The Connecticut Shore -- Davenport's Eastwood Farms

Speranza

East Haven today is slightly different than 400 years ago.

This town was a village in the 1650s.

This town struggled to become a Incorporated as a town.

The first (and oldest) part of East Haven was around the now known "green" on the corner of Hemingway street and main street.

The families of Bradleys, Smiths, Hemingways are from the days of England's rule.

Indians shared the lands until the lands were removed from them.

The Indian reservation was the old lighthouse area in New Haven that used to be part of the village of East Haven till the new government of the United states took possession of it and made it the reservation, later to be used for the lighthouse.

Fair Haven  known as Tje Dragon of East Haven in the 1800s became a village of its own now growing fast do to oysters and the shipping along the Quinnipiac river.

The town was divided over the bridges that were built privately but turned over to the town do to the maintenance and replacement costs.

The debts of the wars and bridges sold Fair haven to New Haven.

Currently most of what was of the then Fair Haven has disappeared in time.

A road across the Dragon bridge to the road know known a Quinnipiac riverside avenue was the only road to North Haven and North Branford through East Haven in the village of Foxon.

Trains and trolleys had come to the villages in the late 1800s and 1900s.

The shoreline electric railroad was built from State street to the village of Guilford .

East Haven today is a thriving suburb and residential "bedroom community" of the city of New Haven.

One time in the 1890s-1900s this was a resort town.

Lake Saltonstall had steamers, picnic areas, swimming ,boating and fishing.

The Yale boat teams used to race on Lake Saltonstall.

The trolley company built a line from the Morris cove area to lake Saltonstall owned by George H.Townsend but sold it to the New Haven water Co.

In its hayday you would get there by stagecoach for !5 cents.

Residents made about 3 dollars a week then, you could take the trolley for 5 cents, school children got books of 50 tickets at 2.50 making it 5 cents to go to school in New Haven by trolley.

The tracks were pulled up from lake Saltonstall and moved to Momauguin Cosy beach where a hotel was built buy the trolley company after lake Saltonstall was closed to the public.

We now switch to Cosy beach and Silver Sands, hotels and bathing became very popular as well as dining.

East Haven was as beautiful with silvery sand glowing in the sun, cool blue waters of long island sound as well as the escape of all the smoke from New Haven factories and city living.

Cosy Beach became the hottest summer place to be .building summer homes and other lodging hotels.

Mansfield Grove cove was also a attraction with a hotel and eatery, dancing ,camping, boating, fishing, bathing now known as swimming.

Up until the 1938 hurricane it all prospered.

The invention of the automobile wiped out the need for the trolleys.

By the 1950s metal for the war the  tracks and pole and lines were all gone.

The beach was wiped out by the hurricane.

Not much of the beach was rebuilt but by the 1970s the beach area was ready for revitalization,making it what it is to day.

Silversands hotel was torn down and  used to have talented popular artists performing there.

The Bridgeport university collage now in Bridgeport used to own property here and use it.

The centre of town as we know now was very different in the 1890s.

 Picture as you will homes all along the street from Hemingway avenue to the town line today.

Homes covered both sides of the street as farms.

Notable a few stores operated out of the wooden structures.

The old stone church was a centre attraction  for them that lived in the now town of East Haven.

The first church was in the green as was the school.

The church was built after its likeness of the one in the state of Mass.

At the time it was not wise to build it out of stone but it was built with objection across the street was an old farm and was razed to build in 1920s a bank.

This bank became the new home of Holcomes drugs store.

Later a movie house, a bowling ally, Goodies  occupied  this building as others.

The Town hall was built as well as the fire station.

All removing the old farm houses that once stood in their place.

The tavern across from Holcomes  that was full of East Haven's history was torn down and replaced by a fuel station till it also was replaced by a bank.

The town grew and when the town decided to revitalize the center.

By then Saltonstall parkway by past the main street going past all the stores on main street .helping to make the stores become dilapidated from less shoppers knowing they were there.

It was rebuilt as you see it today.

Farms of the 30s became money makers for the development of neighbourhoods.the ending of the war and revitalization of New Haven helped build East Haven as a bigger and better residential suburban "bedroom community".

We have three super markets and small residential business of all kinds here to serve the residents with out really having to go any where else.

This town has had its sheer of happenings in its past.

Three air plane accidents, hurricanes, salt storms, and tornado.

The town fire dept was first in 1900, the police dept 1928, the police dept was under city hall but moved to North High in 1972.

The fire dept has been in the same building location since it founding .but replaced its old wooden building (moving it to the rear for the public works dept being demolished in the revitalization of the center with its Georgian style brick one as you see today

At one time the only street though East Haven to New London was our main street known as a post road made for the post men .all other paths were cow or Indian paths.

Eventually made into roads.our center green was once used as a market,cow feeding ,and camping for the revolutionary soldiers.

East Haven has a history never told to the public in school books about the men of this time war against the British.the invasion of new haven came up on East Haven shores and marched to the old stone church and down to Forbes's bridge.

School started on the green with a small building attached to a church.

It burned down .it was rebuilt after some time across from the green.

The first brick building was built and a second wood school on high street was moved to the railroad station next to the high street bridge called railroad avenue.

The station was removed in the 40s .

A second school was built of brick ,then a third.

By 1950s all have been made of brick even in Foxon.

Foxon area was still farms but was replaced with neighborhoods too.

Today we are a modern town as nice as it used to be but looks like any other.

East Haven  Connecticut MILITIA 1840 Officers and privates of fifth company, second regiment, second brigade infantry, member of Captai Hotchkiss company .

Joseph Ives Hotchkiss -captain
Nathan Andrews -Lieutenant
Philip Street -
Lucius Lindsley-Orderly Sargent
Edward Hemingway- Second Sargent

Privates ---
Jared Andrews,
Charles Wolcott,
Edward A. Walker,
Laban Smith,
Ashuel Thompson,
Charles Bishop,
Edward Thompson,
Alfred Hughes,
Roswell Hughes,
Samuel Forbes,
Robert Rowes,
Jared Smith,
O.B Thompson,
Thaueous Street,
Abraham Chidsey,
Benjamin Street,
Charles Auger,
Street Chidsey,
Justin Bradley
Henry Forbes,
Jeremiah Barns,
Hezekial Bradley
William Tuttle