From Essex Events -- Fall 1996: Shifting Center of Town
"Most people consider Essex Square to be the
so-called "center" of town, but this has not always been the
case.
A brief look into the past may be very revealing as far as this issue
is
concerned, and answer the question of why Essex does not have a "town
green,"
in the historical sense of the term.
"Between 1700 and 1730 events in Centerbrook
firmly established that area as a center and most important section of
town. The Congregational Church had been established there,
effectively
making us a separate and definitive part of Saybrook. The initial
Meeting House was in approximately the same location as the current
building,
but a short distance to the east.
"The first minister was the Reverend Abraham Nott,
and his homestead and later that of his son's stood on "country road"
(current
route 154) north of the Meeting House. Across the way stood the
impressive
homes of Daniel Williams (site of the current New Haven Savings Bank)
and
his brother Samuel (site of the current Cumberland Farms). In
addition,
the Gristmill, Sawmill, Iron Works and Tripp hammer shop were located
here,
right behind Daniel's house.
"The land behind the Church and these buildings
to the west was really the original "green" in Essex--the area where
the
Essex Hardware, bank building, and American Legion Hall are
located.
The Town Hall, Town Pound, and Poorhouse were also soon located in the
vicinity. Interestingly, the aforementioned Daniel Williams and
his
son-in-law, Captain Danforth Clark (lived adjacent to Rev. Nott, "on
the
green") were two of the first real "recorders" in Essex. We call
this position Town Clerk today. These two held this post for many
years.
"By the end of the 18th century, events of great
economic importance, centering around ship building, were making Essex
village very much the "place to be." The commercial center moved
to the intersection of West Street, South Street, Hill Street and Pound
Hill. Today this is known as Champlin Square. It featured
at
least seven stores, including the largest retail outlet (and money
lending
center) in the lower valley. Well known Essex people such as
Joseph
Hill, Ebenezer Hayden, Nathan Pratt, Joseph Hill Hayden, and Henry
Champlin
were in business here. It was perhaps the first concentrated
retail
center south of Middletown.
"Within 20 years, there was another shift, as
many stores became located along the river front, and the original
Ropewalk
(running from Talbot's store 3/4 the way down Main Street) was removed
and a new one built about 200' to the north. In a very short time
New Street (now Pratt Street) and North Street (North Main) were
instituted,
and Main Street was moved very slightly to the south.
"This all resulted in Essex Square as we know
it, where all these roads plus Hill Street (ran from Main Street to the
corner of West Ave. and South Main by the Pratt Village Smithy)
intersected.
Since it was originally so commercially oriented, there was virtually
no
opportunity to have a "green" here. Most Main Street houses were
built in this early 1800 period for a very obvious reason--the shipyard
people wanted their homes near their place of business.
"The creation of wooden sailing ships soon came
to a halt however, throwing this section of our town into relative
economic
oblivion. The railroad was put through well to the west, where a
new star was rising.
"Ivoryton was not really a town with a factory,
it was a village designed around a factory. Samuel M. Comstock
and
George A. Cheney founded the Comstock, Cheney, & Co. in 1862, and
once
again the economic focus of Essex shifted, this time [to] the far
western
section of town. Ivoryton remained the most viable economic part
of town up to the great depression of the 1930s.
"Since the second world war we have seen moves
that make us more one town than three separate villages. One
might
well ask, however, with a growing retail presence in Centerbrook, are
we
going back to our town's founding?"
Note: this county and town is up for adoption.
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