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History of New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Journey back in time to New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Explore the history, people, photographs, newspapers, postcards, and genealogy connected to New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
About New Haven
New Haven is home to the first municipal public library built in America. It was built in 1670.
Eli Whitney of New Haven, patented the first cotton gin in 1794.
In 1821, Captain John Davis, of New Haven, became the first man to set foot on the Antarctic Continent.
In 1895, the first hamburger was created at Louie's Lunch in New Haven.
In 1920, the first Frisbee was created by Yale University students who discovered that empty pie plates from Mrs. Frisbie Pies could be fun to toss to each other through the air.
courant.com
In colonial New Haven cut pumpkins were used as guides for haircuts to ensure a round uniform style. Because of this fashion, these New Englanders were nicknamed "pumpkin-heads."
50states.com
The first phone book in the United States was published in New Haven in February 1878, containing just 50 names. rd.com
"New Haven was called by parties from Boston, who called in a 'new haven."
How New England Towns Received Their Names
The Day, New London, Connecticut, October 1, 1914
New Haven Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

The Pardee-Morris House, also known as John Morris House, is a historic house museum at 325 Lighthouse Road in New Haven, Connecticut. Probably built in the late 17th century, it is one of New Haven's oldest surviving buildings, and a good example of First Period colonial architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. wikipedia

American Scenery,
by N.P. Willis, Illustrated by William Henry Bartlett, 1840
According to the early histories of Yale, a group of ten ministers led by the Reverend James Pierpont of New Haven met in nearby Branford in 1700 to found a college...
In 1718, when wealthy London merchant Elihu Yale—step grandson of Theophilus Eaton, co-founder of the New Haven colony—donated over 400 books, a portrait of King George I, and cloth goods that sold for 562 pounds, the college was named Yale College...
guides.library.yale.edu

American Scenery,
by N.P. Willis, Illustrated by William Henry Bartlett, 1840

Responding to the growing need for more space in its public offices, the City of New Haven opened its new City Hall on Court Street in 1862, an Italian Gothic Revival structure built of brownstone and designed by architect Henry Austin. jud.ct.gov

museumofcthistory.org
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded by Oliver Winchester in 1866. wikipedia
Show more vintage photos, ads & postcards

museumofcthistory.org
Greist Manufacturing Company was founded by John M. Greist, an inventor who was employed by Singer to design sewing machine attachments. Greist is the inventor behind the iconic "Puzzle Box" attachments kit for Singer treadle machines. The patent was filed in 1889 by Greist but assigned to Singer. Greist Manufacturing Company went on to produce sewing machine attachments for many different sewing machine makers, including Morse and White. oldsewinggear.com

Picturesque America... Oliver Bell Bunce, William Cullen Bryant
New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872-1874.

Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
East Rock Park was the first park in the municipal parks system of New Haven. It opened in 1880. newhavenmuseum.org

Chartered by a special Act of the Connecticut Assembly in 1882, the New Haven Yacht Club is one of the oldest chartered yacht clubs in the nation. sail-clubs.com

Once a teacher training school named after Harmonous Welch, the Skinner School opened as a normal school in 1893. It then became an elementary school. It was closed in the mid-1970s. wikipedia

Around 1894, Nicholas Hubinger, the “Starch King” of New Haven, built a unique and extravagant estate on the grounds near the old entrance (of East Rock Park) on Whalley Avenue. The estate featured a stately mansion, and a series of stables and outbuildings including a private electric plant. newhavenmuseum.org

Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.
Phelp’s Hall, designed to resemble a massive Tudor gatehouse, was built in 1895 as the grand entry to Yale’s Old Campus. historicbuildingsct.com

Postal Scale and Letter Opener
Postal Scale Company, Chapel St., New Haven, Conn.
The Ladies' Home Journal
December 1898

New Haven Country Club was founded in 1898 as one of the very early golf courses built in the United States. newhavencc.com

The Metropolitan Store of Connecticut
The Edw. Malley Co., often abbreviated Malley's, was a prestigious department store in Downtown New Haven, Connecticut, from 1852 to 1982.
In 1848, Edward Malley started displaying merchandise in the front room of his aunt Rhoda Mallory's house on North Front Street in Fair Haven.
The business started out as Malley & Co., a dry goods store, in 1852.
The store caught fire in 1875, and was completely destroyed by a second fire in 1882, with a loss estimated at $175,000.
The store was rebuilt, and in 1893, renamed Malley-Neeley Co.. The name was changed a final time to The Edw. Malley Co. in 1898, and enlarged in 1899 as a nine-story Beaux-Arts style building...
wikipedia

Historic Towns of New England. (1898). United Kingdom: G. P. Putnam's sons.

