Introduction to the Dictionary Section

Criteria for inclusion: People– (formatted in ALL CAPS) The most important people who influenced the history of the state, including: • Presidents, Vice Presidents, Governors • Historic Figures • Prominent people • Pioneers in their field • Prestigious award recipients • People who influenced culture or change Places– • Villages, towns, unincorporated places, and cities with descriptive articles on the State Capital and principal cities. • Historic Places –National Historic Places with descriptions as designated in the National Register of Historic Places. Within these entries (des) is an abbreviation for designated followed by the year. Events– • Significant historical and cultural occurrences throughout state history. Dictionary of Connecticut History Abbott, George S., Building National Historic Place (des. 1982 - Building - #82004359) Also known as Wheeler and Wilson Building; Abbott Towers Apartments 235-247 N. Main St., Waterbury Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Lawler, Henry A. — Architectural Style: Classical Revival, Romanesque — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1875-1899 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Business, Multiple Dwelling, Specialty Store — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use ABBOTT, WILLIAM HAWKINS (1819-1901) — pioneer petroleum producer and refiner, the son of David and Hannah Abbott, was born October 27, 1819, on his father’s farm in Middlebury, New Haven County, Connecticut, the eldest of a family of twelve children. Until he was eighteen years of age, Abbott helped with the farm work and completed the common- school curriculum, attending during the winter months. With the approval of his father, he became a clerk in a general store at Watertown, Connecticut. He remained in this position until 1844, gaining a considerable amount of business experience and developing a character recognized for its industry and ambition. In September 1845, he was married to Jane Wheeler. When twenty-five years old, he moved to Newton Falls, Trumbull County, Ohio, where he entered the employ of a large general mercantile business. A year later, when the partners for whom he worked gave up this business relationship, Abbott joined with one of them and continued the store at Bronson & Abbott for another year. This partnership was dissolved a year later, with both members continuing separate businesses. Another year passed and Abbott bought out his former partner, as well as an established real estate business in Newton, and continued the two on his own account with marked success until 1862. In 1859, Colonel E. L. Drake had brought in the first oil well near Titusville, Pennsylvania, and partly from curiosity but mainly as a matter of business, Abbott visited there the following Spring. What he saw prompted him to take a part interest in the lease of the nearby Parker farm, on which a well was being drilled. When this came into production some months later, Abbott, still a resident of Ohio, went to New York to establish a market for this oil, and succeeded in selling 200 barrels at thirty-five cents a gallon to Schieffelin Brothers, an extensive drug and chemical house in New York. This deal may be said to mark the beginning of the oil trade. Abbott, too, was the moving spirit in the construction of the first refinery at Titusville, with the plant beginning operations in January 1861. Throughout this year Abbott carried on his oil interests chiefly from his Ohio home, but in 1862 he moved with his family to Titusville, and during the same year brought the first coal for domestic use to Titusville, and therefore established the first retail coal business. Three years later he leased a large acreage of coal lands in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and for years thereafter engaged successfully in coal mining. In 1865, he organized a company and, built at a cost of $200, 000, the Titusville and Pitt-Hole plank road. Meanwhile, he was expanding his oil interests. In 1867, he formed with Henry Harley the Pennsylvania Transportation Company, the first of the great oil pipe-line consolidations, and finally, in 1870, he was instrumental in reviving active interest in the earlier projected Union & Titusville Railroad Company, with the result that the road was opened in 1871. Thereafter until his death, Abbott divided his time generally among his various interests, including the presidency of the Citizens Bank of Titusville. From the time of his permanent residence in Titusville, because of his business ability, reliability, and far-sightedness, he was prominently identified with almost every civic development of the city. Abington Congregational Church National Historic Place (des. 1977 - Building - #77001413) CT 97, Abington Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Fitch, Mr. — Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Other — Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion — Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1825-1849 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub- function: Religious Structure — Current Function: Religion — Current Sub-function: Religious Structure — Academy Hall National Historic Place (des. 1977 - Building - #77001419) 785 Old Main St., Rocky Hill Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Jaggers, Abraham — Architectural Style: Federal — Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1800-1824 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Education, Social — Historic Sub- function: Meeting Hall, School — Current Function: Recreation And Culture — Current Sub-function: Museum Acadian House National Historic Place (des. 1975 - Building - #75001928) Union St., Guilford Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Clay, Joseph — Architectural Style: Other — Area of Significance: Military, Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1650-1699, 1750-1799 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub- function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 ACHESON, DEAN GOODERHAM (1893-1971) — United States Secretary of State; he was born in Middletown, Connecticut to Edward (an Episcopalian minister) and Eleanor Acheson on April 11, 1893. Acheson often spent his summers in Canada as a youth, doing various jobs for a railroad company. Known in high school to be a “lone wolf and a rebel, ” he attended Yale University, earning a B.A. degree in 1915 with Phi Beta Kappa. Continuing his education at Harvard University Law School, he was a member of the staff of the Harvard Law Review, and received his LL.B. degree in 1918. Beginning in 1919, he worked as private secretary to Associate Justice Louis D. Brandeis for two years. He was then hired by the law firm of Covington, Burling and Rublee, where he remained until 1933, practicing corporate and international law. Later that year, due to his impressive reputation, he was chosen by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to assume the position of Under Secretary of the Treasury. The position didn’t keep Acheson from speaking his mind, however, and he lost the job within a few months after he questioned a decision by Roosevelt. He returned to his former law firm, which now carried the name Covington, Burling, Rublee, Acheson and Schorb — in 1934, and for the next seven