Stamford History Real Time

Welcome!

This blog keeps readers up-to-date about what's happening at The Stamford Historical Society.  The society is committed to putting  information about  its function and Stamford's history into cyberspace, both through its website and here.

Readers' comments on blog posts are welcome!  Comments are moderated to weed out spammers.

HISTORY CENTER OF STAMFORD
preserving the past / defining the present / connecting with the future

VOLUNTEER MATTERS — VOLUNTEERS MATTER!
The society is largely a volunteer powered organization and always in need of volunteers.

Bookmarks and Pewter Pendants for Sale at the Society

Trinkets that make good gifts:

Our attractive new bookmark, laminated and sturdy
$3 each

Front and back views

July 4th Fireworks

Last night's fireworks as seen from a Strawberry Hill balcony.  I grabbed my little digital camera on the spur of the moment and had no time to adjust the settings.  (Never done this before.)  Three pictures came out pretty well, considering. It's tough to gauge at what moment to click …

click on images to enlarge

   

Irene Hahn

July 4th Holiday Closings

The Society will be closed Friday, July 4th & Saturday July 5th.

Happy Independence Day!

2008 National History Day: Winners from Stamford Honored by The Stamford Historical Society

At the annual meeting of the Society on June 9, Dick Harper, Society board member and Regional Coordinator of National History Day, presented Stamford students who were 2008 History Day winners.

The History Day program encourages students in grades 6-8 (Junior Division) and 9-12 ( Senior Division) to create historic papers, exhibits, live presentations, or documentaries focused around a theme. Students present initially in the regional level, held in Stamford. The top three places then go to the Connecticut level. The top two from Connecticut in each category compete on the National level at the University of Maryland.

The theme in 2008 was Conflict and Compromise in History.

Frank Zurzola receives 2008 Virginia T. Davis Award

At the Society's Annual Meeting on June 9, 2008, Frank Zurzola received the this year's Virginia   T. Davis, Stamford Historical Society, Distinguished Service Award for outstanding volunteer.

Frank has volunteered at the Stamford Historical Society’s exhibit, Immigrant’s Stamford: Along Old Pacific Street.  Part of the programming for this show included conducting school groups through it, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Even now he is still regarded as “the foremost chronicler of that cosmopolitan neighborhood, precursor of today’s multicultural Stamford.”  Sadly, Frank says, Urban Renewal tooks its toll, and today his old neighborhood lies buried underneath the Stamford Town Center.

Our Trip to the Florence Griswold Museum, June 12

Great weather, great exhibit!  Much recommended to those who didn't/couldn't go.  It closes July 27.

We all enjoyed what may have been best day of the year, weather-wise.  Most of us had not yet experienced the new museum, the Krieble Gallery, which is in back of the Griswold House and which comprises a series of spacious galleries, gift shop, etc.  Yours truly skipped the tour through the house, having seen it several times, and wandered through the grounds (click on the images to enlarge):

Florence Griswold House, Old Lyme

Krieble Gallery

Civil War Roundtable Annual Dinner Coming Up

Date: Friday, June 20
Time: 6:00 PM
Place: The Italian Center, 1620 Newfield Avenue, Stamford
Call: 203-227-2581
Speaker: Robert E.L. Krick, Chief Historian, Richmond National Battlefield Park

All are Welcome!

Download CWR-dinner-invitation.pdf

Artist's Sketch of Scene Outside Big Exposition Tent(Whitman Bailey)

Another Cove scene sketched by Whitman Bailey, of the "Stamford Exposition of Progress," held in June 1926 at Halloween – now Cummings – Park.

Artist's Sketch of Scene Outside Big Exposition Tent

Complete Newspaper clipping of June 5, 1926 (PDF)

June Photo Selection of the Month: Gardening in North Stamford c. 1916

The Guide to Nature magazine issue Volume 9, No. 7, December 1916, brings us a nice article under the heading HOMES NEAR TO NATURE. (Mr. Bigelow at his moralizing best.)  Fred McDermant, the bachelor owner of the Stamford Lunch on Main Street, was an avid gardener and had a property in North Stamford, in the Turn-of-River section, where he gardened and built a house.

From Plates, Puddings and Pies to Plants

Artist's View of Old Cove Mill Harbor, May 1931 (Whitman Bailey)

As we walk on Cove Island these days, we doubt any of us can imagine what it looked like in the past.  The Old Cove Mills were destroyed in a tremendous fire on February 19, 1919, and except for one small building, nothing is left today.  However, it looked quite different still in 1931 as this sketch by Whitman Bailey shows, printed in The Advocate on May 16, 1931.

Complete Newspaper Clipping of March 16, 1931 (PDF file)

Charles O. Miller, Stamford Businessman and Philanthropist (Updated May 11)

Working on the next Photo Selection of the Month, this writer stumbled across this note: The Development of a Big Store.

"All over the southern part of Fairfield County The C. O. Miller Company store of Stamford has for many decades been a household word.  Probably in no other locality has any other store had so nearly one hundred per cent of the patronage of a community.  But this community is growing and has been growing rapidly. This necessarily has had an effect on the store.  To meet the greater Stamford and the rapidly increasing needs of this part of the county, this famous dry goods  establishment has been forced to increase its floor space by more than six thousand square feet and completely to remodel and change the building."  read all

Day Trip to the Florence Griswold MuseumOld Lyme, CT, Thursday June 12

Mark Your Calendar and Sign Up!

Day Trip to The Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
Thursday   June 12, 2008

Enjoy History, Scenic Gardens, and Art!

