Choose A Norwich First
1845 First Mechanical Chirographer Invented
1846 First Bomb-Lance Harpoon Invented
1854 First Lever Action Gun Invented
1854 First .22 Caliber Cartridge Bullet Invented
1899 First Standard Croquet Rules in America
1902 First Hydraulic Compressed Air Plant
1937 First National Apprenticeship Legislation
1680 Bean Hill Pottery
“At Bean Hill was one of the first potteries in this country. They manufactured a yellow brown salt-glazed earthenware, of which there are a very few specimens in existence. This salt-glaze was discovered about 1680 by a servant who lived on the farm of a Mr. Yale. There was an earthen vessel on the fire with brine in it to cure pork. While the servant was away the brine boiled over, the pot became red hot, and the sides were found to be glazed. A potter utilized the discovery and the salt-glaze became an established fact.”
Excerpt from Info Source 1
Acknowledgements
“Norwich Early Homes and History”, page 19, (1906), by Sarah Lester Tyler
Chipstone – by John Swann
1770s First Doctor to Tie Femoral Artery
Dr. Philip Turner, a native of Norwich, was the first surgeon in America to perform an operation that included tying the femoral artery. He was a surgeon in Norwich who also served in the Revolutionary War as a military surgeon
The image on the left illustrates the location of the femoral arteries. The iliac artery sends blood to the lower part of the tummy and splits to form the femoral arteries above the groin. This femoral arteries deliver blood to your legs. Lower down the leg, the femoral artery itself splits into other arteries that send blood to the lower leg.
The femoral artery is the primary source of blood in each of your legs. Thus, when a traumatic leg injury that results in excessive bleeding, the femoral artery must be temporarily tied (i.e. clamped) closed. After the surgery is complete the artery is untied (i.e. reopened).
Dr. Turner’s home, at 29 West Town Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Acknowledgements
“Norwich Doctor 1st to Tie Femoral Artery in 1700s“, (09/11/2017), by Richard Curland
NHS Foundation
1772 First Cut-Nails in America
Bean Hill was the home for several early craftsmen and artisans. According to the Info Source, Edmund Darrow was a Bean Hiller who produced America’s first cut nails.
“Early industry did not attain any importance until 1772 when a Bean Hill blacksmith, Edmund Darrow, produced from barrel hooping the first cut nails in America.” — Excerpt from Info Source 1
“Another important enterprise was the manufacture of cut shingle-nails from old iron hoops, which was commenced in 1772, and continued during the war, by Edmund Darrow. This naillery was not large, employing only from four to six hands, but was a great convenience to the community, and merits notice from its being one of the first attempts in this country to make nails in a way less slow and tedious than the old operation of hammering them out of solid iron.” — Excerpt from Info Source 2
Nails have been in use since the beginning of the Bronze Age, (circa 1800 B.C.). From that time until nearly 1800 most nails were made by hand at a forge. Due to the need for thousands of nails to build even one wooden building, this was an arduous, time-consuming process. The top image illustrates a typical hand-wrought nail produced prior to 1800.
The time required to produce nails was dramatically reduced when manufacturers learned how to cut the nails. According to the Info Source, in 1772, Edmund Darrow cut his nails from barrel hoops. Most likely the cutting process was done by hand, not machine. The process was certainly faster than forging nails, but, a more efficient process was needed to increase the speed of production.
The first nail cutting machine in America was patented on March 23, 1794 by Josiah Pearson of New York. Between the years of 1794 and 1817 more than 100 patents were issued for nail making machines. The second and third images illustrate examples of a cut-nails made from one of these early machines. The bottom image illustrates a modern, wire nail.
Nails provide one of the best clues to help determine the age of historic buildings, especially those constructed during the nineteenth century, when nail-making technology advanced rapidly. Until the last decade of the 1700s and the early 1800s, hand-wrought nails typically fastened the sheathing and roof boards on building frames.
