Springtime at Fulton Park

After a long, snowy winter, spring is finally here!

Municipal Stadium Origins

During the 1890s, the Waterbury Driving Park opened on Watertown Avenue. Leased from the City by the Waterbury Driving Company, it hosted races for horses, cyclists, and runners; football games for high schools; and baseball games for city teams.

Bridgeport Sunday Herald, 6 September 1896

Socialites of 1890

While browsing copies of the Waterbury Sunday Herald through the Connecticut State Library's Digital Collections, I came across an illustrated writeup about a ball held in January or February 1890 by the Second Regiment Connecticut National Guard, which was headquartered here in Waterbury. The ball was held at Waterbury's City Hall (not the current building; the former City Hall building which was located on the Green).

The "news" article is fascinating both for the evocative images of the event, and for the tiny glimpse it gives of Waterbury's high society women during the Gilded Age. Although the article gave little detail about the women it featured, my research has uncovered a wide range of fascinating life stories, including a glamorous actress, a diplomat's wife rescuing a man from a grizzly bear in Canada, the wife of a famous playwright, women who were active in local organizations, and women who preferred the "quiet" life of raising a family and managing a household.

Artist's depiction of the ball, Sunday Herald (9 Feb 1890)