to buy a farm on John
Tom Hill. He raised
vegetables and fruit for
market and, in two discarded
piano crates, chickens for
his family’s use. As his
sons matured to an age where
they could take on some of
the responsibilities of the
farm, each son developed a
specialty. Frank’s oldest
son took on the vegetables.
His second son took on the
fruits. When his third son
reached 8th grade, the
chickens were all that was
left. Henry earned his
electrician’s license and
built the first real coop
the farm had had. The flock
grew. When the vegetables
and fruits went to market,
eggs went with them. Henry
also worked on breeding a
white bird because the black
pinfeathers were difficult
to get out of a bird headed
for a meal.
Prior to World War II,
broiler chickens were a
by-product of the egg
industry. Female chickens
produced eggs. Males did not
so they became broilers.
Broilers were called Spring
Chickens because most
hatching was done in the
early part of the year. The
war caused meat shortages.
Because chickens reached
eating size more quickly
than beef or pork, poultry
became an important source
of food. To stimulate
interest in production, the
poultry industry, the
government, and food
distributors held a
competition, sponsored by
A&P, to find the Chicken of
Tomorrow. State and local
officials urged Henry to
enter. Reluctantly, he
agreed. Arbor Acres was
already the largest
cauliflower producer in
Connecticut.
In 1948, Henry Saglio’s
Arbor Acre White Rocks came
in second, the highest
ranked purebred chicken. The
3-year competition was held
a second time and the farms
who had achieved a high rank
in the first competition did
so again. Henry hired the
marketing agent of the
competition for his birds.
White birds were unpopular
as food poultry because the
color was associated with
Leghorns, a good
egg-producing bird but a
poor eating hen. Henry and
his marketer went to the
processors and convinced
them of all the benefits of
a white eating hen. The
processors demanded white
hens from the producers.
There was only one source
from which the producers
could buy a good white
eating hen: Arbor Acres.
By 1950, Arbor Acres was
marketing breeding hens
coast to coast, both as
day-old chicks and as
fertile eggs to be incubated
by chicken farmers. Because
of the difficulty in
shipping fragile goods,
branches of Arbor Acres were
established across the
United States. By 1958,
Arbor Acres had gone
world-wide with its
headquarters still in
Glastonbury. Approximately
half of the chickens being
consumed around the world
were from Arbor Acres
breeding stock.
Arbor Acres was one of the
first to use genetic
engineering to develop
chickens that were meatier,
matured more quickly, and
laid more eggs. In 1977,
Henry Saglio was inducted
into the Poultry Hall of
Fame.
CURTISVILLE (Established
1846)
The Naubuc section of town
was the early town center.
At Pratt’s Landing near the
end of Pratt Street, a ferry
operated from 1673 until
1829.
Salmon Brook provided the
waterpower for early mills.
A gristmill and
Glastonbury’s first sawmill
were located in this area.
These early sawmills
produced clapboards for
local building and pipe
staves (barrel staves) for
export down the river to New
York and other colonies, and
the West Indies. These
products, as well as tar
distilled from pinewood,
proved saleable cargoes.
Shipbuilding was a major
industry between 1650 and
1820. The Welles family
first operated a shipyard at
Naubuc, then later, the
Welles Lumber Company.
Gideon Welles was a member
of this family. Shipping was
Glastonbury’s first
industry. It provided
employment through forges,
sail-making, and needs for
seaman. Until 1846, there
was a woodenware business at
Naubuc.
In 1846, Frederick and
Joseph Curtis built the
first factory for making
Britanniaware or “German
Silver” in the United
States. This is a white
metal which is+ an alloy of
copper, zinc, and nickel
The factory made Victorian
silverware including ladles,
pie, cake and ice cream
knives, tea sets, tureens,
spectacles, and tobacco
boxes. At the time of the
Civil War, the factory was
purchased by the Connecticut
Arms Manufacturing Company,
which made rifles and
derringer-style handguns
until 1869. In 1880, James
B. and William Williams
founded the Williams
Brothers Silver Company and
produced silver plate. The
company stayed in business
until 1946, providing work
for residents of Naubuc, as
well as an auditorium for
meetings and entertainment.
The village of Curtisville
had a post office, little
shops, and homes. Among the
items of interest in the
display case, in addition to
the silver plate and the
handgun, are a pair of
Glastonbury runners
(skates), and surgical
splints used to join broken
bones during the time of
World War I. The factory
buildings are currently
occupied by several
businesses, including Nap
Brothers and Maurer and
Shepard. It is listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places.
GLASTENBURY KNITTING COMPANY
In 1822, Fraray Hale and
Samuel Welles organized a
clothing and fulling mill
known as Eagle Manufacturing
Company. They built a mill
on Salmon Brook near Hebron
Avenue at the location of
Mill Street and Addison Road
for the production of woolen
goods.
In 1855, the plant was
bought by the Glastenbury
Knitting Company. Eagleville
become known as Addison,
named for Addison L. Clark,
president of the new
company. The village had its
own post office. The factory
made men’s shirts and good,
warm underwear that didn’t
shrink. Notice the spelling
of Glastonbury on the
underwear box.
