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A remarkable piece of Stamford, Connecticut history offered together as a complete commemorative set. The Stamford Advocate published this Tercentenary Edition on June 7, 1941 to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of Stamford in 1641, and the result is one of the most comprehensive single-volume historical records of the town ever assembled.
Inside the front cover, the publication opens with a roster of the Tercentenary Committees, listing the General Committee, Novelty Committee, Tercentenary Poster Committee, Athletics Committee, Music Committee, Colonial Ball Committee, School Open House Committee, Tercentenary Stamp Committee, Exhibit Committee, Pageant Committee, Folk Choral and Dance Festival Committee, Parade Committee, and Publicity Committee with the full names of every Stamford resident who served. For genealogy researchers and Stamford family historians this is an extraordinary primary source.
The body of the edition presents a Historical Review of the Industrial, Business and Civic Life of the Town of Stamford during the past 300 years. Coverage includes the founding and Colonial period, the development of Stamford’s churches and religious organizations, schools including the Weaver School and Springdale School, fraternal organizations and lodges (Puritan Lodge IOOF, Roosevelt Lodge, Laurel Rebekah Lodge, Wascussee Encampment, Union Lodge, St. Augustine Council Knights of Columbus, Sheridan Lodge AOH, and many more), local businesses including Heron Inc., Lott-Merlin Inc., Buettner-Rome, Royal Typewriter, The Stamford Gas & Electric Division of the Connecticut Power Company (founded 1854), early druggists, oyster businesses, and civic associations like the Bedford Street Association. Biographical features profile outstanding sons of Stamford including Homer Cummings and Schuyler Merritt, along with Harold S. Nichols and the Insurance Board.
The Stamford Advocate itself is identified on the title page as Weekly Founded 1829, Daily Established 1892, making this commemorative edition part of one of Connecticut’s oldest continuously published newspapers.
Accompanying the main edition is the Official Program for the Tercentenary Celebration held June 1 through June 14, 1941, featuring the orange and black cover illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings of historic Stamford landmarks: Webb House, Washington House, Davenport House, Scofield House, Holly House, Saunders Blacksmith Shop, Old Scofield House, Historic Mill at Long Ridge, Little Red Schoolhouse, Stamford Light, Nathaniel Adams House, Old King’s Highway, Shippan Point, John Lockwood House, Old Schoolhouse, and Scofieldtown Road. Drawings courtesy of the Stamford Advocate. Original cover price 10 cents.
Also included on the inside of the program is a large fold-out reproduction Map of the Village of Stamford as it appeared in 1847, originally executed by Wynn Kelly and reproduced for the Stamford Tercentenary on May 19, 1941, courtesy of the First-Stamford National Bank & Trust Co. The map identifies individual homeowners and businesses by name along the early streets including the Connecticut Turnpike, Cove Road, Bank Street, Main Street, Atlantic Street, Pacific Street, Park Street, Broad Street, West South Street, Jacob Street, Stanton Street, and the area around Mill Pond and Theal’s Bridge. Notable landmarks marked include the Iron Factory, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, the bakery, and individual residences of the Davenport, Hoyt, Scofield, Webb, Smith, Stevens, Gurnsey, Adams, Ferris, Jarvis, Provost, and many other founding Stamford families. An invaluable resource for Stamford genealogy, deed research, and local history.
This set will appeal to Stamford Connecticut historians, Fairfield County genealogists, ephemera collectors, Connecticut town history researchers, antique map collectors, Tercentenary celebration collectors, and anyone with family roots in 1940s Stamford. The combination of the comprehensive newspaper supplement, the illustrated celebration program, and the early village map makes this a uniquely complete reference piece on early-to-mid 20th century Stamford.
Condition: Acceptable, with significant wear consistent with 84 years of age. The front cover shows edge tears and chipping, the spine is split in multiple places with backing material exposed, and there is a small hole near the spine. Bottom corners show chipping and small losses. Interior pages are toned and brittle from natural newsprint aging, with one committee listings page showing a tear along the center fold and a water stain ring visible on the Historical Review title page. The included Village Map shows fold creases and a small edge tear. The publication remains fully intact, bound, complete, and entirely readable. All text, photographs, and the map are clearly legible. No mold, no odor, no missing pages observed. Please review all photographs carefully before purchasing. Sold as a historical document and research piece.
Will be carefully packaged between rigid boards and shipped in a sturdy box to protect the brittle paper in transit.
