NICHOLSON MILK AND THE GREAT FLU STRIKES DANBURY

As the Coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, hatcitydiggers.com looks back at the impact a much worst pandemic had on Danbury and Nicholson Dairy over one hundred years ago.

Danbury in the early 20th century had countless milk dealers. Many of these firms were cottage industries. That is to say, small dairies operating out of homes in Danbury’s rural areas and districts. These dairy owners delivered milk every morning to a small cache of costumers throughout town by horse and wagon or light truck. Sometimes they made just enough money to get by usually competition drove them out of business. Lester Nicholson was one of these small milk dealers. However, Nicholson’s story goes beyond milk. In the fall of 1918, the Danbury Fair was gearing up to open. However, according to Michelle Amundsen Collections Manager for Danbury Museum, this never happened and that fall all of Danbury’s health resources were stretched to their limits and Nicholson’s own wife would die from the epidemic that was not only gripping Danbury but the entire world in 1918- the Great Flu.

EARLY YEARS MARRAGE, THE MILK BUSINESS

Lester Nicholson was born on July 4, 1869 in Rutland Massachusetts to John and Delia Nicholson. Mary his wife, a New Fairfield native, was born in 1874. In April of 1897 the couple married he was 27 Mary was 22. At the turn of the century, Lester found work at a dairy delivering milk to homes in the Danbury area. He likely developed knowledge of day-to-day dairy operations from this experience. In the 1910s at nearly 50 Lester made the leap from employee to owner when he began operating his own dairy, which was located on land he mortgaged on Padanaram Rd in rural Danbury. Although we don’t know how successful Lester was as a dairyman, Danbury City Directories lists his occupation as “milk dealer” for about four years from 1917 -1921. It was during this short time Lester was in the milk profession that tragedy impacted his family.

PANDEMIC STRIKES DANBURY, THE LOSS OF MARY

In 1918 WWI was still raging in Europe but it wasn’t the war that impacted the Nicholson family. A month before the armistice Lester’s wife Mary died unexpectedly. That October the worst influenza outbreak in modern history reached Connecticut. Danbury was hit hard newspaper accounts tell us Danbury Hospital’s resources were stretched to the breaking point “Charles A. Mallory president of the hospital said that the demands being made upon the institution under existing conditions are taxing its facilities [there is a] shortage of help in some of the departments [that puts] extra work upon the members of the present force of employees.” Because of the epidemic, Danbury Hospital set up a temporary emergency hospital on Town hill Ave. As each day progressed officials reported. more cases of flu Dr. G. E. Lemmer Danbury Health Officer reported in the Danbury Evening News 124 new cases. The total cases for the second week in October were 1274. Checking death records hatcitydiggers.com discovered a grim statistic large numbers of Danburians died from the flu from October to January with a spike in deaths in October and a spike in January when the epidemic struck again. According to a Danbury Evening News report the state was in desperate need of health professionals during this time mainly nurses to help with the sick. It was at the height of this epidemic in October that Mary Nicholson became ill alarmingly it took only five days for her to die proof of the virulence of the 1918 flu. We are unsure if the disease impacted the rest of Mary’s family. Lester and his two daughters may have become ill but simply recovered. Why some people died and others lived is unknown. But what is known is the 1918 flu killed young people at a shocking rate. Of the over 130 deaths in Danbury from the flu in October through January most appear to have been between the ages of 18 to 45 years old. Death records also tell danburians were also dying from complications associated from the Great Flu such as the on-set of lung infections like pneumonia. In the end, over 195000 Americans died from the flu in October and by the end of the flu season, 500,000 Americans had died. 30 to 50 million would die worldwide. There were more deaths from the 1918 flu than in WWI and WWII combined.

LESTER’S LIFE AFTER THE GREAT FLU

A few years after Mary’s death, Lester remarried. For a time Lester worked at various jobs. Danbury City Directories tell us he worked in the laundry business and as a “fish and Oyster” dealer. Eventually, Lester found a job working for Archer Huntington of Bethel. For 17 years Lester worked as a houseman at the Huntington estate on Sunset Hill Rd in Bethel, Ct. In 1958 Lester became ill and in March of that year, he died. He was 88 Mary Nicholson was only 44 when she died. She is buried in Wooster Cemetery with her husband. The bottle above is a rare Nicholson Milk that we discovered over the summer

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS: DICK AND VOGEL, THE LIQUOR HEARINGS AND DISASTER AT CARNEY’S CROSSING

On a cold December morning, Louis Dick was returning home in his rented delivery truck to his cattle and dairy farm on Great Pasture Rd. As he crossed the train tracks, near the Danbury/ Bethel border he had only seconds to react as a train barreled down on him. A few years earlier Dick’s career was that of saloonkeeper. But in 1910, Danbury’s clean up movement began to show its teeth, the liquor firm of Dick and Vogel was besieged on White St -the powers that be determined to close the firm. It was a battle Louis Dick and Abraham Vogel ultimately would lose. The testimony at the liquor hearing by several Danbury cops was damning to the firm’s reputation even though the captain on the Danbury police force admitted he patronized the saloon regularly, nevertheless, with the demise of Dick and Vogel’s liquor firm Louis Dick was forced to make other choices, choices that eventfully lead to a showdown with an oncoming locomotive at Carney’s Crossing.

SETTING THE STAGE

By the early 1900s, Danbury had acquired a reputation as a hard-drinking town with almost as many saloons as hat factories. Danbury’s White St was the center of the town’s liquor trade. On any given day- except Sunday- and at the time even that rule was bent – White St was a bustle with activity with nearly a dozen saloons lining the street like a gauntlet against sobriety. But the new century saw the temperance movement gain more and more steam and soon the movement had gained power and influence in the state and the city A year after Dick and Vogel open for business The Bridgeport Harold reported Mayor Gilbert of Danbury had made up his mind to clean up Danbury ” He has tackled a pretty hard proposition,” said the Harold in a July 7, 1907 story, “but he is determined and keeps on his job all the time and soon Danbury will be as dry as the inside of a lime kiln.” Mayor Gilbert’s resolve was bolstered by legislation in Hartford. In May 1907 a bill was put before the House. This bill required the licensing of saloons according to population and that the renewal fee for a license be $1000 a year. In addition, another bill in the House would require saloons to remove their screens. Saloon keepers covered their widows in their saloons. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Dick and Vogel. Both bills passed.

DICK AND VOGEL OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Sources differ but land records report that in 1906 the businessmen rented the building at 86 -88 White St from Oscar Meeker.∗ The previous tenants Henry Dick (Louis’ brother) and Samuel Hornig had vacated the site sometime earlier and Meeker was looking for a tenant. Dick and Vogel’s establishment was located just across the bridge that crossed the Still River In the back of the establishment was the Dick and Vogel package store. (Land records also tell us the pair ran a business on Ives St. as well) In 1909 several saloonkeeper’s licenses came up for renewal including Dick and Vogel’s and that’s when the legal trouble began for the firm. Since opening their saloon on White St, Dick and Vogel’s establishment had gained an unsavory reputation only exceeded by notorious saloonkeeper Frank Rotello.

LIQUOR HEARINGS

As the winter progressed, the state began holding liquor hearings in Danbury. The commission could deny or approve a saloon’s license. Since the commission’s creation, saloons throughout the state battled to stay open. Now the commission had its sites on Danbury. On a cold February morning, the liquor hearing in the case of Dick and Vogel commenced at the Danbury County Court House. Representing the defense were two well-known Danbury men Judge Eugene C. Dempsey who was elected associate judge of the city court in 1895 and Attorney Henry A. Purdy- a graduate of the Albany Law School. The Remonstrants was lead by Col. Joseph Moss Ives an ardent Christian, an attorney for the Judge Advocate General and brother of Danbury’s favorite son, composer Charles Edward Ives, his partner, Stiles Judson, was a Connecticut senator from the 25thdistrict. The first witnesses to take the stand that day for the Remonstrants were two Danbury police officers, James I. Turner and Edward Streaman.

THE TESTIMONY

The Danbury Evening News covered the hearings extensively and the facts we’ve learned come from this paper’s reporting. Officer Streaman was the first witness. At first, it appeared Streaman’s testimony would benefit the defense. Streaman said that “conditions in front of Dick and Vogel’s place were not as bad as at saloons on the other side of the street because it was farther from the street line,” however, as his testimony continued, Streaman began painting an unsavory picture of Dick and Vogel’s clientele “…many of the people who hang out there are frequenters of the city court.” Streaman said, “In the summertime there are many bums who hang out in front of that place, who solicit money and then spend it there.” Streaman also testified that he arrested several women for loitering at Dick and Vogel’s saloon. He also reported that Mr. Dick “objected to his taking the women out of his saloon and interfering with his business.” Under cross-examination office, Streaman admitted he was never called to arrest Louis Dick or Abraham Vogel. The defense cross-examined Streaman about the women- in- the- saloon issue at length. “Did you even see a woman in Dick and Vogel’s barroom?” asked Judge Dempsey.

“No, only in the wholesale department.” Replied Streaman.

“You did not see any indications that these women of whom you speak had been sitting around a table and drinking?”

“There were empty glasses on a tray which was on a whiskey barrel,” said Streaman.

“You don’t know what these women went to the saloon for…?”

“No.”

” Don’t you think that would have been a fair and reasonable question to ask?”

Streaman told the court that it wasn’t necessary

”You prefer to come down here and infer that they were in there for improper purposes?” At this point, Streaman became angry and replied ” I’m not inferring anything. I am testifying to the facts as I know them.”

(During the 19thand early 20thcenturies women were not allowed in saloons. It was only during prohibition that the practice became acceptable.)

Judge Dempsey then asked officer Streaman if he was ever “called into Dick and Vogel’s to suppress a riot. “No,” replied Streaman, “he (Louis Dick) generally threw them out into the street for us to take care of.”

Also during the morning hearing testimony by Officer James I. Turner was taken into record he said that he had “frequently seen women enter [Dick and Vogel’s] saloon- mostly colored women.” Turner also testified he considered Dick and Vogel’s saloon to be the “worst [place] on White Street in the matter of crowds and loitering.” Likewise, Turner said that the proprietors (Dick and Vogel) “objected to the officers [removing women from the] saloon saying that it interfered with their business. Turner said that “He [also] had seen men come out of the saloon and drop-down drunk on the door sill.” Under cross-examination officer, Turner admitted he was never called to arrest Mr. Dick or Mr. Vogel for any violation of the law. A week later on February, 12ththe testimony continued. According to the Danbury Evening News “[t] he first witness of the day for the remonstrants … was John McBriety, a ten year old newsboy who testified that he was sent to Dick and Vogel’s in the fall of 1908 with a note and was given a bottle of whiskey to carry to a relative who sent him on an errand.” Johnny testified that a bottle washer at the back of the saloon gave him the bottle. Judge Dempsey cross-examined the boy who said he went to the establishment a “second time and was refused.” Also on the 12ththe defense presented witnesses to the commissioners as rebuttals to the Remonstrants charges several witnesses came forward during this session with reports that Dick and Vogel ran a reputable well-respected business. According to the Evening News William H. Greeley, Dick and Vogel’s landlord* made one of the best witnesses for the defense. Mr. Greeley said that “[He] had the occasion to go to his business place once a month to collect the rent. He said, “he had never seen anything objectionable about the place and considered it the equal of any in the neighborhood.” During the day other witnesses came forward with similar stories. However, one of the most damning admissions against the Remonstrants: Senator Judson and Col Ives came from the captain of the Danbury Police force, David Bradley. During the cross-examination, the commission learned that Capt. Bradley was a regular patron of Dick and Vogel’s saloon.

