Litchfield High School - Yearbook (Litchfield, CT)

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Th America School in C first jaw XJ 8, 1 if f gh!-an - ziggy gr.: f , North Street g..S... Q-Qi... Q-1 , Looking up 1' Ye olde curiosity shoppe ard of both moral and factual education. In 1810, Lyman Beecher was installed in Litchfield as the fourth and eventually the most famous preacher to hold that position. His daughter Harriet attended Miss Pierce's Academy and even then showed great promise as a writer. Thus during the winter time gay laugh- ter chimed with the jingle of sleigh bells and the ice rang to the sound of skates. Lyman Beecher spoke against intemper- ence to a dozing congregation and the old Phelps Tavern rang to the sounds of the various balls. In summer time young ladies of the Pierce Academy walked with the students of the Law School, Lyman Beech- er's congregation listened attentively in spite of the drowsy, summer air, and Litch- field hummed and seethed with its summer visitors.

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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

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1 Out of the numerous journals and pub- lications running from four to twenty-two years, arose a lasting record of the memor- able, historical events in and about Litch- field. In 1825, a Mr. Stephen S. Smith started a publication entitled the Litch- field County Post. After changing hands several times, in 1829, a Mr. Adams, the owner at that time, changed its name to the Litchfield Enquirer, which name has been retained to the present day. Following the Revolution, slaves were generally retained in the North and there are several instances of slavery in Litch- field. The slaves were gradually freed and by approximately 1800 they were all eman- cipated. Although Litchfield had no slaves to receive notice during the slave prob- lem, one of her former citizens, Harriet Beecher Stowe, became, through her bookt Uncle Tom's Cabin, an inciting force of the Civil War. Although the citizens of Litchfield sent many young men South to participate in the Civil War, there was not that electric movement of patriotism throughout the town which had been so evident in the Revolution. This was mainly due to the fact that the war itself was distant in the minds of the citizens and that the cause was not one which di- rectly affected Litchiield. The death toll for this town from Cold Harbor was high and affected the attitudes of many people in town. The white marble monument on the green commemorating our dead of the Civil War lists fifty-two names. In this period we see that two more Churches were added to the town's list, The Meth- odist Church in 1837 and the First Roman Catholic Church in 1858. The latter was E , - -L 1- 4' ff-'gi Lflpcr -I -Pf- ,.--tix Ts ..-f-+ . - v--5 N 5 g f- iff-' -L, gf f4- fp 'thi , X , f- On the green stands one of Litchfield's most beautiful buildings, the Congregational Church. Pictured at the left is the Oliver Wolcott home