Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-03
THE HALF-cENTURY WE cELE.
 BRATE,

The spirit which made the past haIf-
 century the most progressive and en-
 terprising period in the history of Nor
 wich had It's birth in the haIf-century
 which ended in 1859.
 These periods of time overlap each
 other as most human affairs of im-
 portance interlace, and in business, in
 religious association, in civic growth,
 we cannot stand claiming achieve
 nnents or applause alone.
 It was after the railroad was com
 pleted between Norwich and worces-
 ter and the heart of Massachusetts
 had become our near neighbor instead
 of a city a full days travel distant
 Hhat the merchants and the captains
 Of Industry of Norwich and the men
 Of scholarship were imbued with the
 spirit which has led to our complete
 mooernizat1on as a city-the better
 and bigger city was begun in the pe
 riod of our history lying between 1s45
 and 1855, when the residential portion.
 about the Chelsea parade was deveI-
 oped, large public hotel and hall. pro-
 oected, and through the inspiring in-
 huence of the late Hon. Henry Bar
 nard the school districts saw the ne-
 cessity for a good graded school sys-
 rem, which made the Greeneville
 scnooi district the best district in the state, and paved the way to the lead crship of the Rev. John Gulliver, the Father of the Norwich Free Academy. with it's modern facilities for learn Ing, and our present excellent graded school system.
 The hard times of 1857 put a check upon business. but 1t could not quench rne spirit of our predecessors, who. standing at the culmination of two centuries, became conscious of the achievements of Norwich and called ner distinguished sons and daughters home to celebrate them, and honored Themselves and the town in ascribinr 70 It's founders the praise which was Their due And placing upon the outer Fall that charming title for this New England city-site which they loved ~the Rose of New England"
 iDark days followed that celebration | Rnd every city and hamlet in this | broad land was called upon to da- | gend the flag and support and nre- | Derve the union. We opened this haIf Dentury with a proud record. which VII last as long as history endures. Eleven hundred men in twentv-five Df the thirty Connecticut regiments two or which were of this part of the btate-the Eighteenth and Twenty sixtn-partcipated in thirty-three battles on land and sea. Here we de- veioped great war governor-Buck- lngnam-who upheld the hands of Idn- coin as Trumbull had supported Wash lngton, and regiment of the bravest or men. Norwich had 13s officers in that i've years war-an admiral fin tbe navy three generals, five colonels. sev- en lieutenant -colonels, eight majors. eight adJutants, seven surgeons for 'y-hve captains and fifty lieutenants- me had men brevetted for their brav. 'ry; and the sons at home were true Q rne sons facing the foe. Norwich iol only gave the flower of her man. looo' and in excess of her quota, but 'ouren out her treasures to the . mount of s3oo,233.5O, and spared iot the love and fidelity and patriot sm Of single one of her daughters ( The civic unity and cooperation of { nose days form a noble history, and | , Ve are still cheering and contributing : Q the comfort of the boys in blue. { In 1865, when the war was over. the , ourt house fire opened to us a new $ pportunity, and the men of that day card the knock at the door and did ( Q foolish tAing when they selected I be site for a commodious, new munic- f 'al building, butt builded better than [ hey knew. Then the necessity for a 1 t Tater system was presented and En- ! ineer Smith gave us a deep-water f sservoir fed by springs among the f Ills of Norwich Town, which is z nown as Fairview, and which secures f us as good water supply as is to 2 found in New England; and at this sriod we organized police force in h lace of the old watch, and then we f sgan the real modernization of Nor :. ich in the development of a civic W inter- In a few years there sprang up e
 Union square and adjacent thereto c Ie Baptist church, the Masonic tenn a e, the Y. M. c. A. building, the u roadway theater, the new telephone h 1ilding, T. A. and B. hall and an V idition to Otis library. which reflect l,