Bristol

By Gail Leach and Steven Vastola

Bristol was originally a tightly held and uninhabited portion of Farmington and was known in its early days as the West Woods. Settlers did not arrive until the 1720s and, after building their small community, they sought and received status as the New Cambridge Parish in 1742. Their numbers continued to grow and, by 1785, the community joined neighboring West Britain Parish in separating from Farmington and becoming the town of Bristol. Bristol tells the story of the people, places, and events that transformed this small agricultural hamlet into a true industrial city. The waters of the Pequabuck River brought industry, which soon surpassed farming as the residents' primary livelihood. Bristol became the source of many important products-clocks, springs, silverware, coaster brakes, doorbells, automobiles, roller bearings, and fishing rods, to name a few. In following this evolution, Bristol highlights the residents and workers, their homes and places of business, their entertainment and modes of transportation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Aug 6, 2001
• ISBN: 9781439611210

Gail Leach

Author Gail Leach is president of the Bristol Historical Society, and coauthor Steven Vastola is the society's programs chairman. Together they have selected a superb collection of photographs, the majority of which are from the society's collection, with some generously donated by private individuals. The images and the stories that accompany them create a fascinating history that is sure to delight residents and visitors alike.

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Homestead.

INTRODUCTION

Bristol is an energetic, contemporary city, with a long and noteworthy history. Native American artifacts represent the earliest evidence of human activity in the area. Many artifacts of the Tunxis people have been discovered here. The Tunxis were a peaceful people who hunted in the forested land known as the West Woods and traded goods with other Native Americans, including those from the Hudson River Valley.

Originally, Bristol was within the boundaries of Farmington. In 1721, the area was divided into tiers and lots, which were allotted to the Farmington settlers in the proportions that had been fixed back in 1672. The sons and grandsons of those earliest of Farmington settlers became the proprietors of the land. The first actual settler of what is now Bristol was Daniel Brownson. He built a house near West Street in 1727 but did not remain in the area long. The first permanent settler was Ebenezer Barnes, whose home was built in 1728 at the foot of King Street. In the same year, 1728, Nehemiah Manross from Lebanon bought land and built a house north of the Barnes house, on the west side of King Street. The following year Nathaniel Messenger of Hartford and Benjamin Buck of Southington bought land and built houses along King Street. The first settlement began in what is now referred to as East Bristol.

Other houses were soon built wherever there was land available for farming. Houses were built on the slope of Fall Mountain, which is now Wolcott Street, and on Chippens Hill. In 1742, the families living in the area petitioned the General Court for the right to form their own Congregational society, citing the difficulties of traveling to Farmington during the winter months. The General Court granted their petition for the winter months and two years later agreed that the residents could establish a separate ecclesiastical society and call it New Cambridge. By establishing their own congregation, the settlers began forming a local government. Since the homes were so widely scattered, the General Court assigned a committee to locate the geographic center of the settlement and build a church there. The area now known as Federal Hill was the center, and the first Congregational church was built there.

In 1785, New Cambridge was incorporated as the town of Bristol. In 1790, the industry for which Bristol later became famous was established by the pioneer of clock making, Gideon Roberts. Roberts began making wooden movement clocks in 1790 and peddled them by horseback throughout Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. As his sons grew into the business, Roberts increased his production and, with the help of George Mitchell, the clocks were soon peddled all over the country. All of the capital and skill of the town was soon involved in the clock industry, and many potential clock manufacturers were enticed to come to Bristol. The clock business gave way to related industries, which included brass, springs, bearings, and hardware and, as Bristol began to thrive and grow, many ethnic groups arrived to work in the industries.

Images of America: Bristol has been created from the photographic resources in the archives of the Bristol Historical Society. Many of the images used in the book were taken for the historical society by Peter Maronn, who displayed great talent and foresight in photographing the town’s historical landmarks. The Bristol Jaycees also deserve credit for contributing to the formation of the Bristol Historical Society. This book is dedicated to all the members of the historical society who, over the last 30 years, have worked diligently to collect remembrances of Bristol’s past to preserve them for future generations.

Roger C. Manchester explains a display of