Litchfield High School - Yearbook (Litchfield, CT)

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Isaac Baldwin, Andrew Adams and Tap- ping Reeve. The last mentioned settled in Litchfield in 1774 upon completion of that house which now bears his name While Litchfield natives were engaged in the usual occupations of the farmer or the various trades of a small town Englands possessnve attitude began to xrk those colonists who were nearer to their ruler and upon the passage of the Stamp Act this smouldermg spirit flared into open resentment against Taxation without Representation On February 10 1766 the citizens of the town of Litchfield issued a notice to all Connecticut concern mg the meeting of the Freeborn Sons of Liberty On February 24 the Conn Courant recorded the issues of this meetmg which when summarized show the source of sev eral of the ideas expressed in our own Declaration of Independence In 1774 the inhabitants expressed at a town meetmg their great sympathy with the Poor of the Town of Boston who felt the effects of the closing of Boston port Then sud denly Litchfield was plunged mto war and the names of David Welch, Bezaleel Beebe Fisher Gay Ethan Allen Lieuten- ant Crampton Aaron Burr jedediah Strong Oliver Wolcott and many others not only made Litchfield proud of her na tive sons but also showed the thirte n colonies that patriotism flourished ln Conn The glories of war shared by Lxtch field were many it ns true but the records of all too many enlisted men echoed the pitiful statement died on his way home as six survivors returned from the com pany of 36 hale and hearty young men who had repre ented Litchfield nn this vivid struggle for freedom The necessity of transporting war ma tenals had considerably elevated the loca tion of Litchfield as a tradmg center and a a result the importance of the village was greatly enhanced in the following years Litchfields social life resumed its busy actlvitles and had at various times as it ballroom guests General Washing ton General Lafayette General Rocham beau and several other celebrated military leaders Judge Tapping Reeve s home and his httle law school were the places of education for many of Americas early statesmen 53 -P! I l 1 1 s Q I ' l Q 1 D t ' 0 I 7 0 1 c ' s . ' ' ,, . , Z , . . . . . 9 , . . ' ' . - , , . . Y Y , . . . . . - - ac ' - n , 1 . , H , . . . . ,, ' I , , , Q . . . . . , . . . . - . . 0 ' ' 1 I - 0 t l I ' ' . , v . . - q I ' 1 ' Y Q . ' ' , . , . . - . . , ' , , , . . . . . 9 n 9 ' . . H ' ' S , ' as - 1 1 , . . . , ' l , . p . , . . ' I A 4 R'-ff' ' 'H 1 I fe Va 7 ' 'U . Q 2' . . r ' '1 ' ' , fr nf: ' f. ' 3' H 44,7 'V ,f -5' Q' . f.. ,'-.f- - A A ' 4 - ., I . , ? fr 4.2 - I .f A 'C ' , 1 iq qt ev' -i 1 5...,.. ' 1 B I-FJ ' .mga x m , ., ' f x n 1 1 Q... , ' h .. . 4 X K, , . A- , X - I X 3 .1 5. 'W ' - .f . firf -b wx fi. I ' A fgl , , X , A., , . I ' ' hi v S .s- 2 i 1 , :Sa I

