From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: Housatonic River Dam

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features the Housatonic River Dam.

The Housatonic Water Co. was organized in 1866 for the purpose of erecting a dam across the river. The dam was built in 1870 near the present-day Yale Boathouse.

A short canal was built on the Derby side while a much longer canal was built on the Huntington side that later became Shelton.

On Jan. 21, 1891, the dam burst from damage wrought by freshets and ice blocks. Even after it was rebuilt, ice and heavy water flows continued to damage the Housatonic River Dam until the Stevenson Dam was built upriver in Monroe in 1918.

[First published on this date in 2017.]

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

Sharing 'Turnback Tuesday' post about long-gone 'castle' in Derby

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" photo is of Leman Stone's "Castle." 

It was built in 1785 to accommodate Stone's business with the West Indies. Stone occupied the "Castle" as his residence, a store and a warehouse for more than 20 years. 

Located in Derby Narrows where the Housatonic met the Naugatuck Rivers, it was a landmark by both land and sea. 

The walls on the water side of the building were very deep and five feet wide to withstand the freshets common at that time. The building was demolished in 1891.

*This post first appeared on this date in 2016.

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

History of freshets is icy reminder of damage caused along rivers in Valley

Derby Public Library local history coordinator Mary Bisaccia photographed Wednesday.

DERBY - Freshets, the sudden overflowing of a river caused by heavy rain or melting snow, devastated parts of the Lower Naugatuck Valley in years gone by. 

On Wednesday I learned about the havoc they caused thanks to Derby Public Library Local History Coordinator Mary Bisaccia. 
Her topic in January is Freshets and Their Impact on Derby History. Each month Bisaccia is available to talk about her research from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m.-noon Wednesdays. The library is at 313 Elizabeth St.

Bisaccia said freshets were commonplace before the construction of dams. In addition to heavy rains causing the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers to overflow, Bisaccia said the rivers were affected by coastal tides.

Bisaccia shared information she found researching several Valley history books as well as a series of articles published in April of 1936 in the former Evening Sentinel newspaper.
The articles were written by C.Z. Morse and titled "Freshets of Earlier Days." They described the freshets that occurred in the late 19th century.

One of the photos on display at the library showing the aftermath of a freshet that occurred in the late 1800s. 

I had never heard of the freshets that played a major role in the history of this area, and I found the topic fascinating. 

In February Bisaccia will talk about the life and times of Derby native Ebenezer Bassett, who became the first African-American diplomat. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Bassett to be ambassador to Haiti in 1869.