Researching Waterbury

In 1681, just twenty-eight humble log cabins built around a marshy green made up what is today Waterbury, Connecticut. The town flourished, and by 1850, its brass- and button-making industries welcomed the Industrial Revolution. When the call came for the Civil War and World Wars I and II, Waterbury gave generously: buttons, to adorn United States military uniforms; and young soldiers, to fight for freedom and become heroes. A Brief History of Waterbury details the ebb and flow of this Connecticut town, the climb to its height, the struggles through adversity and scandal and the glory of modern-day triumphs. In this endlessly intriguing account, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray uncover the true reaches of Waterbury's dynamic spirit.

In this documentary history, Adam korpalski, the editor, has given the reader the full range and flavor of a local public university in twentieth-century America. the thousands of documents, articles, and illustrations he has collected and assembled from public and private correspondence all serve to reflect the successes and failures of the Waterbury campus. It is a history that should make the citizens of Waterbury and of Connecticut proud of their achievements.

For the residents of the Naugatuck Valley, in the days before shopping malls and highways, downtown Waterbury was the place to go. The clock tower, the horse fountain, the Palace Theater, the curved building on Grand and Meadow Streets, abandoned mills, buried rivers, railroads to nowhere-these are some of the familiar and not-so-familiar landmarks of Waterbury. Who built them and why? Waterbury: 1890-1930 is a step back to a time when Waterbury was a major industrial center. Expanding factories were at peak production, churning out enormous quantities of brass products, and the city was struggling to keep pace with its own population explosion.

The hard work of nineteenth-century Irish immigrants in Waterbury helped place the city on the map as the Brass Capital of the World. In the early years of immigration, the Irish still had a hard road before them, filled with prejudice and social exclusion. Irish Catholics would hold Mass in secret, but eventually beautiful churches were built, attracting the most revered clergy in Connecticut. Soon Irish and Irish Americans established themselves as city leaders and professionals in the community. Dr. Charles A. Monagan was a founding member of St. Mary's Hospital, while his son John later became mayor. Some achieved fame through their excellence in sports, such as Roger Connor, whose long-standing record for career home runs was unbeatable until finally broken by the one and only Babe Ruth. Detailed research and oral histories from living descendants bring to light the remarkable Waterbury Irish legacy.

In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."