After the knitting company
closed, velvet was finished
at Addison Mills. A picture
of the mill is on the wall
above the Smith Sisters
display.
HOPEWELL MILLS was located
on Roaring Brook in South
Glastonbury. The woolen
blanket in the case was made
there.
In 1814,the Hartford
Manufacturing Company built
a dam and a five-story
factory to make cotton
sheeting in the area. They
built a community with a
school, a post office,
shops, and workers’ homes,
which became known as Cotton
Hollow. Later, the building
was sold to Jedidiah Post,
(the Post family pictures
are on the back wall of the
museum) who operated the
Post-Purtill Paper Mill. The
building burned after a
boiler explosion in 1920.
THE SMITH SISTERS
The Smiths owned the largest
parcel of the 34 original
tracts. Zephaniah Hollister
Smith (1759-1836) was a
graduate of Yale. He had
been a minister. When
theological problems arose,
he became a merchant and
studied law. He was quite
successful as a lawyer. His
wife, Hannah Hickok Smith
(1767-1850), was an
intelligent and determined
woman. She was educated by
her father who was a Yale
graduate. She was an
abolitionist. She and her
daughters circulated an
anti-slavery petition in
Glastonbury. About 40
Glastonbury women signed the
petition, which was
presented to Congress by
former President John Quincy
Adams. This is believed to
be the first petition
against slavery.
The sisters were:
Hancy Zephina (1787-1871),
very mechanical. She built
things like a keyboard made
of wood and a boat which she
sailed on the river. She
also invented a device for
shoeing cattle that was used
by local blacksmiths. Her
name was probably a
combination of Hannah and
Zephiniah. She was called
Zephina and signed her name
H. Zephina Smith.
Cyrinthia Sacretia
(1788-1864), a skilled
needle woman and a botanist.
She had a greenhouse behind
the Smith home on Main
Street.
Laurilla Aleroyia
(1785-1857), artist. The
Victorian cottage across the
street from the Smith home
was built as her art studio.
Her watercolor sketches are
in the book in the display
case. It is because of her
drawings that we know how
the houses on Main Street
appear in her lifetime.
Julia Evelina (1792-1886),
classics scholar. She taught
at the Emma Willard School
at Troy, New York. She
belonged to a religious
order that believed the
world was coming to an end.
When it did not, Julia wrote
5 literal translations of
the Bible from Hebrew,
Latin, and Greek to find out
why.
Julia was the only sister to
marry. At age 87, she
married Judge Amos Parker
from New Hampshire with whom
she had corresponded, but
had never met. It was not a
happy marriage. When Julia
died 7 years later, she left
a note asking to be buried
next to her sisters with
only her maiden name on the
headstone.
Abby Hadassah (1797-1878),
speaker for women’s
suffrage.
A problem began in 1869 when
Julia was 77 and Abby was
72. The town increased the
property tax of several
widows and unmarried women,
but not of any men. Julia
and Abby objected to the
discrimination, but got
nowhere with the town. They
turned to the Women’s
Suffrage Movement. Abby had
attended the first Women’s
Congress in New York in 1873
and come home inspired to
take on the Town of
Glastonbury. On Election
Day, Abby and Julia went to
the Town House (this
museum). Although women had
not yet gained the right to
vote, Abby and Julia asked
the moderator for permission
to speak. He refused and
they left. Outside, Abby
climbed onto an oxcart and
gave a speech on Taxation
without Representation. From
that day, they refused to
pay their taxes. The town
took their 7 Alderny cows
named Jesse, Daisy, Proxy,
Minnie, Bessie, and Lily.
The Smiths managed to buy
back the cows at auction.
The following year, the Tax
Collector put the Smith land
up for auction instead of
the cows. This was illegal.
The Smiths sued the town and
won. Reporters from as far
away as Boston came to
Glastonbury to cover the
story of the two old ladies
and their cows. As a memoir,
Julia wrote Abby Smith and
Her Cows, a book published
in 1877.
SCHOOLS
In 1700, Glastonbury’s Town
Men (the elected governing
body) voted to purchase
nails to build a schoolhouse
“eighteen feet square beside
the chimney”. The walls of
this schoolroom are 9 feet
long, as a size comparison.
Because of disagreements
among the Town Men, the
first school was actually
built eleven years later.
In 1855, Glastonbury was
divided into 18 School
Districts. Note the pictures
on the poster. Early schools
were in session a minimum of
4 months a year by state
law. The children were
needed at home the rest of
the time for farm work and
to help with spinning,
weaving, candle making, and
other chores. In 1865, it
became mandatory to keep
schools open for 6 months.
Students were taught
reading, writing,
arithmetic, and later,
geography was added.
There was no free high
school until 1893, although
there was Glastonbury
Academy on the Green in
1798, Glastonbury Seminary
from 1792 to 1845 located
next to the Welles-Shipman-Ward
House, Academy Hall from
1862 to 1864 near Stockade
Road, and Glastonbury
Academy, founded 1870 and
re-organized in 1893 as
Glastonbury Free Academy, on
the site of the present
Academy School. These were
private academies and
students paid tuition to
attend.
TREAT TAVERN SIGN
This Tavern is now a private
home. It is located on
Hebron Avenue.
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