years, involved himself in such litigations as supporting the minimum wage law in New York, and defending a number of public utilities in front of the United States Supreme Court. The firm had several prestigious clients on their roster, including oil and telephone trusts. A reconciliation was eventually achieved between Acheson and President Roosevelt. Although Acheson turned down a Circuit Court of Appeals judgeship, he continued to support Roosevelt in the President’s third bid for reelection. However, after Acheson began serving as a member of the Committee to Defend America, and successfully initiated aid for England during the war overseas, Roosevelt once again urged Acheson to another government position: this time, Assistant Secretary of State, which the lawyer accepted, taking office in 1941. Working under Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Acheson was made overseer of economic concerns, acting as the “contact man” with Congress. He was one of the main supporters of the Lend-Lease bill, and was at the head of several international conferences. In 1944, Acheson kept his position when Edward R. Stettinius became the new Secretary of State. He tried to resign a year later due to his dissatisfaction with his salary, but President Harry Truman would not hear of it, and instead, promoted him to the position of Under Secretary. He almost didn’t receive his confirmation from the Senate, once again due to his outspokenness, after he publicly chastised General Douglas MacArthur for what Acheson felt was the General’s insubordination regarding U.S. involvement in Japan. However, when the final vote was taken in November 1945, there was only one Senator who opposed the appointment. Not long after, Acheson gave a speech before a National Council of Soviet-American Friendship meeting, during which he pointed out that there had never been any place up to that time when Americans and Russians ever had a reason to be adversaries, and that there was “no objective reason to suppose that there should now, or in the future, ever be such a place.” However, as little as two years later, Acheson had to change his position as a “cold war” between the two countries began to escalate. Acknowledging this new reality, he later pointed out to a Senate group that the U.S.S.R.’s foreign policy was “aggressive and expanding.” A few months later, while giving a commencement speech at Wesleyan University, he criticized the Russian government for its “pursuit of policies diametrically opposed to the very premises of international accord and recovery, ” going on to accuse them of preventing “the whole course of recovery and the international pursuit of happiness.” Other issues Acheson was concerned with while Under Secretary included postponing a Japanese peace treaty until the European treaties had been settled; lifting the Congressional ban on a few of the Lend-Lease supplies earmarked for shipment to Russia; and thwarting an attempt by airline companies to merge, due to his worry about the creation of a monopoly. In June 1947, after deciding he wanted to return to his law practice, Acheson left his post after serving six and a half years, and was honored with the Medal of Merit by President Truman, who paid tribute to him, saying he was “one of the architects of victory and of the struggle for peace.” However, Acheson was not through with public life. In 1947, President Truman founded the Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, naming Acheson as vice-chairman of the twelve-member group. Soon after, Acheson was appointed chairman of the United States branch of the Permanent American-Canadian Defense Board. In January 1949, Secretary of State George C. Marshall resigned his post, and President Truman immediately nominated Acheson for the position. Although the nomination was supported by many high-ranking politicians, including Harold Ickes and John Foster Dulles, he faced a different kind of roadblock with this appointment due to his past affiliation with Alger Hiss, who was thought to have Communist sympathies. At a meeting held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Acheson answered the charge head on, saying: “It is my view that communism as a doctrine is economically fatal to free society and to human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Ultimately, he was accepted by a unanimous vote and was sworn into his new office on January 21, 1949, being the fiftieth government official to hold that position. Acheson remained Secretary of State until 1953, and later served as a foreign policy advisor to John F. Kennedy. He was responsible for a number of major governmental policies including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. He continued his involvement in the political arena in his later years, acting as advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. In 1969, he wrote a book about his experiences entitled Present at the Creation; My Years in the State Department, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1970. He also wrote A Democrat Looks at His Party (1955); A Citizen Looks at Congress (1957); Power and Diplomacy (1958); Scetches From Life of Men I Have Known (1961); Morning and Noon (1965); Fragments of My Fleece (1971); and Grapes From Thorns (1972). Acheson was an Ensign in the United States Navy during World War I. Acheson was married to Alice Stanley; the couple had three children. He died on October 12, 1971. Agudas Achim Synagogue National Historic Place (des. 1995 - Building - #95001340) Also known as Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church; The Fountain of Y 320-324 Madison Ave., Bridgeport Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Cooper, F., Malkera, M. — Architectural Style: Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub- fuction: Religious Structure — Current Function: Religion — Current Sub-function: Religious Structure Agudath Sholem Synagogue National Historic Place (des. 1995 - Building - #95000561) Also known as Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church 29 Grove St., Stamford Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure — Current Function: Religion — Current Sub-function: Religious Structure — Ahavas Sholem Synagogue National Historic Place (des. 1995 - Building - #95000559) Also known as Thomas Chapel of the Church of Christ 30 White St., New Haven Historic Significance: Event — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure — Current Function: Religion — Current Sub-function: Religious Structure — Alden Tavern Site National Historic Place (des. 1998 - Site - #98000361) Also known as 71-15 Address Restricted, Lebanon Historic Significance: Event, Information Potential — Area of Significance: Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Commerce, Communications, Entertainment/Recreation — Cultural Affiliation: — Euro-American — Period of Significance: 1700-1749, 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Hotel, Restaurant — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use — Aldrich Free Public Library National Historic Place (des. 1994 - Building - #94000768) 299 Main St., Plainfield Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Wilcox, Charles F. — Architectural Style: Queen Anne — Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History, Education — Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Education — Historic Sub-function: Library — Current Function: Education — Current Sub-function: Library — Alldis, James, House National Historic Place (des. 1982 - Building - #82004480) 355 Prospect St., Torrington Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Queen Anne — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1875-1899 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Commerce/Trade — Current Sub-function: Professional ALLEN, ETHAN (1737-1789) — Revolutionary soldier, author, and though identified with the history of Vermont, was born January 10, 1737, in Litchfield, Connecticut. His father, Joseph, greatgrandson of Samuel Allen, who died in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1648, married Mary Baker, aunt of Remember Baker of Vermont fame. Ethan was their oldest son. Of his youth very little is known. He is said to have been preparing for college when his father died in 1755. He served in the French and Indian War at Fort William Henry in 1757. By 1769 he was probably resident in the New Hampshire Grants, as Vermont was then called, over the control of which New York and New Hampshire were having a lively controversy. As a result of this dispute, the Green Mountain Boys were organized in 1770, with Allen as “colonel commandant”. By December 1771, Allen had made his leadership so felt that Governor Tryon of New York offered a reward of twenty pounds for his capture. In March 1774, this reward was increased to one hundred pounds. At the Westminster (Vermont) meeting in April 1775, he was appointed with others, to draw up a remonstrance to the King, but the news of the battle of Lexington momentarily quieted affairs in Vermont, and Allen received instructions from Connecticut to capture Fort Ticonderoga. Consequently, at dawn on May 10, 1775, he entered the fort, with Colonel Arnold by his side, and demanded its immediate surrender. In September, he went on the expedition against Canada, where he was captured by the British in a foolhardy attempt to surprise Montreal. For over two years he was held prisoner, being finally exchanged at New York, May 6, 1778, for Colonel Archibald Campbell. Immediately afterward, he received from General Washington the brevet rank of colonel. He returned at once to Vermont and was soon actively engaged in local affairs. In September 1778, he presented the Vermont claims to the Continental Congress without success. Soon afterwards he was given command of the Vermont militia with rank of major-general, and commenced a petty warfare against the New York settlers. In July 1780, Allen received a letter from Colonel Beverly Robinson which opened a correspondence with General Haldimand, commander of the British forces in Canada. Together, with his brothers Ira and Levi Allen, he was deeply implicated in an attempt to negotiate a treaty with Great Britain, which would have made Vermont a province of that country. Whether the Allens actually wanted this, or were merely trying to force Congress to recognize Vermont as a separate state, has never been determined. Ethan, however, took no further part in the Revolution, but gave his attention to Vermont affairs and the management of his farms. In 1787, he settled in Burlington, where, on February 12, 1789, he died of apoplexy. A granite shaft, erected in 1855, stands near his grave. Allen was a man of strong physique, courageous, impulsive in all his actions, prone to daring exploits, and inclined to appeal to force, rather than reason. No portrait is known to exist, but there are idealistic statues by Mead in Montpelier and Washington. He was twice married: first, in 1762, to Mary, daughter of Cornelius and Abigail (Jackson) Bronson, who died at Sunderland, Vermont, in 1783, and they had five children; second, in 1784, to Mrs. Frances (Montresor) Buchanan, by whom he had three more children. Allen was the author of several books and pamphlets, as well as many controversial contributions to various New England newspapers: 1. A Brief Narrative of the Proceedings of the Government of New York Relative to Their Obtaining the Jurisdiction of that Large District of Land to the Westward from Connecticut River (Hartford, 1774). 2. An Animadversory Address to the Inhabitants of the State of Vermont (1778). 3. A Vindication of the Opposition of the Inhabitants of Vermont to the Government of New York (1779). 4. A Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen’s Captivity (1779), of which many editions were printed. In it, Allen fails to mention Arnold’s share in the capture of Ticonderoga, and is vituperative about the British. 5. A Concise Refutation of the Claims of New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay to the Territory of Vermont (1780). 6. The Present State of the Controversy Between the States of New York and New Hampshire on the One Part and the State of Vermont on the Other (1782). 7. Reason the Only Oracle of Man; Or, A Compenduous System of Natural Religion (Bennington, 1784), a curious book, of which this first edition is excessively rare, most of it having been destroyed by fire at the printer’s and practically all of the remainder having been burned by the printer because of its “atheistic” content. ALLEN, JEREMIAH MERVIN (1833-1903) — engineer and pioneer in steam-boiler insurance; was born May 18, 1833, in Enfield, Connecticut, the son of Jeremiah V. Allen and Emily Pease. He remained at Enfield until twelve years of age, attending the primary schools of that place, and then studied for two years at Rev. Dr. Lawton’s school at Longmeadow, Massachusetts, after which he spent four years at Westfield Academy, in studies directed toward his becoming a civil engineer. Subsequently he taught school for four years, improving himself in the meantime with reading and study. In 1865 he became connected in Hartford, Connecticut, with the insurance business, thus making his first contact with the field of activity which was later to become his life-work. In 1857, there had been formed by a few young men in Hartford an association known as the “Polytechnic Club, ” with the purpose of discussing matters of science in relation to everyday life. Among other subjects discussed at meetings of this Club was that of steam-boiler explosions and their causes. As these discussions developed, the subject became one of special interest, and in the environment of Hartford, with its large insurance activities, these early beginnings led to the organization of a company in 1866, “to inspect steam-boilers and to insure their owners against loss or damage arising from boiler explosion.” With his deep interest in the subject itself, his taste for mechanical and engineering matters, and his previous experience in the insurance business, Allen was chosen to lead in this new enterprise, and from 1867 to his death was president and general manager of the company. Allen’s interests were wide, and in one way or another he was connected with most of the leading movements in his community. Among many other duties and activities he served as president of the Hartford board of trade, member and president of the board of trustees of the Hartford Theological Seminary and non-resident lecturer in the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering Cornell University. He was active in the work of the Y.M.C.A. and served a term as president. He was likewise a member