After appropriations in 1897-98 for a total of $75,000, the Outer Breakwall Light was built in 1899. The name of the lighthouse officially became New Haven Light in 1912, but it was popularly known as the Sperry Light after Congressman Nehemiah Sperry, who was responsible for much development of New Haven Harbor. newenglandlighthouses.net


A newly organized group in New Haven, Conn. made the first application for a charter as a national bank under the National Currency Act of 1863. They then deferred to Jay Cooke, the chief financial agent of the union, who wished Charter No. 1 for his First Bank of Philadelphia. The First Bank of
New Haven received Charter No. 2 in 1863. The Philadelphia institution became a state bank by the centennial anniversary, making First Bank of New Haven the oldest national bank in the United States.
First National Bank of New Haven changed its name in 1928 to Bank and Trust Co. of New Haven. In 1957, after merging with New it became First New Haven National Bank...
newhavenmuseum.org

museumofcthistory.org
The Acme Wire Co. was organized in 1904 under the laws of the State of Connecticut and started in business in New Haven on a modest scale , manufacturing magnet wire , which was used extensively in the electrical business...
United States Investor
Volume 42, Issue 1
1931, Frank P. Bennett and Company

The Home of Donald G. Mitchell, "IK Marvel"
Donald Grant Mitchell (April 12, 1822 – December 15, 1908) was an American essayist and novelist who usually wrote under the pen name Ik Marvel.

General Offices of the Conn. Commercial Travellers Mutual Accident Asso.

The cave where two British judges hid in exile after sentencing the king to death, around May 15, 1661 and lasting several weeks on scraps of food brought to them by sympathetic locals. In the end, they fled to Hadley, Massachusetts where they lived out the rest of their lives.

"The Finest Ice Cream Plant in America"
110 Bristol Street, New Haven, Conn.
museumofcthistory.org
Semon Ice Cream Corporation was formed in 1905 from Hauff Ice Cream Corporation. The manager was John Semon.

museumofcthistory.org
Joseph Bradford Sargent and his two brothers operated a wholesale hardware business in New York City, and subsequently obtained an interest in one of their suppliers, the Peck and Walter Manufacturing Company of New Britain, CT. This company was the predecessor to the present SARGENT Manufacturing Company.
The Sargent brothers bought full ownership of the New Britain firm in 1857. Seven years later, in 1864, they moved the factory to New Haven to be closer to the sea for shipping purposes and the delivery of raw materials, and incorporated under the laws of Connecticut as SARGENT & Co.
SARGENT’s original New Haven location was along Water Street (on land now occupied by the Teletrack Theatre and The Maritime Building(s) with a portion of the plant bordering Wallace and Hamilton Street... sargentlock.com

Built in 1911, the Taft Hotel, on College Street in New Haven, opened its doors to the public on New Year’s Day, 1912. The elegant hotel was right near the Shubert Theater and many Broadway celebrities stayed there over the years, including Rogers and Hammerstein, who wrote the tune Oklahoma in their rooms at the Taft. Former President William Howard Taft, for whom the Hotel was named, lived there for eight years while he was teaching at Yale Law School... historicbuildingsct.com

1906-1911 “Gentlemen:–If the City of New Haven will provide a suitable site for it, I desire to erect and present to the City a handsome, fireproof building for the Public Library.” With these words, and a gift of $300,000, Mary E. Ives (Mrs. Hoadley Ives), became the founding mother of the present New Haven Free Public Library. The site, at the corner of Elm and Temple Streets where the Library stands today, was purchased by the city for $95,000. The architect, Cass Gilbert, designed the brick and marble building to harmonize with the traditional architecture of New Haven, and especially with the United Church nearby. The building was formally dedicated to the City of New Haven on May 27, 1911. nhfpl.org


The company was founded by Oliver Winchester in 1866, and its most famous product was the Winchester rifle, which became known as "The Gun That Won the West." The company's roots can be traced back to 1855 when Oliver Winchester took control of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company. After reorganizing the company and acquiring the rights to the Henry Repeating Rifle, Winchester formed the New Haven Arms Company in 1857, which would later become the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

New Haven Green was established in 1638 by the founders of New Haven, who were Puritan settlers led by Reverend John Davenport. The Green served as the central square and meeting place for the original nine square plan of the city, designed by the settlers. It was intended to be a common area for religious, civic, and social gatherings. The Green is a 16-acre open space, spanning several blocks in the heart of downtown New Haven. It is surrounded by various historical buildings, including churches, government structures, and Yale University buildings. Some notable structures bordering the Green include the First and Center Churches, New Haven City Hall, and the Yale University campus.

