Stamford History Real Time

February Photo Selection of the Month: Blacksmiths in Stamford

This one goes way back in photographic time, inspired by Whitman Bailey's sketches:

Blacksmiths in Stamford

Before the advent of automobiles, blacksmiths were an important part of local business.  A blacksmith is defined as "a person who makes and repairs iron tools and horseshoes."  Or, as described in one caption:

Horse power was not a cheap means of transportation. Horses required daily care, were regularly shod and still had to be fed when idle. There were many blacksmith shops in Stamford whose primary business was the shoeing of horses.

February Whitman Bailey Selection View of Park Row, 1927

No more snow!  Instead, here is downtown Stamford in 1927:

View of Park Row as seen by Artist Bailey

Download complete newspaper clipping of February 20, 1927

Park Row does not exist anymore today, it was swallowed up by Urban Renewal.  It began approximately where the Atlantic Street garage entrance of the Landmark building is now.  As one can see from the text of the clipping, the view in the sketch is towards the Strand Theatre, next to the then under construction "New" Palace Theater.

Newsletter Stamford Pioneer, Winter 2009 Edition

The Winter 2009 edition of our newsletter, Stamford Pioneer, is available online now.

Download Stamford Pioneer, Winter 2009 (PDF)

Look for Event Announcements, Volunteer Recognition, Chairman's Corner, Director's Report, and more.

Please Note that the calendar events dates have changed:

Due to a delay in the windows installation, members opening of the exhibit has been moved to Sunday, April 26 and the Victorian Tea has been postponed to the Fall.

From our E-mail: Martha Hoyt (Willard) School

A reader of our website writes:

Looking at old family pictures made me Google a few things here and there. I live in Florida but grew up in Stamford, graduating from Rippowam.

My mom graduated from Stamford High but attended among others, Martha Hoyt. Pretty cool to follow the 1934 picture link and see my mom, Mary Brochard, now Mary B. Kosik, in the second row, sixth from the left.

She and dad live with us now and she'll be 87 in March. She got a kick out of the picture too!

Thanks.
John T. Kosik

Willard School Graduating Class, June 1934
The History of the Martha W. Hoyt School