The study of the history of New Haven is intriguing.
New Haven: a Guide to Architecture and Urban Design
by Elizabeth Mills Brown provides an authentic and fascinating look into the origin and growth of our city.
New Haven was founded in 1637 as both a Puritan community and a mercantile enterprise. It was the capital of an independent colony and had hopes of becoming an empire with a fortune being made in the beaver-skin trade. However, this did not happen. The merchants died or left. The poor people could not do much and New Haven lost its independence and became part of the Colony of Connecticut.
New Haven was far from the cities of New York and Boston. Life was poor. However in 1701, Yale College was founded and was the third College in America. New Haven had a bitter fight with Hartford but was finally chosen as the seat for this new college.
From 1750-1835, the city entered a period of prosperity as the port came back to life. In 1784, it was chartered as a city. “With the best harbor in western New England, it was soon a major port. At the same time, tanning and shoemaking flourished, and small shops making earrings and hardware began to appear.”
During the years of 1835-1860, New Haven became a manufacturing town. They made carriages, guns, rubber boats, clocks, and hardware. The leading figure at this time was James Brewster who built the first railroad to New Haven and did much to develop the city’s manufacturing ability. By 1860, New Haven was carriage maker to the world.
The Civil War was a disaster because most of the New Haven market was in the south. In 1873, New Haven lost its status as co-capital of Connecticut. Hartford was now the only capital of Connecticut.
1880-1929 saw New Haven become an industrial city. The Winchester Repeating Arms Co. located here. The railroads were consolidated into a single system with New haven as the head. The invention of the worlds first telephone exchange and the establishing of SNET and the development of Yale College to Yale University all contributed to making New Haven a boom town during these years. The city grew and expanded into the suburbs.
During 1929—the present, the problems of an American industrial city grew and took over the city. A great deal of time, money, and effort is being put into New Haven to reclaim and restore it. We need to seek varying ways and means of contributing to this effort.
The Augusta Troup school was built in 1924 and designed by Charles Scranton Palmer. It has large Tudor windows and patterned brick. It is an example of a widely used model for school design in the 1920’s.
As a culminating activity to this unit, I would have the students design an ornament or symbol that would be appropriate for Troup. They would need to designate a place where it could be used and the significance of its symbolism. It is hoped that this will fire them with love and enthusiasm for their school and neighborhood.