History of Middletown, Connecticut, USA

Middletown, a city and port of entry of Connecticut, and one of the capitals of Middlesex co., is pleasantly situated on the right or W. bank of the Connecticut River, and on the Connecticut Valley Railroad, the New Haven, Middletown & Willimantic Railroad ("Air Line"), and other branches of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, 15 miles S. of Hartford, and 24 miles N.E. of New Haven. The principal mercantile houses and hotels are on Main street, which is broad and level, The more elevated parts of the city are occupied by elegant residences (on High street), with fine gardens and highly ornamented grounds. This city contains a stone court house, a custom-house, 4 national banks, an industrial school for girls, state asylum for the insane, the Berkeley Divinity School (Protestant Episcopal), and the Wesleyan University (Methodist), which was organized in 1831 and has 25 professors and instructors, about 300 students, and a library of 25,000 volumes. One daily and 1 weekly...

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Aug. 14 - The steam yacht Waiontha of Hartford caught fire to-day while going down the Connecticut River, and now lies a blackened wreck on Sears Shoal, six or seven miles below this city. Her crew escaped in a small boat after running the burning yacht aground. It is understood here that the fire caught in the engine room and spread so quickly that it was impossible to save the boat.

The Waiontha was bound from Hartford for Greenport,L. I. She was 103 feet long and 15 feet wide, and was built in 1880 for the late E. S. Stokes of New York. She was then called the Fra Diavolo. Of late she has been owned by Hartford people. Two weeks ago, while returning from a Sound resort with a party of excursionists to Hartford the Waiontha burst a boiler flue, and was aground for several hours. It is supposed that she was on her way to Greenport for repairs when she took fire.

Middletown, a city of Connecticut, and one of the capitals of Middlesex co., in Middletown township (town), is pleasantly situated on the right or W. bank of the Connecticut River and on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 14 miles S. of Hartford... The more elevated parts of the city are occupied by elegant residences, with fine gardens and highly ornamental grounds. The city contains a court-house, an industrial school for girls, the Berkeley Divinity School (Protestant Episcopal), and the Wesleyan University (Methodist), which was organized in 1831 and had an attendance in 1900-01 of 350 students. Its library contains 60,000 volumes. On a high hill 1 mile SE. of this city are the large and imposing buildings of the State General Hospital for the Insane. Middletown has manufactures of pumps and other hydraulic machinery, woollens, cottons, silk, rubber, plated-ware, hardware, bicycles, automobiles, etc. On the opposite side of the river is Portland, connected by a drawbridge,...

Middletown, Conn., March 1. -- Wesleyan University sustained a severe loss by fire early today when old North College, containing 150 rooms was practically destroyed. The fire which started in the attic burned so rapidly that little was saved. The loss is placed at $80,000, covered by insurance. The burned building was erected in 1827 and formed the nucleus of the present college group and was of great historic interest at Wesleyan. About all that was saved from the fire were the valuable college records of President Raymond and Professor Nicholson, the secretary of the faculty. All of the 150 students in the building made their escape and many left the dormitory in their night clothes.

Special to The New York Times.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., March 30--The rising waters of the Connecticut River reached the freight depot of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad Company in Water Street to-day and, slaking lime, which was in storage there, set the building on fire. The building was destroyed, firemen being powerless to check the flames, as the only means of getting in reach of the building was by rowboats. The damage was $15,000.

The flood reached its height here to-day, cutting off communication with the southern part of city, except by boat. The property loss will be small, as most of the houses are on high ground.

Patients Are Thought Burned When Blaze Destroys Building of Middletown Institution.

OTHERS HELP WITH BUCKETS.

"Trusties" Remain Free from Panic and Help in Saving Goods - Loss is $25,000.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Dec. 23 - Eight patients of the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane in this place are believed to have been burned to death tonight in a fire which completely destroyed one of the frame buildings of the hospital groups, a mile east of the main building.

There were fifty-three patients in the building, and at midnight only forty-five had been accounted for.

The building in which the fire occurred was known as "the farm" and those housed therein were so-called "trusties," or the milder type of insane patients. They were all men, and instead of joining in a panic when the flames were discovered turned to and assisted the bucket brigade in rescuing their own clothing and some furniture. The missing paients[sic] are believed to have been burned to death when the interior...

CAT 3 - September 21, 1938
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.

...Extensive damage occurred to roofs, trees and crops. Widespread power outages occurred, which in some areas lasted several weeks. In Connecticut, downed power lines...

Wadsworth Mansion: This historic mansion is set on a beautiful estate with well-maintained gardens. You can stroll around the grounds and enjoy the stunning architecture. The mansion often hosts events and weddings, so it's worth checking their schedule for any upcoming public events.

Wesleyan University: Explore the campus of Wesleyan University, which has a lovely mix of modern and historic buildings. There are often art exhibitions, lectures, and performances open to the public. The Wesleyan Potters craft shop is also worth a visit for unique handmade items.

Downtown Middletown: Take a walk through the downtown area and explore the shops, restaurants, and cafes. Main Street is particularly lively, with a wide range of dining options, from casual to fine dining. You'll find boutiques, bookstores, and art galleries here as well.

Kidcity Children's Museum: If you're traveling with kids, this is a must-visit. Kidcity offers hands-on, interactive exhibits that are both fun and...