Join The Stamford Historical Society on a day trip to The Florence Griswold Museum on Thursday, June 12, 2008 to view the new exhibition, Impressionist Giverny: American Painters in France, 1885-1915.  Take this opportunity to tour this world‑class museum and historic site on the Connecticut Art Trail, view a special international Impressionist exhibition, explore the Museum's scenic grounds and historic gardens, and enjoy lunch in a quintessential New England village inn.

Whitman Bailey Sketches: data of the collection now online

The data of the inventoried collection of the Whitman Bailey Sketches are now online.

Beginning in 1924 and continuing for the next thirty years, Whitman Bailey's sketches appeared in the Stamford Advocate almost weekly.  Black and white drawings of local scenes, the sketches were accompanied by brief vignettes of the scene.  Mostly factual, at times the stories presented were local folklore faithfully transmitted for the interest of the reader.  Thanks to Dorothy Mix and other volunteers, our collection of the newspaper clippings has been organized and scanned and may be viewed in the Marcus Research Library.

IC117: Whitman Bailey Drawings

April Photo Selection of the Month: Baseball in Stamford

Now that the baseball season has begun again, Mike Pastore and Ron Marcus thought it a good idea to check our archives for baseball in Stamford. Mike found a few photos, and the library (Ron) produced a huge collection of Annual Sports Dinner & Awards Night brochures of the Old Timers' Athletic Association of Stamford to choose from. Of course, the Athletic Association represents several sports besides baseball, such as football, boxing, golf, etc., so stay tuned for sequels.

From the Photo Archives

Lost Streets of Stamford, a New Exhibit at the Society

Our new exhibit, LOST STREETS OF STAMFORD, illustrates a number of streets that were eliminated as part of the Urban Redevelopment of Stamford.

Willow Street View

The first thought of redeveloping the downtown occurred shortly after the passage of Federal Urban Renewal legislation in 1949.  The first concept model of a new downtown may have been that designed by 20 year old John Smith in 1952 while he was working as an assistant draftsman for the Planning Board.  Discussion of the renewal of the downtown area began in earnest sometime around 1956-7 when Louis Greenbaum first initiated serious consideration of the idea.  However, the City was already involved in the East Meadows Project on Jefferson St. and Federal monies were not available until that project was concluded.  The Eisenhower administration also cut federal funds for renewal in the late 50s.

Fifth Annual Estelle Feinstein Lecture at UCONN-Stamford, Wednesday, April 16

6-7:30 P.M.
Main Auditorium (Room A-1).

The lecture is free and open to everyone, students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.

Dr. Estelle Feinstein was a beloved teacher, mentor, scholar, colleague, and friend at the University of Connecticut, Stamford Campus from 1957-1989.  To celebrate her life, the Fifth Annual Estelle Feinstein Memorial Lecture will be presented by Joel Blatt at UCONN Stamford.

Professor Blatt's topic will be, "Non Mollare (Don't Give In): The Assassination of Carlo and Nello Rosselli." The lecture will be followed by a question and answer period.

A Weekend of Urban Renewal Education II:Lost Streets of StamfordExhibit Opening at the Society, Sunday, April 13

Second of two events in connection with the photo collection of the URC about the urban redevelopment in Stamford in the 1960s:

Lost Streets of Stamford

On Sunday, April 13, 2008, the Stamford Historical Society will open a new exhibit of photographs which depict many of the streetscapes and structures of downtown Stamford prior to Urban Renewal.  “Lost Streets of Stamford” features Urban Renewal Commission history from 1959 – 1968. 

2:00 – 4:00 PM
The Stamford Historical Society
1508 High Ridge Road

There will be a brief lecture by Dr. Thomas Zoubek, Executive Director of The Stamford Historical Society, about the exhibit and period of urban change in 1960s Stamford.  Refreshments will be served.

Parking is free for visitors to the Historical Society.

A Weekend of Urban Renewal Education I:'Change', Event at UConn, Saturday, April 12

First of two events in connection with the photo collection of the URC about the urban redevelopment in Stamford in the 1960s:

20/20 Hindsight.
Change: Urban Renewal in Stamford, Connecticut 1955- 1980

On Saturday, April 12, 2008, the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, Inc., invites you to attend a photo presentation, “Change: Urban Renewal in Stamford, Connecticut 1955- 1980,” followed by a panel discussion about the subject. 

Panelists include Renée Kahn, Founder and Director of the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program, Robert N. Rich, Chairman of F.D. Rich Company, and Lester Sharlach, a founder of the Stamford Jewish Historical Society and a former downtown merchant.

2:00 – 5:00 PM
University of Connecticut Stamford Campus
Gen Re Auditorium
One University Place (corner of Washington Boulevard and Broad Street).

Free parking is available at the UConn garage on Washington Boulevard.

Join Us for an Evening of Dinner, Dancing, Raffle Prizes and More, Saturday, April 26

AN EVENING OF DINNER, DANCING, RAFFLE PRIZES AND MORE

HONORARY CHAIRPERSON
Rosemary Harris, Stamford author of  Pushing Up Daisies

FEATURING
Scrumptious edibles by The Best in Gourmet and Live Music by Deborah Wang and Fullsound Productions

DATE
Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 7:00 pm

THE AOH (HIBERNIAN) HALL
186 Greyrock Place, Stamford, CT 06901

RSVP BY APRIL 11, 2008
If you have not received a mailing
please call (203) 329-1183 for details and reservations.

How to get there
More

Uncovering Mysteries – Dick Roberts and Stamford Cemeteries

A recent story in the Stamford Advocate about Dick Roberts and his cemetery project:

Uncovering mysteries

For more about the project, read  Mapping Lost Graveyards in Stamford

Image Copyright © 2008, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.