“’You are a customer of Dick and Vogel’s are you not’ asked Judge Dempsey” “Yes,” said Bradley. “You’ve patronized them for years haven’t you- when you were off duty of course.” “I never bought a drink there in my life,” said Capt. Bradley. “ I have bought whiskey in the bottle for use of my family.” said Bradley “Why did you go there to buy of a place which you are now trying to put out of business?” asked Judge Dempsey. “I went there because I could buy Old Crowe whiskey for 90 cents when it cost $1.35 in every other place in the city,” said Capt. Bradley. On February 14ththe Dick and Vogel’s hearing concluded. A month later on March 27th the commission reached a decision and Dick and Vogel learned what they may have already known- their license would not be renewed. We are not sure how the saloon keepers felt but as the 1910s drew on one of the pair started an entirely new career while the other remained in the liquor trade.

LIFE AFTER THE LIQUOR HEARINGS

According to Danbury Land Records Louis Dick sold the liquor business on Ives St. to his partner Abraham Vogel in 1911. In 1913 Abraham Vogel opened another saloon at a different location in Danbury. Louis Dick’s plans were much different than Vogel’s. Like his brother, Harry, Louis Dick may have seen the writing on the wall as to the eventual demise of the liquor trade. A few years before prohibition Louis Dick turned his talents to a softer drink- milk. And at the end of the decade, Louis started a farm with 10 cows on Great Pasture Rd. Louis, however, did not stay in the milk trade long. According to Danbury City Directories Louis’ trade was cattle dealer in 1919. Likely the business drew Dick away from the farm to run errands. Dick returned home using South St. At the intersection he crossed the train tracks onto Great Pasture Rd. He probably did this without incident dozens and dozens of times during the course of his career as a milk and cattle dealer. What exactly was Louis’ mindset on December 17th1919 will never be known? But a misjudgment as he turned from South St on to Great Pasture Rd cost him his life.

This damaged bottle (above) possibly is the only known example of a Louis Dick milk.

DISASTER AT CARNEY’S CROSSING

In the morning hours of Dec 17thLouis Dick finished errands he had in town and headed home down South St toward his farm on Great Pasture Rd. Heading to Danbury from South Norwalk, the New York, New Haven and Hartford passenger train was running late and moving very fast. When Dick was crossing the tracks at the South St and Great Pasture Rd intersection, he saw the train barreling down on him and according to reports in the Danbury paper Louis Dick swerved to try and avoid it by running his light delivery vehicle along the tracks but the car skidded on the icy road and “[t] he step of the tank of the locomotive struck the automobile.” As the train raced by, the force of the crash threw Louis Dick from the delivery car. According to The Danbury Evening News, Louis struck the ground a considerable distance away. The train stopped a few hundred feet away and “trainmen and passengers hurried back to the scene of the accident. They found Dick lying along the tracks in grave condition.” His skull was fractured and he had compound fractures of both legs but he was conscious. The passengers and trainmen covered Dick with a blanket (or placed him on a blanket depending on reports) and headed back to the train the locomotive then moved on to the Danbury station. Before the train left the conductor, Frank T. Manent telephoned the police about the accident. The police arrived 15 minutes later. In the squad car was Capt. Bradley and Patrolman Streamen two of the police officers who testified for the remonstrants at Dick and Vogel’s liquor hearing years early. Bradley and Streaman learned the ambulance from Danbury Hospital was not working so the policemen placed Louis Dick in the patrol car and took him to Danbury Hospital. Doctors and staff did their best according to the Danbury Evening News but at 11 pm that night Louis Dick died of his injuries. He was 44.

THE INQUEST

On December 20th Coroner John J. Phelan held an inquest into the accident at Carney’s Crossing. One of the most important questions the inquest had to answer was why Louis Dick had not seen the train? Carney’s Crossing in 1919 had an unobstructed view in both directions for almost half a mile. Another issue of importance was why the train crew hadn’t placed Louis Dick on board the train and taken him to the station. According to The Danbury Evening News “A number of new facts in relation to the accident were brought out” during the inquiry. Attending the inquiry was Henry Dick Louis’ brother. The Danbury Evening News reported that members of the train crew explained to Henry Dick why Louis was left at the scene. It was the company’s policy that if an ambulance can be secured it was the company’s rules not to move the injured person more then necessary. If the train crew brought him on board the train he would have been moved a number of times rather than twice if taken by the ambulance or in this case the police car. According to The Danbury Evening News Louis’ brother felt different about the matter after the explanation. Beyond the train crew’s explanation the matter of why Louis Dick had not seen the approaching train needed to be resolved. Only one man saw the accident when it happened Raymond Wilmot a motorman for the Danbury and Bethel Street Railway Co. The Danbury Evening News reported the trolley was heading into Bethel and was “some distance from Carney’s Crossing.” According to Wilmot Louis Dick was not traveling any faster than 6 miles an hour that was the speed of the trolley said Wilmont and the trolley kept its distance without gaining on Dick’s car. Wilmont saw Dick turn onto Great Pasture Rd then swerve in the direction of the train trying to avoid it. “He did not drive into the train nor did the train hit the machine squarely,” Wilmont said. According to Wilmont the engine past before the train struck the car and in his opinion, Dick did not see the train as he turned onto Great Pasture Rd. Finally according to the Danbury Evening News Coroner Phelan made no definite announcement as to his conclusions from the testimony but his opinion was one that the train crew was not at fault and Louis Dick did not give proper attention when he reached the crossing. Why Dick was distracted will never be known but the road itself and the mechanics of the car may have also contributed to the accident. Frank Rowley, a witness who lived on Great Pasture Rd, said he heard the train blow its whistle and he noticed the marks where the machine had skidded. And he could see that the brakes were applied. he also testified “that there was a downgrade from the main highway to the railroad tracks and that the road was snowy and icy.” Braking wasn’t as effective in early twenty-century cars. Today’s modern vehicles have anti-lock braking systems and disc brakes which are much more effective at stopping a vehicle. Dick’s car had an archaic and ineffective braking system. If Dick’s vehicle had a modern braking system he may have been able to stop- considering that the testimony of trolley motorman Wilmont is accurate- in that the car was going no more than 6 miles an hour- barely a crawl by today’s standards. However, if the road was covered in ice and snow as reports indicate Dick likely would not have been able to stop with any braking system since there is no stopping a vehicle once it has encountered ice especially on a downgrade.

ABRAHAM VOGEL

Because of the accident, we know much more about Louis Dick than his partner Abraham Vogel we searched death records, land records, probate court records but found no information on Vogel. After the 1910s, the last entry in the Danbury City Directories for Abraham Vogel was 1922 his occupation is listed as shoe dealer. From the lack of death and probate court records, Abraham may have moved out of the area. Where he moved is anyone’s guess.

FINALLY

Today the name Carney’s Crossing is forgotten but the downgrade still exists and signs warn motorists not to stop on the tracks.

Carney’s Crossing, as it appears today, still has the grade in the road when you turn from South St to Great Pasture Rd.

∗Land records show Oscar Meeker was Dick and Vogel’s landlord. However, The Danbury Evening News reports that William H. Greeley was the liquor dealers’ landlord.

THE DEAN OF DANBURY DRUGGISTS

RARE NORTHROP DRUGS NURSER, CA 1910s DEPENDING ON CONDITION VALUE $5 To $10

During 52 years of business Henry Eugene Northrop never missed a day sick at his beloved pharmacy and he never took a vacation, oh except for that one time- when he got married. Henry was born in Brookfield, Ct on November 27, 1859, to Amos Wilkes Northrop and Marian Smith Northrop. As a young adult, Herny took up the shoemaking trade and apprenticed as a shoemaker in Brockton, Mass. According to the Danbury New-Times for July 8, 1928 “…it was shortly after this that he came to Danbury and took a position as a drug clerk in the store of Howard Smith. Why the sudden change in careers is unknown but in 1891 Henry went from store clerk to pharmacist. He then bought the store of Charles Halstead. For years Henry’s pharmacy was located in the Masonic Temple building on Main St. Even after a fire in 1917 Henry rebuilt and continued business in the temple building until 1928 when the business moved. In the late 1930s, Henry was stricken with coronary thrombosis, which according to the News-Times “…confined him to the hospital for two weeks.” It was the first time the Dean of Danbury Druggist as the paper called him had missed work in years. Henry regained his strength and returned to work but “…because of ill health,” The News-Times reported “[Henry sold the firm] to James McCollum and Howard Mignerey.” Henry worked for them after the sale. Henry, ever diligent, worked until the end a few hours before he became ill for the second time. Henry performed his last act at the store when he turned over his stock of narcotics to the state commissioner. The Dean of Danbury Druggists, one of the last old school pharmacist in the city died in Danbury Hospital July 7, 1938, he was 78 years old. Henry is buried in Danbury’s historic Wooster Cemetery.

WORKED TO DEATH, THE DEMISE OF JOHN A. MCPHELEMY

RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, $16 TO $35

John A. McPhelemy- one of Danbury’s best know businessmen- sold all his business interests and left the Hat City for Massachusetts and life on the farm. But did the vim and vigor of a ” strenuous life” promoted so vehemently by Teddy Roosevelt help kill the well-known Danbury businessman? John was born in Oakland Cal. While still a child, John moved to Danbury and attended Danbury schools. After school, John worked as a clerk and salesman then entered employment with his uncle the famous Danbury businessman Michael McPhelemy who owned a grocery store on White St.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

In 1904 John A McPhelemy and two other Danbury businessmen William Walsh and George McPhelemy (John’s Brother) leased the saloon and restaurant at the Walmac Hotel on Main St from liquor dealer W. H. Leonard. “… at that time the Walmac was one of the leading hotels in the city.” Soon the men began selling liquor under the business name McPhelemy, Walsh and McPhelemy. The saloon and restaurant at the Walmac were quite posh at the time and consisted of a 29ft bar, five chandeliers a lunch counter and more. The furnishings cost the partners $2500. According to Danbury Land Records the partners had the right to use “the room on the second floor of the Walmac, formally [known as] the Osborne… as a ladies’ parlor.” Ultimately the partnership dissolved and in 1906 William Walsh sold his interest in the McPhelemy, Walsh and McPhelemy Co.