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FAIR LITCHFIELD 3 fi l 3,4 fi' 'hw 'Qin-his ,W mm wysffgigsdwfwefw Center Park IS one of the major factors IU makmg Lrtchfield the Parlor Town of Connectlcut Lrtchfxeld Connectlcut made 1ts begzn mng in the h1lls of North Western Con nectxcut as a tradlng center and outpost ln 1720 Durmg the Hrst few years of nts exlstence the largest problem was pre sented by the Indxans whose wars w1th Ma sachusetts greatly affected the lxves of Western Connectlcut settlers Therefore several forts were constructed at strategxc pomts for the safety of those settlers who llved outsxde the protectlve shadow of the town tort But as the Redman sadly and mevltably vannshed before the lnexorable advancement of whlte settlers the thoughts of Lltchfield s occupants turned to the bulldxng of a suitable place of worship and as a result the Fnrst Congregatlonal Church was erected m 1726 and T1mothy Collms prevlously appomted m 1721 was 1ts first pastor That the ent1re llfe of the vxllage was centered upon th1s Flrst Latch Held church IS aptly shown by the town law of 1723 voted upon durmg that perrod rn whlch the construct1on was begun whlch stated that whosoever shall sell or trans port any pme boards out of the Town shall forfext ten sh1ll1ngs per thousand Of the other bulldmgs whlch were erected durxng the tlme of the Flrst Congregattonal Church only one remalns today and thls the Ethan Allen House 117365 wherem Ethan Allen of Revolutxonary fame was born Lnkewxse durlng thls t1me was erected the first Eplscopal Church 07351 It was 1n the Flrst Congregatlonal Church that the well known j'ud1ah Cham pxon preached and It was durxng h1s pas torate that the Second Congregatwnal Church was completed 1n 1762 Many prosperous men were now settlmg rn Lltchlield wxth the results that a flour 1sh1ng trade sprang up between that village and other centers and transportatxon lmes xmproved the most lmportant of whxch connected New York Clty with L1tchHeld The Hr t of todays I-Ixstorxcal houses then began to grace the streets of Lltchfield The Sheldon Tavern bullt by Ehsha Shel don in 1760 lS belleved to be one of the most beautlful Even as the men of Lxtch field expanded to seek wealth so were many students of law drawn to Lltchheld in search of knowledge They found am ple source ln Reynold Marvm john Allen . 1 v - , 4 Vvy, Q ,3 V 1' 4 gif f 5 , ' 4' lil . J A. .J .Y I F . . ,JX- : ' A ' N ,xr -0 , I ' ' , 5' , f 1' if ' 7 - c 1-V sq, . 7 W V K k,,, , W , Bile'-hVA,,f,,i,T:Li,W. - ' ,1 f ,. - ,,'z'W J V f,g-,f,5k W - . .1 ' , A - ' U. -nf-.W 'Qt .f,.-lug lvl?-F' r V - , ,, rf,-1 '-- -V , N v N ,, We A 1, Wdmw 1 ' ' . ., W 2 , ,.,,, 'Mfg , f 1 gsJ?',fQsg,, ,N ,lip ,gl g ' 35.34 lg, V . LV ' .1 , by K tp V . A, 'wer , .e,sg,1seef.i,21f v 7 S , ' stile-,f 'T .A , -Mfr-sv' 1 ' K f...f,-f'1i+W,.f' A 'K-he . W, , ,, V K 1.5 f ., 'LM 1, 1' xg ut' se' f ' Q. 1 , -1 'G I3 fa 'tiiflg-is was ffitifr ' , . , , 1 rf' :- K fx, 'Ft ps, my I 1 f-ge. -is-gif, . ' CF3 'i2?':1'.f-vis r'f?f.l'P'1f:fr f42m.Wi' s TWH' 'W A. , ,H ' -, f - V L1 J F5319 :wr-J Q FEM, - 4'V1Ei+ fu,fv-ff V 52125: 1 Y, fin. Lay-1, , ,,: f 'l? 'aff 'fw,ww.w.f ' , V -4 -, . fa ' is - at Q A 1 N ' . . . U ' Y! . . . . . . . - Y ! - . . . ' ' ' . . ' ' , Y . v . . , - . . . . . . . Q . c ' I . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . , - . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! I . . . . . . . . . , . . Q 1 U ' . . . . . . . - - - , - ' ! Y ' - 1 l 42 ' . . Y ' - . . . ,, . . . , .

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Hllll' fu nl ii ' llll 2 t ggeww Q ,L E this herd.-4 ? f ' EL Qi' ,z-fx 'L Sheldons Tavern was host to Washmgton Lafayette 1 Hamllton and many others Once more new and dlstmgu shed set tler cam to Litchfield to build thenr homes wxth the resulting erectlon of the Lord House ln 1785 by Ollver Boardman The john Pxerce House about 1788 bv Colonel John P1erce The Corner House ln 1792 93 by Charles Butler and the Julius Demmg House in 1793 by jullus D mmg These houses were often the by products of a fortune ama sed m trade wxth Chma and their owners not only contrlbuted much to the future beauty of Lxtchfield by the1r erectlon but also added prestlge to that mcreasmgly popular vlllage Thus approxxmately ln 1784 Judge Tappmg Reeve deemed xt necessary to bulld a small law school behind h1s home for the accom modatlon of his pupils Among these were numbered one vxce presldent of the Umted States three Justxces of the Supreme Court slx members of the Federal Cabmet twenty elght Senators one hundred and one members of Congress, and many othex distmgulshed scholars While the law school flourished on South Street, North Street was as well repre sented xn the Held of educatlon by the Lltchlield Female Academy of Mlss Sarah Pierce Young ladies came from almost every colony on the Atlantlc seaboard to attend thxs famous school Throughout 1ts three perxods of growth establxshment. Hourxshmg attendance, and declme, the Plerce Academy mamtamed a hlgh stand T5 ,Z ,QSM I Q 1 ' U J.. 'R 1 :Q ' l Q if f L , Kg , g . . 1 . -I xy. fiffl ff 'Q 1 . A-U - - -A 25: ' 1 'F A 47 W '22 -U E 12 ' a 4 glee - L L.- :gf ' A 5 Y 5 rl I - ' , V : FE if f x T u 3 QA ff! - ' :Fill 'V it I iTj!,f 'lb C? 1- -.1 1'-I L' , iEQil..5.,Qo 9 N ij, -z-J Hil l Y ., f S -. IA' is fp 'Z ' M ,- SX ,112 55 ze, 47 QT 2 '- vm? .9 'i ,ztsgfi --'Yi pix' ' 5 'EZ . Q?-f ll? 4 Cf 'Q-' fi , ef S at-ef L A A. R l 'I D ' -. ' ' ow ,177 f?' ? . ' ' egg , . . ,f ,lf pi . . 0 f ' X 1 1 ' o ,W E 5 , s e ' ' ' f . . ff X , . . ' 7 , ,, a . lg i . C' ' f , . - . ' . A . Alle Hi? I e . if az... - Q if V A S I . I , , . ,L , . I . . C