Happy 375th BirthdayGuilford, CT

By Mrs. Havrda’s Second Grade StudentsJune 13th 2014

The Founding of Guilfordby Grace & Nicole

Welcome to Guilford. Let’s learn about how it was founded. When did they come? Henry Whitfield, the leader, left England and came to Guilford in the late summer of 1639 with 24 English Puritan families who were seeking religious freedom. We noticed that this was like the Pilgrims. While on the ship the families wrote and signed a covenant that would become the foundation for the community of Guilford. Today there are almost 24,000 citizens in Guilford.

The Founding of Guilfordby Grace & Nicole

These Puritans needed land. They made a trade with the Native Americans who lived nearby. The chief, or sachem who made the trade was a woman named Shaumpishuh. The Puritans traded 12 coats, 12 fathom of wampum, 12 glasses, 12 pair of shoes, 12 hatchets, 12 pairs of stockings, 12 hoes, 4 kettles, 12 knives, 12 hats, 12 porringers, 12 spoons, and 2 English coats. The Puritans called the land Guilford after a town in England.

The Guilford GreenHenry & Saviah

Have you ever been to the Guilford Green for a picnic? The green didn’t always look like it does now. It used to be larger and there were buildings on the green. Also, people used to let their animals wander around on the green.There were also about six or more school houses on the green. Isn’t that cool? There were also churches on the green, the most famous was the Episcopal Church built in 1750. Did you know that a long time ago there were gravestones on the green? About 1500 people are still buried there but the gravestones were removed in 1825.

The Guilford GreenHenry & Saviah

The gravestones were removed from the green because the town wanted to turn the green into a park. Because of the graves there people thought that a ghost walked around the Green but it was actually Parson Baldwin in his service robe. Even before 1815, no one could keep their cattle on the green.

It is interesting to know that when the Green was first made, it was in the shape of a parallelogram, but parts of it were sheered off for blacksmiths. The Green also had a whipping post to punish law-breakers. It’s cool to know that George Washington traveled through the Green in 1756 and 1776. The town Green was also a training place for militia drills. Can you imagine that a gun was shot so close to a boy’s ear that it made him deaf!!

The Statue on the GreenJack

Have you ever noticed a statue in the middle of the Guilford Green? On the Guilford Green there is a monument of a soldier. It was given to Guilford in 1877 to honor the men lost in the Civil War. The statue is a way to say, “Thank you,” and to show respect to those who fought for our rights. I love to visit the statue on the Guilford Green with my family. If you ever have a chance to visit the Guilford Green, check out the statue!

The Whitfield HouseAJ & Carly

We are going to tell you about the Whitfield House and what it would be like to live there in colonial times. Can you imagine that this house was built in 1639. It is the oldest house in Connecticut. Many owners lived in this house but the first was Henry Whitfield who built it. It was built out of stones, pine planks, and oak rafters. Amazingly, the walls were 2 feet thick to protect the settlers from attack. If you were a boy who lived there then, you would have to do chores to help, like collect firewood, or carry water to the house. Boys played marbles made out of clay for fun.

The Whitfield HouseAJ & Carly

If you were a girl during colonial times you would have to help too by weeding the garden and helping with the cooking. Then for fun you would play Cat’s Cradle, Button on a String, and play with a doll made out of cloth. The first people who lived in the Whitfield House had to struggle to stay alive. Also it was hard to prepare food because they had to grow it themselves and cook in a fireplace. But, you could find firewood easily. Today the Whitfield House is a state museum. We went there to see how people lived a long time ago and also visited the barn to see how they celebrated holidays in colonial times.

The Hyland HouseGia & Hallie

Have you ever been to the Hyland House? Here are some facts about it. George Hyland was the first owner of the house. He bought the land on 84 Boston Street in about 1657 and built his house there. Some people think that his house may have been rebuilt but some say parts of it were the same house Hyland lived in. The house was going to be torn down in 1916 but it was bought by the Dorothy Whitfield Society and restored. It opened as a museum in 1918 and has been open every summer since then.

The Hyland HouseGia & Hallie

Did you know that a famous person lived in the Hyland House? His name was Ebenezer Parmelee. He was the grandson of George Hyland. He was famous for making clocks, and became know as the father of Connecticut clock making. Today Guilford school children go to the Hyland House to learn about how people lived long ago. If you were a child that lived in the Hyland House long ago, you might have to help your neighbors, who didn’t have children, by working on their farm or in the gardens. That’s how people helped each other.