BREAKING POINT/ A NEW LIFE

By 1909 according to land records, John A McPhelemy was running the Walmac alone when he leased the establishment from Danbury businessman John Blake, Blake had purchased the Walmac. John A. McPhelemy operated the saloon at the Walmac for at least six more years. In 1913 John took on more responsibility when he leased the hotel Groveland on Main St from William McPhelemy. A short time later a fire broke out in the Groveland that caused $ 20,000 in damage wrecking the second and third floors. Water also caused extensive damage throughout the building. Luckily no one was killed. The fire was caused by an electrical problem. Sometime after the fire John began selling his business interests and according to Danbury City Directories he began working as a saloonkeeper at 33 White St. Then directories tell us John took a job as a bartender at 35 White St. By 1916 it appears John came to believe the pace of his life was damaging his health this is cooperated by an April 29 story in the Danbury Evening News. Thus John and his family left Danbury for Caver Mass. [John] purchased a farm in Carver in the hope that farm work would restore him to health. Theodor Roosevelt likely influenced John. Roosevelt, sickly as a child, had his health restored the president and former Rough Rider believed his indulgences in boxing and other strenuous activity had improved his health and saved his life. In 1899 Teddy Roosevelt made his famous “Strenuous Life” speech in Chicago ill in the speech Roosevelt talked about hardship, toil and the virtues of a strenuous life. He espoused this hard living as a way to build strength and character. At the turn of the century, medicine was in its infancy and people relied on many processes to “cure” illness. According to Michelle Amundsen of the Danbury Historical Society the Roosevelt speech lead to the Vigorous Life Movement “[It was] take control of your own life, your own destiny,” says Michelle. “[It was about] sleeping on porches working on a farm was part of this [too.]”

WORKED TO DEATH

When John McPhelemy left Danbury to work a farm in Carver, Mass. he likely believed in the “Vigorous Life Movement.” Roosevelt had improved his health however, he was an asthmatic that outgrew his illness John, on the other hand, had a bad heart something he would not be able to recover from in 1910s America and in the spring of 1917 he died. The kicker is in the death certificate. The cause of death is listed as exhaustion. At last, the intense labor of farm life that he hoped would improve his health ultimately destroyed it. Michelle Amundson, Collections Manager and Brigid Guertin Executive Directory of the Danbury Museum both agree with this conclusion. The Walmac Rye (above) comes to us from a home in Bethel. During renovations, it was discovered in a ceiling. The Paper Label not only list the brand of Whiskey but the hotel’s address and the name of the proprietor.

EMPTY TRUNK – A SHORT TALE OF TRUNK BROTHERS’ SODA



RARE, TRUNK BROTHERS SODA, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $7 TO $40

What Ella Kahn did with the Trunk Brothers’ bottles after she dissolved the brother’s business is anybody’s guess. One thing is for certain, she had no idea Trunk sodas would be considered one of the rarest and sought after pieces of Danbury glass out there- and Hat City Diggers has two. Like their bottles, the Trunk brothers’ history is elusive but with a little digging (pun intended) we uncovered a bit of information about the brothers and their elusive firm. In 1910 the Trunk brothers moved to Danbury from parts unknown and set up residence at the Arlington Hotel at 89 White St. In the winter of 1910, Israel and Wolf Trunk, put together their small soda water business. The operation was located in a barn Israel leased in the back of a house at 5 Ellsworth Ave, for $8 a month which increased to $9 a year later. In the meantime, the Trunk brothers moved to 14 Maple Ave taking up residence with Ella and William Kahn. The Kahns may have been relatives of the Trunks. Israel and Wolf labored at their firm for two years but their soda never caught on and the business folded. The Trunks sold everything related to their enterprise which according to Danbury Land Records included the following: two fountains, a crowning machine, all the remaining bottles, their wagon and their horse, Nellie to their roommate Ella Kahn. Ella restarted the soda works in 1912. She kept the business breathing about a year then she too had had enough. In 1913 Trunk Brothers’ soda works closed for good. In a seemingly unrelated piece of news that same year a small fire broke out at the Trunk/Kahn residents. No one was injured and there was little damage but Shortly after the fire, Ella, William Kahn and Wolf Trunk moved to Michigan. The fate of Israel is unknown. The house at 5 Ellsworth Ave and the barn in the rear where the Trucks’ and Mrs. Kahn bottled their soda is long gone replaced by a modern townhouse. A final note in respects to the Trunks: Wolf or Israel represented himself as “William” Trunk at the soda works’ sale. The reason for the name change is unknown but interestingly, “William” is the first name of Mrs. Kahn’s husband. Ultimately history would have overlooked the Trunks if not for the finds we made one year. Of all the bottles connected to the Trunks’ firm we known of only three that survive today. The eagle (which looks a little like a vulture preached on a sprig) makes it one of the most desirable Danbury bottles out there.

DANBURY ENTREPRENEUR- JEAN HORNIG



RARE, JEAN HORNIG HONEY AMBER BEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 TO $40

Jean Hornig immigrated to the United States from Landau Bavaria, Germany in 1865. He moved to Danbury in 1871. Early in the 1870s, Jean started a bottling business. Jean didn’t work alone he took on a friend, Valentine Lied, also a German immigrate together they built an establishment rivaled only by the firm of M. McPhelemy. The business took up a full half acre of land on the corner of Main and Elm Sts. Jean and Valentine sold a variety of beers, liquors, extract wines, sodas and bottled cider. Hornig and Lied had strong ties to Danbury with businesses throughout the city. Lied started his own bottling company and both men ran saloons. Hornig and Lied also managed Cosmopolitan Hall, a large ballroom at Cosmopolitan Park that was located between Main St and Townhill Ave. Cosmopolitan Hall not only hosted dances but also large roller skating events. Interestingly, Jean Hornig actually lived at Cosmopolitan Park. Cosmopolitan Park evolved into Park Pl a street that exists today in Danbury. For the most part, Jean ran an honest business but there were times Jean had brushes with the law. In 1882 Jean’s business was raided. A complaint had been issued against Jean for storing and selling illegal liquor. In 1910 Jean was sued by Jacob Ruppert the famous brewer from New York and another bottler Christian Feiganspan. The suit alleged Ruppert and Feiganspan were cheated out of money after a deal was struck concerning the saloon vacated be Valentine Lied, Jean had to pay the two New York brewers $719. In the 1930s twenty years into retirement, Jean died of a heart attack at home. Pictured above are two gorgeous yellow-amber Jean Hornig Weiss beers from the turn of the century they explode with color as sunlight pours through them. We dug these handsome beers on September 20, 2016 from a dump we discovered over the weekend. The one (left) is mint. The one to the right has delayed breakage in the “O” and the “R” in Hornig.

RARE, JEAN HORNIG HUTCHINSON SODA WITH TOMBSTONE SLUG PLATE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 To $40

Jean Hornig didn’t just bottle beer he was in the soda business also. An example is this rare 1880s Hutchinson with tombstone slug plate, the Hutchinson stopper clearly visible at the bottom of the bottle.

SCARCE, JEAN HORNIG QUAKER ROOTBEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $10 TO $50

One soda Hornig was famous for was his Quaker Root Beer. Treated more as a patent medicine than a soft drink, Quaker Root Beer was touted as being invigorating, healthy, pure and wholesome. Other businessmen, like T. H. Bard, made arrangements with the Hornig Company to sell the famous root beer. Bard not only sold Quaker Root Beer in bottles but also straight from the draught. The bottle pictured is a typical Hornig Quaker Root Beer and probably dates to the 1890s or 1900s.

Jean Hornig as he looked ca 1890. He must have been quite a sight during his time with his wild muttonchops. (Photo courtesy Danbury Museum)

RARE, JEAN HORNIG WEISS BEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 TO $40

Jean Hornig sold several kinds of beer the bottle pictured contained weiss beer. It dates to the 1880s. Hornig ran his liquor business for years and his saloon was a cornerstone on Elm St in Danbury. Hornig, who came from Germany, brought with him not only his keen business sense but also a bit of his culture: next to his saloon on Elm he built a beer garden which appears to have lasted years.

MARTIN COUGHLIN: A DANBURY PHARMACIST’S HISTORY

RARE, DAVID’S PHARMACY, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 TO $40

Martin Coughlin’s career as a pharmacist lasted 20 years but that didn’t stop him from abandoning the profession several times. The Danbury Evening News tells us that Martin was born in 1878 and he was a native of Bridgeport, Ct. His parents Daniel and Katherine Coughlin immigrated from Ireland. According to the Evening News, “When [Martin was] a boy he entered the drug store of John A. Leverty and Brothers [of Bridgeport] as an apprentice druggist.” The Evening News also reports”[That in] 1902 he got his pharmacy license. Mr. Coughlin came to Danbury and entered the employment of … Reed and Co” also known as the Pahquioque Pharmacy and worked under Charles Kerr. Eventually, Kerr would become Danbury’s mayor. In 1904 Martin purchased the pharmacy of David E. David for $2500- $700, which he borrowed from “various persons.” Land Records suggest Martin probably had a silent partner, James E. Gallagher. The bottle above demonstrates Martin did not change the firm’s name after the 1904 purchase. In 1909 Martin sold the business to Joseph Culhane. Then after a “temporary absence” Martin purchased the Reed and Co Pharmacy. The Evening News reports Martin operated that firm until 1914 then sold the business to Mahoney and Burns. (Hatcitydiggers.com can find no record of this sale in Danbury Land Records.) After the sale, Martin worked as a traveling salesman selling wholesale drugs and surgical supplies. In 1927 he again opened a drug firm this time at South St and Townhill Ave (The building may stand today.) A year later he sold the firm and took a job as an investment broker for Hincks Bros out of Bridgeport Martin worked at the Danbury branch. In 1932 Martin Coughlin died from a heart attack at home- he had suffered from coronary thrombosis for years. He was 53. Martin’s story ends with two mysteries. Research led hatcitydiggers.com to the Probate Court. We searched Probate records but could find nothing for Martin Coughlin. The Probate Court told us Martin might not have had assists in his name. No assist, no records. Why the possible lack of assets is not known why Martin’s work history was so erratic is also not known. Martin Coughlin is buried at St Peters Cemetery in Danbury.

