Welcome to your bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
Spring 2022 / Preserving Historic Craftsmanship
Spring is here and we’re celebrating craftsmanship in historic preservation with support from the State Historic Preservation Office with funds from the Community Investment Act of the State of Connecticut.
Pretty in Pink in Stony Creek
The spring 2022 issue brings readers a pair of stories that revel in the glory of stone as a building material. Mary Donohue, in her story “Pretty in Pink in Stony Creek,” writes about the granite that is “one of Connecticut’s most sought-after building materials, one that represents the height of craftsmanship in some of the country’s most iconic structures, including the base of the Statue of Liberty.”
Donohue explains the history of mining Sony Creek granite that was made possible by the invention of steam-powered tools in the 1840s and, later, compressed-air tools in the 1870s. Historians have documented that, beginning in 1858, at least 15 quarries—from Guilford to Branford—mined the pink rock.
Well before shoreline property became the hot commodity it is today, investors picked up the land for a song, Donohue writes. “They brought in foreign workers by the carload, cut spur tracks from the quarries to the Shore Line railroad, leased the large hotel, opened a stone yard on its lawn and built a dock in front of it. … By 1900 as many as 1,800 men were employed there. Many were immigrants with stone-working experience from their home countries. A workforce primarily from the British Isles (Irish, Cornish, and Scottish) grew to include Germans, Swedes, Finns, Spaniards, and Portuguese men”—true craftsmen in the art of building with stone.
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Connecticut’s Arched and Rusticated Bridges
Spring issue author Michael Raber knows his voussoirs from his abutments—both of which are components in the ancient form of the stone-arch bridge. Via four of his favorites from across the state, Raber gives us a quick lesson in appreciating the beauty of these structures and how to spot the difference between a true stone-arch bridge and one that is merely faced with stone.
“Arch construction,” he explains, “is based on placement of wedge-shaped stones, or voussoirs, in a ring that compresses under vertical loads. These vertical loads must be countered by the abutments at each end of the bridge, among other structural components.” Though it seems like a tricky engineering feat, he points out that “The principal skills needed to build a stone-arch bridge—masons and materials—were usually available locally, and it was rare to see designs by professional engineers before the very late 19th century.”
“Most 20th-century bridges that look like true stone-arch construction are not,” Raber cautions, and he explains the technological advances that explain why. The present North Stonington’s Old Town Hall Bridge, above, is a good example. The bridge, Raber writes, “originally was a double-arch stone structure, built c. 1880, over the Shunock River” and contributed to the North Stonington Village Historic District’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Sadly, it was destroyed by a flood in 2010. The stones were saved, but today they only face the replacement single-arch concrete bridge. Raber shares other examples from Danbury, Naugatuck, and Stamford.
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The Latest from Grating the Nutmeg
138. The Glorious Wide Awakes
Spurred by Abraham Lincoln’s campaign stop in Hartford in March 1860, the Wide Awake movement spread from where it started in Connecticut across the North like wildfire. Connecticut Historical Society’s Natalie Belanger and her guest Jon Grinspan, Curator of Political History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, look at this pivotal youth movement of the Civil War era and how this home-grown political movement with its signature torchlit parades helped to redefine American democracy on the eve of the Civil War.
Belanger was inspired by “Albert’s Odd Jobs,” an exhibition on view at the Connecticut Historical Society through April 16, 2022 about Glastonbury’s Albert Walker, a farmer, skilled artisan, amateur magician, and, of course, a Wide Awake.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Pizza Dough Maker Acquired
The odd-looking appliance on view in New Haven Museum’s rotunda represents a tasty slice of New Haven history. Ordered by Frank Pepe in 1939, the custom-designed machine mixed dough for his world-famous pizza for almost 65 years. Born in Italy in 1893, Pepe opened a bakery on Wooster Street in 1925. A simple recipe from his homeland—dough, crushed tomatoes, grated Romano cheese, and sometimes anchovies—made him famous, and pizza transformed from a little-known ethnic dish to an American staple.
New Haven Museum, newhavenmuseum.org
Lebanon’s 1869 Pastor’s Library
In 1864 Connecticut governor William Buckingham donated $1,000 to his childhood church in Lebanon to create a collection of books for the minister’s use. By 1869 the collection was so large that the congregation decided to build a library—a small freestanding building—to hold it. At least five different ministers used it, but eventually it became a somewhat neglected storeroom. The library building was donated to the Lebanon Historical Society to assure its long-term preservation. Moved to museum property in 2011, it was restored and opened to the public in 2012.
Lebanon Historical Society Museum, HistoryofLebanon.org
Early American Inn & Tavern Signs
When was the last time you visited the largest and most spectacular collection of early American inn and tavern signs in the country? Between 1750 and 1850, American sign painters produced more than 50,000 inn and tavern signs, creating a distinct visual language and offering a glimpse into tavern life, travel, and patriotic ideals in early America. Only a fraction of these signs survive, and the Connecticut Historical Society’s collection numbers more than 60 objects, a rare and significant assemblage. You can view this special collection at the Connecticut Historical Society in the Inn & Tavern Signs of Connecticut exhibition.
Connecticut Historical Society Museum & Library, chs.org
Democracy Center Welcomes Staff
The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) welcomes Tammy Denease to its team as Director of Outreach for the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Over the next two years, Denease, the CTDC, the Connecticut Freedom Trail Committee, and the State Historic Preservation Office will expand our understanding of Connecticut history by researching and sharing a Freedom Trail narrative focused on movements toward freedom, justice, and full citizenship. Denease brings museum experience to the project, and experience performing first-person portrayals of historical figures such as Margu, a child captive on the Amistad schooner.
Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House, ctdemocracycenter.org
Editors’ Picks
Stories we love from back issues to read now.
“The Quarry that Built Boston and New York City,” Summer 2008
“Carry Me Across the Water: Our Historic Bridges,” Summer 2015
“Glimpses of Lincoln’s Brilliance,” Fall 2005, tells about the Wide Awakes, with several images
Kids’ Page: “West Cornwall Covered Bridge”
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