Established in 1859 as New Haven High School, Hillhouse High School is New Haven's oldest public high school. Originally located on Orange Street, it adopted its nickname, "The Academics", in acknowledgment of its close association with Yale University.
In 1863, the school was moved to a building at Orange and Wall Streets, which was replaced in 1871 by a new school.
The school is named in honor of James Hillhouse of New Haven, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Congress in the early years of the United States' existence as a nation, serving as both a Representative and a Senator. wikipedia

Union Station in New Haven, Connecticut, is a major railway station and a prominent landmark in the city. It is located at 50 Union Avenue, near downtown New Haven. The station was originally built in 1920 and has since undergone several renovations and expansions to accommodate increasing passenger traffic.
Genealogy gifts & optional resources
Genealogy Gifts & Resources Related to NEW HAVEN

NEW HAVEN, CT Vintage Postcard Ceramic Mug Historic Downtown Scene
Step back in time with this beautifully crafted ceramic mug, featuring a vintage street view of New Haven, Connecticut. Showcasing a historic downtown scene, this nostalgic design captures the charm of early 20th-century architecture and the essence of New Haven's rich history.

CONNECTICUT Gift Idea - Apizza, Burger on Toast, White Clam Pizza - I Love Connecticut! - CT Mug for Genealogists Family History
Featuring iconic local delicacies, the design of this mug captures the essence of Connecticut's food culture. It pays homage to the Apizza, a unique and mouthwatering pizza style that originated in New Haven. The legendary Louis' Lunch Burger, said to be the birthplace of the hamburger, is also prominently featured. And of course, there's a nod to the classic White Clam Pizza, a coastal favorite that's a must-try for seafood enthusiasts.

SAVIN ROCK, CT Memories - Vintage Amusement Park Connecticut Postcards Ceramic Mug
Take a nostalgic trip to Connecticut’s beloved Savin Rock amusement park with this charming ceramic mug. Featuring vintage-inspired images and iconic landmarks, it’s perfect for reminiscing about summer days, family outings, and the golden age of amusement parks.