SCHNEYER’S TRIFECTA

SCARCE, DANBURY MILK STERILIZING CO, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $10 TO $35

Before the Danbury Creamery, there was The Danbury Milk Sterilizing Company (bottle pictured). Although these firms had different names, their location was at the same Foster St address in Danbury and the same man owned both businesses. Of these firms, the Danbury Milk Sterilizing Company is the oldest. Started sometime at the turn of the century the business had the Louis Pasteur influenced name to the 1910s. The firm processed milk at its Danbury plant eventually shipping it around Danbury and neighboring towns in milk wagons drawn by horses. Danbury Milk Sterilizing Company bottles are infrequent finds more common are its successor’s bottles. Danbury Creamery milks show up so frequently in dumps when we don’t find one we consider ourselves lucky- we have enough of the bottles to last us a lifetime. Finding these milks everywhere, however, is a tribute to the success of the company and drive of its owner Herman A. W. Schneyer. Ironically, considering the prevalence of the bottles, the firm’s owner, Schneyer is a bit of a mystery. But we do have information on a few of his business practices. Even though Danbury Creamery was one of the most successful businesses in town, Schneyer never owned the land at the dairy’s Foster St location. He leased the property at 17 and 19 Foster St for years from Florence D. Grouse. The property came equipped with everything a dairy needed. It consisted of a large building with an office and refrigerator room for storing the milk, two sheds and a barn for the horses. Later Danbury Creamery used milk trucks for delivery. Records indicate, in addition to milk the Danbury Creamery made its own ice cream. The creamery sold a variety of other products as well from “fresh” cottage cheese and baby milk to heavy cream and butter (their butter was 70¢ a pound in 1919.) In 1919 the annual capital was $10,000 and the rent on the property was $25 a month. At some point in the 1910s or early 1920s, Schneyer began an association with E. T. Haviland another dairyman in Danbury who at one time ran his-

COMMON, DANBURY CREAMERY, DEPENDING ON CONDITION $5 TO $10

own firm. Danbury Creamery became Danbury Creamery and Haviland Dairy (see bottle pictured). Based on evidence from later Creamery bottles Schneyer changed the name again when he incorporated. The wrap-around milk pictured reads Danbury Creamery Inc. In the 1930s a trend in the dairy industry was the use of ultraviolet light to irradiate milk. The process supposedly enhanced the vitamin D content in the milk. Herman Schneyer ever the “pioneer” in Danbury ’s milk industry used the gimmick and advertised in the Danbury NewsTimes touting the process. “Danbury Creamery has arranged with the Mitchell Dairy Company, the ad reads “for delivery of the laboratory-controlled milk fresh each day for the small cost of one cent more.” A few years after incorporating the firm went out of business Danbury City Directories tell us the creamery closed during the depression. Danbury City Directories for the mid-1930s list the property as “vacant.” Why the firm closed is still a mystery.

UNEARTHED, RARE DANBURY BEER DISCOVERED

RARE, STONE AND TAYLOR BEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 TO $50 +

Hat City Diggers added another very rare Danbury bottle to their collection recently. The blob top recovered a few days ago is a Stone and Taylor beer. According to Hat City Diggers, this beer may be the only one in existence. “A digger friend gave it to us,” said Hat City Diggers. “He found it in a dump miles from Danbury. The bottle may be the only one known.” The blob which dates to the 1890s is aqua blue. Christian H Stone and Bernard S Taylor started their business at 92 Balmforth Ave in 1893 The business, a saloon, wine and liquor firm more than likely catered to Hatters from the many factories in Danbury. Stone and Taylor leased the property, a wood-framed building and shed, from Frank W. Hodge. The enterprise closed in 1901 and the pair dissolved their partnership. Besides selling beer and liquor, the patrons could also gamble. According to land records, dice and dice boxes were some of the items sold when the team closed their business after its 8-year run.

NEIGHBORHOOD STILL A JEWEL ON DANBURY’S WEST SIDE

RARE, WEST LAKE FARM, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $30 TO $60+

Lou Capellaro knows the history of Danbury’s Aunt Hack Ridge Estates and Richter Park Golf Course better than anyone. “[I] lived on the 8th hole growing up made money in the summer selling golfers golf balls hit in my backyard.” We drive through Aunt Hack one fall morning the neighborhood is quiet and no one takes notice of Lou Capellaro’s white Grand Cherokee as he pulls to the curb to let cars pass. Lou takes his time soaking in the memories, describing the homes and who lives in them. “All the people here were doctors, lawyers or owners of businesses,” he says. “This one here is still owned by Feinson of Feinson’s Men’s Store on the corner of White. That’s Addessi of Addessi Jewelers they were on Main St, and this was my house growing up.” Lou continues his drive through the maze of streets in the Aunt Hack neighborhood heading to the centerpiece of the neighborhood the Richter Park Golf Course. I ask Lou a question that has nagged me for years: “Why is [the community] called Aunt Hack?” Lou’s anticipated the question. “I knew you were going to ask that,” he says. Lou goes into a prolonged explanation. “It’s legend but it’s based on some facts… so as far as the history or legend goes where the name Aunt Hack came from… there’s a farmhouse on the old maps of Danbury, and it says E, and period, Hack [on the map] and according to my mother… the woman that lived there, [her name was Hack and] it was the only house in the area, so they called her the aunt of Hack.” Lou’s family weren’t only residents of Aunt Hack he says his family also helped develop the estates starting in 1958. However, Lou’s family weren’t the first to develop the land. “On Joe’s Hill Rd there was a family called Swanson,” Lou tells me, “Leroy Swanson… was the original owner. George Roth… and E Paul Kovacs … bought some of the land from Swanson in 1955 Swanson, he owned a tree farm, [then] my uncle in 1958 bought 200 acres for 200,000… He laid out all the street for all the land.” A new home in Aunt Hack cost about $30,000 in the late 1950s Lou tells me. Lou says. the development of Aunt Hack was done in stages and took over 30 years. Lou and I enter Richter Park the greens of the par 72 golf course are immaculate. Development of the land changed the area. Years before Aunt Hack Estates or Richter Golf Course there was Stanley Richter’s West Lake Farm. Nowadays there are sand traps, fairways and putting greens. 80 years ago, however, it was pasture, fields and meadows. Lou Capellaro remembers the farm and pasture land but if you want to know about West Lake Farm or Richter Park, for that matter, you have to speak with Thomas Soderstrom, Soderstrom is the Assistant Superintendent at Richter Park Golf Course. “I’ve worked at Richter for 40 years, I worked with Mrs. Richter’s caretaker, I know a lot of history,” says Soderstrom. I learn Stanley Richter was Assistant States Attorney General and was quite wealthy. According to Soderstrom “[The Richters] had a farmer who did all the work and a caretaker, cook, chauffeur, four maids, groom for horses and dogs,” he adds, “They most certainly didn’t do much on the farm they spent the summers there.” The Richter’s had a home in New York City Stanley Richter bought the property in 1937 it consisted of a caretaker’s house, farmhouse, barns and other outbuildings. The Richter’s raised cows, horses, chickens and terrier dogs. About the time he purchased the property Stanley Richter began bottling milk. Soderstrom says the Richter’s “had a full dairy”. Why Richter, a wealthy man farmed and bottled milk is not known but Soderstrom has his own opinion “To me, it’s like the white-collar guy who goes out and buys a chainsaw and cuts down one little sapling to make himself feel like a man. I had a tree business and saw it all the time.” the development of Aunt Hack Ridge Estates by Lou’s family never had an impact on the Richter property, however, about the time developers broke ground for the first Aunt Hack homes, Stanley Richter lost a close friend. Squire was a special horse to Richter. Soderstrom says Squire was a large draft horse “Mr Richter always rode [him] down the middle of Aunt Hack Rd at the time a dirt road.” Soderstrom adds “Mr Richter had polio as a child… and it bothered him and made him feel less of a man because he couldn’t walk good well that’s why he rode [Squire]. When Squire died Stanley immortalized the horse by burying him on the property. Soderstrom says Squire “was buried right in the parking lot where our lower maintenance building is. No bones were found, the stone was in weeds about 8 inches tall. We found it by accident, saved it for history reasons.” The marker reads “Here lies Squire a noble steed 1934- 1955. You can find the grave today next to the maintenance building on the park property

The Stanley Richter farmhouse (above) is the site of Richter arts events.

In 1968 Stanley Richter died and the fate of West Lake Farm was unknown. However, Lou Capellaro believes the Richter land always interested developers. “I can only speculate. The Richters were not in favor of development I was very young only thing I remember was my mother, who was a member of Aunt Hack Ridge Estate Inc, telling me she had written letters to the Richters on my uncle Louie’s behalf but the Richters weren’t interested.” Members of Danbury’s Golf League were, however. The golf league needed a viable piece of property to build a golf course for years. According to the Richter Golf Course Master Plan of 2008 caddies from Ridgewood envisioned in 1940 a golf course for Danbury’s working class. After Stanley Richter’s death in 1968 they got there wish Martin E Goos, Danbury Conservation Commissioner convinced Stanley’s wife, Irene, to sell the property to the city to develop the golf course. Richter park opened for business in 1972. According to Thomas Soderstrom, this made Mrs. Richter very happy “She didn’t want it to be homes, she wanted the arts to be involved that’s why we have musicals at Richter and Richter arts.” Today Richter gets rave reviews. Steven Frankel golfed Richter over 100 times and considers the course first-rate “… it’s one of my favorite places to play says Frankel, “The greens are fantastic. It is consistently rated as one of the top courses to play in Connecticut.” Through the years the Richter golf course has dealt with challenges According to the Richter “Master Plan” the course has had to deal with “competition from more recently build golf courses and financial pressures. “We will always have some financial pressure because we are not a country club with memberships,” says Soderstrom. Soderstorm sees better days ahead for Richter. “We are doing much better these days people love the layout of the golf course… it’s very challenging.” Soderstrom says Richter is up for all the challenges ” We are installing a driving range … that will generate much more income also Mayor Mark Boughton helps where he can Richter is heading in the right direction for the future.” In 2016 the city approved a cell tower for the property to date there still is no tower. Development of land surrounding the Richter Park and Aunt Hack neighborhood slowed to a trickle today Lou Capellaro explains why “It’s not very good (the land) it’s probably going to remain undeveloped because of either access to it or [because it’s] wetlands. Although the development of Aunt Hack still attracts the wealthy to its neighborhoods. The community, like Richter Park, is changing Lou explains “The original families were all “‘ self-made “‘ today a few original families remain or the homes have been handed down to the next generation but the majority are new families many from New York or families from Danbury who upgraded to larger homes.” Lou says many of these newer “residents… commute to Westchester county” and don’t work in Danbury. Although Richter and Aunt Hack have changed over the past 50 years since Stanley Richter’s death to people like Maria Johnson who grew up in the area, it will always be seen through the eyes of a younger person now older. The 1960s… It was a great area in which to grow up. We could ride our bikes up to Middle River Road no traffic back then it was a close-knit community we were lucky to spend our childhood there.” Lou Cappelaro agrees. “Our tour together Saturday brought all the good memories back,” Lou says speaking on Facebook Messenger, “sometimes it feels… so very long ago… other times it feels like it was just yesterday.” Lou concludes our conversation by saying “Richter was a big part of my life from 1972 to 1976 before that Aunt Hack Swim Club was important… since speaking with Lou, this writer has taken a drive through the neighborhood it’s business as usual at Richter as Golfers tee off. Except for road improvements that the city doing in Aunt Hack, the community is quiet, the homes neat the lawns manicured. Driving back to Middle River Rd I pass Richter Golf Course again this time I can almost see Stanley Richter astride Squire as the horse canters up Aunt Hack Rd toward the Richter farmhouse.

