NewsletterSpring2016fin - The Watertown Historical Society

Watertown Historical Society
Spring/Summer 2016
The Westbury
Preserving the history of Watertown and Oakville since 1945
Penny Candy
President’s Message
Join us for Watertown’s Night
Out on Main Street on August
27 for an old-fashioned Penny
Candy Store. Enter your email in
our drawing and win a set of
glassware.
First, I want to thank everyone who came out for the Spring Fling
fundraiser and membership drive event in April. The turnout was
beyond our wildest expectations, with 45 members and 84
nonmembers—although we’d still love a few more of you
nonmembers to join us this year!"
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It is with great sadness that we report that president Brigitte
Crispino is leaving our board. She has been a wonderful leader and
a tireless advocate for the historical society. We will miss her dearly
and want to thank her for all she has done."
2016 House Tour
Save the date for the 11th
Annual House Tour on
September 24. Interested in
having your home included on
the tour? Please contact Linda
Merriman at 860-274-1050.
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Wishing you the best and looking forward to seeing you in August
at the final Night Out on Main Street, and at our annual house
tour in September."
Warm regards,
Linda Merriman, acting president"
Colonial Man
Keep an eye out for our Colonial
Man, coming soon. As we raise
funds for a new home for our
museum (see page 4), the
historical society will share the
results of our fundraising efforts
in a large cutout we hope to
display near the center of town.
Thanks to generous local grants
we already have $30,000 toward
our relocation effort.
Soldier On!
The newest addition to the
museum’s gift shop is another in the
series of etched glassware. This one
bears the historic Soldiers
Monument. The first displays the
Town Hall. Mix and match, for $10
each, or buy a set a four for $35. See
more, or purchase on our website: "
SOLDIERS MONUMENT
www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org/gifts"
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook
www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org
Watertown Historical Society
Spring/Summer 2016
All Dolled Up
Stop by the Heminway Park Municipal Center to see our exhibit of
antique dolls from around the world. "
There is also an exhibit of 1930s vintage Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs dolls at the Watertown Library. If you haven’t
already, please stop by to see the collection of antique spectacles
and glass eyes on display there. "
Why be a member?
Join the Watertown Historical
Society for as little as $12/year
(seniors). More than ever, we
need your support. Please visit
our website to join or make a
donation: watertownhistorical
society.org/donate
Exhibits like these allow us to showcase Watertown and Oakville
history in public places. Previous exhibits included: local dairies,
games and toys, lanterns and lighting devices, Watertown china
manufacturing, military history, parasols, fans and hair jewelry."
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Contact Us
860-274-1050
Watertownctmuseum@
sbcglobal.net
Please note that our mailing address is now:
PO Box is 853
Watertown CT 06795
Board Members
Acting President – Linda L. Merriman
Vice President – Jan J. Guidess
Secretary – Jeffrey S. Grenier
Treasurer – Kendra Scapeccia *
Curator – Michaele Kusaila *
JoAnn Zanavich
Stephen J. Bartkus
Nancy C. Maton
Elizabeth C. Porter
Kristina L. Atwood
Robert F. McCarthy
Julie S. Reiff
Elizabeth Rebers
*Welcome to our new board
members!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook
TOWN TRIVIA
When did the name “Watertown”
first come into use?
(Please visit our website for the answer.)
www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org
Watertown Historical Society
Spring/Summer 2016
Sewing Machines
In the decade before the Civil War, Watertown gave birth to the first practical sewing machine for home use. The
Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine was built here from 1851 to 1856.
Nathaniel Wheeler was born in Watertown in 1820, son of David and Sarah (DeForest)
Wheeler. His father built carriages, and he learned that trade but soon took an interest in
manufacturing small articles out of metal and began substituting machines for hand labor. In
1848, he formed a partnership with Alanson Warren and George Woodruff on north Main
Street in Oakville, near Steele Brooke, in what later became Seymour Smith & Sons plant. The
wooden buildings were torn down in 1928 (where Steele Brook Commons now is).
In 1850, on a business trip to New York, Wheeler saw the recently patented sewing machine
of Allen B. Wilson, who had developed a shuttle that reciprocated in a short arc, which was
an improvement over Singer and Howe's. Wheeler saw the possibilities and contracted to
build 500 of these machines, hiring Wilson as superintendent. The first machine sold for
$125, although the price later came down. They initially made eight to ten machines a week, and more than 500
by 1852.
They quickly made a number of improvements, producing a machine with a rotary hook instead of a shuttle. This
was far quieter and smoother than other methods, with the result that the Wheeler & Wilson produced more
machines in the 1850s and 1860s than any other manufacturer. Wilson also invented the four-motion feed
mechanism that is still seen on every sewing machine today. Advertisements of the day claimed that a shirt
requiring 13 hours and 31 minutes of hand sewing could be done by the machine in one hour and five minutes.
Throughout the 1850s more and more companies were being formed, triggering an overlapping set of patent
rights known as the Sewing Machine War. In 1856, the Sewing Machine Combination was formed, consisting of
Singer, Howe, Wheeler, Wilson, Grover and Baker. These four companies pooled their patents, requiring all other
manufacturers to obtain a license and pay $15 per
machine.
By 1856, the firm was making nearly 20,000 machines a
year, and desperately wanted to expand but the
neighboring farmer refused to sell them the land, and so
the company moved to Bridgeport, adding on several
times until the plant covered roughly eight acres there by
1899. It later became part of the Singer Company.
The sewing machines of Wheeler & Wilson were
exported outside the United States as well. They were so
renowned, that Nathaniel Wheeler received the imperial
warrant from emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria as
"Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court.”
A circa 1852 Wheeler-Wilson Sewing machine, donated
by Edith Skilton, is part of the museum’s collection. Our thanks to Maude McGovern for suggesting this article.
(Sources: Watertown Historical Society records and wikipedia.com )!
Watertown Historical Society
Spring/Summer 2016
Museum Temporarily Closing Its Doors
Sadly, we are closing the museum on DeForest Street until a new home can be found. The society opened the
museum in 1968 above the Watertown Fire District, which has graciously provided that space for nearly 50 years.
But as the Fire District has expanded the scope of its operations, it requires more space in the building. As a
result, the historical society will put the museum collection into storage.
We will continue to offer programing and exhibits from the collection at different venues around town, much as
we did in early days before the museum. The digital collection will also remain accessible through the website,
and school groups will still be able to visit the historic Nova Scotia Schoolhouse.
With the town in the midst of consolidating offices at the Heminway Municipal Center, the society is watching the
process with interest, hoping space will become available in one of the historic town buildings. We'd be very
interested in the Munson House (which currently houses the Board of Ed) as a new location for the museum,
because it would allow us to continue to easily host school groups to both buildings in a single trip.
Gift shop and book sales will also continue through the website and at events like the Fall Festival, as they are
important sources of revenue for the historical society. While the collection is in storage, no artifacts will be
accepted for donation, nor will the society be able to fulfill any research requests.
In the meantime, moving and storing the collection will be expensive, so please help us preserve the museum for
future generations by renewing your membership or making a donation of financial support. Both are easy to do
through our website: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org/donate. We thank you for your support.
Watertown Historical Society
P.O. Box 853
Watertown, CT 06795
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Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/WatertownHistoricalSociety