Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-14
PARKS OF HARTFORD
Spots of Beauty Scattered Over
the Municipal Area.
GIFTS OF THE CITIZENS
Trinity College and Other Well-Known
Educational Institutions.
THE ANCIENT BURYING GROUND
Some Curious Epitaphs-Establish
ment of lf-Government-Hart-
ford Convention Recalled.
THE ANCIENT BURYING GROUND
HARTFORD. Conn. July {
BY WILLIAM +. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence " The. star and the Chicago
Record Herald.


Special Correspondence Of The Sta and the Chicago
Record Herald.
HARTFORD Conn, July O. 1907.
Hartford has one of the finest park sys-
TENS in the world, spots of beauty scat
tered over the municipal area, not only Civ
ing the people plenty of lungs" but fur
nishlng Fairgrounds and establishment
also. and, what is better than all the rest.
most of the parks We're presented 10y pa
triotlc and philosophical citizens. Hart
ford has received Il great many gifts Mrs.
Clara Hillyer. daughter Of the late Thomas
HHiyer, gave a parish nall to the Windsor
Avenue Congregational Church. Mrs. Colt,
widow of the man who invented the
volver. built the Church of the Good Shep-
herd Epscop1D as a memorial of her hus-
band, and a parish house as a memorial for
her son. (. W. Hooker, who is now rep
resentat!vc in the legislature, gave a parish
house for the old Center Church, the first
and still the most active church in the
city, In honor of his ancestor. Rev. Thomas
Hooker. who founded the town Rev. Or.
Rocket Harmon Potter is the present pas
tor. The ancient building has been recent
ly restored. and IS sui an Imposing as well
as interesting structure President
Timothy Dwight OF Yale. who came here in
1S22, spOk, Of it as majestic
Hartford has Il unIQU" architectural fea
the kency brothers, euterprising and
wealthy business men. who presented the
city with Kcucy Park, a beautiful tract of
Cts acres Of land in the center of the city.
The tower is a graceful example Of early
Norman architecture. built OF brown stone
with clock and bells. There is nothing
like II anywhere III this country. II re
minds one OF tie tower of St. Jacques near
the Hotel De VILE in Paris The keney
brothers left a trust OF half million dol
lars ior the benefit OF their feilow-citlZens.
The late Charles NJ. Pond, an eccentric,
but wealthy citizen. who died in 1894, left,
by Will to the city his homestead on Pros
pect avenue. and the residue of his estate
to purchase additional lands which now
comprisr 100 acres. called Elizabeth Park, In
memory OF MS wife. The amount OF the
gift was Sl~9+~5- There the city has
group OF nurseries ana huthous-s, and
Iost gard n, partly for ornament and part
ly for school of instruction.
col Albert y Pop Of Boston, the bicycle
ana aUtHWouIi. man, in 1894 presented ii
tract of : -v-uty-three acres tGthe which
has ou .Nt a~ive grove. Il beautiful slopng
lawn. d lake. and other attractive features
y portion Of il has been fitted up by the
park commissioners as an outdoor gymna-
stun. with 81 base ball park. tennis course,
and other facilities for amusement. The
board %. park commissioners who seem to
he ,lteT.'r.s.ug. and bTodd-miuded take q
great pr!dn I'm these and several other
parks r.ua,l their care. which now amount
10 I.2,l acres. and include some unusually
which l have already written.
Educational Institutions.
Hartford has ffty-eight churches, four
chapels. four synagOgues, a college,
theological seminary. deaf and dumb COL
lege an asylum for the insane and various
other institutions.
Trinity College. the leading educational
institute of the Episcopal denomination in
the east was called Washington College
until lS45, just as the George Washington
University in the District of Columbia was
called olumban College until few years
ago. Quite a number of colleges bear the
name of the Father of mis- Country. There
is one in Pennsy lvania, another IN Viz
ginia, a third In Missouri, a fourth in
Washington state. Trinity College has
been running since 1924, and has a high
reputation for the scholarship and literary
,ttainments of its graduates. There is a
fine group of buildings just outside of the
city and a strong faculty, with Rev. Flavel
s. Luther at its head.
The Hartford Theological Seminary is
also aourislhng institution, seventy-three
years old. II used to be known as the
Theological Institute of Connecticut. and
was founded in :he village of East Wind
sOr, a few miles north of Hartford. in
1884. 1t remained there until 1850, when
II was removed to Hartford, en-
dowed with a generous fund and now
cupies an imposing group of buildings on
one of the principal streets. The original
builQinSS at East W lnuSOT are el4I stand
ing on the edge of the main highway under
the shadow Of a row of towering elms
They have dismal and melancholy aspect,
and are tenanted by the families of factory
hands. The seminary is under the care
of the Congregational Church.
Hartford claims the Oldest school in the
country. 1t was founded in 1893 by
William Gibbins, and was partly supported
by the town and partly by tuition fees.
1t received requests in 1865. 1859, 1864 and
1850, and continued under the care of the
town until 1871. when IT was merged with
the classical department of the Hartford
High School
The Old Burying Ground
In 1896 the Ruth WHY'S Chapter, OAR,
undertook TO restore and protect the an
Client burying ground of Hartford. which is
In the very center OF the city. only q block
from the city hall. The work was accom-
plished under the energetic and untIr!ng
leadership of Mrs. John NJ Holcombe,
regent of the chapter. who conceived the
plan and carried it through to a complete
and notable success. This IS matter of
immediate interest to hundreds OF thou
sands OF people in all parts Of the country
whose ancestors are buried there, and she
succeeded IN aroUsing many of them TO CO.
operate with her In restoring the graves of
the founders OF some of the most promi-
n"ut families in America
Mrs. Holcombe has published a report Of
great historic vaIu" containing complete
census Of IL" cemetery and Il list OF those
who contrib 10 its restoration.
Tho old Central Church, or The First
Church Of Christ" its official title is, was
founded In 1882 The building has been
frequently repaired and restored. but the
original Architecture has been faithfully
preserved. and II stands square with
long windows and is painted white outside
and In There IS a gallery. and the old
fashioned pcws have been preserved
There Is some beautiful modern stained
glass in the memorial windows one in
honor of Thomas Hooker the first pastor
and founder. and there are tablets 10 HE
successors, including one to the Rev loci
Haws, the tenth pastor, who occupied the
pulpit continuously for forty-nine years
from ISIS to 1861. The cemetery Is irnrnc
diatcly behind the church. The records of
the town show that ON January Il. 1910
the sc!eCtmen Resolved that tn" burying
place BE- a part OF Richard Olmstead' :
lot" and the oldest graves We're dug that
year.
Mr. Samuel Stone
Deceased We I'll year of his age
July 20 1864