Saturday, January 24, 2026

The Journal of Josiah Atkins

One of the most important Revolutionary War documents from the Waterbury area is a journal kept by Josiah Atkins during his time in the Continental Army. His journal is now part of the New Haven Museum collection. A scan and transcription of the journal is available on their website. A transcription of the journal was published by the Mattatuck Museum in 1954.

 




The journal provides important insight into the Revolutionary War era, both in terms of his military experience and in terms of his thoughts on slavery and on the fact that many of the founding fathers who claimed to care about the rights of all mankind and claimed to support the principal of liberty kept people enslaved for their own profit.

 

Saturday, January 17, 2026

The Goss House

I've been seeing a lot of buzz about this house on Facebook, with people wanting to know more about it. So here is some of its history. 

The Goss House, 70 Hillside Avenue, Photo from Realtor.com, 2025

 

The house was built as a wedding present for Ella Young and John H. Goss, who were married in 1901. Construction started in 1901 and was finished in 1903. Construction was paid for by Ella's father, Alden M. Young, while John Goss's father, C.P. Goss, contributed the land.