of many societies and organizations: scientific, technical, and historical. His lasting contribution to industrial and social progress, however, is to be found in his work in the field of steam-boiler inspection and insurance. This was distinctly a pioneer movement in its recognition of both the social and economic value of human life and in the taking of measures calculated to reduce the hazards and minimize the loss of both life and property due to steam-boiler explosions. Through the system of boiler inspection, which was inaugurated under Allen’s direction, as well as through the promulgation of carefully framed rules and regulations for design and operation, the hazards of steam-boiler operation were enormously reduced. In 1856, Allen married Harriet S. Griswold of Ellington, Connecticut, by whom he had two children. He died on December 19, 1903, at the age of seventy, active in his many interests to the last, loved and honored by associates and friends. Allen’s Cider Mill National Historic Place (des. 1992 - Building - #92000389) 7 Mountain Rd., Granby Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: No Style Listed — Area of Significance: Industry, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction, Social — Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility, Meeting Hall, Single Dwelling2, Storage — Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Industry/Processing/Extraction — Current Sub-function: Business, Manufacturing Facility — Allen Place—Lincoln Street Historic District National Historic Place (des. 2003 - - #03000815) Roughly bounded by Madsion St., Washington St., Vernon St., and Zion Hill Cemetery, Hartford Allis-Bushnell House National Historic Place (des. 1982 - Building - #82004352) Also known as Madison Historical Society 853 Boston Post Rd., Madison Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person — Architect, builder, or engineer: Blatchley, Aaron — Architectural Style: No Style Listed — Historic Person: Bushnell, Cornelius S. — Significant Year: 1789, 1815, 1785 — Area of Significance: Military, Architecture, Invention — Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic, Recreation And Culture — Current Sub- function: Museum, Secondary Structure — Allyn, Capt. Benjamin, II, House National Historic Place (des. 1979 - Building - #79002633) Also known as Allyn, Capt. Thomas, House 119 Deerfield Rd., Windsor Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: No Style Listed — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750- 1799 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 Alsop House National Historic Place (des. 1970 - Building - #70000686) Also known as Davison Art Center 301 High St., Middletown Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Town, Ithiel — Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Other — Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1825-1849 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Education, Recreation And Culture — Current Sub- function: College, Museum ALSOP, RICHARD (1761-1815) — satirist, poet; was one of the few millionaires of his generation, and was also, in many ways, the most gifted of the “Hartford Wits, ” among whom, says his friend, Elihu Hubbard Smith, he was “the moon shining among lesser lights.” He was the oldest son of Richard and Mary Alsop. From his father, a prominent merchant of Middletown, Connecticut, he inherited a taste for business, an affectionate disposition, and a shaping force in his life — a passionate love of books. Against the tumultuous days of the new Republic, Alsop appears as a gentleman-financier of conservative Connecticut, possessing beneath a playfully humorous manner a rare aptitude for writing. His verse had a tincture of learning. One of his four sisters testifies to his early erudition acquired both at home and from tutors, and it is probable that he entered Yale College in the class of 1778, a class distinguished by Noah Webster and Joel Barlow. Of his connection with Yale, little is known except that he received the degree of M.A. in 1798. Whatever the sources, his acquaintance with classical literature was apparent even in boyhood. His absorption in books, however, earned him less learning than a rich culture which found expression in skill with modern languages and in poetry based on old legends. His leisure, his cultivation, and his talent for fluent poetry make him seem a precursor of Longfellow, the poet of a more tranquil age. Alsop translated from French, Spanish, and from the Scandinavian, the last-named study influencing his epic, “The Conquest of Scandinavia.” All his writings attributed to this early period and unpublished proclaim him a poet deeply in debt to European culture. This remains true, despite his interest in field sports, natural history, taxidermy, and shrewd trading on the Connecticut River. As part of his talent for literature, Alsop adapted himself readily to the prevalent mode in writing satire. Like Freneau and Odell, he won fame by jests at the foibles of his time, but, unlike these, his pen was more playful than caustic. He had no part in the Revolution, but his letters are full of his concern with contemporary events; full also of good-humored derision at fools and Jacobins, — he thought them identical. Alsop wrote frequently in collaboration with David Humphreys, Joel Barlow, and Dr. Lemuel Hopkins, but he probably had no part in composing the mock-heroic poem “The Anarchiad.” More witty and distinctive was “The Echo, ” which appeared in twenty numbers of the American Mercury, between 1791 and 1805. The origins of “The Echo, ” and thus indirectly of a later burlesque, “The Political Greenhouse, ” recreate perfectly the temper of Alsop in this mild flagellation of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Judge Hugh Brackenridge. In an office at Hartford he read, with Theodore Dwight and Mason Cogswell, a flamboyant newspaper account of a thunderstorm in Boston, and, amid laughter, volunteered a satire. His gibes struck home; there were fresh couplets; and the group, with others, was soon known as “The Hartford Wits.” This edge in Alsop sharpens a literary output which sometimes appears hopelessly bookish. The American Poems (Litchfield, 1793), seem mere relicts of scholarship. Not less conventional is A Poem: Sacred to the Memory of George Washington (1800), in which Alsop, though stirred by the President’s death, is an extremely orthodox mourner. Such writing, simply reiterates Alsop’s ideal of following intently the acknowledged masters. Fortunately he occasionally strays off the beaten path. Though formal, the “Hymn to Peace” and the “Inscription for a Family Tomb” betray real emotion. The true Alsop, kindly, social, brilliant, comes out also in the remaining years of his life. These (1800-1815) were spent in Middletown; in Hartford, where he is said to have conducted a bookstore, and in New York, where he frequently visited Isaac Riley, the bookseller, his brother-in-law. He wrote for Charles Brockden Brown’s periodical, the Monthly Magazine and American Review, and the tale persists that Alsop, the “Hartford Wit, ” mingled with the New York coterie, Brown, William Dunlap, S. L. Mitchill, and Philip Freneau. He was now famous; he admitted modestly that “The Political Greenhouse” had awakened “considerable curiosity in this country.” It had indeed; it was