EAST BRIDGEPORT.
ANOTHER NEW HOME--LINDENCROFT--PROGRESS OF MY PET CITY--THE
CHESTNUT WOOD FIRE--HOW IT BECAME OLD HICKORY--INDUCEMENTS TO
SETTLERS--MY OFFER--EVERY MAN HIS OWN HOUSE-OWNER--WHISKEY AND
TOBACCO--RISE IN REAL-ESTATE--PEMBROKE LAKE--WASHINGTON PARK--GREAT
MANUFACTORIES--WHEELER AND WILSON--SCHUYLER, HARTLEY AND
GRAHAM--HOTCHKISS, SON AND COMPANY--STREET NAMES--MANY THOUSAND
SHADE TREES--BUSINESS IN THE NEW CITY--UNPARALLELED GROWTH AND
PROSPERITY--PROBABILITIES IN THE FUTURE--SITUATION OF
BRIDGEPORT--ITS ADVANTAGES AND PROSPECTS--THE SECOND, IF NOT THE
FOREMOST CITY IN CONNECTICUT.
For nearly five years my family had been knocked about, the sport of
adverse fortune, without a settled home. Sometimes we boarded, and at
other times we lived in a small hired house. Two of my daughters were
married, and my youngest daughter, Pauline, was away at boarding school.
The health of my wife was much impaired, and she especially needed a
fixed residence which she could call “home.” Accordingly, in 1860, I
built a pleasant house adjoining that of my daughter Caroline, in
Bridgeport, and one hundred rods west of the grounds of Iranistan. I had
originally a tract of twelve acres, but half of it had been devoted to
my daughter, and on the other half I now proposed to establish my own
residence. To prepare the site it was necessary to cart in several
thousands of loads of dirt to fill up the hollow and to make the broad,
beautiful lawn, in the centre of which I erected the new house, and
after supplying the place with fountains, shrubbery, statuary and all
that could adorn it, I named my new home “Lindencroft.” It was, in
truth, a very delightful place, complete and convenient in all respects,
and there is scarcely a more beautiful residence in Bridgeport now.
Meanwhile, my pet city, East Bridgeport, was progressing with giant
strides. The Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine manufactory had been
quadrupled in size, and employed about a thousand workmen. Numerous
other large factories had been built, and scores of first-class houses
were erected, besides many neat, but smaller and cheaper houses for
laborers and mechanics. That piece of property, which, but eight years
before, had been farm land, with scarcely six houses upon the whole
tract, was now a beautiful new city, teeming with busy life, and looking
as neat as a new pin. The greatest pleasure which I then took, or even
now take, was in driving through those busy streets, admiring the
beautiful houses and substantial factories, with their thousands of
prosperous workmen, and reflecting that I had, in so great a measure,
been the means of adding all this life, bustle and wealth to the City of
Bridgeport. And reflection on this subject only confirmed in my mind the
great doctrine of compensations. How plain was it in my case, that an
“apparent evil” was a “blessing in disguise!” How palpable was it now,
that, had it not been for the clock failure, this prosperity could not
have existed here. An old citizen of Bridgeport used to say to me, when,
a few years before, he had noticed my zeal in trying to build up the
east side:
“Mr. Barnum, your contemplated new city is like a fire made with
chestnut wood; it burns so long as you keep blowing it, and when you
stop, it goes out!”
I like, now-a-days to laugh at him about his “chestnut wood fire.” Of
course, I did blow the fire in all possible ways, but the result proved
that the wood which fed the fire was not chestnut, but the best and
soundest old hickory. The situation was everything that could be
desired, and I knew that in order to induce manufacturers to establish
their business in the new city, a prime requisite was the advantage I
could offer to employers, agents and workmen, to secure good and cheap
homes in the vicinity of their place of labor. To show the method I
adopted to secure this end, I copy from the files of the Bridgeport
_Standard_, an offer which I made, and the editorial comment thereon.
This offer, I may add, was not so much for the purpose of blowing the
fire, which was already fairly roaring with a lively blaze, as for the
sake of helping those who were willing to help themselves, and, at the
same time, contribute to my happiness, as well as their own, by
forwarding the growth of the new city.
“NEW HOUSES IN EAST BRIDGEPORT.