CONNECTICUT Roots Mug: Bed-and-Breakfast Enthusiast Edition
Start your day with a sip of history and charm from our Connecticut-inspired ceramic mug, proudly proclaiming: "My ancestors came from Connecticut, that explains a lot about my love for charming bed-and-breakfasts and discussing the nuances of colonial architecture." This delightful mug is perfect for those who appreciate the finer things in life, like cozy mornings at quaint inns and lively conversations about the elegance of colonial design.
Discover New Haven: History, News, Travel, and Stories
Explore the events, newspaper stories, people, and moments that shaped New Haven through the years.
New Haven's first State House was built in 1717 on the Green near the corner of Elm and College Streets. New Haven's colonial courts held sessions under the jurisdiction of the Connecticut charter. The courts were located in this building, and a jail was located nearby.
www.livingplaces.com/ CT/ New_Haven_County/ New_Haven_City.html
1717 - Collegiate School moves to New Haven; called Yale the next year.
...dissatisfied with the school's site in Saybrook, Connecticut, the trustees of the Collegiate School began searching for a new home for the institution, preferably one with a central facility. In a bidding war with Hartford, the citizens of New Haven pledged 2,000 English pounds to the Collegiate School if it would relocate there.
In order to raise additional funds for this building, in 1718 the school's trustees asked Cotton Mather, a Harvard alumnus who was unhappy at having been passed over for the presidency of his...
The first newspaper known to be published in Connecticut is the Connecticut gazette, from New Haven. It began on April 12th and was published by James Parker. His business partner was Benjamin Franklin who enjoyed helping other printers start newspapers (but not in Philadelphia). Parker lived in New York City and published ten religious pamphlets, five almanacs, 2 New York newspapers, and 19 other works in 1755 in addition to the Gazette. He never visited New Haven for any extended period. It was chiefly a military record, reporting the events of the French and Indian War. In fact, it was suspended for a time after the war when support for it declined.
The newspaper was managed by John Holt who left it in the charge of Thomas Green in 1760. Thomas Green was part of a large family of printers and publishers who made large contributions to early newspaper publishing in Connecticut ...
Show more local history, news & stories
www.ctstatelibrary.org/ pages/ newspapers/ connecticut-newspaper-pioneers
Almanac of American Military History, Volume 1
Editor Spencer C. Tucker
Edition illustrated
Publisher ABC-CLIO, 2012
ISBN 1598845306, 9781598845303
Page 324
The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, Volume 3
Author Sir David Brewster
Publisher J. & E. Parker, 1832
Page 229
Joseph Barber operated the Columbian Register from 1812 until the end of 1837. when he sold the paper to Minott A. Osborn and William B. Baldwin. At the time of the sale, the paper was still a weekly printed on a hand press and the United States was still a small agricultural nation.
www.nhregister.com/ general-news/ 20121201/ nhr-200-new-owners-enhanced-registers-stature
A Gazetteer of the States of Connecticut and Rhode-Island: Written with Care and Impartiality, from Original and Authentic Materials : Consisting of Two Parts ... : with an Accurate and Improved Map of Each State
Authors John Chauncey Pease, John Milton Niles
Publisher W.S. Marsh,...
www.antarcticaonline.com/ history/ history.htm
Connecticut and Rhode Island Covered Bridges
Images of America
Author William S. Caswell, Jr.
Publisher Arcadia Publishing, 2011
ISBN 0738575402, 9780738575407
Page 17
catskillarchive.com/ rrextra/ abnere2.Html
New Haven, city and town, the chief town of New Haven county and the semi-capital of the state of Connecticut, is 76 miles N.E. from New York, and 300 from Washington city, in latitude (Yale College Observatory) 41° 18' 30" N., and W. longitude 72° 55'. It is situated on a large and pleasant plain, around the head of a bay which sets up four miles from Long Island Sound. This plain is nearly level, and is partially enclosed by an amphitheatre of lofty hills, and by two bold eminences called East and West rocks, which vary in height from 330 to 370 feet. These rocks, which consist of trap, terminate in naked precipitous fronts, and are conspicuous and beautiful objects in the landscape. On the west, the plain is limited by a small stream called West river, and on the east by the Quinnipiack, which is navigable for several miles. Another stream, called Mill river, passes through the eastern part of the city and enters the harbor in union with the Quinnipiack.
The boy, HENRY RICE, who was killed by the steam-boiler explosion at DANN & BROTHERS' coach factory, yesterday, was found under the ruins last night; nearly all his bones crushed. The boy JOHN KANE lives, but with no hope of his life. G. G. BALDWIN and GEORGE DE WOLF are very low. JOSEPH VAN RIPER was badly scalded, but may live. The cause of the accident was poor boiler iron. The loss of property is about $5,000.
In July, 1877, the local papers in New Haven contained an advertisement of 'Bell's telephone' reading in part:
The proprietors keep the instrument in repair, without charge, and the user has no expense except the maintenance of the line. It needs only a wire between the two stations, though ten or twenty miles apart, with a telephone at each end.... The outside of the telephone is of mahogany finely polished and an ornament to any room or office. Telephones leased and lines constructed.
In September, 1877, Mr. Coy secured several Bell telephones and installed a few...
The restaurant's claim to fame is its invention of the hamburger sandwich, which is said to have originated around the turn of the 20th century. The story goes that one day in 1900, a hurried customer requested a quick meal to-go. The owner, Louis Lassen, quickly placed a beef patty between two slices of bread, creating the first-ever hamburger. This simple but delicious creation quickly gained popularity and became a staple of American fast-food culture.
ONE WORKMAN KILLED INSTANTLY AND TWO SUBSEQUENTLY PERISH IN THE FIRE.
MUCH PROPERTY DAMAGE.
New Haven, Conn., Jan. 21. -- The building on Crown Street, opposite Orange, occupied by English & Mersick and two other firms, was destroyed by fire this morning, which started from an explosion.
Three lives were lost.
The killed:
JOSEPH C. HAUSER, machinist, aged 38.
J. T. TOOF, aged 40.
HARBONA STEVENS, aged 21.
