History in a Jug

A few years ago, I purchased a Waterbury whiskey jug at a local auction. The jug was originally used by The T. H. Hayes Company, a Waterbury business from over a century ago. Hayes is a familiar name to anyone who knows their Waterbury history -- T. Frank Hayes was the Mayor of Waterbury and Lt. Governor of Connecticut until he was convicted of conspiracy, corruption, fraud, and stealing more than a million dollars from the city. His father was Thomas Hogan Hayes, founder of The T. H. Hayes Company.

The jug is a classic stoneware jug from the late 19th or early 20th century, made by many pottery companies for use by liquor stores whose logos were printed on the side of the jug. The stores purchased alcohol in wood barrels, then sold it in smaller containers. This particular jug looks like it would hold about three or four gallons. 

While Thomas H. Hayes is not as well known today as his notorious son, his story is just as interesting, although not as sensational.

Born in Ireland in 1851, Thomas Hayes came to the United States in 1867, finding his way to Waterbury a year later. At least some of his family stayed in Ireland. His mother, Bridget (Hogan) Hayes, was buried in County Limerick in 1885, with a handsome gravestone paid for by Thomas.

Hayes worked at the Brown Brothers brass factory from 1868 until 1875, when he started up a grocery store in downtown Waterbury, at 38 East Main Street. He merged the business with one owned by John H. Hayes to form the J. & T. Hayes liquor store at 59 South Main Street and grocery store at 38 East Main Street. 

 

Advertisement, Waterbury City Directory, 1878

 

Another Hayes, Patrick T. Hayes, also operated a liquor business on South Main Street at this time. When P. T. Hayes retired in 1905 after thirty years in business, Thomas Hayes purchased his business and inventory.

Advertisement, Waterbury City Directory, 1878

In 1880 or '81, John Hayes retired and the T. H. Hayes company was formed, selling wholesale and retail liquor at 34-36 East Main Street. The business was located near Brook Street, about where the Brown Building parking lot is today, and included a saloon.

 

Advertisement, Waterbury City Directory, 1881

 

Hayes' saloon and liquor store business was a success, leading to an expansion of the building. In 1888, Hayes added a two-story brick storage building to the back of the saloon and, a year later, constructed a three or four story brick building attached to his saloon at the corner of East Main and Brook Streets. A delivery service was added in 1890, with liquor transported using a cart drawn by two horses. His business dealings also included real estate investments. (Waterbury Evening Democrat, 17 April 1888 and 27 June 1889)

Advertisement, Waterbury Evening Democrat, 3 June 1890

Hayes became involved with Waterbury's baseball team during the 1880s. He served on the board of directors for the Waterbury Base Ball Company and was treasurer of the Connecticut State Baseball League formed in 1888. (New Haven Morning Journal and Courier, 8 October 1885 and 24 March 1888)

Hayes was also involved with the local Democrat Town Committee and was vice president of the local chapter of the Irish National League, which campaigned for Home Rule in Ireland. (Waterbury Evening Democrat, 3 July 1888 and 24 December 1888)

Although his business interests expanded, Hayes maintained his saloon on East Main Street for decades, with a cafe on the second floor. In 1908, Hayes hired architects Freney & Jackson to design a large new building on the corner East Main Street and Brook Street. The saloon continued on East Main Street, while his other business were around the corner of the building on Brook Street.  (Waterbury Evening Democrat, 12 October 1908)

 

Waterbury City Directory, 1909, p. 552

Advertisement, Waterbury Democrat, 25 June 1903

In 1897, Hayes purchased the Pearl Lakes resort from Cheshire hotel owner Walter Scott. The resort, located on Pritchard's Pond and Pearl Lake in Waterbury's south end, had been in operation since the mid-1880s. The property contained fourteen acres and several buildings. Hayes immediately set about building two large ice houses for storing up to 10,000 tons of ice cut from Pritchard's Pond Pearl Lake during the winter. The Spring Lake Ice Company was formed and equipped with the latest technology for cutting ice, machinery that could harvest 2,000 tons of ice in ten hours. The site was also equipped with a six ton scale available for use by other companies. Pearl Lake was dredged and a stone wall and massive dam were built around it to increase the amount of water in the small lake. A dozen draft horses were used to haul wagons loaded with ice to customers throughout the area. After starting up the ice company, Hayes built a number of small homes for his employees to rent. (Waterbury Democrat, 7 May 1897, 26 October 1897, and 2 March 1898) 

Advertisement, Waterbury Evening Democrat, 19 October 1900

 

In 1902, Hayes took over the Eagle Brewing Company, becoming its president. The company's beer was sold at local saloons. After Hayes' death in 1913, his widow served as president of Eagle Brewing for a number of years. The brewery was located on Eagle Street in the South End, producing ales, porters, and lagers, nearly 100,000 barrels each year. The brewery officially closed in 1920 during Prohibition, but bootleg operations continued for years.

Advertisement, Waterbury Democrat, 28 September 1906

Hayes was also involved in running the City's driving park on Watertown Avenue (now Municipal Stadium), securing a twenty-five year lease of the property from the City. He owned a saloon at the park, which was run by Clark Nichols, and was in charge of preparing the grounds for events. The park featured horse races and sporting events. In 1901, during a nationwide machinists' strike demanding a nine-hour workday, Hayes opened up the driving park for a machinists' field day, giving the strikers free use of the facility for one day. In 1905, the City began a process to terminate the lease on the grounds that it was not granted correctly. The City's attorneys declared that Hayes and his partner were depriving the City of revenue it could make from the park. (Waterbury Democrat, 12 November 1900, 22 May 1901, 25 March 1903, and 25 January 1906)

Advertisement, Waterbury Democrat, 21 August 1901

Hayes' real estate properties included a twenty-two room former brothel on Plank Road. The brothel was run by Dave Blodgett during the early 1870s, then as a "resort" after he was arrested for keeping a house of prostitution. Under Hayes' ownership, the house was rented to the Martin F. Byrnes family, who were active members of Sacred Heart Church. In 1907, when the Byrnes family were in Danbury for the funeral of their infant son, the house caught fire and was completely destroyed. Furnishings were rescued by neighbors before the firemen arrived, and it was rumored that the fire was started by "tramps" who were allegedly in the vicinity. ("Burned to the Ground," Waterbury Evening Democrat, 22 August 1907)

Thomas Hayes died in 1913, leaving behind a widow and four children. He was remembered for his successful businesses, civic engagement, and the "sincere devotion" his family and friends felt towards him. Hayes was "one of the most influential politicians in the city" despite never running for office. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and attended services at the Immaculate Conception church. (Samuel Hart, ed., Representative Citizens of Connecticut, The American Historical Society, 1916)

Despite all of his accomplishments, little remains of the businesses run by Thomas Hayes. His building on East Main and Brook Streets was demolished and is now a parking lot. The Spring Lake Ice Company is long gone. The stoneware jug is a rare artifact reminding us of what was once here.