George Washington Ate Here

During the Revolutionary War, Waterbury was far removed from any battles, but still saw hundreds of soldiers as they marched through Connecticut. Long before the construction of I-84, West Main Street and East Main Street served as major thoroughfares for travelers passing through town on their way to or from Hartford. In September, 1780, General George Washington was one of those travelers. He stopped in Waterbury to dine with a friend, Joseph Hopkins, on his way to Hartford.

George Washington, 1780-82, by Charles Willson Peale
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Mapping Inequality

I haven't been posting here as often as usual, partly because I've been working on several writing projects for publication elsewhere. The first of those projects is completed: a short essay about Waterbury for the University of Richmond's website, Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America.

 

"Redlining" is the term used to describe the work of the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation which, during the 1930s, rated residential neighborhoods in cities throughout the country based on their opinion of whether or not they were good investment areas for banks. A home in a green-rated neighborhood was considered low risk for mortgages. Red-rated neighborhoods were considered high risk, discouraging banks from issuing mortgages in those neighborhoods. Residents of green neighborhoods were white; residents of red neighborhoods were Black or "a low class of foreigners."