About 10:30 o'clock this morning FRANK P. PHLEGAR, SR., a machine jobber, was experimenting with acetylene gas in his shop on the second floor of the building. Around him were a corps of assistants, and it is said the PHLEGAR was working upon some sort of regulator to control the delivery of the gas from steel cylinders in which it is kept under high pressure, sometimes as high as 2000 pounds to the square inch. Definite knowledge as to the conditions of the experiment cannot be had, since the PHLEGARS positively refuse to talk tonight,...
Meanwhile, the Pequot war was raging along the coast of Long Island Sound, and as the beaten braves were being driven westward toward the valley of the Hudson, their pursuers came upon a spot of surprising beauty. Its charms...
The purchase gives to the People's Tramway Company control of the trolley lines from Danielson, Conn., to Worcester, a distance of forty miles. The company recently acquired the Putnam and Thompson Street Railway Company, and later took over the Webster and Dudley system, the latest purchase of the Webster and Worcester completing the circuit. The New Haven Road will extend the People's Tramway line in time to Norwich, thus connecting with the steam road along the Thames to New London and forming a continuous line from Norwich to Boston, a distance of 120 miles.
The People's Tramway system will run express trains, freight, mail, baggage, and passenger coaches over the newly acquired line. The express trains will make stops only at Putnam and Webster in the through run from Danielson to Worcester, and will run at ...
Woman Injured--Man Nearly Suffocated--Several Lose Valuables.
New Haven, Conn., May 14 - Passengers, including 16 men and four women had to flee in their night clothing, early Thursday, from a burning sleeping car at the Union station. The car was near the rear end of the N. Y., N. H. & H. Railroad train which left New York at 11 o'clock Wednesday night for Boston by way of Springfield. When the train reached here at 1 o'clock sleeping car No. 2032 was connected with a pipe which supplied the cars with gas and the gas supply was turned on. Immediately afterwards a slight explosion was heard. Flames burst out and the car filled with smoke.
The passengers dazed with sleep and half blinded by the smoke made a rush for the doors. A woman was knocked down and suffered a slight injury to her back and right arm, but said she was not seriously hurt. An old gentleman who had difficulty in getting out of his berth close to the...
New Haven, Conn., Jan. 18. - Fire and water completely wrecked the Headley building, corner of Church and Crown Streets, tonight, causing a loss which will aggregate $150,000. A score or more of tenants lost all their office effects but in most instances the insurance is ample. The thermometer was not far above zero and the firemen worked under harsh conditions. Almost adjoining the Headley building, on the Crown Street side are some of the largest furniture houses in the city and to protect these was the chief aim of the firemen in the early stages of the blaze.
When the Headley building was put up some years ago for commercial purposes it was considered one of the finest in the city and many of its features remained until the end. The walls were of heavy brick and the interior was divided into three sections. The center one being a light shaft around which ran balconies and off which led...
Various office buildings were endangered for a time. The loss is $80,000. The fire started in a cafe on the first floor, from an unknown cause.
The theatre, originally known as the Music Hall, was erected in 1860, and was rich in historic interest. Stage notables and singers of world fame appeared there. Half a century ago it was the scene of State political conventions, Yale junior promenades, and other university events Mass meetings to encourage enlistment were held during the civil war. After the war a national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was held in the building, at which were present Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan. Charles Dickens lectured in the house during his American tour.
Around the 1940s, students from nearby colleges, particularly Yale University, discovered that these empty pie tins could be tossed and caught for fun. They began using them to play a game they called "frisbie" or "frisbieing." The players would yell "frisbie" as a warning before throwing the pie tin, giving rise to the term associated with the game.
In 1948, a man named Walter Frederick Morrison was inspired by these college students and their pie tin tossing game. He saw the potential in creating a plastic version of the flying disc for recreational purposes. Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni designed a plastic flying disc they called the "Pluto Platter" in...
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 was one of the most destructive and powerful storms ever to strike Southern New England. This system developed in the far eastern Atlantic, near the Cape Verde Islands on September 4. It made a twelve day journey across the Atlantic and up the Eastern Seaboard before crashing ashore on September 21 at Suffolk County, Long Island, then into Milford, Connecticut. The eye of the hurricane was observed in New Haven, Connecticut, 10 miles east of Milford. The center made landfall at the time of astronomical high tide, moving north at 60 mph. Unlike most storms, this hurricane did not weaken on its way toward Southern New England, due to its rapid forward speed and its track. This kept the center of the storm over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream...
National Weather Service
www.erh.noaa.gov
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History: If you're into dinosaurs, fossils, and natural history, this museum is a must-visit. It houses an impressive collection of specimens and is a hit with both kids and adults.
New Haven Green: This historic park at the heart of the city is a great place to relax, have a picnic, or people-watch. It's also surrounded by some of New Haven's oldest churches and buildings.
Louis' Lunch: Visit the birthplace of the hamburger at Louis' Lunch. They've been serving up their famous burgers since 1895. It's a small, no-frills joint, but the history and taste make it worth a stop.
Yale Center for British Art: This museum boasts the largest collection of British art outside of the United Kingdom. It's a treasure trove of British masterpieces spanning over five...
Discover YOUR Roots: New Haven Ancestry
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