Between the 1790s and the early 1800s, various machines were invented in the United States for making nails from bars of iron. The earliest machines sheared nails off the iron bar like a guillotine.
Acknowledgements
“The WPA Guide to Connecticut: The Constitution State”, (2014), page 325
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, page 372, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
“Nails: Clues to a Building’s Age”, by Thomas D. Visser
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Darrow” in the SEARCH box.
1781 First President of the United States
Samuel Huntington was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a founding father of the United States. Some historians also consider him the first President of the United States.
He was elected to the Connecticut Legislature in 1764, and eight years later, was made a judge. After being elected to the Second Continental Congress in late 1775, he took his seat early the next year. He represented Connecticut in the Second Continental Congress from 1776 to 1781, serving as President of the Congress from September 1779 to July 1781.
When the Second Continental Congress convened, it was the first time that representatives from all thirteen colonies united together as a single group of united states. During this congress the nation’s first framework of government, the Articles of Confederation, took effect on March 1, 1781. Since Huntington was President of this Congress, he has been called the first legitimate President of the United States.
When the Second Continental Congress convened, it was the first time that representatives from all thirteen colonies united together as a single group of united states. During this congress the nation’s first framework of government, the Articles of Confederation, took effect on March 1, 1781. Since Huntington was President of this Congress, he has been called the first legitimate President of the United States.
Acknowledgements
“Huntington A Forgotten Giant in American History”, 07/13/2008, by Bill Stanley
SamuelHuntington.org
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Samuel Huntington” in the SEARCH box.
1792 First Turnpike in New England
The Norwich – New London turnpike was the first operational turnpike in New England and the 2nd in the United States (Info Source 1). The turnpike was originally called Mohegan Road and is now a part of modern-day Connecticut Route 32.
The article below is an excerpt from Info Source 2. It states that the Norwich-New London turnpike was the first turnpike in the United States. However, it is actually the second.
“The first road between New London and Norwich was laid out by order of the Legislature in about the year 1670, but for more than a century, however, the road was little better than an Indian trail.”
“In 1789 several prominent individuals formed an association to effect an improvement of this road. The Legislature granted them a lottery, the avails of which were to be expended in repairing so much of the road as ran through the Indian land. This lottery was drawn at Norwich in June, 1791. The next May a company was incorporated to make the road a turnpike and erect a toll-gate. By these various exertions the distance was reduced to fourteen miles from the court-house on Norwich Green to the court-house in New London, and the travelling rendered tolerable safe. The toll commenced in June 1792 [4-wheel carriages, 9d. (i.e. 9 pennies) ; 2 do. 4½ d. ; man and horse, 1d.].”
NOTE: The abbreviation “d” for penny, came from the Latin word penny “denarius.”
The 1791 Washington Penny, shown on the left is worth about 27¢ today (excluding its numismatic value).
The pennies were made of copper. After they turned red (due to its copper content). One penny was called “One red cent”.
This was the first turnpike in the United States. Dr. Dwight observes in his “Travels” that this road brought the inhabitants of Norwich and New London more than half a day’s journey nearer to each other. “Formerly (he says) few persons attempted to go from one of these places to the other and return in the same day ; the journey is now easily performed in little more than two hours.”
“This turnpike became almost immediately an important thoroughfare, of great service to Norwich and the towns in her rear for driving cattle and transporting produce in New London for embarkation. In 1860 it was extended to the landing by a new road that began at the wharf bridge and fell into the old road south of Trading Cove bridge. In 1812 another new piece of road was annexed to it, which was laid out in a direct line from the court-house to the old Mohegan road. The company was dissolved and the toll abolished July 1, 1852.”
Acknowledgements
Oldest.org
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS)
1818 Stars & Stripes US Flag Design
Designed by Samuel Chester Reid
After the War of 1812 Captain Samuel Chester Reid, a native of Norwich, designed a new U.S. flag. In January 1817, Reid was asked by U.S. Congressional Representative Peter H. Wendover for advice in the design of a new U.S. flag. The existing flag design had fifteen stars and fifteen stripes. The design had not been updated to reflect the five new states which had joined the union since that version of the flag was implemented in 1795.
