Complied by Dave Greenleaf
150 Years Ago – July 1872
Strawberry Festivals won’t happen in Bristol this year. All the churches, societies, etc. have become so rich and increased with goods there is no need to appeal to the charitable.
The railroad has paid losses occasioned by the fire last spring as follows: G. Peck $100, Hiram Norton $250, Mr. Bradley $120. Mr. Gridley’s claim is not yet settled.
Sports 150 Years Ago – July 1872
The second nine of the Bristol Clippers Baseball Club beat the Forestville Lobster Legs on the Fourth by a score of 45-30. We commiserate with the unfortunate Lobster Legs but they ought to know that lobster legs soon lose their nimbleness when out of the brine.
The Bristol Clippers played Terryville on Saturday, beating them 88-16.
125 Years Ago – July 1897
An infant was struck and killed by the noon passenger train after he wandered onto the tracks about a half mile east of the Terryville station.
Free delivery began on July 1. This means that every person living within the carrier limits will have mail delivered to their home or place of business twice a day. Letter boxes will be placed about town and postage will be two cents on all letters for both local and outgoing mail.
The boundaries of the free delivery area are as follows. From East St. to Oak St. to South St. to Union St. Then up Union as far as Russ Lane to Wolcott St. down to West Street to Chestnut to Divinity up to Tulip St. Then Tulip to Park to West to North as far as Sessions Foundry including Ingraham Place and parts of Pond St. Then from the Foundry to Judd St. to Walnut St. to Woodland St. to Goodwin St. to Stearns St. to Queen St and back to East Street. (Editor’s Note: Oak St was located in the area where the Memorial Boulevard School now stands. Sessions Foundry was where the Price Chopper shopping plaza now stands. Pond St is now the upper portion of North Main St.)
A new trolley link from Farmington to Plainville will allow a continuous ride from Plainville to Hartford with connections from Bristol via Plainville.
Lightning struck the flagstaff at Muzzy’s store, shattering the flagpole and breaking windows. The power lines were fried. Witnesses were more astounded by the sight than they would have been to see a Torrington umpire rule against his own team.
The heaviest rain in more than 30 years caused widespread damage throughout the city. The 7:42 passenger train was stalled at the rock cut and Riverside Avenue and North Main Street were underwater.
Isaac Pierce, 81, died at his home on Compounce Rd. Born near Pierce’s Bridge in 1815, he was part of the gold rush of ’49 and then returned to Bristol to partner with Gad Norton to create the summer resort at Lake Compounce. He served Bristol for multiple terms in the state legislature.
Sports 125 Years Ago – July 1897
Bristol 7, Waterbury 5 in a rare errorless game with a homerun by Osbourne.
Osbourne was transferred to the Philadelphia Athletics and pitched his first game for the A’s in a 7-4 win.
100 Years Ago – July 1922
Several thousand enjoyed the carnival in Rockwell Park. Especially popular were the water slides and the swings in the lagoon.
A body found in the woods off Birge’s Pond was identified as a man missing since April. Cause of death was ruled a suicide.
Sports 100 Years Ago – July 1922
The New Departures had a strong Fourth with a doubleheader win over rival Manchester. Lester Lanning was masterful on the mound.
The Boston Red Sox downed the ND’s 9-2 in an exhibition played before a large crowd at Muzzy Field. George Scott had four hits and Gus Forslund added a triple for New Departure.
75 Years Ago –July 1947
The First Congregational Church launched its 200th Anniversary Celebration with an historical exhibit and tree planting.
Bristol celebrated the Fourth with a block dance on Memorial Boulevard and New Departure Band concerts at Lake Compounce and the Federal Hill Green.
Dr. Benjamin I. Sachner filed an application for a new radio station in Bristol and work began on the construction of a studio.
The Park Board chose Fifth District Councilman E. Gordon Stocks to be the new superintendent, replacing Willis P. Fraser who retired.
Veeder Root announced plans to close its Bristol plant and move operations to Hartford About 500 employees will be affected by the move. The plant started in Bristol in the mid 1800’s as the C.J. Root Company.
Bristol High School junior John. J. Trudon, III was selected to attend the American Legion Boys Nation program in Washington, D.C. after representing the city at Connecticut Boys State.
Sports 75 Years Ago –July 1947
Jack Westly of the Bristol Bees became the first Bristol player to hit two homeruns in the same season at Muzzy Field with a smash over the right field fence in the Bees’ win over Stratford.
The Boston Red Sox sent prospect Don Keritus to play for the Bees.
The Bristol American Legion won the Zone 1 Championship and went on to claim the county title with a five-run rally to down Windsor 5-4 in the final. Pete Vodarski had the game winning RBI for Bristol.
The Bees drew a season record attendance of 1,548 in an exhibition win over the Boston Hoboes
50 Years Ago – July 1972
A Bristol man’s yacht was sunk in a collision with a French warship off the coast of France. Yacht owner Peter Gallagher survived but his wife Kathy and five others were lost at sea.
The city reached an agreement with the Tomasso Company to expand the city landfill off Lake Avenue.
Mayor Longo requested permission for the city to drop out of the North Side redevelopment project, citing the increased cost of the new road and demolition of the Ingraham buildings.
The state began a widening project on Route 229 from the “Y” at Middle St and Lake Avenue to Cross St
Tuttle Rd. homeowners criticized Major Longo’s efforts to acquire property for the construction of the new South Side School.
Sports 50 Years Ago – July 1972
Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern announced plans to drop out of the CCIL and join Meriden, Southington and Plainville to form a new league starting in the 1974 season. Bristol had been a founding member of the CCIL since 1920.
Terryville downed Forestville 8-1 to win its first ever Little League District 5 championship. John Griffin, Mike Baillargeon and Skip Klepps powered the Locktowners.
The Bristol American Legion baseball team battled Unionville, New Britain and West Hartford for the Zone 1 title throughout the month. Mike Griffin’s grand slam powered Bristol to a one game lead over Unionville at mid-month, but a 3-2 loss to Unionville late in the month ended Bristol’s six-year reign atop the Zone 1 standings.
25 Years Ago – July 1997
SNET sent ballots to all Bristol household asking for a vote on toll free calling to Hartford.
The General Motor Plant on Chippens Hill was purchased by a group of New York investors for $4 million. Firestone Building Products negotiated for a lease of 200,000 sq. ft at the plant.
The city received the OK to expand Ronzo Rd. for access to the ESPN site, clearing the way for ESPN expansion off Birch St,
An arbitrator’s ruling gave the Board of Education the OK to move ahead with its block scheduling plan in the high schools, but added that the city must pay teachers for the extra hours.
Republicans chose Elbert Huckaby to run against Mayor Frank Nicastro.
The state legislature approved a $2 million grant to help the city close and cap the Lake Avenue landfill.
Michael Wasta was named Assistant Superintendent of Schools.
The city approved expansion plans for the Pine St. Plaza.
The Connecticut Historical Society officially recognized Lake Compounce as the nation’s oldest amusement park.
Sports 25 Years Ago – July 1997
The Bristol American Legion fell to 5-4 in Zone 1 with a loss to SImbsury that put them three games out of the lead as the month began.
Bristol Eastern football coach Chris Cassin announced his resignation to take a position as an assistant coach at Central Connecticut.
The American Legion team won 12 in a row and moved into first place in the Zone with a 7-6 win over Simsbury. Jarrett Stawarz extended the streak with a pitching gem in a win over Southington.
Southington’s Mike Galati halted Bristol’s win streak at 15, but the Post 2 squad completed July with a 22-1 record to win the Zone 1 title.
–From the annals of the Bristol Press
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