Milford chronicle., 1947-10-31
oBnck Derrickson" Tells Rotary
Club Of Mitord's Early Days
lcontLnued lrom flrst pagel


you know this fact? Have you seen
the remains of the very first Meth
Odist Church in our town? What
ever Mr.. .Thorne did was we'll
done and in the best of taste. For
his house he chose the most COM
manding elevation we have be-
cause, 1t is said, it resembled the
situation of Shirley" in Virginia,
the home of General Lees mo-
theirs family, the Carriers. AL
though the pitch of the roof was
spoiled about 1880 and the old DOR
mers removed, yet in all other re-
spects 1t is today one of the best
colonials survivals in the county,
If not the very best. Filled with
handsome paneling and curious
staircases it is worthy memorial
to its builder.
Mr.. Thorne also built that row
of brick dwellings that stood about
where Mr.. Wilson Vinyard's home
now stands and which most of us
remember only in the last stages
of decay, yet, like all his work
these were well designed and SO
long as they stood, gave an 18th
century look to Front street. For
long time they were known as
the Mitchell Buildings, later as
Purity Row"
( What is now the business Sec
ton of the town was then cordu-
roy road serving only as a passage
to the bridge. The business Sec
ton was out West Front street on
the high ground near Silver Hills
Here was the tan yard store, the
bark yards for quercitron bark
the vats for tanning hides, cort
wood and slaves stacked for ship.
ment out of the river, and places
for all the lesser trades that weni
with these AS the town grew the
building we remember as the Ole
National Bank was built by Mr.
Wadhams for a storehouse anC
dwelling He also built what i:
now the Muihollands Apartment:
as two story tavern kept by Mrs
Hetty Starr and known as Starr,
Tavern. This tavern was then al
important stopping place for thu
stage line down state. Mrs. Starr
is said to have died of fright. He
son came home drunk, mounted Oh
a spirited colt, and rode up tn,
steps into the hall AS she opened
the parlor door to see what tn,
noise was the colt reared in th,
well of the staircase and she diet
of heart failure. When il came in
to the possession of Mr.. DAME
lCurrey it received it's third foo
and the general appearance it nov
has. The daughter of Mr.. Curr,
married General Torbert, our con
sui general at Paris and the mos
famous citizen the house has eve
! had. 1t was here that Mrs. Torber
waited for the return of her hus
bands body after he was lost a
sea in the wreck of the Vera Cruz
his funeral having been the larges
the town has ever seen. AS til
town prospered all those stated
homes in the Torbert block spran
,,iup and fortunately remain toda
, pretty much as they were in tn
beginning. In the old Hammersle
, house-where the Collins insuranc
|. Office is-may be seen what ca
! happen to these treasures whe
! they fall into intelligent hands. N
!. one has been more successful j
sympathetic restoration than ha
Mr.. Collins both here and at til
! old Carlisle house where he live
i Not only he, but. the town has
: right to be proud of his worl
: Other very old houses that hav
4 come down to us and are yet to b
! seen are the Towers, once a stor,
{ and now showing but little of II
. original architecture, and Ma
: Wilson's house which until 1876
stood on the corner of North Wa
4 nut and Second streets, and ha
! been carefully preserved by tn
{ Wilson's. AS to schools, the oil
. Academy, built in 1910, was tn
most noteworthy and is yet to
i seen in the older portion of til
! Milford Elementary School.
4 A new industry gave rise
: South Milford. The town thel
q grew up as the shipyards grew an
: prospered and from 1920 to 49,
they showed steady growth.
. one time there were seven yarC
II in operation at once.s Mr.. Hem
= Hudson laid out South Front sire
: parallel with the creek and col
: venient to the yards and in mar
. of the old houses there the pecl
3 liar style of ship carpentry wol
# may be easily recognized. Fo
. tunes were made in shipbuildin