Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-11-06
Fair Haven East.

Fair Haven East.
The Old Ferry Houses and Landing-Ths
Original First Ferry-Old Time Land- !
marks.
Captain Charles II. Townsend, of this city, |
recently came into possession of fragment
OF stone and mortar which came from the
east landing of the original first ferry in New
Haven The ferry house stood on the East
Haven side of the Quinnipiac river at Red
Rock, and the site of the old ferry landing in
question is still in existence. The old land
ing is down near the waters edge at the east
end of the approaches of the Quinnipiac
bridge and opposite Mr.. Brockett's house.
There shelving, slanting rock at the |
waters edge at which the ferryboat landed, |
and the bow of the boat projected the |
landing stone when the tide right, max |
ing q good safe landing. Planks were laid |
out from the boat over the landing which |
horses and teams passed on off the boat. |
The stone for the landing was picked up on
the shore and with mortar made from oyster
shells-a mortar of the most enduring kind
which was made on the spot-the stones were
plastered together. The whole underpinning
has been excavated and is to be seen to- day.
The mortar is as hard as flint, and would, it
is thought, endure yet thousand years. The
"ea1ly fathers knew how to make good
shell mortar. The site of the old ferry was
pointed out to Captain Townsend by Mr.
Edwin Lancraft, of Fair Haven East, who
with his brothers owns the property or prop
erty in the vicinity, and whose family prede-
cessors for several generations past have
lived in the vicinity. Mr.. Lanoraft says this
foundation pointed out to his father by
his grandfather years ago, and it for years
has been covered with earth During the
exoavating for the roads meeting at the east
end of Quirnipiac bridge approach in the
last few days the whole old landing was I'm
covered. The underpinning has been exca-
waited preparatory to building new house.
Mr.. Lancrafts grandfather informed him that
\ in his (the latter's grandfather's) time the
| old ferry house still standing. This
| ferry called the Pardee Ferry or Upper
Ferry. There was another ferry south of
| this, situated on the east shore at Stable
| Point, a little north of TomIinsons bridge,
| and landing on the west shore where Bridge
| street now is At the last shore point stables
| were built (hence the name Stable Point)
| where East Haven people left their horses
when attending church in this town. Another
| interesting fact is that when Rev. MIR. Street
was ordained at East Haven the ferryboat,
laden with people who had been attending
he ordination, met with serious accident
and several people lost their lives. They
were crossing the river and heavy thunder
storm arose, accompanied by squall, and
the boat capsized. At this lower ferry Mr.
Pardee was granted about so acres of land for
| keeping this ferry, which remains with
his descendants to this day. This Mr.. Par
dee, it is said, was the first principal of the
Hopkins Grammar school in 1860 or there
abouts The children of the last male heir
of the Pardee family was the late Stephen
| Pardee, Esq who died not long since, and
who was son of Benjamin Pardee who, it
is said, was the first child born in the town
of East Haven after it was set off from New
Haven.
Another interesting relic i'll the same neigh
borhood is e corner stone standing in the
highway near the land of Mr.. Goodyear. 1t
marks where the old ferry road turned off
down to the Ferry from the highway. The
Goodyear house was on the Pardee lands. 1t
was sacked by the British during their short
| visit to New Haven in 1879. An old road
ran north from this corner store under the
river bank, along where the present ship
yard is, and up along the shore to Dragon
| Bank and until it came
out up at the neighborhood of the
late Levi Rowe's 1t thence went over the
hills through the Russell and the Davenport
farms and on to another crossing known as
Lewis bridge. When the present South
Quinnipiac street was continued the old road
under the bank discontinued. It was
| continued at the other end to Four Corners,
and the old ferry road to Four Corners was
| abandoned by the town to the original own
! ers. Traces of it be to this day.
The specimens of stone and mortar from the
old ferry landing will be deposited with the
New Haven Historical society among its fast
Increasing and highly increasing collection of
: relics pertaining to the history of the colony.
!, The following in reference to the Pardee
ferry from Dodd's East Haven Register:
I The ferry had been kept by Francis Brown, but in
1850 George Pardee took it, and he after ward al
lowed to build home there at his expense and
! in 1870 the Perry farm granted to him, which
left by hi- t. his George, and tinuss still
in the pcs ession of his descs ndants The rates oil
forage established in 1871 follows For
man and horse, sixpence; if the horse swan over
three pence atterward it reduced to four pence
| and frOSman two