THE LAST DANBURY BOTTLER- LIGHT ROCK SPRING



RARE LIGHT ROCK SPRING SODA, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $10 TO $25

Light Rock Springs is a survivor. Today the firm is over 100 years old. Thomas.W. Bartley was the companies original owner but when T W Bartley died of a stomach ailment at his Balmforth Ave home, the business fell into the hands of Alice Bartley. For a short time, Alice (Thomas Bartley’s wife) ran the business- she even had bottles produced with the embossing “Mrs T W Bartley.” A few years after Thomas’ death, Alice sold the firm to Thomas Antous an Arab American who had ties to the community. The year was 1918. Since Light Rock has persevered while pretty much flying under the radar in Danbury. Today Light Rock does virtually no advertising and maintains no website, regardless, the business thrives. Hidden between Holley Ln and Balmforth Ave you would never know it was a bottling works – The business doesn’t even carry a sign on the building. A hundred-plus years ago the business thrived also but to a greater extent in the public eye. During his time Thomas.W. Bartley advertised heavily in Danbury. In fact, Thomas Bartley tapped the well on the property. Today the Antiouses still use that well in the bottling process.

Repeated attempts by Hat City Diggers to reach Light Rock Spring for comment by phone were unsuccessful. However, Hat City Diggers did eventually contact the owners in person. After church one Sunday, they agreed to a short interview. The Antous told us they bottled about a million bottles of soda last year. Most of the soda is bottled for the Jewish communities in New York. On any day but Sunday, the business is abuzz with activity. Hat City Diggers visited the property one morning. We witnessed a business alive with activity: forklifts moved in and out of the warehouse, stock workers loading-trucks, etc. Light Rock owns a few tractor trails which they sometimes park because of lack of space near the Dunkin Donuts. “You ever try and load a truck on Holley Ln. It’s horse and buggy width. More power to them.” Pictured a rare green variant of a typical Light Rock bottle from the late 1930s also pictured a rare Mrs T.W. Bartley.

RARE, (LEFT) THOS. ANTOUS, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $5 TO $16

COMMON (RIGHT) T. A. SODA DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $3 TO $10

Two early Antous sodas. Both date to the 1920s.

RARE MRS T. W. BARTLEY SODA, THIS may be THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE, VALUE $25 TO $50

THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER- THE GEORGE RUNDLE STORY



MISTAKEN IDENTITY



RARE, GEORGE RUNDLE MILK, THIS may be THE ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE, VALUE $25 TO $60+

When Hat City Diggers unearthed a George Rundle milk we were more than thrilled. Rundle was a man of means: mayor of Danbury, president of The Danbury National Bank, Director of the famous Danbury Fair, a leading citizen of Danbury and now long lost milk dealer. His life is great copy but it turns out we were dead wrong, There were two George Rundles living in Danbury at the time one an important, well connected big wheel the other- the one the 120-year-old milk bottle belongs to- a simple peddler. This is his story.

DOOR TO DOOR

George Rundle the milk peddler was not a maker and shaker like the famous mayor there is no extensive paper trail to follow. But George the peddler left behind a few clues- enough to piece a life together. George was born in Southeast, N.Y. his father was Nathan his mother Martha. George lived in Southeast until he married. In 1894 he and his bride, Elide moved to Danbury. Shortly after coming to the Hat City George started peddling milk. Danbury City Directories tell us during these early days in Danbury George lived on Pleasant St. A drive through the area today reveals a population of mostly Latin immigrants but the homes suggest the neighborhood was a mix of classes we found George’s home at the uppermost part of the street over the years additions have been added but in his time it probably was a small humble single-family home. George more than likely rose early and started work likely milking his one cow then maybe using a horse and cart or maybe going by foot he’d travel the Hat City neighborhoods selling his milk door to door.

SMALL STEPS

In time his small business grew. Although it was a modest enterprise, George saved enough money to buy land for a milk depot in 1904. The business was located on the aptly named George. St George. Mortimer Rundle also owned land his acreage was on upper Franklin St. There he bred fine trotting horses. years later the Ridgewood Stock Farm as it was call was sold. Today we know it as the exclusive Ridgewood Country Club. George Mortimer Rundle was also a man of business he was an industrialist and leader involved in Danbury’s lucrative hatting industry and his life in business spanned three- quarters of a century George the milk peddler ran his modest business close to 20 years in Danbury. In that time George’s firm was eclipsed by other firms such as Danbury Creamery but his little business marched on until his retirement.

THE END

George had been ailing for years after retiring from milk dealing then one day after being confined to his home for a short time because of illness he died in the early morning hours of October 3, 1928, he was 76 years old. George. Mortimer Rundle the mayor, banker, the hatter Director of the Danbury Fair also died in October. Not on the same date but 28 years later. He was 95. The milk above dates to the 1890s about the time George started his business. Hat City Diggers believe it is blown in a mold and quite rare. So far Hat City Diggers can find no link in ancestry between the two Rundles. The search continues.

DANBURY CONFIDENTIAL- THE ENOCH WOOD STORY



RARE, ENOCH WOOD MILK, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $30 TO $60+

When Danbury milk dealer Enoch Wood died he left a married woman $5000 and forgave her debts and no one knew why until now. Enoch was born in Patterson, N.Y. on a warm July 4th day in 1872. The Woods, however, did not stay in Patterson and Enoch lived his early life on Sunset Hill in Bethel, Ct. Unfortunately, information about Enoch’s early life or his life as an adult running a dairy firm is unknown. However, evidence suggests Enoch not only made a living as a dairyman but also as a real estate investor. Enoch owned a number of properties in the Danbury area. It appears Enoch collected rent on these properties and amassed a small fortune. As a result, when Enoch died his net worth was at least $37000 that’s over $600,000 in today’s money. However, not all his wealth went to his brothers, Fred and Floyd, part of his fortune passed to Josephine Lechner a married woman from Danbury. Enoch’s generosity didn’t end there, in addition, to the monetary gift, Enoch canceled the note on Josephine’s house and also forgave the debts her sons Albert and Kenneth owed him. Enoch loaned both boys money at some point. Mrs Lechner’s husband Joe received nothing. But why? Evidence suggests Enoch was a lifelong bachelor. Hatcitydiggers.com found no evidence he was ever married. But a check of Joe Lechner’s death records filled in the blanks to Enoch and Josephine’s puzzling relationship. Records tell us Josephine was not married at the time of Enoch’s death as Danbury City Directories implied- she was divorced. In fact, death records tell us why. Joe Lechner had syphilis. Ultimately the disease took his life. Was Enoch romantically involved with Josephine? We may never know this for sure but the information in Joe Lechner’s death records certainly makes it a possibility? Hatcitydiggers.com has no evidence Josephine knew about Joe’s illness but it is probable that Josephine divorced Joe because of this. Ultimately Hatcitydiggers.com may never know Enoch’s motives in the relationship they went to the grave with him and history leaves only a hand full of clues. But Hatcitydiggers.com likes to believe Enoch’s motive was love. The E. K. Wood milk above is mint and may date to the 1910s the height of Enoch’s dairy enterprise.

THE ENIGMA THAT IS ELM RIDGE FARM

RARE, ELM RIDGE FARM, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $25 TO $60+

Through the years Hat City Diggers have unearthed dozens of milk bottles, however, few have been rare. So when we saw this Danbury milk for sale on eBay we had to have it. The bottle is mint, unfortunately, it has generated no leads covering the firm, its location* or its owner. While we had a slam dunk with the mysterious Pure Milk and Cream Co. Elm Ridge Farm remains a puzzle with most of the pieces missing except for this great one-pint milk (above).

*Three members of Hat City Diggers were born in Danbury and have lived there most of their lives and they have never heard of an area or street called Elm Ridge. The search continues.

HARRY DICK- LIQUOR AND SODA DEALER FIRST.



SCARCE, HARRY DICK BEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $50+

Today the name Harry Dick raises eyebrows, however, 60 plus years ago the name was synonymous with furniture yet Dick wasn’t always a furniture dealer, in fact, as the bottle above demonstrates, Harry ran a long-forgotten liquor business. Now over a hundred years later Hat City Diggers is uncovering the evidence of Harry’s foray into the trade. A trade he left just in the nick of time. Harry was born in Austria in 1880. In 1889 he moved to Danbury. As a young man, Harry was restless. He left Danbury moving several times in the 1890s, first to St Louis, then to Hoboken, N.J. Finally, in 1902 he returned to Danbury and started a furniture business. However, five years later he left the furniture business and opened a wholesale and retail liquor firm at 71 White St. Harry ran his bottling business for about ten years. In 1912 Harry almost lost his firm when a fire broke out in the building one night. However quick work by the fire department saved the establishment. Harry continued bottling several more years. In 1914 he moved his business to 76- 78 White St and on April 3 at 7:00 pm Harry had the formal opening of his new stores. Music by Bretz Orchestra made it a festive evening. Harry continued his business a few more years. Whether Harry knew prohibition was coming is debatable but in 1917 Harry left the liquor trade just in the nick of time. By 1920 saloons had closed across the land putting scores of people out of work and bottling firms out of business. Harry toyed around with a taxi service then in the 1920s Harry started the business he’d become famous for- The New England Furniture Company. Through the years, Harry Dick’s reputation grew. He even had a building named after him: The Harry Dick Building still stands today in Danbury’s Wooster Square. In 1959 Harry Dick died in his sleep at his home on Deer Hill Ave. He was 79. A note of interest: Harry was related to Henry Dick of Henry Dick and Son’s furniture- a fixture on Main St for years. We acquired the Harry Dick pictured a few weeks ago and it’s a great new addition to our collection.

RARE, HARRY DICK SODA, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $40+

Harry not only bottled beer but also soda. A heavily stained Harry Dick & Co crown top (above) taken from a dump in New Milford, Ct. This bottle is ca 1910s. There is no address embossed on this bottle but it probably came from Harry’s new stores at 76-78 White St.

RARE, HARRY DICK WHISKEY FLASK, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $50+

(Above) A rare Harry Dick flask dug from a large dump in Danbury. Note the consumer would receive 2¢ for returning the bottle evidence the flask was worth much more to Dick a hundred plus years ago.