“EVERY MAN TO OWN THE HOUSE HE LIVES IN.
“There is a demand at the present moment for two hundred more
dwelling-houses in East Bridgeport. It is evident that if the money
expended in rent can be paid towards the purchase of a house and
lot, the person so paying will in a few years own the house he
lives in, instead of always remaining a tenant. In view of this
fact, I propose to loan money at six per cent to any number, not
exceeding fifty, industrious, temperate and respectable
individuals, who desire to build their own houses.
“They may engage their own builders, and build according to any
reasonable plan (which I may approve), or I will have it done for
them at the lowest possible rate, without a farthing profit to
myself or agent, I putting the lot at a fair price and advancing
eighty per cent of the entire cost; the other party to furnish
twenty per cent in labor, material or money, and they may pay me in
small sums weekly, monthly or quarterly, any amount not less than
three per cent per quarter, all of which is to apply on the money
advanced until it is paid.
“It has been ascertained that by purchasing building materials for
cash, and in large quantities, nice dwellings, painted and
furnished with green blinds, can be erected at a cost of $1,500 or
$1,800, for house, lot, fences, etc., all complete, and if six or
eight friends prefer to join in erecting a neat block of houses
with verandas in front, the average cost need not exceed about
$1,300 per house and lot. If, however, some parties would prefer a
single or double house that would cost $2,500 to $3,000, I shall be
glad to meet their views.
P. T. BARNUM.
“February 16, 1864.”
The editor of the _Standard_ printed the following upon my announcement:
“AN ADVANTAGEOUS OFFER.--We have read with great pleasure Mr.
Barnum’s advertisement, offering assistance to any number of
persons, not exceeding fifty, in the erection of dwelling houses.
This plan combines all the advantages and none of the objections of
Building Associations. Any individual who can furnish in cash,
labor, or material, one-fifth only of the amount requisite for the
erection of a dwelling house, can receive the other four-fifths
from Mr. Barnum, rent his house and by merely paying what may be
considered as only a fair rent for a few years, find himself at
last the owner, and all further payments cease. In the mean time,
he can be making such inexpensive improvements in his property as
would greatly improve its market value, and besides have the
advantage of any rise in the value of real estate. It is not often
that such a generous offer is made to working men. It is a loan on
what would be generally considered inadequate security, at six per
cent, at a time when a much better use of money can be made by any
capitalist. It is therefore generous. Mr. Barnum may make money by
the operation. Very well, perhaps he will, but if he does, it will
be by making others richer, not poorer; by helping those who need
assistance, not by hindering them, and we can only wish that every
rich man would follow such a noble example, and thus, without
injury to themselves, give a helping hand to those who need it.
Success to the enterprise. We hope that fifty men will be found
before the week ends, each of whom desires in such a manner to
obtain a roof which he can call his own.”
Quite a number of men at once availed themselves of my offer, and
eventually succeeded in paying for their homes without much effort. I am
sorry to add, that rent is still paid, month after month, by many men
who would long ago have owned neat homesteads, free from all
incumbrances, if they had accepted my proposals and had signed and kept
the temperance pledge, and given up the use of tobacco. The money they
have since expended for whiskey and tobacco, would have given them a
house of their own, if the money had been devoted to that object, and
their positions, socially and morally, would have been far better than
they are to-day. How many infatuated men there are in all parts of the
country, who could now be independent, and even owners of their own
carriages, but for their slavery to these miserable habits!
I built a number of houses to let, in order to accommodate those who
were unable to buy. I find this the most unpleasant part of my
connection with the new city. The interest on the investment, the taxes,
repairs, wear and tear, and insurance render tenant-houses the most
unprofitable property to own; besides which the landlord is often looked
upon by the tenants as an overbearing, grasping man and one whose
property it is their highest duty to injure as much as possible; for all
concerned therefore, it is much better that every person should somehow
manage to own the roof he sleeps under. Men are more independent and
feel happier who live in their own houses; they keep the premises in
neater order, and they make better citizens. Hence I always encourage
poor people to become householders if possible, for I find that
oftentimes when they have lived long in one of my houses they think it
very hard if the property is not given to them. They argue that the
landlord is rich and would never feel the loss of one little place, not
stopping to consider that the aggregate of a great many “little places”
thus given away would make the landlord poor,--nor would the tenants be
benefited so much by homes that were given to them as they would by
homes that were the fruits of their own industry and economy.
