Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-03

in the center of which were fixed two large balls of fire; that he, as the only
 alternative to escape, put spurs to his horse, and had rode at the rate of ten miles an hour. He was here interrupt ed by the family, who told him that it was the stage which ran in the night I from Plainfeld to Norwich, and that which he took to be balls of fire were
 nothing more than lighted lamps. Up- \ on which the poor terrified countryman
 drew his Handkerchief from his pock- ! et wiped the sweat from his face, bid
 them good night, and pursued his ] journey;
 The first tavern keeper of whom 1 we find record in Norwich was Thomas l Waterman. In December 1879, the
 town voted that he should be desired
 to keep the ordgnary. And for his 1 encouragement he is granted four
 ackers of paster land where he can
 convenyently find it ny about the val
 ley going from his house into the
 woods" His house was nearly oppo-
 site the the Westinghouse rocks, near
 the site of the old Sterry factory.
 About 1890 Simon Huntintgon was of publique entertaynement" near | where is now the entrance to Cemetery
 liane. Four years later Caleb Abell was appointed "to keep ordinari," flor
 this yeare or till another be chosen"
 One of the most famous of these
 taverns was the old Leffingwell Inn,
 which was known far and wide for
 hundred years, having been opened in 1701. This house is still standing, near
 Harland's corner. Parts of 1t were built by William or Stephen Backus, and
 were altered by Ensign Thomas Lef- hngwell into practically its present form
 Miss Perkins, in her book on Old Houses of Norwich, describes the inn
 as follows: The house is large and rambling, and many parts of it bear the marks of great age. Some of the rooms are on much lower level than
 others, and these may indicate where additions were made to the original Backus homestead. The windows still retain their wooden shutters the door it's bar-fastening, and the rooms are heavily wainscoted, the large north parlor paneled throughout. The en- trance was formerly on the north of the house, and it said that in early times slave auctions were held at this north door,"
 There have been many speculations Tn regard to why this house was built with it's point to the street. It is prob able that it was built to face the orig nal road which went over Sentry Hill rom about this point. There was no road in front of the Thomas Harland house until some time in the middle of the eighteenth century. The land where the Harland house now stands was common land until 1737 or 173S, when Messrs. Hezekiah Huntington. Simon Tracy and Richard Hyde were appointed a committee to sell some of ye sd Common land lying in the Town platt between Ebenezer Loth- rop's orchard and ye end of ye hill by Thomas Leffingwell's house and to attend ye following method (viz), to convey and lay out Lofts of sd Land and number the same. No Lott to be more than Rods wide fronting on the street Westward, and so to run. up ye Hill Eastward, leaving highway on the hill at ye Rere of ye Lofts one rod and a halfe wide, and leaving, the Street or highway at the west end of ye Lotts rods wide" and to "sen of sd Lofts at publick Vandue to the highest bidder for money till they have sold to ye value of 80 or 90 money the Vandue to begin at one of ye Clock on ye first day of March next at ye house of Mir. Thomas Lothrop leaving needful highways up ye. hill"
 At this auction five lots were sold. this number being enough to raise the required sum. and the remaining land was laid out in small lots and dis tributed to various inhabitants of the town.
 The lower road, now known as Town street, was until 1752 a pentway with gates and turnstiles at either end: therefore at the time the Leffingwell Inn was built the public highway ran Tn quite a different direction from that of Washington street of the present.
 In the next few years We read of inns kept by Simon Huntington, Jr., in the Capt. Joseph Carew house on Elm avenue, now occupied by Mrs. Kelly: or in an earlier house on the same site: by Joseph Reynolds in the Reynolds house near the entrance to the Back us hospital; and by Sergeant William Hyde, on West Town street
 The Lathrop tavern alreadz smen- toned was one of the famous hosteIries on the, green. It was built by Ma thaniel Lathrop on land which he pur- chased in 1737. His son, Azariah, who succeeded him, became a well known and prosperous citizen and a popular landlord. In his tavern were held the winter assemblies, and entertainments of one kind and another. In 1797 MT. Marriott advertises here a performance called Brush upon Brush. or, Pill forsthe Spleen,' admission Is. Sd The tavern remained in possession of the Lathrop family until 1921. when it was sold to Bela Peck. Shortly after this it was partially destroyed by fire. In 1929 the Union Hotel company pur- chased the property and built the large brick building now occupied by the Johnson home. But after the courts | were moved to the Landing the Union | hotel lost its popularity and in 1884 i was advertised for sale.
 Across the green Pecks tavern | opened probably about 1754. witnessed | many stirring scenes during the Revo- lution, and here the cannon thundered | when peace was declared in 17S4. This | house is now owned by MT. Fenton.
 All over the town, wherever roads | met, a bridge was built. or a few | houses clustered together these tav- erns sprang up. The list of landlords | includes Elderkin at the Falls, Major | Durkee at Bean Hill, Morgan in the | house at East Great Plain now occu- pied by John H. Ford, Ebenezer Fitch | and Jeremiah Harris at the Landing | Trapp's tavern occupied the corner of | Water and Shetucket streets, where | the Bill block now stands. On the corner now owned by the Norwich | Savings society stood Cheneys' tavern, | and here Washington is said to have | stayed when he passed through the city | on his way to take charge of the troops | at Cambridge in June of 1775. Many | will remember the building as occupied | as iewelry store for long time by | $. R. Parlin, and later by A. B. Kings | bury.
 In 1782 the first postoffice was estab- lished in Norwich, Dudley Woodbridge | being appointed postmaster, and the | office being located in his store where the Norwich Town chapel now stands.