From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: 'Old Ironsides'

'Turnback Tuesday' looks at commemorative stamps issued in 2012 of the victorious USS Constitution led by Derby native Commodore Issac Hull in the War of 1812. This important naval victory marked a turning point in the war. 

The ship was made of live oak, red cedar, hard pine and a copper sheath. It carried 44 cannons, with three masts holding 72 sails and carried a crew of 450. The ship was dubbed “Old Ironsides”. 

This ship can be visited at the Boston National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

[First posted on this date in 2018.]

Thanks goes to Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

Derby Neck Library to host CT Youth Poet Laureate Wednesday

State Office of the Arts photo

Read the Valley Independent Sentinel story here:

https://valley.newhavenindependent.org/.../state_youth...

'Turnback Tuesday' features Derby native, lawyer Harold B. Yudkin

Harold B. Yudkin

DERBY - Turnback Tuesday recognizes a man with a love of history, Harold B. Yudkin.

Born in 1912, he attended Irving School and graduated Derby High School at the young age of 15.

He practiced law in Derby and Shelton for more than 60 years and formed a company that developed homes in Derby.

Upon his retirement, he turned his attention to Derby history, and in memory of his love of history, his wife, Selma, generously made a donation to the Library in her husband’s name after he passed away.

That donation helped preserve the many artifacts and history stored at the Derby Public Library.

Thanks goes to Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

'Turnback Tuesday' from this date in 2018 highlights Derby native Isaac Hull

Turnback Tuesday looks at the commemorative stamps issued in 2012 of the victorious USS Constitution led by Derby native Commodore Issac Hull in the War of 1812.

This important naval victory marked a turning point in the war.

The ship was made of live oak, red cedar, hard pine, and a copper sheath. It carried 44 cannons, with three masts holding 72 sails and carried a crew of 450. The ship was dubbed “Old Ironsides”.

This ship can be visited at the Boston National Historical Park in Massachusetts.

Thanks as always to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

Rochelle offers biography of Derby native to celebrate Black History Month

Shared from state Rep. Kara Rochelle's Facebook page:

"Did you know about Horace Weston?

Consistently there are individuals from our region that are exceptional by any standard and even more so considering the era in which they rose to prominence. Mr. Weston is a truly noteworthy Derby original.

"A warm thank you to the

Derby Historical Society

for their excellent work in preserving and sharing the legacy of Mr. Weston and so many others from our community."

Derby native shares aero view maps with historical society, Valley Arts Council

Historical Art by Dr. Joseph DiRienzo

Rare image of Oakley H. Bailey

From the 1840s to the 1920s panoramic, “birds eye view,” and aero view maps of cities and towns throughout the United States and Canada were very popular. 

The Library of Congress has over 1,500 panoramic maps (about 50 percent are of cities and towns in the U. S. Northeast). 

Albert Ruger, Thaddeus Mortimer Fowler, Lucien R. Burleigh, Henry Wellge, and Oakley H. Bailey drew more than 55 percent of the panoramic maps in the Library of Congress collection. 
O.H. Bailey was born into a Quaker family in Mahoning County, Ohio in 1843. He dropped out of college to serve with the 143rd Ohio Volunteer Militia, Company F during the Civil War. He returned to school, after the war, graduating in 1866. He was a teacher for a brief time before joining his brother H. H. Bailey editing business directories. 

In 1871 he started making panoramic maps in Norwich, CT. 
By 1874 the Bailey brothers had offices in Boston and New York City where they drew and published at first “birds-eye views” and later “aero views” maps of American cities until the late 1920s. Over the course of his career O.H. Bailey drew 374 maps issued under the imprints of Oakley H. Bailey, Oakley H. Bailey & Co., O. H. Bailey & J. C. Hazen, Bailey & Fowler, Bailey & Hughes, Bailey & Moyer, Fowler & Bailey and Hughes & Bailey. [The second photo showing a 1921 aero view map of Ansonia is an example of the fine illustration work of Oakley “Hoopes” Bailey.] 
O.H. Bailey retired in 1927 after 55 years in the illustration business. Deteriorating eyesight most likely contributed to an inability to continue the tedious, close work required of a panoramic artist. 
He passed away in 1947 at the age of 104. He remarked in a 1932 interview: “The business has been practically without competition as so few could give it the patience, care, and skill essential to success. But now the airplane cameras are covering the territory and can put more towns on paper in a day than was possible in months by hand work formerly."

Dirienzo, a Derby native, is Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.