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
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