Putnam patriot., 1914-09-25

After the Revolution Pomfret enter ed upon a period of great prosperity which extended until about ls40 when the building Of railroads and the dc ' veiopment Of manufacturing towns in | the hver valleys diverted traffic from the hill towns. Us population in l7s2 WIS z56g, this feil by l790 Co 1769 ow- ing to loss Of territory on the south and west. In I556 Brooklyn parish | was set off as n separate township. and a strip was taken fFam Pemffet on the west to form g parl of the new town ship of Hampton. That eibow.iike | projection of Pomfret Co the southwest, known as Jeico, Brooklyn allowed us to keep on the ground thit t would never be able Co pay it's expenses.
 Business now proceeded to boom in all parts of the town At the falls Of the Quinebaag Capt. Cargill built a new mill in 11s7 and set up three com plete sets Of grist mills, q bolting mill a blacksmith shop and two trip ham mefs, ulling mill, a mill to grind scythes and a mill to chufn butter.
 The Sessions ran sawmiH on the Hashamoquet. An oil mill and pot esb works were carried on by Etenc. ger Holbrook and sons MiIls were DuiIl aud store opened at Pomfrel Landing Stores were opened in Pom fret Street and Abingdon and a shoe mauufaetory started by Joseph Ghggs and Seth Williams. Roads were laid out and bridges built The Boston x Hartford and the Norwich X Worces- ter turnpikes were opened, their lines crossing in the Street; while the Prov idenee X Hartford turnpike passed through the south part of the town via Abingdon and the Haskell stand.
 0n Jan. l, l795, the Pomfret post of- flee was opened, serving not only Pom. fret but the surrounding towns. It's first postmaster, Gen. Lemuel Grosve- nor, was appointed by President Wash
 
 years. The general was very proud Of this distinction as his signature Of Lemuel Grosvenor P. NJ. testifies. New settlers came to Pomfret in these years among them were Thomas Mumford and David Hall of Newport and John Hancock of Boston. This marks the | lf ha oh Pomfret enjoys ss a summer resort which appears to date from about l790. Society WAS very flourishing at this period. Distinguished guests from Boston visited the Hancocks, and the Mumfords snd Halls attracted fash ionables from Providence and New port. Col. Thomas GresVenof oceu- pied his mansion house on the Street, and in l792 an Indian dancing on the ridge pole at the festivities connected with the raising of is frame. Here he entertained President Washington while on his tour ,of the New England states. The pride and exelusiyeness of the residents of the Strret led some wag to name the fashionable quarter Fucker Str at, name which has only recently passed out Of current use.
 In conclusion much might be said of the grand characters of the men and women who settled Pomfret, Listen, listen to great man s tribute to such as these:
 "And what shall I more say, for the time would fail me to tell Of Gideon and of Barak, of Sampson and Of Jepthal, of David also and of Samuel, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained prom ises, quenched the violence of fire, es- capped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waXed valient in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens
 Great men there were, like these, among the men who .settled Pomfret. They left to their children poverty and pcsts, and so nation was builded
 For three hundred years after the battle of rhemopylae the children in the schoos of Greece some required to commit to memory the names of the martyrs who fell in the defense of that past.
 1 Ladies and gentlemen, let the chil- dren be familiar with the names of the men and women who wrested from the wilderness and bequealhed to us this most eeautiial spot on earth, the Pomfret that we love.