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I remember when my friend Dennis and I biked to Bee Bee Dairy to buy ice cream cones. We would rush out and cycle to Norwichtown Green and sit next to a tree to the east, eating the cones slowly but with big drops of melted ice cream on our shirts.
We would look at green spaces, talk about houses, not know what we were looking at. Coming home along the path through Mohegan Sun Park, I would ask one of our hosts, Mary, to give me some information about its history.
Mary, who was a secretary to the Norwich Treasurer, knew her history. She provided a booklet called “Notes on People and Places in the Old Town of Norwich, Connecticut,” produced for the town’s 250th anniversary in 1909. Rich content.
In 1659, a group of 35 English settlers relocated from Saybrook to begin a new chapter in their lives. The group leader was Major John Mason, who had purchased the land from Sachem of the Mohegan tribe of Ankas.
There was a deed at 9 Mile Square in Norwich, but it was lost. I found a copy with participant terms and signatures in a textbook from a few years ago.
Norwichtown Green is approximately 1.75 acres of lush green grass with a variety of trees lining the edges of the land. During the Revolutionary War, there was a Liberty Pole that served as an information area for the citizens of Norwich, where people could hear or read important news. Opposite the green is a very impressive building called the First Congregational Church, which today is located in the northwest corner area.
The white church was the fifth church built in the area. The first conference room was built in 1660 at the base of the conference room rock, which is where it got its name.
The second meeting room was built by carpenter John Elderkin in 1695 on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking Green above the site of the first meeting room.
In 1713, a new building was still erected on top of the windowsill. In 1753, a fourth church building was built at the base of the cliff.
Finally, a fifth church was built after a fire destroyed the fourth. This fifth church building was paid for through inscriptions (donations) and lottery tickets, a common way of raising funds during the colonial era, a process that continues into the 21st century.
A little fact that I found interesting is that the church has a pump organ powered by a stream that runs under the church and driven by a small waterwheel that powers the bellows. This is just another creative example of the Yankees’ ingenuity.
The houses and industries surrounding the green space demonstrate the perseverance of the colonists to survive and thrive.
Of the 37 buildings listed during the Revolutionary War, only 14 remain. Caning houses, prisons, courts and black powder stores are not included in the total razed.
Now, the whipping post is an interesting item on the town green. But we must remember that it was part of the religion of the early settlers. In the book “America’s Almanac,” according to the Connecticut Blue Law of 1650, there are some interesting examples of the Puritan view of life, such as:
“If any man or woman is a witch, i.e. possessing or consulting familiar spirits, they shall be put to death.” Exodus 22.18 or “If any man has a stubborn or rebellious son of sufficient understanding and years, ie. At sixteen years old, he does not listen to the voice of his father, and he does not listen to the voice of his mother… Such a son should be put to death.” – Deuteronomy 21:20-21.
More laws of their theocracy ended with the Puritans executing someone. Such laws were abandoned in the early 18th century.
One house on Elm Avenue is that of Sylvanus Jones. Known as the Connecticut Saltbox, the home consisted of a large single room originally built with a huge fireplace that could hold three to four feet of logs. The appearance of this structure is due to the shape of the commonly used wooden crate containers for salt.
This process is a cheaper way of building a home and allows for easy additional construction. The original main room was the parents’ bedroom, and the children slept on a platform in the rafters above. As the home gets bigger, more rooms will be connected to the pitched roof behind, giving the house the appearance of a ‘sloping’.
There are other examples around the green space for you to see and enjoy.
A few doors west of Jones’ home, you’ll notice Azariah Lathrop’s two-story home. The house has a classic gable roof architectural design, which can rain and snow due to the steep roof angles on all four sides.
The crest of the roof is located where the sides slope down to the uppermost wall. There are usually two variations, a steep slope and a slight slope towards the roof.
Another building found near Green is the Lord Tavern, next to McDonald’s on the corner of the New London Turnpike and Town Street. The owner, Eleazer Lord Jr., has served many attorneys who have been present at court.
The colonial-style building faces north and is known as the Compass House. The courthouse, which no longer stands, stands on the corner of the Green side of Elm Street and Town Street, across the street from the main offices of the Norwich Board of Education (the former John Mason School). The court later moved to Church Street.
The second building in the area is Diah Manning’s grey house on the corner of Olde Cemetery Lane. It has been vacant for years and seems to fulfill the idea of ​​the guardian of the ancient cemetery found at the end of the short driveway.
Jesse Brown’s Tavern is located two buildings east of the First Congregational Church. The long building is a curb for family off-road vehicles and intercity and city coaches. It is also used as a tavern. A lot of people eat there and it is said that the food here is very good.
It is known that President John Adams and his wife Abigail Adams dined there. Many other notable people like to eat there, such as Samuel Huntington. The roadside/bistro changed hands several times before finally being given to United Workers as an outcast home for underprivileged children in Norwich. It’s called Rock Corner.
For your information, please note the beautiful wall hanging picture to the left of the entrance to the Norwich City Clerk’s Office at Norwich City Hall. This photograph of Norwichtown Green was painted by renowned artist Thomas Nast, who worked in New York, where he painted many political cartoons about New York City’s corruption and industrial problems.
Also, check out Norwich’s various resources on the internet. You might be surprised by what you see.
There is a great information centre on the green that will add to the experience of travelling through the centuries old Norwich town and Norwich city. Please take the time to explore the wonders of our city. Worth the time and effort.
Bill Shannon is a retired Norwich Public School teacher and a lifelong resident of Norwich.
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