The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-03-21
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES.
Of Old Neck Bridge and Ferry Path.


 To the Editor of Journal and Courier:
 After the reading of a very interest ing paper by Mr. Frederick H. Cogs- well on the Town Pump and early days of New Haven before the Mems club of St. Paul's church on the evening of the 18th inst, the question was asked in res gard to the naming of Neck bridge, one of the members suggesting that the name may have been derived from the fact that the regicides saved their necks by secreting themselves under this bridge while the pursuing English troopers passed, who thought that the fugitiyes had taken to the woods on or around East Rock, but this view of the case is certainly erroneous, as the name of the Neck was given to that sec tion long before a bridge was built. The section was known as the tract of land lying between Mill and Quinnipiac rivers from the since called Grapevine Point northWard to Cedar Hill and per- haps farther, and in the early settle- ments of Quinnipiac New Haven" land was apportioned to some of the settlers (the writer's maternal ances- tor, Mansfield, being one of the num- ber) to certain tracts on the Neck, and this section was soon laid out into farms, the eastern portion along the banks of Quinnipiac river soon becom- ing quite thickly settled by persons en- gagged in catching fish and oysters with which the stream abounded. This set- tlement acquired the name of Dragon from family of seals then known as Drag which disportedi the stream at that time ,and this name clung to the settlement till long after 1t had become a large village and had assumed the more dgnified title of Fair Haven. This latter name was certainly well chosen, for 1t has become one of the fairest portions of our beautiful city.
 Early in the settlement of this neck of land a well worn path was made to the ferry, and stepping stones were laid on both sides of the river at the site of the present Neck bridge, and a boat was kept in readiness to convey the settlers of the Neck to and from the town, this being the most eligible route at the time. This path was after a while fenced into narrow lane by the adjoining farmers and was then called Neck lane, and this Neck lane was the eastern boundary of land pur- chased by the writer's father from the grandfather, a descendant of the orig inal grantee Mansfield.
 When the bridge was built over Mill river at Grand street it gave more direct route between the town and the Neck, now Fair Haven, and the ferry path had it's nose put out of joint When this Grand street bridge was built it was called Evansville bridge, taking its name from a. settlement at the west or town and called Evansville,
 The continuation of Grand street to- ward Fair Havea wns through the mid dle of the farm of William Mansfield, who gave the land for the road and set out row of elm trees on either side as far as Ferry Path or Neck lane, and some of these trees are still standing,
 It is presumed that Ferry street took its name from Ferry Path, and if so 1t is certainly a misnomer, for Ferry street is well to the eastward of the old Ferry Path.
 This is all that I know concerning Neck bridge.
 w. L. E.