Milford chronicle., 1949-10-28

dwelling. He also built what is
now the Mulhollands Apartments
as a two story tavern kept by Mrs.
Hetty Starr and known as Starr's
Tavern. This tavern was then an
important stopping place for the
stage line down state. Mrs. Starr
is said to have died Of fright. Her
son came home drunk, mounted on
a spirited colt, and rode up the
steps into the hall. AS she opened
the parlor door to see what the
noise was the colt reared in the
we'll of the staircase and she died
of heart failure. When it came in
to the possession of Mr.. Daniel
Currey it received its third floor
and the general appearance 1t now
has. The daughter of Mr.. Curry
married General -Torbert, our con-
sui general at Paris and the most
famous citizen the house has ever
had. It was here that Mrs. TOrbert
waited for the return of her hus-
bands body after he was lost at
sea in the wreck of the Vera Cruz,
his funeral having been the largest
the town has ever seen. AS the
town prOspored all those stately
homes in the Torbert block sprang
up and fortunately remain today
pretty much as they were in the
beginning. In the old Hammersley
house-where the Collins insurance
office is-may be seen what can
happen to these treasures when
they fall into intelligent hands. Nc
one has been more successful II
sympathetic restoration than has
Mr.. Collins, both here and at the
old Carlisle house where he lives
Not only he, but the town has {
right to be proud of his work
! Other very old houses that have
come down to us and are yet to b'
seen are the Towers, once a store
and now showing but little of it
original architecture, and Ma
Wilson's house which until 1856
stood on the corner of North Wal
nut and Second streets, and ha
been carefully preserved by tn
/ Wilson's. AS to schools, the oil
F.. Academy, built in 1910, was tn
most noteworthy and is yet to b
seen in the older portion of tn
Milford Elementary School.
A new industry gave rise I
South Milford. The town ther
grew up as the shipyards grew an
prOspered and from 1920 to 1S7
they showed a steady growth. A
one time there were seven yard
in operation at once. Mr.. Henr
Hudson laid out South Front stree
parallel with the creek and con
venient to the yards and in man
of the old houses there the pecU
liar style of ship carpentry wor
may be easily recognized. Fol
tunes were made in shipbuildinl
One of the earliest firms was thS
of David Black, later there wa
Carlisle and Reville, Truitt an
,, Deputy, and yet later, Lank an
Reville, the Scribner Yards an
Abbott and Company, cOnsiderin
the size of the river really lars
ships were built, some of 900 tor
burden. All this activity cause
I the growth of stores on Vain,
street and the foundation Of Il
present business section, althOus
it long remained a street of stOrD
! and dwellings interspersed the o
! Marshall property being about Il
last of these to go. Some of Il
) houses on Front street show Il
effect of this prosperity, nOtab
the Scribner house, now Colon
: Lank's and the Hudson house, no
= Mrs. Jennings. For many yea
e there were wooden bars aero
= Carlisle Lane-the lane leading on
n TO the Trusten McCOlley Farm.
). is the old McCOlley house that ST
e stands and which DR.. William Ma
I, shall is now restoring. 1t is +
d markable for it's fine staircase al
l. it's curious second floor fireplace
S No account of South Milford wOu
t be complete without some mentit
e of the old Causey Spring house.
d stood near the cOrnOr of Chur
r. street and Causey avenue, whe
d the Short lumber stacks now al