The land in East Bridgeport was originally purchased by me at from $50
to $75, and from those sums to $300 per acre; and the average cost of
all I bought on that side of the river was $200 per acre. Some portions
of this land are now assessed in the Bridgeport tax-list at from $3,000
to $4,000 per acre. At the time I joined Mr. Noble in this enterprise,
the site we purchased was not a part of the City of Bridgeport. It is
now, however, a most important section of the city, and the three
bridges connecting the two banks of the river, and originally chartered
as toll-bridges, have been bought by the city and thrown open as free
highways to the public. A horse railroad, in which I took one-tenth part
of the stock, connects the two portions of the city, extending westerly
beyond Iranistan and Lindencroft, while a branch road runs to the
beautiful “Sea-side Park” on the Sound shore.
The eastern line of East Bridgeport, when I first purchased so large a
portion of the property, was bounded by a long, narrow swale or valley
of salt meadow, through which a small stream passed, and which was
flooded with salt water at every tide. At considerable expense, I
erected a dam at the foot of this meadow, and thus converted this
heretofore filthy, repulsive, mosquito-inhabited and malaria-breeding
marsh into a charming sheet of water, which is now known as Pembroke
Lake. If this improvement had not been made, in all probability the
eastern portion of my property would never have been devoted to dwelling
houses; as it is, Barnum Street has been extended by means of a bridge
across the lake, and the eastern shore is already studded with houses.
The land on that side of the lake lies in the town of Stratford, and the
growth of the new settlement promises to be as rapid as that of East
Bridgeport.
General Noble, in laying out the first portion of our new city, named
several streets after members of his own family, and also of mine.
Hence, we have a “Noble” Street--and a noble street it is; a “Barnum”
Street; while other streets are named “William,” from Mr. Noble;
“Harriet,” the Christian name of Mrs. Noble; “Hallett,” the maiden name
of my wife; and “Caroline,” “Helen,” and “Pauline,” the names of my
three daughters. There is also the “Barnum School District” and
school-house; so that it seems as if, for a few scores of years at
least, posterity would know who were the founders of the new,
flourishing and beautiful city. We have yet another enduring and
ever-growing monument in the many thousands of trees which we set out
and which now line and gratefully shade the streets of East Bridgeport.
Figures can scarcely give an appreciable idea of the rapid growth and
material prosperity of this important portion of the City of Bridgeport;
but the city records show that my first purchase of land on that side of
the river was appraised in the Bridgeport assessment list, in October,
1851, at $36,000, while in July, 1859, the same real estate, with
improvements, less the Washington Park, the Public School lot in Barnum
District, the land for streets, and four church lots, was valued in the
city assessment list at $1,200,000. When we bought the property there
were but six old farm houses on the entire tract, when the centre bridge
was built and opened. Now there are on the same land hundreds of
dwelling-houses, some of them as fine as any in the State. Three
handsome churches, Methodist, Episcopal and Congregational, front on the
beautiful Washington Park of seven acres, which Mr. Noble and myself
presented to the city, and which would be worth $100,000 to-day for
building lots. This pleasant park is enclosed by a substantial iron
fence, and contains a fine, natural grove of full-grown trees, while the
surrounding streets are lined with charming residences, and, on one or
more evenings in the week during the summer, the city band, or the
Wheeler & Wilson band, plays in the Park for the amusement and benefit
of the citizens of East Bridgeport.
Some of the largest and most prosperous manufactories in the United
States are located in the new city. Among these are the Wheeler & Wilson
Sewing Machine Manufactories, which cover four entire squares, with
fire-proof buildings, are rapidly extending, and employ more than one
thousand operators; the Howe Sewing Machine Factory is also an immense
edifice, employing nearly the same number of men; Schuyler, Hartley,
Graham & Company’s great cartridge and ammunition works, almost supply
the armies of the world with the means of destruction; besides these,
the Winchester Arms Manufactory for making the “twenty-shooter
breech-loader”; a large brass manufactory; an immense hat manufactory;
and Hotchkiss, Sons & Company’s Hardware Manufactory, are among the more
prominent establishments, and other and like concerns are constantly
adding. Indeed, at this time (1869) one-fourth of the population and
three-fourths of the manufacturing capital and business of Bridgeport
are located on the east side within limits which, in 1850, contained
only six old farm houses.
