Hartford, Connecticut, USA
1916

Hartford, a city, port of entry, and the capital of Connecticut and seat of justice of Hartford co., is situated upon the W. bank of the Connecticut River, at the head of navigation for large steamboats, 50 miles from Long Island Sound, and on the New York, New Haven and Hartford and the Central New England Rs., 110 miles NE. of New York. Lat. 41° 45' 59" N. ; Lon. 72° 40' 45" W. Most of the residence portion is considerably elevated above the river-level and the surface is somewhat broken. The principal streets are Main, which extends through the heart of the city and on which are many public buildings and churches ; State Street, largely given over to the wholesale business; and Asylum Street. The city's most attractive feature is Bushnell Park, which, including the former site of Trinity College, embraces a tract of about 50 acres and contains, upon a commanding eminence, the capitol or state-house, built of white marble in the modern Gothic style. This building is 295 feet long, 189 ft. deep, and 256 ft. in height, and was completed for occupancy in 1878 at a cost of $2,500,000. Other noteworthy edifices and institutions are Trinity College buildings, in the SW. part of the city ; the Memorial Arch, at one of the park entrances ; St. Joseph's Cathedral, consecrated in 1892; Hosmer Hall, the home of the Hart ford Theological Seminary ; the high-school, post-office, old state-house, Wadsworth Athenaeum (with a gallery of sculptures and paintings, library, and the collections of the Historical Society), the Case Memorial Library (with, in 1903, 81,500 volumes), public library (with about 90,000 volumes), state arsenal, etc. Trinity College (Episcopal), founded in 1823, had a library, in 1903, of 46,500 volumes. The Hartford Theological Institute was founded in 1833 and had, in 1901, 64 students. The American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, founded in 1816, is located here, also a retreat for the insane, a large hospital, old people's home, orphan-asylum, blind-asylum, and inebriate-asylum. Hart ford is the see of a Roman Catholic bishop. Charter Oak Place marks the site where, in 1687, the charter of the state is said to have been temporarily concealed. More capital is employed in the insurance (life and fire) business in this city than in any other of its size in the United States, the assets of the united companies being over $160,000,000. The city's manufacturing industries give employment to several thousand men and women. Among the principal manufactures are those of fire-arms (revolvers, guns, etc.), steam- engines, boilers, bicycles, automobiles, sewing-machines, car-wheels, hardware, machinists' tools, carriages, silver- plated ware, typesetting machines, belting, hosiery and knitted-goods, envelopes, and pumps. Hartford is a central market for tobacco, which is the staple product of the fertile Connecticut Valley. It is the port of entry for the customs district of Hartford.

Hartford was settled in 1635-36 by emigrants from Massachusetts Bay. It was the capital of Connecticut until 1701, when New Haven became joint capital (the legislature holding its sessions alternately in the two towns), and since 1875 it has been again the sole capital. It was incorporated u a city in 1784. Pop. in 1830, 9789 ; in 1880, 42,553 : in 1890, 53,230 : in 1900, 79,850.

Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher

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