New Britain herald., 1927-06-18
EARLY NEW BRITAIN
 NEIGHb0RLY TOWN
Bassstte Homestead, Now Doomed, Center of Social Life

The passing of the old Bassette
 residence on Bassett street. which was at one time the home of New Britain's first court judge and later the city's frs, open air school re- calls to many of the city's oldest residents the carly history of New
 Britain.
 When Judge Ozias Buel Bassette and family first settled in New
 Britain in 1889. they occupied what was then known as the Roberts farmhouse fronting on South Main street just north of where the State
 Trade school now stands. This old building was built in 17S0. while the Revolutionary War was still raging. and 1t stood until 1877 when it was torn down.
 The farm was 100 acre tract which covered practically all of the territory now bounded by Tranklin square and by Rockwell avenue, Arch. Locust. Greenwood. Brook and South Main streets and had come to the Bassettes through Judge Bassette's wife. Emeline Enc Eassette, whose mother. Mary Rich ards Emo. had inherited the Roberts estate. Mrs. Enc died in New Brit ain in 1883 at the age of 9s years. She was born in 17S5. the year in which Berlin was set off from Pennington and only two years after the close Of the Revolution. At the age of 12 she had disting- ',ished herself by riding to Hartford for the weekly papers when tho men were too busy working in the fields to make the teip. Her resi- Gence on Washington street. where the Elks club now stands. had been known for many years as the home of Grandma" Enc. Because Of her tong life and keen memory of early New Britain days, she was Of ines ,imable help to Deacon Alfred An- drews in the compilation of his his tory of New Britain, which is a unique work Of It's Kind.
 New Britain Then Unknown
 In 1859 when the Bassette family removed from Litchfield to occupy the old Roberts farmhouse referred 10 above, there were not more than 1 800 people in the present confines of New Britain. New Britain was then part of Berlin and had no gov ernmen of it's own but the New Britain parish was growing faster than the res: of Berlin and ire uuently voted, much to the latter's disgust, to hold town meetings in the New Britain churches rather than in those of kensington or Worthington as Berlin center was called. In those days the meeting house" was the town hall as well as the church.
 The city's first open air school when the city has just ordered de- was built by Judge Bas- sette in 1850. the year when Ne" Britain was set off from Berlin as A separate town. In that year Judge was directed by the legisla- ture to call the first town meeting of New Britain for the election ot officers and it's organization as a town.
 When constructed the building faced on Franklin square. as me academic building of the Senior High school does now. and was to it's present location on Dassett street in 1894 to make way for the new high school. As built it was over 100 feet .ons. with the old time wood shed ana ool houses adjoining. Franklin square (then a park of South Main ,treet) was called the "Queen street of New Britain" in those days, for he mansions of the stanleys and smiths also were on it. the most ex- censive dwellings in town.
 Recall House Raising
 Judea Eassette's children. three of whom are still living. wildly recall he house-raising in the summer or 1850, when neighbors came from all over New Britain to put It up. They recall how their mother made great quantities of doughnuts' pies' ,akes. etc, for the occasion. the treat fireplace ovens providing the ,eat for baking and roasting. Ereat ables were spread in the yard "lti' hese and other good things 10 eal md drink. Such was the power or In the days before con ractors had systematized and soit- med the physical work Of man.
 Painted in white. the flnlsh"d ,ouse made an imposing structure. f was before the popular use. o' 'urnaces and cellars. Having been ,ducated as a carpenter. Judge iaS- .etta was architect. plumber. clcrk. workman and manager. He cut n ost of the timber himself on ms ,yn land. the beams and ral'ers' liter the fashion of the day, hcins mostly hewcd. only the ends and the nortices being sawed. Some Of the a wing at least. WHICH 'ii'i"u'" .awins Of lathes. Mir. Rassette dld yith his own hands in North's saw mill at the foot of Arch street. The ! mortar was made frop sand obtalh- ! d on the farm. Such other thinsS | IS shingles. doors and windows were bought.
 The underpinning was oh'a'Neu rom large granite honld"rs fonhn ,n the farm. Mrs. Rassette driiilhS . md splitting these boulders nm, ,elf: and when they were N''coa hey were greatly admired ny Inc i own people who came t' '"7'''
 For setting. f'' ras built. great maplo 'r"- "iN 'o fight inches in diam t'r N g ti"N' ,ortnd from the "n2r5 "o"'& or ha lower end of pr l' Gen 'r.''' md set all around ti" h"u' on " erect sides. Tho" N r" h'"iN'Nl md consderah'a on" itt0H .oiced when tr.r ".'", cH' i7 ' 0 make way for 'h" r.N h'21 ch ool.
 The city had apWrorir'"i F'" ,on .g'. ps1 ..Nt |