quoted in Congress to demonstrate that Connecticut was entangling the United States in a war with France. Alsop died suddenly, August 20, 1815, at Flatbush, Long Island, where his ancestors had first settled. In the very year of his death, he edited a curious volume, the Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt, Only Survivor of the Ship Boston, During a Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Savages of Noolka Sound. Though unlike his standard writings, this book, an imitation of author Daniel Defoe, reminds us again of Alsop’s love of remote lore, his respect for proven literary models, and what his contemporaries called his “ingenious fancy.” American Chain Company Plant National Historic Place (des. 1986 - Building - #86003770) Also known as Page—Wilson Corporation 929 Connecticut Ave., Bridgeport Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Walker, C.W., Wolcott, Henry — Architectural Style: Colonial Revival, Other — Area of Significance: Industry, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1900-1924 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction — Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility — Current Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction — Current Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility American Legion Forest CCC Shelter National Historic Place (des. 1986 - Building - #86001725) W side of West River Rd., American Legion State Forest, Barkhamsted Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Civilian Conservation Corps — Architectural Style: Other — Area of Significance: Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: State — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Camp — Current Function: Landscape — Current Sub-function: Park American Mills Web Shop National Historic Place (des. 1983 - Building - #83001276) Also known as East Coast Loose Leaf Company, Inc. 114-152 Orange Ave., West Haven Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architectural Style: Italianate — Area of Significance: Industry, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1900-1924 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Industry/Processing/Extraction — Historic Sub-function: Business, Manufacturing Facility, Warehouse — Current Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction — Current Sub- function: Manufacturing Facility — AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1775-81) — As soon as the colonists in Connecticut heard about the battle at Lexington, Massachusetts, several thousand militiamen left Connecticut for Massachusetts under the command of Colonel Israel Putnam. They participated in the legendary Battle of Bunker Hill. Benedict Arnold took command of the Connecticut Militia Company and attempted to capture Fort Ticonderoga. He was not successful, as Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the fort. Arnold led another expedition to Canada in an unsuccessful assault on Quebec. He was wounded in this battle and forced to take leave. One major Revolutionary War battle was fought in New London, Connecticut. On September 6, 1781, British forces under the command of Benedict Arnold, who had previously joined the British military, landed at New London on the banks of the Thames River. They captured Fort Griswold and burned many buildings in the town. Connecticut’s greatest contribution to the war was providing needed food and many supplies to the Continental Army. The support of Governor Jonathan Trumbull for the war by supplying the military with food and other necessities caused George Washington to nickname Connecticut “The Provision State.” The American Revolution officially came to an end on September 3, 1783, when Great Britain and the new United States of America signed the Treaty of Paris. By its terms, Great Britain recognized its former thirteen colonies, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, as the free and sovereign United States of America. AMERICAN THERMOS BOTTLE COMPANY LAUREL HILL PLANT National Historic Place (des. 1989 - New London County - #88003091) 11 Thermos Ave., Norwich (87 acres, 11 buildings, 2 structures) Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Italianate — Area of Significance: Industry, Engineering, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1900-1924, 1925-1949, 1950-1974, 1975-2000 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction — Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Work In Progress — Ames, Winslow, House National Historic Place (des. 1995 - Building - #95000283) 132 Mohegan Ave., New London Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: McLaughlin, Robert W., Jr. — Architectural Style: International Style — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Education — Current Sub-function: College — AMISTAD TRIAL (1841) — In February of 1839, a group of Africans were kidnapped from Sierra Leone by Portuguese slave hunters and sent to Havana, Cuba. Fifty-three of the Africans were then purchased by two Spanish planters and put aboard the ship Amistad in route to Caribbean plantations. Along the way, the Africans revolted, killed the captain and the cook, seized the ship and ordered the planters, Pedro Montez and Jose Ruiz, to sail to Africa. During the day, the planters headed toward Africa, but at night, they headed north, hoping to reach a southern U.S. port. On August 24, 1939, Lieutenant Thomas R. Gedney, who commanded The Washington, a U.S. Coast Guard ship, seized the Amistad off of Long Island, New York. Gedney boarded the ship and found the planters, the cabin boy, and thirty-nine surviving Africans. Gedney had the Amistad towed to New London, Connecticut. Once in Connecticut, the planters were freed and the Africans were imprisoned in New Haven on murder charges. The charges were later dismissed, but the Africans were kept in custody as the focus of the case turned to salvage claims and property rights. Abolitionists in the North opposed extraditing the Africans to Cuba, as had been suggested by President Van Buren’s administration, and raised defense money. Salvage claims to the Africans by different people, including the two planters, the government of Spain, and the captain of the ship, as well as a debate over jurisdiction under various treaties, led to the case being tried in the U.S. district court in Connecticut. Roger Sherman Baldwin, a Connecticut lawyer, was primarily in charge of the “Amistads’” defense. The court ruled that the case fell within Federal jurisdiction and that the claims to the Africans as property were not legitimate because they were born in Africa, kidnapped, and held illegally as slaves. In January 1841, the case was appealed to the United States Supreme Court. Former President John Quincy Adams joined Baldwin in arguing the defendants’ case. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Africans, and the thirty-five who survived the ordeal were returned to Sierra Leone. ANDOVER Town; Tolland County. Andover was named in 1747, either because its early settlers came from Andover, Massachusetts, or because they came directly from the town of Andover, England. ANDOVER CENTER HISTORIC DISTRICT National Historic Place (des. 2003 - Tolland County - #03000236) Roughly along Herbron Rd., Boston Hill Rd., and US 6, Andover (2700 acres, 60 buildings, 4 structures, 1 object) Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architectural Style: Colonial, Federal — Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1700-1749, 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825- 1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949, 1950-1974 — Owner: Private , Local Gov’t , State — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Funerary, Government, Religion — Historic Sub-function: Cemetery, City Hall, Fire Station, Religious Structure, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2, Specialty Store — Current Function: Domestic, Funerary, Religion, Social — Current Sub-function: Cemetery, Meeting Hall, Religious Structure, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2 Andrew, William, House National Historic Place (des. 2002 - Building - #02001695) Also known as Richard Bryan House 131 Old Tavern Rd., Orange Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architectural Style: Georgian — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750-1799 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Recreation And Culture — Current Sub- function: Museum ANDREWS, CHARLES B. (1836-1902) — thirty-fourth governor of Connecticut (1879-1881), was born in North Sunderland, Franklin County, Massachusetts, on November 4, 1836, the son of Almira Bartlett and Erastus Andrews. He attended Franklin Academy in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, and graduated from Amherst College in 1858. After earning his degree, Andrews took a teaching position in Sherman, Connecticut, while studying law. He was admitted to the bar in 1861, and established a practice in Kent. In 1863, he moved to Litchfield and formed a partnership with John H. Hubbard, who was a member in Congress at the time. In 1868, Andrews was elected to the State Senate, and served through 1869. In 1878, he served in the Lower House of the Connecticut Legislature, and was chairman of the Committee of Judiciary. After a nomination for Governor by the Republican Party in 1878, he emerged victorious and took office in January of 1879. During his administration, the boundary line dispute between Connecticut and New York State was settled. In addition, the State governor was given authority to choose judges to serve on the State Supreme Court, a new jury law was passed, and a law was passed regarding incorporation of joint-stock companies. Andrews left the governorship in 1881, resuming his law practice. In 1882, he was appointed a Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court, and was the body’s Chief Justice from 1889 through 1901. His last public office was as a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1902. Andrews was married to Mary J. Carter in 1866. After her death, he married Sarah M. Wilson in 1870, with whom he had a son. He died September 12, 1902, in Litchfield, Connecticut. Andrews, Luman, House National Historic Place (des. 1989 - Building - #88003095) 469 Andrews St., Southington Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Colonial, Other — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1700-1749, 1750-1799 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub- function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 Andrews, Moses, House National Historic Place (des. 1978 - Building - #78002859) 424 W. Main St., Meriden Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Colonial — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750-1799 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Recreation And Culture — Current Sub-function: Museum ANN STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT National Historic Place (des. 1983 - Hartford County - #83003514) Allyn, Ann, Asylum, Church, Hicks and Pearl Sts., Hartford (90 acres, 22 buildings) Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architectural Style: Other, Romanesque, Gothic Revival — Area of Significance: Industry, Commerce, Art, Education, Architecture, Religion — Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade — Historic Sub-function: Business — Current Function: Commerce/Trade — Current Sub- function: Business — Anshel Israel Synagogue National Historic Place (des. 1995 - Building - #95000861) 142 Newent Rd. (CT 138), Lisbon Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Allen, George, & Sons — Architectural Style: Colonial Revival — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1925- 1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use — ANSONIA City; New Haven County. The town was named for Anson G. Phelps, senior partner of the firm of Phelps, Dodge & Co., which established the city. Ansonia Library National Historic Place (des. 1985 - Building - #85001828) 53 South Cliff St., Ansonia Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Person — Architect, builder, or engineer: Keller, George, Budde, August & Calder, W. George — Architectural Style: Other, Romanesque — Historic Person: Stokes, Caroline Phelps — Significant Year: 1892 — Area of Significance: Education, Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1875-1899 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Education — Historic Sub-function: Library — Current Function: Education — Current Sub-function: Library — Apartment at 49-51 Spring Street National Historic Place (des. 1983 - Building - #83001255) 49-51 Spring St., Hartford Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architectural Style: Other, Romanesque — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1900-1924 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Multiple Dwelling — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub- function: Multiple Dwelling — Applewood Farm National Historic Place (des. 1987 - Building - #87001765) 528 Colonel Ledyard Hwy., Ledyard Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Gallup, Russel — Architectural Style: No Style Listed — Area of Significance: Architecture, Agriculture — Period of Significance: 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Out — uildings, Single Dwelling2, Storage — Current Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Commerce/Trade, Domestic — Current Sub-function: Agricultural Out — uildings, Single Dwelling2, Storage — Armsmear National Historic Place (des. 1966 - Building - #66000802) Also known as Samuel Colt House 80 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford Historic Significance: Person — Historic Person: Colt, Samuel — Significant Year: 1862, 1855 — Area of Significance: Industry, Invention — Period of Significance: 1850-1874 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Institutional Housing — ARNOLD, BENEDICT (1741-1801) — soldier, unfortunately known for treason; was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741, the son of Benedict and Hannah (Waterman) Arnold. Benedict Arnold received a “respectable” education. