Sara E. Thomas
Students will be given a copy of the original published chapter about their neighborhood from
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
. They will read it and highlight both information they find interesting and clues to important places they might wish to photograph or add to their maps. Once students have completed this list we will go to the New Haven Museum and Historical Society to look at images of their neighborhood and see how it has changed over time. Students will need to present their neighborhood to the class through a PowerPoint presentation focused on the Google Map that they are constructing.
Upper State Street
This neighborhood runs from State and Trumbull to where State intersects with Interstate 91 past Willow Street. Upper State Street has always housed many thriving businesses. Branching off of it are many quiet residential streets in the neighborhood of East Rock, and along it are many mom and pop businesses and restaurants. (
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
Upper State Street)
Sites: State Street Train Station, Blake Field, Archie Moore’s, Nicas and Modern Pizza.
Wooster Square
The land on which Wooster Square is now built was originally used for ploughing contests. It is named after General Wooster, who had a warehouse there. In 1825 the city of New Haven bought and incorporated the land. During the 1840s it became a popular place to live and was home to many ship captains and wholesale grocers. Many built large houses in hopes that the nearby port would bring them wealth (The Long Island Sound was much closer to Wooster Square back then.) In the late 1800s the surrounding area became much more industrial, and consequently a far less desirable place to live. The Italian Americans began to move in and run small stores out of their houses. Because of this shift plans to build interstate 91 in the mid-1950s included running the highway directly through the park. In 1958, however, the Wooster Square Project started and a revival began including the community and many architects. It is now a neighborhood famous for its pizza and Italian pastries. (http://www.nhpt.org/Historic_District_Pages/woostersquare.html and
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
, Wooster Square)
Sites: Libby’s, Pepe’s, Sally’s, Wooster Square Park, Conte School, Farmer’s Market, St. Andrew’s, Santa Maria Maddalena Society, St. Michael’s Church, etc.
Newhallville
This neighborhood is bordered by Hamden, and the main road which passes through it is Dixwell Avenue. It was named after George Newhall who ran his carriage manufacturing plant there. It has always been home to the working class. The Winchester Repeating Arms plant was here, and provided jobs to the majority of the neighborhood. Once the plant was sold and the jobs declined the area was hit by a recession. Originally the area was very industrial, but it is now almost entirely residential, the one real exception being the Science Park research facility. The Farmington Canal also runs through Newhallville.
Sites: Science Park, Farmington Canal, Newhallville Neighborhood Corporation and
Beaver Pond Park.
(
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
, Newhallville)
Morris Cove
This neighborhood is located on the east side of the New Haven harbor and borders East Haven. It often feels separate from the rest of New Haven since you must travel over one of the many bridges across the Quinnipiac River to get there. It feels a little more like the suburbs than other neighborhoods in New Haven. Most of the zoning in Morris Cove is residential, which helps to preserve the small seaside community atmosphere. Most of the settlers living in Morris Cove were farmers and a few seamen. It was the site of a Revolutionary War battle, which we lost. It has stayed residential, and in the mid 1800s became a fashionable place for summering. As time passed many residents updated their houses and began to live there year round. Between Morris Cove and the Quinnipiac River is the neighborhood of the Annex, a slightly busier neighborhood. It was originally part of East Haven until New Haven annexed it. It was originally populated by the Quinnipiac Indians, and then purchased by the settlers. Many of the Quinnipiac continued to live in the Annex until the tribe died out.
Sites: New Haven Harbor, Lighthouse Park, Tweed Airport, Saint Bernadette’s Church, Fort Hale Park, Sail New Haven, East Shore Park, Pardee Morris House and Forbes Market
(
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
, East Shore)
Fair Haven
Fair Haven is located along the Quinnipiac River and was originally called “Dragon Point” after the sea lions which originally inhabited it. It was historically a maritime community, home to the oystering business. A bridge eventually connected it to the rest of New Haven. In the 1930s the oyster fishing business relocated to Southern waters, and many Puerto Ricans and African-Americans moved in. However, there were few jobs, so the community deteriorated and people began moving away until recently. The area is now being rejuvenated. The population remains largely immigrant, though now it is mostly Hispanic. The inhabitants of Fair Haven are very proud of their neighborhood and are often investing time in improving it. Across the river is Fair Haven Heights, a more posh neighborhood with larger houses. The part of the neighborhood along the river is now considered historic and there is a lot of work being put into restoring the houses in that area.
Sites: Grand Avenue Bridge, Front Street Park, Ferraro’s Market, Fair Haven First Congregational Church, JUNTA, Catholic Churches (St. Rose, St. Francis and St. Donato) and Centro San Jose.
(http://www.juntainc.org/en/community/fairhaven.php and
Inside New Haven’s Neighborhoods
, Fair Haven)
There were HUGE changes in all of these neighborhoods during the administration of Dick Lee, who promised to “renew” the city. Many of the neighborhoods my students will be studying went through tremendous changes in the 1950s. I want students to be able to experience these tremendous changes through maps, oral histories and images of the neighborhoods throughout that time period.