New Britain herald., 1928-05-05
Industry, Grit, Wisdom, Faith, Thrift Are Foun- datiOn Stones of New Britain.

If there are sermons in stones, they may be read in the business center and industrial district of New Britain. The sermons touch on in- dustry, grit. wisdom. faith and thrift, all embodied in the line.
 Tall oaks from little acorns grow"
 Greatness is not achieved over night. Progress is process of build- ing on a firm foundation. New Brit ain began to progress far back in the dim past and it's present state has been gained only at the cost of in- telligently directed effort.
 When one is anxious to learn something of the early history of New Britain or of the habits of this city's pioneer residents one of the best possible authorities is Buell. B. Bassette, a member of one of New Britain's oldest and most active families.
 MT. Bassette has in his possession invaluable material. much of which has never been made public. He had an unfailing memory of dates, peo- pie and places which have since changed completely.
 It is Mir. Bassette's opinion that New Britain in the earliest days showed no sign or proof of any h. dian village or even any Indian tepee having been set upon its soil. There were Indians in Pennington and Indians in kensington and at Beckley. but no Indian settlement was ever located in the present con- ! fines of New Britain, MT. Bassette 1 believes. The Indian name of this re- zion, as carried in the first deeds to the settlers, was "Pagonc hamis- chaug." That was apparently too ] hard a name for the settlers, so { they changed it to Great Swamp" which was more descriptive, if not so picturesque.
 First Dwelling Erected in 1890 New Britain may be said to have had its ha5itable beginning with the i III Sl u"'lliliS CltNlCu AClC III S'. 1 In the oldest book of Pennington records is found the deed dated Jan- uary, 1889. to Stephen Lee, grand [ father of Col. Isaac Lee, who named | New Britain, whereby he became proprietor of the northwest corner of the present East and Smalley street, his farm running from there back to the present Main street. He married Eliza beth Royce on October 1 1. 1890. and immediately set up l housekeeping on that corner They : lived there for 63 years. It was two miles from the nearest house in i Great Swamp. This was eight years , before the first house was erected n Southington, 30 before the first house in Bristol, and 25 years before the first house in Stanley Quarter.
 For a half century East street was the principal thoroughfare in , the town. It had the chief mansions i upon it and before the church was established on Christian Lane in ] 1712. the inha bitants of Great swamp treked along that street, ! bound for Pennington for Divine worship on each Sabbath day. In those days up to and after the Rev olution, in 17S5, when Berlin was set off as a separate town, New Britain was part of Farmington. Town of New Britain in 1850
 Considerable progress was noted as time went on. Until 1I54, this city was part of Great swamp parish of Pennington; from 1854 when New Britain's First church was organized, to 17S5, it was known as the New Britain parish of Pennington; from 1885 to 1850 l it was known as the New Britain parish of Berlin; from 1850 to 1870 it was the Town of New Britain; and | from 1870 on it has been the City of New Britain.
 New Britain's history, therefore, is largely to be found in the church and town books of Pennington, Ber- lin and New Britain The two first volumes of the Pennington Town Records are about the oldest monu- ments of this region eXtant. They are made of heavy pure rag paper, bound in leather, and have stood the
 rust and wear of nearly 300 years in remarkable shape. They are so
 precious that they are now kept in the State Library vaults in Hartford. The first water-power producing