Reid and Wendover decided that the best way to honor all twenty states was to restore the number of stripes to the original thirteen, have twenty stars on the canton and add a new star each time a new state joined the union. Reid submitted the flag design (shown above). This flag had 20 stars, one for each state, and 13 stripes, one for each of the original 13 colonies.
A bill was adopted in the U.S. Congress which stipulated that the thirteen-stripe, twenty-star design become the new official flag of the United States. The bill passed and was signed into law as the Flag Act of 1818 by President James Monroe on April 4, 1818. On acceptance of the design by Congress, Captain Reid’s wife made the first new flag with silk provided by the government. It was flown from the Capitol dome on April 13, 1818.
The pattern of the stars was later changed from Reid’s “great star” design to four rows of five stars each. However, the concept of retaining the 13 stripes for the original 13 colonies and adding a star for each new state is still used today. The most recent change to the flag was in 1960 when the number of stars in the flag changed from 48 to 50 when Hawaii and Alaska were added to the United States.
Acknowledgements
“Flag: An American Biography”, (2006), by Marc Leepson
Wikimedia Commons
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Samuel Chester Reid” in the SEARCH box.
1826 First Use of 'Hello' in Print
Hello!
Yes, we have all said it a million times. But … when, where, and what context did ‘Hello’ first appear in print? The Oxford English dictionary attributes the first use of ‘Hello’ to the October 18, 1826 edition of The Norwich Courier, a weekly newspaper published in Norwich from 1796-1845. The image shown on the left was created directly from microfiche from the 10/18/1826 Courier article.
The reproduction, shown on the left, is an excerpt from the complete article. The article retells a humorous prank that a young lad tried to play. The word printed in the original Courier article is ‘Hollo’ not ‘Hello’. But … ‘Hollo’ is certainly used here in the same context as the word ‘Hello’ is typically used today.
The Oxford English dictionary says that the word ‘Hello’ is a descendant of the word ‘Hallo’ which in turn is a descendant of the word ‘Hollo’.
After reading the article, you might also wonder what a ‘plaguy’ Methodist is. Dictionary.com defines “plaguy” as: annoying, bothersome, burdensome, disagreeable, disappointing, nagging, nettlesome, pesky ….
*Place cursor over map to magnify
Acknowledgements
Wikipedia
Norwich Courier (08/18/1826)
Bob Dees
1843 First Patent Printer Invented
The image shown above illustrates the “Patent Printer”. Charles Thurber patented this machine in 1843 while in Norwich. It was the first of four patents that he obtained on various “writing machines”. The Patent Printer patent is regarded as one of the first patents associated with the typewriter.
Charles Thurber, a Norwich resident from 1842-1847, was an inventor, and could be considered a Renaissance Man. During his lifetime he: a) Was a Latin school teacher, and b) the principal of a Latin Grammar school, and, c) invented four different typewriter models, and, d) Along with his partner, Ethan Allen, established and operated the Allen & Thurber, manufacturing facility in Norwich.
Acknowledgements
OzTypewriter.BlogSpot.com
Scientific American, April 30, 1887
“Antique Typewriters (From Creed to Qwerty)”, (1997), by, Michael Adler
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Patent Printer” in the SEARCH box.
1845 First Mechanical Chirographer Invented
Charles Thurber, a Norwich resident from 1842-1847, was an inventor, and could be considered a Renaissance Man. During his lifetime he: a) Was a Latin school teacher, and b) the principal of a Latin Grammar school, and, c) invented four different typewriter models, and, d) Along with his partner, Ethan Allen, established and operated the Allen & Thurber firearms manufacturing facility in Norwich.
In 1845, while in Norwich, Thurber patented the “Mechanical Chirographer”, (a.k.a. Calligraph). The Chirographer, (shown on the left) was essentially a mechanical handwriting machine; notice the pen shaped stylus near the center of the photo. It was intended to be a tool that blind people could use to correspond with others.