We hope you go visit the Hyland House soon to see how people lived long ago.

The Griswold HouseDanielle

Have you ever been to the Griswold House? Well here is some information about it. It is interesting to know that the style of the Griswold House is a classic New England Saltbox. It was built by Thomas Griswold III for two of his sons in 1774 on the Old Post Road. (Boston Street). In those times you needed to eat your dinner by candle light. You would find that the parlour was the living room but instead of couches, you would have to sit on wooden chairs. This house was owned by Griswold descendants until it was purchased by The Keeping Society in 1958. Now you should know that you can go to visit the Griswold House Museum from June until October.

Faulkner’s IslandJackson & Yusef

Faulkner’s Island was discovered by Adrien Block in 1614. It is located about four miles off Guilford’s coast. Surprisingly Block called the island Falcon Island because there were a lot of falcons there. You should know that many ships were getting destroyed by the rocks surrounding the island. Many people owned Faulkner’s Island until it was bought by Noah Stone in 1800. Noah Stone then sold it to the US Government in 1801.

Faulkner’s IslandJackson & Yusef

The US Government then erected a lighthouse on the island to protect ships. It was built with stone from the island and it was 40 feet tall. The two lamps were lit by sperm whale oil. They also built a small house and hired a lighthouse keeper. His job was to keep the light burning every night and see that it never went out. The keeper had to climb the steep stairs to light the lamps and then in the morning he had to climb up to turn the lights off.

The Guilford FairAndrew & Tania

The first Guilford Fair was in 1859. Farmers wanted to have a competition to see who brought in the most animals. . That year the fair had over 426 yoke of oxen! The early fairs became famous for cattle shows. People would come to see the parade of cattle. The fair soon had indoor exhibits such as meat, plants, clothes, vegetables and flowers. There were even competitions for the best sunflower and the biggest pumpkin. In 1910, the trolley car came to Guilford. This made it easier for people to get to the fair and there was a crowd of nearly 10,000 people at the fair. By 1920 there was a lemonade stand and a Ferris Wheel at the fair.

The Guilford FairAndrew & Tania

The early fairs had parades with horses, decorated carts, and floats carrying farm products. There was also a fife and drum band. The Guilford Fair used to be on the Guilford Green. In 1969 it grew too big for the Green and was moved to Hunter’s Farm on Lover’s Lane. Now the fair is different than it used to be. It still has the animals and exhibits but there’s lots more. When I went to the fair last year I saw lots of games like, Pop the Balloon, Hit the Weasel, and Squirt the Clown’s Mouth. There’s still a Ferris Wheel but now there are rides like Zero Gravity, Polar Express, and the Pirate Ship. There is a circus, and lots of different kinds of food. My favorite is caramel apples. We love going to the Guilford Fair!

Guilford SchoolsMia & Colin

Do you want to learn about schools in early Guilford? Well, we will tell you all about them.

When Henry Whitfield first came children were not required to go to school because there were only 24 families but most did. Towns with 50 families had to provide schools. Now you should know what schools looked like. Schools had only one room, with plank floors. The roof was made out of hewn shingles. The interior walls were made out of mud and straw. There were benches for pupils and a desk and stool for teacher. Next you should know how the students were taught. The one teacher used the ‘blab method’ and the bible was the main text. Blab means that the students would repeat what the teacher said. Children were divided into groups according to their abilities and the teacher taught one group while other groups sat in back and practiced.

Guilford SchoolsMia & Colin

In 1723, the first school was built in North Guilford. After the first school, many more schools were built in North Guilford. All the schools were closed in 1913 when a new school was built on County Road. The land was bought from the Chittenden family and was first called the Chittenden School. Later it was called the County Road School. This school had two rooms with four grades in each room. Melissa Jones was one of the teachers. She taught from 1929 to 1947 and never missed one day! In County Road school, hot lunches cost 25 cents and soup cost 10 cents. The children would have to wash the dishes. I think I would have to get taught to wash dishes because I don’t know how. At recess I might look at the shapes of the clouds, play hopscotch, or play jump rope. If I had to do some duties I might have to build a fire every morning. When that school got too crowded a new school was built in 1953. This school was named in memory of Melissa Jones. We are in second grade there now.

THANK YOU

• Thank you for coming to our presentation. We hope you enjoyed learning about Guilford and what it was like in the past.

HAPPY 375TH BIRTHDAY GUILFORD