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Remembering the Valley’s Spring of 1953
(originally published in the Spring 2003 Derby Historical Society newsletter) One of the unifying themes fifty years ago was rain! The Ansonia Water Company labeled March of 1953 its wettest…
Read MoreHousatonic River Ice
(Originally written in February 2004 by Robert Novak Jr. for the weekly newspaper Huntington Herald). An “old-fashioned New England winter” had given way to a much-anticipated thaw at the end…
Read MoreHistory of the Seymour Fire Alarm – By James Morgan
It was part of our childhood, the nine o’clock whistle warned all good children to be at home. It was the voice of excitement, the herald of shiny fire apparatus…
Read MoreHistory of Revenue Stamped Paper
The Derby Historical Society is fortunate to have many contributors to the history of the Valley willing to share their research with us. The story and graphics below are a…
Read MoreApril 30, 1958 – Howard & Barber Marks 100th Anniversary
Big Department Store Grew with Community, Kept Pace with Times From the little dry goods store of Samuel H. Brush in 1858 to the Howard & Barber of 1958 is…
Read MoreApril 23, 1957 – May Cost City $60,000 to Fill Tail Race Which in 1844 Made Industrial Ansonia Possible
Back in 1844, after dickering unsuccessfully with Squire Booth who lived in what was later the Halfway House, which stood at the time at what is now Division Street and…
Read MoreJanuary 31, 1957 – Great Names in Entertainment World Played Capitol
The story of vaudeville, its heyday prior to the “talkies” and its demise was told by John R. Shields, retired manager of the Capitol Theater, at the weekly luncheon meeting of the…
Read MoreNovember 14, 1956 – Harry Haugh, Electronics Pioneer, Dies Suddenly
Harry A. Haugh Jr., of Orange, a native of Derby and long time resident here, who won nationwide recognition for his invention of the electromatic traffic signal, died suddenly this…
Read MoreSeptember 27, 1956 – Mrs. Frances Osborne Kellogg Dies at Osborndale
Dairy Farmer, Prize Cattle Breeder, Manufacturer, Patron of Arts Deeded Vast Property for a Park Had Retained only Life Use of Area Extending from Pinkhouse Cove on Housatonic into West…
Read MoreJune 20, 1956 – John R. Shields to Retire as Manager of Capitol Theater
John R. Shields will retire as manager of the Capitol Theater as of June 30. He will be succeeded by Harry Carlew, present manager of the Commodore Hull, Derby, who will serve as…
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