However, in 1845, typewriters and writing machines were not popular with the general public. In his book, “Antique Typewriters”, Michael Adler discussed this sentiment :
”The conventional wisdom was that letters were intended to be written by hand – that personal touch was considered vital. Beautiful script was what counted, not some new-fangled machine-made text.”
The machine was not well received by the public, and, did not do well in the market place. However, Charles Thurber did not give up. After he moved to Brooklyn, in 1857 and then again in 1860, he patented improved models of the 1845 Mechanical Chirographer.
Acknowledgements
OzTypewriter.BlogSpot.com
Scientific American, April 30, 1887
“Antique Typewriters (From Creed to Qwerty)”, (1997), by Michael Adler
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Chirographer” in the SEARCH box.
1846 First Bomb-Lance Harpoon Invented
Oliver Allen, of Norwich, Connecticut, was the inventor of a bomb-lance (1846), an improved gun-harpoon (1848), and an improved bomb-lance (1863). Hand-held shoulder whaling guns, like the one shown below, were used to shoot both bomb-lances and harpoons designed by Oliver Allen. All of his inventions were used by whalers in hand-held. shoulder whaling guns.
This is an example of a “Brand No. 1 Hand Held Shoulder Gun”, made by Christopher C. Brand, (Oliver Allen’s associate). Either lances or harpoons could be fired from this same gun.
This drawing of a bomb-lance is a component of Oliver Allen's 1846 patent. The patent states : "Be it known that I, Oliver Allen, of Norwich, in the county of New London and the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Projectile for Killing Whales or other Fish, or for other purposes to which it may be applicable, the same being termed by me a "bomb-lance ..."
This is a photo of the "Improved Gun-Harpoon" built in accordance with Oliver Allen's 1848 patent. An excerpt from the patent states :
"The method heretofore used for attaching a line to a gun-harpoon has been to secure it to a swivel made to freely slide upon the shank. The said swivel, as soon as the instrument leaves the gun, falls back against a button or head made upon the rear end of the harpoon ..."
According to Info Source : ”The earliest American whaling shoulder gun that we know of was made about 1847 by Oliver Allen of Norwich, Connecticut. His associate was Christopher C. Brand, who slightly modified Allen’s design. Allen took off for the California gold fields in 1849 and eventually settled in Petaluma, where he was known as an ingenious inventor.”
After Oliver Allen sold his business in 1849 to Christopher C. Brand and his company, the C. C. Brand Company., continued make whaling guns that used Allen’s designs.
Acknowledgements
“Whaling Tools in the Nantucket Whaling Museum”, page 16, (1998), by Robert E. Hellman
Australian National Maritime Museum
National Museum of American History
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “bomb-lance” in the SEARCH box.
1854 First Lever Action Gun Invented
“The dream became a reality when Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson formed their first partnership in 1852 to manufacture a lever-action pistol that incorporated a tubular magazine which fired a fully self-contained cartridge. This new repeating pistol could be fired as rapidly as the lever, which loaded the pistol and cocked the hammer, could be manipulated. The firepower of this lever-action pistol was so impressive that in 1854 when the gun was reviewed by Scientific American, it was nicknamed the Volcanic because its rapid-fire sequence had the force of an erupting volcano.” (Info Source 1)
During the 1852-1854 period Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson designed and developed magazine firearms and cartridges. In 1854 they founded, along with Cortlandt Palmer, the Smith & Wesson Company in Norwich. This company completed the development of the first repeating gun.
The image shown above is a copy of a drawing that is included in the Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson 1854 patent for an “Improved Firearm”, (Patent No. 10,535).
The gun shown above is a rare example of the 8 inch long, 41 caliber, lever action magazine pistol.The gun was the first lever action type firearm and it fired metallic rim fire cartridges. It was produced by the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, in accordance with Smith & Wesson’s 1854 lever-action patent.