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home and enlisted in the Connecticut army, marching to Albany and Lake George to resist the French Invasion; getting weary of the discipline, he deserted and made his way home alone through the wilderness. He was employed in a pharmacy in Norwich until 1762, when he opened his own business as a druggist and bookseller in New Haven. He acquired considerable property and also engaged the Canadian and West Indian trade. It is argued whether Arnold was a brilliant leader who, among other things, helped capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, or a reckless quarreling leader who was once court-martialed for exploiting his position for personal gain. He was only reprimanded for minor offenses and cleared of other charges. Arnold is best known for his treasonous acts during the American Revolution. In July 1780, Arnold, who had by then secured a high-ranking position in the American army, sought and obtained command of West Point in order to surrender it to the enemy. He had thought that by doing this, he would attain a position of importance with the British, and assist in the negotiations to end the war, with America’s freedom from parliamentary control guaranteed. However, when his scheme was detected, he fled to the British at New York, a disgraced and hated traitor. Instead of gaining prominence, he was made brigadier-general in the British army and received a paltry sum of money. Arnold eventually settled in London, England. He died there on June 14, 1801. He married Margaret Mansfield on February 22, 1767. He married for a second time in April of 1799; the couple had eight children. ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION (1777)—The Articles of Confederation were sent to the states for ratification on November 17, 1777 after being amended throughout a series of debates in the Continental Congress since July 12, 1776. The final draft of the articles created a limited central government, a single house in Congress, and lacked an independent executive. The states maintained their sovereign independence, although Congress was given the authority to regulate foreign affairs, as well as declare war and make peace, to coin, borrow and appropriate money, establish a postal service, and managed Indian Affairs. Congress, however, could not levy taxes or regulate commerce. The Articles of Confederation were not approved quickly. The states argued amongst themselves over boundary disputes, differing tariff laws, trade restriction, what to do about western territories, etc., delaying the final ratification until March 1, 1781. Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, Oliver Wolcott, Titus Hosmer, and Andrew Adams signed the Articles of Confederation on Connecticut’s behalf on July 9, 1778. Samuel Huntington became the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled under the Articles of Confederation. ASHFORD Town; Windham County; Elevation 680 feet. Most likely, the town was named after Ashford, Kent in October, 1710. The name may also have been inspired by the many ash trees in the area. Ashford Academy National Historic Place (des. 1988 - Building - #88002649) Fitts Rd., Ashford Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Federal — Area of Significance: Education, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Domestic, Education — Historic Sub-function: School, Secondary Structure — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use — Ashland Mill Bridge National Historic Place (des. 1999 - Structure - #99000407) Over Pachaug R., near Ashland St., Griswold Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Berlin Iron Bridge Company — Architectural Style: Other — Area of Significance: Engineering, Industry — Period of Significance: 1875-1899 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Transportation — Historic Sub- function: Road-Related — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use — Ashlawn National Historic Place (des. 1979 - Building - #79002649) Also known as Joshua Perkins House 1 Potash Hill Rd., Sprague Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Georgian — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1700-1749, 1750-1799 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic — Historic Sub- function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Out — uildings, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 ASPETUCK HISTORIC DISTRICT National Historic Place (des. 1991 - Fairfield County - #91000437) Roughly, Redding Rd. from jct. with Old Redding Rd. to Welles Hill Rd. and Old Redding Rd. N past Aspetuck R., Easton (800 acres, 22 buildings, 2 structures) Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Person — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Colonial Revival, Greek Revival, Colonial — Historic Person: Keller, Helen — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private , Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic, Industry/Processing/Extraction — Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Outbuildings, Energy Facility, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 ASYLUM AVENUE DISTRICT National Historic Place (des. 1979 - Hartford County - #79002672) Asylum and Farmington Aves., and Sigourney St., Hartford (250 acres, 26 buildings) Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Keely, Patrick C., Multiple — Architectural Style: Italianate — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924 — Owner: Private , Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 ASYLUM-TRUMBULL-PEARL STREETS HISTORIC DISTRICT National Historic Place (des. 1985 - Hartford County - #85003570) Also known as See also: Charter Oak Bank Building;Stackpole, Moore, and Try Roughly bounded by Asylum, Trumbull & Pearl Sts., Hartford (30 acres, 7 buildings) Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Multiple — Architectural Style: Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Italianate — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade — Current Function: Commerce/Trade — Atwater Manufacturing Company National Historic Place (des. 1988 - Building - #88002678) Also known as Rex Forge Division, J.J. Ryan Company 335 Atwater St., Southington Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Other — Area of Significance: Industry, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1900- 1924 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction — Historic Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility — Current Function: Industry/Processing/Extraction — Current Sub-function: Manufacturing Facility — Atwater, George, House National Historic Place (des. 1992 - Building - #91001921) 1845 State St., Hamden Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Federal — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1825-1849, 1875-1899 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Multiple Dwelling — Atwater—Linton House National Historic Place (des. 1992 - Building - #91001923) Also known as Appledore;Atwater, Jared, House 1804 State St., Hamden Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Colonial, Gothic, Other — Historic Person: Linton, William James — Area of Significance: Art, Architecture — Period of Significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 Austin, A. Everett, House National Historic Place (des. 1994 - Building - #94001189) Also known as Austin House 130 Scarborough St., Hartford Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Person, Event — Architect, builder, or engineer: French, Leigh H., Goodwin, H. Sage — Architectural Style: Classical Revival — Historic Person: Austin, A. Everett, Jr. — Significant Year: 1940, 1930 — Area of Significance: Architecture, Social History — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Recreation And Culture — Current Sub-function: Museum Avery Homestead National