The Stamford Historical Society

PHOTO ARCHIVIST’S SELECTION OF THE MONTH: APRIL 2001

Stamford Street Railroad Co.

Horse Car Number 1, on Summer Street, circa 1890It all started with the Stamford Horse Railroad Company. Talk about it had been since 1866, and a charter was secured in 1870. However, the charter expired before any real plans were made. The company finally became a reality in 1886, and the first horse cars started running January 31, 1887.

The fare within the borough limits was 5¢ with one free transfer, 11 tickets could be bought for 50¢.

The company seems to have been poorly managed: It lost money from day one and had many disputes with the Borough of Stamford, resulting in bankruptcy in December of 1888. But horse cars were still running into the early 1890s.

Shown here is Horse Car No. 1, on Summer Street, circa 1890.

Reorganization resulted in the purchase of the franchise and the state legislature permitted a change to electricity for motive power, and the Stamford Street Railroad Co. came into being in 1889. It's early stormy history and subsequent development can be read about in the Transportation Bulletin No. 83 (issued July 1978) of the Connecticut Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS). Its author is Edward Warren Martin.

This 80-page bulletin, bound and donated to us by Mr. Martin, is beautifully put together, with many illustrations, and is available for review in the Research Library of the Stamford Historical Society (388.4M). Come visit us at 1508 High Ridge Road above the Merritt Parkway!

cover of Transportation Bulletin on Stamford Railroad Company cover of "The Language of the Trolley" brochure The brochure The Language of the Trolley was issued in 1977 by The Connecticut Electric Railway Association and can be found at the Stamford Historical Society Research Library in the Vertical Files under “Transportation”

45 Years Later:
the Last Day of the Electric Trolleys

On Saturday night, November 11, 1933 at 11:35 p.m., the last trolley car 1498, with Frank Camito at the controls proceeded out of Atlantic Square and down Main Street towards Norwalk, being replaced by buses.

Shown here is the last day of the trolley on Atlantic Street in front of St. John's Roman Catholic Church

last day of the trolley on Atlantic Street

Below are more photos and items from our collection

Liberty Place Car Barn in 1900

Liberty Place Car Barn in 1900.

Built in 1886, it was designed to accommodate 10 cars and 40 horses. It collapsed during a windstorm in 1910, by which time the new barn at the railroad station had been in use already for several years.

Shippan Point & Cove Road trolley cars
on Atlantic Square in front of the Town Hall, circa 1902 		Shippan Point & Cove Road trolley cars in front of the Town Hall, circa 1902

Car Number 7, circa 1904, Shippan Point trolley Car No. 7, circa 1904, Shippan Point trolley,
Fairview Avenue at Ocean Drive West.

The motorman is Harry Champion who operated trolleys and buses in Stamford for around 45 years.

Passenger and conductor are unknown.

Stamford's original snowplow No. 1, later No. 01
at the new carhouse, circa 1905. 		Stamford's original snowplow No. 1

trolley waiting station, Belltown Trolley station at Hope Street & Toms Road, circa 1914

Two older 4-wheel cars
of the Summer Street line, near Bull's Head, 1918 		Two older 4-wheel cars near Bull's Head, 1918
cover of Train & Trolley Guide, Winter Schedule, January 1919
Postcard of Trolley, postmarked 1908

© Stamford Historical Society

Selections 2000
Month Title
June 2000 Strand Theatre on Upper Atlantic Street, ca. 1933
July 2000 Union House Hotel, ca. 1870
August 2000 “The Anderson Opera Company,” ca. 1890
September 2000 Dr. Francis J. Rogers, Physicians & Druggist
October 2000 Election 1936: Alfred Noroton Phillips Jr., Wilbur Lucius ”Uncle Toby” Cross
November 2000 Bicycle patrol in Stamford, then and now
December 2000 The railroad
Selections 2001
Month Title
January 2001 First National Bank
February 2001 Stamford's First Oldsmobile and the Mechaley Brothers
March 2001 The Blizzard of 1888
April 2001 Stamford Street Railroad Co.
May 2001 Dr. Jacob Nemoitin (1880-1963), Stamford's healer & humanitarian, painter & poet
Summer 2001 The Old Town Hall and the 1904 Fire
October 2001 Stamford Post Offices
November 2001 Postcards from another age
December 2001 Images from Guide to Nature Magazine, June 1910
Selections 2002
Month Title
January 2002 The E.B. Hoit Company. Grand Central Market in 1913
February 2002 The C.O. Miller Company. Department Store
April 2002 The Hoyt Family Meeting 1866
May 2002 Memorial Day Parade 1919
August 2002 The Children's Home on Hamilton Avenue
September 2002 Public Works Department 1914. Building Roads with the Rock Crusher
October 2002 The Hurricane of '38 and the Floods of '54 an '55
November 2002 Linden Lodge
December 2002 The Maziarek Woodworking Shop
Selections 2003
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
Selections 2004
Month Title
March 2004 Horse Carriages
May 2004 A Woodland Home Made of Packing Boxes
July 2004 Postcards: Fun at the Beach (Shippan Point)
September 2004 One-Room Schoolhouses in Stamford
November 2004 Hoyt Getman & Judd and The St. John Wood-Working Company
Selections 2005
Month Title
January 2005 Ice Harvesting - The Diamond Ice Company
February 2005 Presidents, Past Presidents, Would-be Presidents in Stamford
March 2005 Burleigh Park: The Phillips Estate, c. 1900
May 2005 Dr. Givens' Sanitarium, Stamford Hall
June 2005 Portrait Postcards, Early 20th Century
July 2005 July 4th Celebrations in Stamford
October 2005 Football in Stamford, 1890 to 1942 / Michael Boyle
November 2005 A Veterans Day Special: Soldiers Monument, St. John's Park
December 2005 The Circus Comes to Town, and more…
Selections 2006
Month Title
January 2006 Women's Fashions
February 2006 Grocery & Variety Stores
April 2006 Rezo Waters, Basket Weaver
June 2006 Bands & Orchestras
September 2006 Yachting in Stamford
October 2006 Lockwood and Palmer Department Store
November 2006 The DiPreta Family: Seven Sons in WWII
Selections 2007
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
Selections 2008
Month Title
January 2008 Ladybird Johnson Opens Kiwanis Park, May 16, 1968
February 2008 From Our Postcard Collection: Bridges
April 2008 Baseball in Stamford
May 2008 The C.O. Miller Department Store at 15 Bank Street
June 2008 From Plates, Puddings and Pies to Plants (Gardening in North Stamford 1916)
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