The Stamford Historical Society
PHOTO ARCHIVIST’S SELECTION OF THE MONTH: MARCH 2005
Burleigh Park: The Phillips Estate on Glenbrook Rd., c. 1900
Lock and Rustic Bridge over Noroton River
 |
Charles H. Phillips, a pharmacist from England, had moved to Glenbrook where he established the Phillips Camphor and Wax Company. It was in Stamford, in 1873, that he concocted and received a patent for “hydrate of magnesia mixed with water” which he called Milk of Magnesia. Phillips produced milk of magnesia as well as other pharmaceuticals at his Glenbrook firm. He died in 1882, and the company was incorporated in 1885 as The Charles H. Phillips Chemical Company. After Phillips' death in 1882, his four sons, Dr. Alfred N., Dr. Charles Edmund H., W.D. and John B. Phillips, ran the corporation until 1923, at which time it was acquired by Sterling Drug, Inc. The last familiar blue bottle to be filled in Stamford was in 1976 when production at the Glenbrook plant was phased out. A grandson of Charles H. Phillips, Alfred Noroton Phillips Jr., was a one-term congressman and several times Mayor of Stamford.
Alfred, John, and Charles Edmund lived on the estate, the latter was the owner of “Denehurst.” W.D. is not in the Stamford City Register and may have lived on the other side of the river in Darien. The company, who was situated at what is now Research drive, also built a number of houses for their employees in the immediate neighborhood.
The photos are all undated, but most were likely taken late 19th and early 20th century. From cabinet (greeting) cards by Mrs. Charles Edmund H. Phillips (1853-1937), it appears that that she commissioned a number of photos of the property. Many of them show bridges across the Noroton river.
(titles where provided with photo)
Lock and Rustic Bridge, a closer view
A Stroll through the Park
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Rose Lane Rustic Bridge in background |
 |
 |
| If you look closely at the photo on the right, there is another pavilion! | |
 |
Note: Our knowledge about the estate and the park is largely limited to the photographic evidence. If you have any additional information, please e-mail us or call our librarian, Ron Marcus, at 203-329-1183. Bridges over the Noroton River |  |
© Stamford Historical Society
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| January 2003 | The Wardwell Homes on Elm Street |
| February 2003 | The Old Town Hall II |
| March 2003 | The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913 |
| June 2003 | Wardwell Family Photos |
| Month | Title |
|---|---|
| May 2007 | The League of Women Voters and Harold I June, June 26, 1930 |
| June 2007 | Brownstones on Bell Street |
| July 2007 | The Nature Studies and Recreations of a Business Man |
Home
Photo Collection Information