The Smith & Wesson Co. of 1854-1855 turned out to primarily be a design, development and proof-of-concept operation. By the end of 1854 the company was in financial trouble. The Smith & Wesson Company and all the production rights were sold to Oliver Winchester; at that time a shirt manufacturer. He renamed the company to the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company in 1855. Winchester later found great success producing repeating rifles.
Acknowledgements
“Improvement in Fire-Arms, Patent No. 10,535”, (1854), by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson
Rock Island Auction
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “lever action” in the SEARCH box.
1854 First .22 Caliber Cartridge Bullet Invented
While in Norwich, in the 1854 S&W patented (Patent No. 11,496 shown in the photo on the left) a new style of cartridge that is the forerunner of all rim fire cartridges today. This rim fire cartridge consisted of a .22 caliber casing, primer, gunpowder, and a bullet. They called it the Number One Cartridge.
The cartridge was not used in any guns produced by the Smith & Wesson Co. of 1854, however, it became the basis of the Smith & Wesson Model Number One revolver. The Model One (shown above in the photo on the right) was introduced in 1857 and was manufactured in various forms through 1881. This style of gun marked the beginning of the modern era of self-contained cartridges and the beginning of a profitable Smith & Wesson.
Acknowledgements
Norwich Arms Gazette, (2003), Volume 1 Issue 4
“Improvement in Fire-Arms, Patent No. 10,535”, (1854), by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson
Rock Island Auction
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “22 caliber” in the SEARCH box.
1899 First Standard Croquet Rules in America
Club House of the
National Roquet Association of America
Norwich, Connecticut
Croquet was introduced into the United States in the 1870’s. In the early years it was only played by members of high society in New York City, but soon became the most popular lawn sport in America.
The National Croquet Association was formed in 1882 to help develop and control the game. In the 1890’s, however the game lost much of its popularity, partly due to its association with gambling, drinking, and generally unsavory behavior. It was banned in Boston.
By the turn of the century, however, the game was revived in both England and the United States. The Croquet Association, first formed as the United All England Croquet Association, was formed in 1896.
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1886 National Croquet Tournament Norwich, Connecticut
*Place cursor over photo to magnify image
At a tournament meeting, held in New York City in 1889, the letters c and t were dropped from the term croquet by some players, making the name roque. Roque courts and play differed markedly from Great Britain’s association croquet (q.v.) in having a clay surface and solid boundary walls.
In Norwich, the game was played during daylight or evening hours. The photograph, on the left, shows the club house, the National Roque Association court. Note the over head lighting in the photo.
Norwich became the home of roque in America in 1899, after a small group of players from the United States met in Norwich and revised the old, British Routledge rules. Their changes helped revitalize the game in America.
1902 Layout of a Standard Roque Court
The new rules, established in Norwich, provided for standardized court and ball dimensions. The standard court layout in the year 1902 is shown on the left.
In mid-August 1914 the National Roque Association hosted its 33rd Annual Championship in Norwich. At the completion of the championship games and the annual meeting, two resolutions were passed and published in the Norwich Bulletin (08/20/1914) :
“Resolved: That this association puts on record its heartfelt appreciation of the successful action and efforts of the city’s representatives, and our Kingston delegate.”
“Whereas, This National Roque association has, in its annual meetings in this city enjoyed for years the welcome of its citizens and much esteemed favors and advantages of the public press, therefore at this, our 33rd regular annual meeting, this 19th day of August, 1914.”
“Resolved: That we, the several delegates hereto, from various sections of the country, desire to express our continued hearty appreciation of everything that has been done in our interests, and that we shall again carry away with us happy remembrances of this meeting to cheer us through the year to come as we occasionally review the memories of the pleasures, and the genial friend she has gained at several reunions in this, the Rose City of New England.”
“Passed unanimously by a rising vote.”