Historic Place (des. 1992 - Building - #92001641) 20 Avery Hill Rd., Ledyard Township, Ledyard Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Colonial, Other — Area of Significance: Architecture, Agriculture — Period of Significance: 1650-1699, 1700-1749, 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925- 1949 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Animal Facility, Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2, Storage — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Secondary Structure, Single Dwelling2 Avery House National Historic Place (des. 1986 - Building - #86001726) Also known as Hopeville Pond Park House NE corner of Park and Roode Rds., Griswold Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Colonial — Area of Significance: Architecture — Period of Significance: 1750-1799 — Owner: State — Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Domestic — Current Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 Avery Point Lighthouse National Historic Place (des. 2002 - Structure - #02000866) On Long Island Sound at 1084 Shennecossett Rd., Groton Historic Significance: Event — Area of Significance: Maritime History, Military — Period of Significance: 1925-1949 — Owner: State — Historic Function: Transportation — Historic Sub-function: Water-Related — Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use — Avery, Thomas, House National Historic Place (des. 1979 - Building - #79002637) Also known as Smith-Harris House Society Rd., East Lyme Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering, Information Potential — Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown — Architectural Style: Greek Revival, Other — Area of Significance: Historic - Non- Aboriginal, Architecture, Agriculture — Cultural Affiliation: — American — Period of Significance: 1825-1849 — Owner: Local Gov’t — Historic Function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic — Historic Sub-function: Agricultural Fields, Agricultural Out — uildings, Animal Facility, Single Dwelling2 — Current Function: Work In Progress — AVON Town; Hartford County. The town was officially named in 1830 for Stratford-on-Avon, England; the playwright William Shakespeare’s birthplace. Avon Congregational Church National Historic Place (des. 1972 - Building - #72001342) Jct. of U.S. 202 and 44, Avon Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering — Architect, builder, or engineer: Hoadley, David — Architectural Style: No Style Listed — Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion — Period of Significance: 1800-1824 — Owner: Private — Historic Function: Religion — Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure — Current Function: Religion — Current Sub-function: Religious Structure — Awakening (see GREAT AWAKENING, THE) AYER, JAMES COOK (1818-1878) — physician, patent-medicine manufacturer, capitalist; was born May 5, 1818, at Ledyard, Connecticut, where his father, Frederick Ayer, owner of a saw and grist mill, died when the child was seven years old. His mother, Persis Cook, moved to the adjacent town of Preston at which her father operated a small flannel- mill. In this factory, James Cook Ayer had his first mechanical training. He also attended school at Preston and Norwich. Then he was sent to his uncle, James Cook, a manufacturer, and one of the early mayors of the newly established city of Lowell, Massachusetts. Under Cook’s supervision, the boy’s studies were continued at the Lowell High School, whence he desired to enter college but met with opposition from his relatives. He accordingly entered the apothecary shop of Jacob Robbins, and simultaneously began to study medicine with Dr. Samuel L. Dana, a local practitioner. This preparation enabled young Ayer to gain his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1841, Ayer bought the Robbins drugstore for $2, 486.61 with money borrowed from his uncle which he repaid in three years. He devised a remedy, reputed to be beneficial for pulmonary troubles, which he placed on the market as “Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral, ” a pioneer among the now multifarious American patent medicines. Discovering that advertising pays, the young physician manufacturer pushed the sales of this first preparation, added sugar-coated pills (1854), extract of sarsaparilla (1855), an ague cure (1857), and “Ayer’s Hair Vigor” (1869). A brother, Frederick Ayer, was admitted to partnership in 1855. The company at first occupied various rented quarters, but in 1857, it bought the property between Middle and Market Streets in Lowell, at which location the manufacture was still conducted in 1928. In his shop, Ayer was master of every process. His versatility and mechanical ingenuity were remarkable; there was scarcely a machine in the entire establishment outside of the printing department which was not wholly invented by Dr. Ayer, or improved by his changes and additions. Ayer was married on November 14, 1850, to Josephine Mellen Southwick. He bought an old stone tavern on Pawtucket Street, a historic structure and landmark, which became the family residence, and later, the Ayer Home for Young Women and Children, endowed by Mrs. Ayer and Frederick Fanning Ayer. A fast-growing bank account enabled Ayer to invest in textile enterprises; in several of them he became the largest shareholder. In their management he took little interest until 1857, when the collapse of companies at Lowell and Lawrence led to his investigating the conduct of their officers. An exposure was written by “Historicus” (Charles Cowley) from material furnished by Ayer. Feeling ran high, and a personal encounter ensued between Ayer and Richard S. Fay, treasurer of the Middlesex Company. In 1863, Ayer published Some of the Usages and Abuses in the Management of Our Manufacturing Corporations. He personally combined the Tremont and Suffolk Mills at Lowell, and under a treasurer of his choice, entered on a period of prosperity. A feud concerning freight rates subsisting between Ayer and the Boston & Lowell Railroad led to his building the Lowell 8: Andover Railroad, connecting with the Boston & Maine, and providing a parallel and competing service between Lowell and Boston. This was opened December 1, 1874. Ayer had meantime become interested in mining. In 1865, he was awarded patents for ore-reducing processes. He bought into the Lake Superior Ship Canal & Railroad & Iron Company, which he successfully financed. He acquired timber lands in Florida and erected on them saw-mills which he operated from Lowell. He made two European journeys: after the first in 1866, he presented to his city the Victory monument now standing before the Lowell city hall. In his honor the town of Groton Junction, Massachusetts, was renamed on March 6, 1871, as The Ayer town hall, and was dedicated in 1876. It was a gift of the Ayer family to this town. A project to build an interoceanic canal over one of eight proposed routes located between Panama and Tehuantepec was cut short by Ayer’s death, which occurred at Winchendon, Massachusetts, July 3, 1878, as the result of many years of continuous overwork. After an elaborate funeral service at Huntington Hall, he was buried in the Lowell Cemetery, where a massive lion marks his grave. Mrs. Ayer, who outlived her husband many years, became a prominent figure in New York and Paris society.