ROADHOUSE BLUES: A CHRONICLE OF SALOON KEEPER FRANK ROTELLO AND THE “NOTORIOUS’ ROADHOUSES’ OF HAINES’ POND



SCARCE, FRANK ROTELLO BEER, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, $6 TO $40

When liquor dealer and saloon keeper Frank Rotello opened his roadhouse on the outskirts of Danbury, he never thought accusations by a remonstrance prosecutor would drive him out of the Hat City to say nothing that a visit to another roadhouse would land him in the hospital for days.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Frank opened the Haines’ Pond Roadhouse when he bought the Pond View enterprise in 1906. Frank’s establishment was located along the Brewster Danbury Rd. (now Rt 6) near the village of South East, N.Y. Today Haines’ Pound is just as isolated as it was over 100 years ago. It’s not easy to reach. There is no parking to speak of and the road that leads to the remains of one of the pond’s roadhouses is taken over by nature making it more or less an overgrown footpath. It’s hard to believe a busy trade in liquor and other vices occurred in this now serene place. Rotello’s roadhouse is gone and its exact location is unknown. An exploration of the area by Hat City Diggers found no sign of the business featured so prominently in a Danbury Evening News story for February 26, 1910. About the same time Frank opened his business on the Danbury/ New York border, he leased a saloon at 98 White St from the bottlers William Bartley and William Clancy of Danbury. The lease agreement stipulated Rotello would sell only Bartley & Clancy products. Nevertheless, as the bottle pictured above demonstrates, Frank sold brew under his own name. He also likely promoted his brew at his roadhouse. In any case, Rotello’s saloon was one of at least 40 in Danbury. The locations of these businesses were on White St, Main St, Elm St or Ives St. Eventually Frank’s other business came under fire when a clean-up movement beset Danbury Frank’s troubles reached beyond moral panic in early 1900s Danbury. A 1908 Danbury Evening News story reported an incident that sent Frank to the hospital which more than likely didn’t help his reputation in a city weary of liquor and vice.

FRANK ROTELLO: BARROOM BRAWLER?

The facts about Frank’s assault are shrouded in mystery. According to the Danbury Evening News, the incident occurred at Nellie Sheehan’s roadhouse located on the outskirts of town near Lake Kenosia, a popular location for vaudeville shows. Frank took a severe beaten during the assault and he spent several days in Danbury hospital. According to the Evening News, he never filed a police report and the police never investigated the incident. News of the assault spread quickly in small-town Danbury and rumor was the beating occurred because of a woman but nothing could be confirmed. The Evening News contacted an employee (possibly Nellie) at Sheehan’s who gave this statement: “I hear that the man got struck by a freight train out in Mill Plain.” Rotello recovered.

FRANK TAKEN TO COURT, WICKED WOMEN AT HAINES’ POND ROADHOUSE

During the early years of the 20th century, Danbury had developed a reputation as a hard-drinking, indecent and salacious town. According to one report from the Bridgeport Herald the, “fast houses were running full blast… as they have been for a year past in Elm St and Ives St.” One hotel was especially detested. A report told of race mixing and orgies at the establishment. The vice, however, wasn’t limited to just “fast houses.” Stories of Danbury’s “Pajama girls”, as they were called, reached as far as the Bridgeport papers. According to one reporter, the girls, who worked for a manicurist, called Kit Williams paraded around the shop on White St in nothing but “nice fitting silk Pajamas.” More than likely these antics upset a number of citizens who called for the City to clean up its act. By 1910 Frank Rotello found himself a target of the movement when he had to reapply for a liquor license. During the remonstrance hearings at the Danbury Court House Frank’s businesses and character came under fire. Deputy Sheriff Charles Scheuber of Brewster told a tale of illicit behavior at Frank’s Roadhouse. When the sheriff raided the establishment he found two girls ages and 15 drinking alcohol on the premises. They were remanded to the industrial school in Middletown, N.Y. and Frank’s brother Felix was arrested. Frank was not on the premises. The court took this incident into evidence at the remonstrance hearing of 1910.

FRANK SELLS TO A “NOTORIOUS” WOMAN: MAE IVES

There was no shortage of roadhouses in the Danbury area in the early 1900s. And at one time or another, Women ran them all. Interestingly Frank Rotello dealt with at least two of these barmaids as papers called them. Papers reported about Frank’s interaction with Nellie Sheehan but when he sold his business to Mae Ives it didn’t go unnoticed by the remonstrance prosecutors. Conjuring images of “Kate” the infamous madam, saloonkeeper and mother of Cal and Aaron in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Mae had developed a “notorious” reputation fostered by the Danbury and Brewster papers. Ultimately the court denied Frank’s liquor license likely because of his association with Mae Ives and other damning evidence. By 1920, all the saloons in Danbury closed because of the nationwide clean-up movement called the 18th amendment. Finally,six years after Frank sold his roadhouse to Mae Ives she made headlines in the Brewster Standard. In December 1916 authorities raided the Haines’ pond roadhouses’ of Mae Ives and Esther Stafford for violating the excise law and running brothels. On December 22 the Brewster Standard reported both women made bail. However, The Danbury Evening News Reported that only Mae and her contingent made bail. According to The Evening News Mae produced a large wad of cash and sprung herself, her husband and her girls. In 1924 the Standard reported on Mae’s death stating in short that the “world famous barmaid… fell dead on a street in Bridgeport, Conn.” But what happened to Frank? The Danbury City Directory for 1911 states that Frank Rotello moved from Danbury to Pittsfield, Mass. However, that may not be the end of Frank’s story. Several months after this story was published in hatcitydiggers.com. This author posted the story on the Danbury, Ct Facebook group page. After posting, a gentleman came forward with an incredible tale. According to Gabriel Rotello who may be a distant relative of Frank, Family legend has it that the Mafia murdered Frank Rotello in 1923. So far this story cannot be verified. Finally, today nothing remains of the Ives/Rotello roadhouse. The Rotello bottle pictured is uncommon to Danbury dumps and Hat City Diggers only found one to date. More than likely this blob came from Rotello’s saloon.

Esther Stafford’s “cobblestone” roadhouse (brothel) on the north side of the pond is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Nothing remains of the Mae Ives/Rotello structure.

Haines’ Pond in early fall. The Stafford roadhouse (brothel) is located near the pond’s north shore. Rotello’s and Ives’ establishment was situated near the railroad tracks that course passed the pond.

HIT AND RUN: THE JOSEPH FERNAND STORY



RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $30 To $80

On the night of February 18, 1926, Joseph Fernand left work at his confectionery shop and began the walk home to 7 Down St where he lived with his wife Margart. It was raining and fog had settled in. He entered the crosswalk at the intersection of Main and North Streets. Slushy snow covered the road. Halfway across Main a dark mass seemingly out of nowhere came into view a man yelled, “Why the hell don’t you get out of the road!” Then Joseph was on the ground. Pain shot through his body as a heavyweight rolled across his legs. In a few seconds, the weight was gown but returned crushing Joseph again… then it was over. Joseph was well known in Danbury his legacy included ownership of Danbury’s famous Turner House and a liquor bottling business but his venture in Turner house ended in bankruptcy so in his later years he worked as a clerk then as a candy maker he was now 63 years old had had a stroke a few years ago and he was diabetic and he had just been run over by a speeding automobile.

VERY LITTLE ABOUT JOSEPH’S EARLY LIFE IS KNOWN

What we’ve learned about Joseph’s time before Turner House comes from death records and Danbury City Directories. Joseph was born in 1862 in Londonderry in what is now Northern Ireland. His father was Charles Fernand, his mother Margart McCloakey. By 1891 Joseph was living and working in Danbury. Danbury City Directory lists Joseph’s occupation as a bartender. And he worked at 99 White St.

MOVING UP IN THE WORLD

By 1897 Joseph went from tending a bar to running a hotel. Land records show Joseph leased the Hotel Pahehoque for $600 a year. A few years later Joseph made a sizable purchase when he acquired Danbury’s famous Turner House at the corner of Main and State Streets for $10,000 Turner House was a Danbury landmark for years. According to We Crown Them All by William Devlin “In 1850 Aaron Turner built the Turner House in the center of the village of Danbury next to the courthouse. For several decades the hotel and the area behind it served as winter quarters for the successful circus of Turner’s son-in-law, George F. Bailey.” Through the years, Turner House not only provided lodging but also catered banquets and suppers, parties and dances. It had one of the largest dining rooms in Danbury- seating 250 guests at a time.

FINANCIAL RUIN AND THE LOSS OF TURNER HOUSE

Whether Joseph knew Turner House was a risky investment is not known. Also heavily invested in Turner House were several Danbury businessmen and the New York brewer Jacob Ruppert. It is unknown why Joseph was unable to pay his bills but by 1913 he defaulted on his loan and he was unable to pay his taxes. So as the city of Danbury, Jacob Ruppert and a number of Danburians including the Gallegher brothers brought liens against the property Joseph was forced to declare bankruptcy.

RECOVERY, HEALTH PROBLEMS, A FATAL ACCIDENT

Eventually, those with a stake in Turner House sold the hotel to Knights of Columbus and by 1915 Joseph Fernand had taken a job as a clerk. In time Joseph would open a candy story But by the 1920s Joseph had developed health problems. He was impacted not only by a stroke but also by diabetes. After closing his shop one night, Joseph began the short walk to his house at 7 Down St. Several blocks away Joseph Zaleta, a 20-year-old Polish immigrant neared the intersection of Main and Franklin Street. As Zaleta crossed the railroad tracks, his car slammed into a rut. The shock caused Zaleta’s headlight to go out. Inexplicably Zaleta continued down Main St in almost total darkness, rain and fog. Joseph Fernand was in the middle of the crosswalk when he saw Zaleta’s car. Joseph heard Zaleta yell but he could not move in time. Zaleta struck Joseph he fell and Zaleta ran over his legs breaking both of them. The 20-year-old man stopped then backed over Fernand injuring him again. Then Zaleta drove away eventually stopping on Patch St to fix his lights. In the meantime, witnesses helped the injured Fernand and called the police. Police arrested Zaleta three days later. On April 13th, just after his 64th birthday, Joseph Fernand died. He held on to life for sixty days.

ZALETA GOES TO COURT

The court set Zaleta’s bail at $10,000. Unable to pay, Zaleta sat in Danbury jail for months. On May, 8th the court arraigned Zaleta. Ultimately he was found guilty of, “willful misconduct in his operation of [his] automobile.” He was sentenced to six months in jail. William H, Comley, States Attorney “characterized [Zaleta] as no more fitted to drive an automobile, nor to assume such responsibilities than a child.” Zaleta’s public defender stated the 20-year-old Zaleta who could not read nor write English should have never been behind the wheel. The whiskey (above) dates to the early 1900s. Land records indicate Joseph updated or added a saloon to Turner House in 1905. He purchased from Jacob Ruppert Company of New York a beer cooler, bottle case, back bar and front bar. The J.J. Fernand whiskey pictured more than likely came from the Turner House Saloon. Note the bottle states “union made.”

A FRAGMENT OF TRUTH: THE BOUTEILLER DRUG FIRM STORY.

