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Blizzard of 1888 Bridgeport Photograph property of Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library

Then there was that time seventy six years ago…in 1934…a fierce blizzard hit Bridgeport.  It was the depths of the Depression, and out of work WPA employees were on hand to dig out the snow in downtown Bridgeport.  Workers were freezing, so Edward “Slim” Young who owned the diner on State Street treated the cold workers to a hot cup of coffee.     

1934 blizzard, Bridgeport Property of Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library

                                               Oh and Virginia??? There is a Santa Claus Too!

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If you come to downtown today, Baldwin Plaza has been torn up since May of 2012.  The big pile of debris, that was once Baldwin Plaza is going through a very slow process of renovation.  Very little action has taken place to this site. Even the handicapped parking was gone when I attended a concert at the Bijou last week! It has been was transformed into a pile of rubble from the original plaza that was unveiled in 1974.

The ceremony was held in the new plaza, with then mayor Nicholas Panuzzio giving former Governor Baldwin the keys to the city.  Also in attendance was Superior Court Judge Otto H. LaMacchia and Bridgeport Bar Association President C. David Munich.

Baldwin Plaza Dedication ceremony, October 10, 1974

Governor Baldwin was governor of Connecticut from 1939 to1941 and from 1943 to 1946.  Governor Baldwin, on the far left, was 81 years old at the time of this ceremony.  When working as a lawyer for Pullman Comley in 1924, Baldwin lived on Savoy Street in Bridgeport’s North End for a short time  He was a resident of  Stratford.

Raymond E Baldwin Sr.  died October 4, 1986.  He was buried in Middletown.

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Photo by Al Mathewson

Christmas 1938 was a tough year for America. The last years of the Depression were difficult ones for the citizens of Bridgeport, and especially the children.  Standing in the Second Precinct Children eagerly waited for a visit from Santa Claus to the city.  Jasper McLevy was on hand to greet Saint Nick, pictured in the front of the photo.  Standing next to the Mayor was Superintendent of Police Charles E. Wheeler.

The party was held by Troop 58, Bridgeport Boy Scouts.  The Second Precinct Police Station held the party.

On the back of the photograph is written a note:  Santa Claus “Osag Kid,” reformed burgular. 

Whether this statement is true or not has not been verified in the newspaper of the time.  The Bridgeport Telegram of December 25, 1938, which printed a copy of the photo, only identified him as Santa Claus.

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Bridgeport had a great deal to rejoice about on July 4, 1919. Most of the troops were home from the World War, and the Treaty of Versailles had been signed in June. Everyone came out to celebrate, including the troops that had returned from overseas.

The City of Bridgeport sponsored a Service Recognition Week, with seven days of events to celebrate the return of the troops. Ads in the local paper still looked for women to work in the factories, however many of the men were encouraged to return to their old jobs.

A parade marched down Main Street. A sea of Kiwanis Club members, marched down the avenue, holding a sign that said, “Kiwanis Club Members—We Welcome Every Man Home—His Old Job Back.”

The heat of summer greeted the men in uniform. A comic strip that appeared in the newspaper said that the men in uniform were sweating as they “marched bravely along,” however the cartoonist drew a picture of how the should have marched, showing a man being pulled in a bathtub.

Residents also enjoyed a giant firework display in Seaside Park. The trolleys and jitneys were packed with people flocking to the shoreline park. At 9:00 the paper reported that a burst of rockets flared continually, with a burst of magnesium flares at 10:30. The pyrotechnics were extraordinary.

The crowd was huge. There were 60,000 people on hand to see the fireworks, who stayed in the park until midnight. Even as the trolleys were no longer on the streets, hundreds of people were seen walking home.

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By:  Mary K. Witkowski, Bridgeport City Historian

Lewis Latimer 1848-1928

Three famous inventors – Alexander Graham Bell, Hiram Maxim and Thomas Edison – owe their successes, in part, to a young, African-American inventor who lived on Bridgeport’s South End, among a rich population of Irish, African-American, Hungarian and other ethnic groups. Lewis Latimer lived on Whiting Street with his family. Listed on the 1880 census as a “mechanical draftsman,” Latimer invented and patented the carbon filament, worked closely with the three pioneers mentioned above, and opened the doors for future inventors.

 After serving in the Navy during the Civil War, Latimer began training as a draftsman, eventually becoming a draftsman for Alexander Graham Bell in Boston, and drawing some of the first designs for Bell’s new concept of a telephone.

 He left Boston in 1879 and came to Bridgeport to take a job at the U.S. Electric Lighting Company. He worked for Hiram Maxim, the firm’s chief engineer and the man credited with inventing the first portable, fully automatic machine gun, as well as the common mousetrap.

 Latimer became immersed with the design and drawing of the incandescent light bulb. In fact, many believe Latimer, not Thomas Edison, to be the actual inventor of the modern light bulb.

 Latimer didn’t stay long in Bridgeport, and little is known about his time here. However, it is obvious it was a turning point in his career and his work here was instrumental in developing the light bulb. It’s also known that he was a member of the Bridgeport Scientific Society, which had meetings where prominent scientists and adventurers frequently spoke, and where he presented a paper.

 When the U.S. Electric Lighting Company moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1880, Latimer moved there with his wife to continue his own research with a friend. Latimer continued his work in electric lighting, working in New York for the Edison Lighting Company and General Electric Company.

 Lewis and his family lived in Flushing, N.Y., where he was a founding member of the community’s Unitarian Church, a member of the veterans group Grand Army of the Republic, and pursued his life-long interest in science and the arts. Lewis Latimer’s house in Flushing is preserved as a museum.