The following details respecting the business of some of the largest
establishments will give an idea of the manufacturing industries of East
Bridgeport. The Wheeler and Wilson Manufacturing Company employ more
than $4,000,000 in their business. Their employees number ten hundred,
and they manufacture an average of three hundred sewing machines per
day; the total number of machines manufactured up to July 1, 1869, is
over four hundred thousand, and the factories cover six and one-half
acres of ground. The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, Messrs. Schuyler,
Hartley, Graham & Co., have a capital of $350,000, employ two hundred
and fifty men, and manufacture cartridges and primers of Berdan’s patent
military and sporting caps, and elastic gun waddings, at the rate of
1,000,000 cartridges, 720,000 primers, and 720,000 caps per week, and to
July 1, 1869, they had manufactured 50,000,000 cartridges. The
Bridgeport Brass Company employ two hundred men, have a capital of
$150,000, and manufacture rolled brass wire and tubing, kerosene
burners, lamp goods, corset steels, oil cans, etc., and roll and use in
these goods 1,000,000 pounds of brass a year. The Winchester Arms
Company have a capital of $450,000, employ three hundred men, and
manufacture the Winchester rifle, cartridges and ammunition. The Howe
Machine Company have a capital of $300,000, employ five hundred men, and
manufacture sewing machines at the rate of one hundred and fifty per
day. Messrs. Hotchkiss and Sons, with a capital of $162,500, and one
hundred and twenty-five men, manufacture hardware, currycombs, game
traps, and harness snaps to the amount of $20,000 per month. The
Bridgeport Manufacturing Company, with fifty men, and a capital of
$300,000, manufacture the American submerged pump. The Odorless Rubber
Company, with fifty men, and $200,000 capital, manufacture soft rubber
goods, hose, clothing, etc. The American Silver Steel Company,
manufacture steel from the Mine Hill, Roxbury, Connecticut, Spathic
ore, and employ two hundred and fifty men, and a capital of $500,000.
Messrs. Glover Sanford and Sons, employ two hundred and fifty men, and
manufacture two hundred and fifty dozen wool hats per day. The New York
Tap and Die Company, with a capital of $150,000, and one hundred men,
manufacture taps, dies, drills, bits, etc. These companies thus employ
about six and one-half millions in capital, and nearly twenty-seven
hundred men, and expend more than $2,000,000 a year in wages to the
operatives.
In addition, there are several substantial brick blocks devoted to
business; there are book stores, drug stores, dry goods stores, jewelry
stores, boot and shoe shops and stores, tailoring and furnishing
establishments, more than twenty grocery stores, six meat markets, three
fish markets, coal, wood, lumber and brick yards, steam flouring mills,
and a large brick hotel. The water and gas supplies are the same as
those afforded on the other side of the river. It is quite within the
bounds of probability that in the course of twenty years, the east side
will contain the larger proportion of the inhabitants. A post-office and
a railway station will soon be built on that side of the river. A new
iron bridge is about to connect the two parts of the city, affording
additional facilities for inter-communication. In 1868, March 2, a
special committee of the Common Council reported the census of the City
of Bridgeport as follows: First ward, 7,397; Second ward, 4,237; Third
ward, East Bridgeport, 5,497; total, 17,131. In this enumeration, our
new city contained nearly one-third of the entire population, and its
increase since has been far more rapid than that of any other part of
Bridgeport.
The entire City of Bridgeport is advancing in population and prosperity
with a rapidity far beyond that of any other city in Connecticut, and
everything indicates that it will soon take its proper position as the
second, if not the first, city in the State. Its situation as the
terminus of the Naugatuck and the Housatonic railways, its accessibility
to New York, with its two daily steamboats to and from the metropolis,
and its dozen daily trains of the New York and Boston and Shore Line
railways, are all elements of prosperity which are rapidly telling in
favor of this busy, beautiful and charming city.