All we have is this rare fragment to go on but it is more than enough to write another great story for HatCityDiggers.com. George Bouteiller started the firm of Bouteiller and Company about 1901 when he bought Major Austin’s pharmacy at 417 Main St in the Jennings Block of Main St for $3500 and other valuable considerations. its possible Major sold the firm to Bouteiller after a fire damaged it, Shortly after purchasing Austin’s pharmacy, George added an associate to the business, N. W. McLean. As part of the sales arrangement with Major Austin, George purchased liquors, drugs and medicines. Ultimately, George needed to restock everything from ice for the soda fountain to patent medicines and pills for the cabinets. Merchandise and sundries routinely came to the store in boxes. So it was no surprise when in 1906 George received a box in the mail loaded with pharmacy goods. Whether he knew it or not this simple box of goods would land George in court in a David vs Goliath battle.

I’LL SEE YOU IN COURT

George received the goods from the Puritan Company a firm located somewhere out west. George hadn’t ordered the goods and “declined to receive the consignment…” The Puritan firm claimed George signed a contract with them and Puritan took legal action to recover $200 in damages. George fought back claiming there was no contract “not even an order…” The Judge agreed and through the case out of court. The Puritan Company which filed a similar legal action with other firms said that they would appeal. George Bouteiller had his day in court and won but Georges’ days as a druggist in Danbury were numbered.

OUT OF BUSINESS?

Although George won his court case his time as a Danbury druggist was coming to an end. According to records, by the 1910s, George was working as a simple drug clerk possibly in the same building his firm once occupied. Although records are sketchy, George may have lost his position because he could not pass the pharmacy exam. Until we uncover more facts the reason George closed his business will remain a mystery. By the middle of the 1910s, George is no longer listed in the city directors and a check of death records by Hat City Diggers turned up nothing. George Bouteiller entered Danbury in 1900 from parts unknown then disappeared 15 years later. For now, the only physical evidence we have of Georges’ time in Danbury is the fragment of bottle pictured above. And with information on George limited we ultimately end with just a fragment of truth.

D. F. STEVENS DRUGGIST AND CIVIC LEADER.

SCARCE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $12 to $25

When druggist and progressive candidate D. F. Stevens died during Danbury’s Mayoral election, Danbury Democrats lost their best chance at winning the election, and the city lost a man of the highest moral and personal integrity. D. Franklin Stevens was born at home in Danbury on February 12, 1875. He attended Balmforth Ave School and went to Danbury High School which located on New St at the time. He excelled in athletics becoming a member of the football team. As a young man, D. F. apprenticed at F.S. Stevens’ pharmacy. In 1896 D. F. married Mabel Nichols of New York City. They would have one child, Sylvester

F. STEVENS, DRUGGISTS

Eventually, D. F. became the manager of Mr. Stevens’ firm. By then he was 6′ 2½ ” tall and weighed in at over 200 pounds. When Mr. Stevens died D. F. bought the firm at 397 Main St. Ultimately the stand would become one of the most successful businesses in the city. Much of the store’s success was owed to D. F.’s friendly nature and his unceasing work ethic. It also helped to have some of the best ice creams in town. According H. George Lepper recalling in his 1974 oral history of D. F. Stevens’ firm. Stevens would rise early, bring large blocks of ice from the icehouse situated in the rear of the pharmacy and place them in a room attached to the firm. Stevens would chop the ice add the ingredients and proceed to make the ice cream which came in only two flavors chocolate and vanilla. Stevens had an array of syrups to top the rich ice cream with. One of his best according to Lepper was syrup he made from wild black caps. Beyond epicurean delights, D. F.’s stocked his store with the leading patent medicines, pills, liquors, fine cigars and more. Although Stevens enjoyed work in the private sector, he felt the call of civic duty and became Superintendent of Water Works. A job he worked unceasingly at. Stevens civic call extended beyond this appointment, however. The next job he had his eyes on more than likely would pull him away from his beloved pharmacy for years. But if all went well D.F. Stevens would be Danbury’s next mayor.

F. STEVENS, CANDIDATE

On February 26 the Danbury Democratic party nominated D.F. Stevens to become the Democratic/Progressive candidate for Mayor of Danbury. Five days later at Democratic headquarters, Danbury Democrats and Progressives formed the Mayor’s Club to, according to the Danbury News,“advance the candidacy of D. F. Stevens.” Without delay, Danbury’s women voters followed suit. D.F. was challenging incumbent Republic Mayor A. Homer Fillow who was seeking a second term. Democrats were on track to beat Fillow when voters went to the polls in three months. However, a few days after the formation of the Mayor’s clubs, without warning, D. F. “experienced,” what the Danbury Evening News described as “some slight attacks of distress late in the afternoon. Then “on Sunday his condition became serious and shortly after noon he passed into a state of coma…” The Family doctor tried to help and a specialist was “summoned from New Haven.” Both doctors agreed. The diagnosis was a cerebral hemorrhage. D.F Stevens died that day less than twenty-four hours after he had become ill. The city of Danbury was shocked. How could a man so healthy one minute die the next? That Sunday speaking to the Danbury Evening News the “officers of the Democratic and Progressive [parties] said ‘”The question of selecting a new candidate would not be considered until after the funeral.”‘

THE FINAL ANALYSIS

Three months later A. Homer Fillow was unanimously re-elected. However, Fillow’s second term would be his last and Danburians voted him out of office in 1931. Fillow, a life long Republican, died eight years later. Finally, when D. F. became ill and died he was home at 397 Main St. His drug store was only a few steps away. Ironically he died in the same home he was born in years earlier in 1875. He had come full circle. The D.F. Stevens pharmacy (above) is blown in a mold and dates to the early 1900s.

CULHANE’S PHARMACY A WOOSTER SQUARE LANDMARK FOR YEARS.

COMMON, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $3 TO $7

More than likely Joseph Culhane knew something was terribly wrong when he went to Danbury Hospital. He had been a pharmacist for years and his twin brother was a respected doctor. They had both treated and advised people about all kinds of complaints. But the severe pain Joseph was having in his right side was more than just a complaint it had all the earmarks for one thing- a ruptured appendix. Joseph needed emergency surgery. But had he made it to Danbury Hospital in time. Joseph was not native to Danbury he was born and schooled in Bethel, Ct. When Joseph finished his education he went to work for druggist P. J. Garvan. After a few years at Garvan’s firm, Joseph became a registered pharmacist and entered into the employment of Pharmacist Jennie Hamilton. One of the best known and respected druggists in Bridgeport, Ct, Hamilton had been in business in the large port city for years when Joseph went to work for her as her store manager. Although a rare breed female druggists were not unheard of, in fact, Hat City Diggers know of at least one female druggist who owned a firm in Danbury. In 1904 Jennie Hamilton died. We can only speculate but after Jennie’s death, Joseph may have moved back to the Danbury area when he heard a pharmacy was for sale in town. Joseph Culhane purchased the David E. David pharmacy from the successor of Mr. David, Martin J. Coughlin. Coughlin’s pharmacy was located in Danbury’s Wooster Square. Joseph opened his business around 1908 and “through his energy, business ability and personality [turned the firm] into one of the leading pharmacies in Danbury.” Joseph’s business thrived through the 1910s and 20s and into the depression. In 1933 Joseph became ill. Doctors diagnosed appendicitis and Joseph had emergency surgery. Luckily the operation went well and Joseph was expected to recover. Then the worst happened Joseph’s appendix had been so gangrenous that when it ruptured it caused acute peritonitis. In an age without antibiotics, the infection spread and could not be stopped and on September 16, 1933, Joseph Culhane died. He was survived by Walter his brother and a sister (name not known.) Sources tell us, Joseph, never married. But, is that really Joseph’s entire story we at Hat City Diggers are hopeless romantics which in turn begs for speculation most hyperbolic. Perhaps Joseph hadn’t been a lonely bachelor all his life, perhaps he had found love in that large port city Bridgeport so many years ago. Maybe Joseph was more than a store manager to Miss Jennie Hamilton perhaps the two went over more than store inventory after work hours And perhaps when Jennie died she had left Joseph more than the key to her heart possibly there was an inheritance… enough to by a drugstore? Of course, we will never know but we can still dream a crazy romantic dream. The Culhane’s pharmacy (above) dates to the 1910s and has a tooled finish.

Culhane’s Drugs ca. 1940s. After Joseph Culhane died, the firm was sold. According to Danbury City Directories in 1939 William C. Balaz was operating the pharmacy. The firm was still in business at the time of the disastrous 1955 flood that left Danbury submerged in several feet of water. (Photo courtesy Danbury Historical Society)

JAMES GALLAGHER: MAN OF MEANS, HOTEL CLERK.

RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $60+

Did bottler James Gallagher, a man of means nearing the sunset of his life, find pleasure working as a clerk in Danbury’s grand Hotel Green? James was born in June 1874 and lived in Danbury all his life. James appears to have been quite an ambitious lad. Before he graduated high school he was already putting a business together that would become a keystone in Danbury for years. In 1886 he leased the building at the corner of “Ives St and the passageway of the Danbury and Norwalk Rail Road Company.” Eventually, James and his brother Frank (his silent partner) would open a saloon and distribution warehouse for one of the most well-known beers of the time at this site. Land records indicate in 1908 James and Frank also leased the Baily House from Sidney Baily at Lake Kenosia, a resort area on the outskirts of Danbury, that evidence suggests, had a somewhat bawdy reputation in the early 1900s. At some point during James’ career, he began selling beer from the famous Eagle Brewing Company out of Newark, N.J. All but forgotten today, Eagle Brewing Company was well known at the turn of the century and closed numerous business deals with Danbury bottlers in the early twentieth century. For reasons unknown, James moved his business from Ives St to Rose St in the 1910s. James business ventures weren’t limited just to the liquor trade eventually he purchased the New Hotel Groveland and opened a paper mill in Beaver Brook. In 1918 the paper mill caught fire. There was also another problem for James and his paper mill James used water from the Still River to make his paper. The River’s water had to be clean but it was being contaminated by Danbury’s many hat factories. What was done, if anything, to correct the problem is unknown. Throughout the 1920s James ran the New Hotel Groveland and the Groveland soda shop. Eventually, James “disposed” of the New Hotel Groveland but instead of retiring James took a job at the Hotel Green as a clerk. Why James went to work at the Hotel Green as a humble clerk is a matter of speculation but he may have continued working to stay occupied and engaged in the hotel profession, a profession he must have loved. James may have also enjoyed the day to day contact with people he met coming and going from the hotel through its lobby. James was still employed by the Hotel Green when he died of heart disease in 1944 at age 69. The James Gallagher Jug (above) comes to us courtesy the Danbury Historical Society. It was a gift from an unknown patron who left it on the Society’s doorstep.

Three different variations of Eagle Brewing Company beers. James likely sold Eagle Brewing Company beer from his saloon and or distributed it to other Danbury locations from his warehouse on ive St.