Acknowledgements
“A Short History of Croquet”, by Connecticut Extreme Croquet Society
“When Norwich was a Roque Capital of the Nation”, by Christine Gauvreau (08/04/2015)
Norwich Ct. Pictures, USA (09/29/2016)
Norwich Ct. Pictures, USA (07/07/2015)
“The Roque Guide”, 1902
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and then typing “roque” in the SEARCH box.
1902 First Hydraulic Compressed Air Plant
In the early 1900’s the use of compressed air was gaining favor in most machine shops. Compared with other methods of transmitting and distributing energy, it had no equal in economy, convenience or safety. However, at that time, compressed air could only be obtained by means of a mechanical air compressor which was operated by steam or some other power source.
In May 1902, a new method of securing compressed air using the direct action of a water fall was set into motion. The hydraulic air compressor plant in Norwich was the first plant of its kind in the United States. The plant was built and operated by the Continental Compressed Air Company.
The postcard above shows how the plant appeared near the early 1900’s. The map on the left below shows the location of the plant, just north of today’s Greeneville Dam.
The plant took two years to build at a cost of $500,000 (approximately $15 million in today’s dollars). It was comprised of three major components, a dam, a compressor, and a compressed air delivery system.
*Place cursor over map to magnify
Construction of the dam, designed by J. Herbert Shedd, began in October 1899 and was completed in March 1901. The engineering plan for the Quinebaug River Dam is shown on the left. Notice the Z-shape of the 3-section dam. This shape was necessary due to the narrowness of the river and the proximity of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railway bed. The dam was 18 feet high, on the average. The first section of the concrete dam was 120 feet long, the second was 140 feet long, and the third was 200 feet long. The extreme length was deemed necessary in order to obtain a sufficient rollway.
The image on the left provides an overview of the inner workings of the hydraulic air compressor. The Info source provides a detailed description of how the energy from the falling water could be converted into compressed air. The compressor was designed and built by William A. Webber. It used the river water to produce approximately 1350 horsepower of compressed air at a pressure of approximately 85 pounds per square inch.
The third component of the plant, designed and constructed by Taylor Gleaves, was the compressed air delivery system. The delivery system was essentially was a 4-mile long pipeline running from the compressor to downtown Norwich. The compressed air was forced into a 16-inch diameter cast-iron pipe at the site of the dam. Machine shops along the way could tap into the pipeline and use the compressed air to power their equipment.
Under ideal river conditions the dam generated enough compressed air to power several air engines in Norwich. Unfortunately, much of the time the compressor could only use a portion of the water flow in the river, and at many times the river flow was inadequate to meet the air requirements. The plant was dismantled in 1929.
Acknowledgements
“New Plant for Compressed Air”, (1902), by Harvey Briggs
Iconic Norwich
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “compressor” in the SEARCH box.
1937 First National Apprenticeship Regulation
William J. Fitzgerald, a native of Norwich, authored the National Apprenticeship Act, now known as the Fitzgerald Act. He was born to Irish immigrants and learned the value of an honest day’s work at a young age. He was employed in a Norwich local foundry as a molder and later served as the superintendent for 26 years (1904-1930).
In 1937, as a United States Representative to Congress, he authored the National Apprenticeship Act. This legislation, also known as the Fitzgerald Act, was passed by Congress and signed into laws by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Source 1 states :
“The measure established national certification standards for apprenticeship programs in manufacturing and other sectors that have opened pathways to high-quality jobs for the last 80 years. The Fitzgerald Act was the product of the real-life experience that Fitzgerald brought to Washington, having worked in a Connecticut foundry from an early age and later serving as an official in the Connecticut Department of Labor. “
Fitzgerald knew, even in an era of less complex technology, that connecting workers to a job required consistent, high-quality job training. That process begins in grade school, of course, but apprenticeship training is often the final step in achieving job readiness and positioning workers for success in their future careers.”
Acknowledgements
“Train Skilled Workers, Create Jobs with Good Wages”, by Joe Courtney
Accord Housing Association