This corner building at 2 Ives St (formally 4 Ives) housed the Eagle Brewing Company, Danbury branch. James E Gallagher ran the branch. The bottling works closed years ago but the building was repurposed through the years as of late it housed a nightclub. Railroad Pl, at the left, is now a walk. The Danbury Rail Yard stretched across Ives St with a track ending along Railroad Pl beer probably was off-loaded into the bottling facility. James Gallagher moved his business from Ives St in 1910. By then Ballantine ales and lagers was his forte.

HUBERT ELLIS: MILL PLAIN’S MOST OBSCURE WATER DEALER.

RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $50+

Today Mill Plain is one of Danbury’s most heavily developed districts; however, one hundred years ago the district was rural and unincorporated an area of farmland, few people, dirt roads and RFD addresses. Hubert Ellis lived there. He lived on an unnamed dirt road close to where Western Connecticut State University’s westside campus is today. In the 1910s Ellis tapped a spring in the area and began to bottle water for the public. Though Hubert’s company lasted 20 years it was not his sole source of income. Over the years Hubert worked not only as a bottler but also as a carpenter and a mason. In the 1930s Hubert and his wife Maude moved to Stamford, Ct. The whereabouts of Ellis Mountain Spring is unknown today. The bottle above is an Ellis Springs half gallon which Hubert probably shipped to Danbury using a horse-driven wagon. Later, Hubert more than likely shipped his water using a small truck. Why Hubert and Maude moved to Stamford is unknown.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. KINNER AND BENJAMIN: RESPECTED DRUGGISTS IN DANBURY FOR YEARS.



SCAECE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $20 TO $30

When Thomas. B. Benjamin died, it was decades since he filled his last prescription. His partner Herbert Kinner died years earlier from an especially deadly form of cancer. Time all but erased the history of Kinner and Benjamin’s years as two of Danbury’s most distinguished pharmacists. In spite of this, after a recent discovery, Hat City Diggers can now open the doors of history on Thomas Benjamin and his partner Herbert Kinner and their pharmacy -a cornerstone in Danbury for decades. Thomas was born in Danbury in 1868, Herbert in Bethel, in 1872. Records suggest Thomas being his pharmacy career in the 1880s as a clerk possibly at the City Hall Pharmacy run by the well-respected druggist, George Kinner (Herbert’s father.) Danbury City Directories from the early 1890s tell us George promoted Thomas to manager of the pharmacy and by the mid-90s, Herbert joined the firm at the ground floor as a clerk. We are unsure when the two men became friends but needless to say, the relationship between the two lasted over thirty years and helped create by all accounts one of the most respected drug firms in the city. Regardless of how popular the firm was it might have never achieved success without the help of Herbert’s father. George Kinner was an aging Civil War veteran who may have needed a change in pace. George was in business for years running both a drug firm and a hat wire business. By the early 1900s, George was ready to devote himself solely to the trade that had made Danbury famous- hatting- so at the start of the new century George sold his drug firm to Herbert and Thomas. For the next 20 years, Kinner and Benjamin Drugs was a cornerstone at 173 Main St. The men eventually expanded the firm adding a second store. Kinner and Benjamin were so successful the location of their enterprise became forever known as the Kinner and Benjamin block. In 1926 Thomas retired and Herbert’s son Kenneth began working at the firm. In the early 1930s Herbert Kinner became ill and in 1934 he died from pancreatic cancer at 62 years old. Thomas Benjamin moved to Bethel to live a quiet life in retirement. He was born before the invention of the telephone and died in 1963 almost a year after John Glen circled the Earth in the spacecraft Friendship 7. He was 94 years old. The Kinner & Benjamin (above) dates to the early 1900s. It’s a medium size blown in a mold pharmacy with a tooled lip. What City Diggers was looking for this bottle ever since they found a broken example two years ago and the excitement the team felt at finding this bottle was out of this world to say the least.

LOUIS MOEGLING: TALL AGAINST ADVERSITY.

RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $20TO $40

The majority of Louis Moegling’s existence is a mystery, however, from the records available Hay City Diggers were able to piece together a few facts about this obscure Hat City bottler’s life and the choices he made to secure a future for his children when his wife died. From marriage records, Hat City Diggers learned Louis was born in Germany and Danbury City Directories for the early 1870s list Moegling’s occupation as dyer. In addition, an 1875 map of Danbury records Moegling’s business as Connecticut Fancy Dye Works (no address is given.) Land records say nothing about Louis’ dye works. However, in 1871 Louis Moegling leased space at the Taylor Opera House to open a “gentlemen’s and ladies’ refreshment saloon.” Considering the location, the establishment probably was quite stylish. The saloon consisted of an oyster bar, bagatelle table, fishbowl*, showcase, etc. There was an icehouse in the cellar and land records list lager beer and ale on tap. Louis’ business was taking shape, however, in 1872 Louis suffered a tragedy when his wife Louise ( she is named Louisa by one source) died. Death records do not list a cause of death, though, Hat City Diggers suspect smallpox. After her death, Louis was left to care for their three children: William, Julia and Charles. Hat City Diggers are unsure if Louis was still in the dye business but Probate Court records suggest his opera house cafe was far from a success. The court records specify Moegling’s estate as being “unproductive.” These records also tell Hat City Diggers that Louis was left with an “inability to properly support [the] children.” Hat City Diggers are uncertain if the court was going to take the children from Louis but records indicate he took action to provide care for his three children. He surrendered a $2000 life insurance policy and in 1875 he sold land belonging to the children for $1000 to “support and educate them.” There is also evidence Louis was putting the pieces of his life back together after his wife’s death. Two years after Louise died Louis met Gertrude Bandenstein a widow fifteen years his junior. He was 48, she 33. In 1876 they married. In addition, city directories for the early 1880s suggest Louis changed vocations. Listing his occupation as “hotel.” whether he owned or managed is unclear. Needless to say, Louis may have change jobs just in the nick of time. In 1884 a massive fire swept through the Taylor Opera House destroying it completely. A story concerning the fire from the Danbury Evening News lists the businesses damaged or destroyed by the inferno. Moegling’s was not on the list. The L. Moegling blob top pictured is proof Moegling was bottling in Danbury around to time of the fire. The bottle dates to the 1880s as suggested by its morphology. However, it may not have originated from the Opera House Cafe but from the hotel, Louis was involved in. After the 1880s Hat City Diggers loses track of Louis Moegling and his life again becomes a mystery.

*Land records stating Louis applied for a chattel mortgage using a mere fishbowl as collateral is a misnomer. Moegling’s “fishbowl” more than likely was an ornate Victorian-era aquarium that may have looked similar to the ones pictured below.

JAMES DORAN: THE “AFFABLE” DRUGGIST.



RARE DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $4 TO $25

In all likelihood when James Doran went for surgery in the summer of 1933 he knew he was very ill. Up to then, James had been in business for over 45 years and over those years he counseled thousands of Danburians about health matters. Now James was the one who was ill yet no matter what the consequences of the procedure, he had already sealed his legacy as one of the best-loved druggists in Danbury. James was born in Bethel, Ct in 1867 to Thomas and Catherine Doran. He was educated in the Bethel schools and when he was of age took a job as a clerk at the Baldwin Drug Company at 201 Main St in Danbury. James worked for old man Baldwin for several years learning the drug trade and when Mr. Baldwin was ready to close shop for good, James, with the help of his father, leased the property from Baldwin in 1889. James with his, “affable and sympathetic disposition” became well admired by many Danburians and his business grew. In 1903 James signed a lease with James Clarence Harvey famous Danburian who published poems and edited the popular children’s magazine St Nicholas. Harvey rented the building at 197 Main St to James. “James made extensive alterations [to the store making it] one of the most modern and attractive in the state.” The J. P. Doran Pharmacy was a fixture at 197 Main St through the 1910s and 20s it was a popular destination for Danburians from all walks of life. In the early 1930s, James became ill. Facts are few but at some point, probably after consulting his doctor, James learned he had cancer. Whether cancer started in his liver or gall bladder is unknown but by the time James had surgery both organs were impacted. Several weeks later James died. He was 66 years old. By chance, the famous Danbury bottler Jean Hornig died a day earlier on September 5th. The J.P. Doran Druggist above came from a dump near Main St and dates to the time James leased the old Baldwin building.

THE PURE MILK AND CREAM COMPANY- A LOST CAUSE FROM THE START.

RARE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $30 TO $60+

Like the Trunk brothers ,a few years earlier the Lehninger boys, Frank and Albert, descended on Danbury with a vision. The Trunks, came from parts unknown and started a bottling works, the Lehningers arrived from Central and Southern Connecticut with a passion for milk. Why the Lehningers picked Danbury is unknown, maybe they heard the Hat City offered opportunity. Chances are they came with money more than likely they left with nothing. Though we believe the men were related, probably brothers, they came from different cities: Frank from Hartford, Albert, Bridgeport. They converged in Danbury in the fall of 1920. Land records reveal the Lehningers leased property, first from dairyman Samuel Moody of Danbury’s Great Plain District, then five months later, from Anna Dick, wife of the legendary Danbury businessman Harry Dick. The Samuel Moody property consisted of a shed, ice house, barn and stables. The Dicks had a small bottling facility in the back of their home at 47 Balmforth Ave. Most likely the plant was sitting idle after Harry closed his soda and liquor firm in the late 1910s, and Dick, being the businessman he was, could stand to see the plant idle, so he rented it to the Lehningers. The Lehningers called their small dairy firm, Pure Milk and Cream Company. Frank and Albert leased the plant on Balmforth for $15 a month. The lease was $20 a month at the Moody property. This meant the Lehningers would have to sell a hell of a lot of milk to stay afloat. In the 1920s, Danbury had close to a dozen milk dealers operating in a town of just over twenty thousand people. Milk in Danbury was relatively cheap. for example, in 1923 a quart of milk at Danbury Creamery was 13¢, a pint 7¢. That meant Albert and Frank had to sell 300 quarts of milk just to pay the rents! Ouch! By 1922, Frank, possibly seeing the writing on the wall, went back to Hartford. A year later Albert followed, we assume for the same reason. All that exists to remind us of the Lehninger’s time in Danbury is the bottle (above). The fate of Frank and Albert Lehninger is unknown.

WINTER AND HEIBECK: DANBURY’S MYSTERY MILK FIRM.



SCARCE, DEPENDING ON CONDITION, VALUE $10 To $25

If not for the milk bottles, the legacy of the Winter and Heibeck enterprise would be completely forgotten. No definitive record of the dairy firm seems to exist. Regardless, two clues hint at the existence of one of the firm’s owners. In the late 1910s, a man named Peter Winter is listed as working for the dairy firm: Danbury Creamery . In addition, a source reveals that at one point Winter ran a dairy operation at 9 Balmforth Ave.* Land records, however, do not corroborate this. Even so, it stands to reason that Peter Winter could be half of the dairy team of Winter and Heibeck. Peter Winter had the experience in day to day dairy operations. Also, the surname Winter is not common to the Danbury City Directories. So the inference that another Winter probably ran