1974.6.20 Flash-light at midnight, 183 Sigourney Street, Hartford, December 31, 1888.
Another productive year has almost come to a close, and a New Year will soon commence. At midnight tomorrow, many of us will pop the champagne cork as we ring in 2014, and reflect on our accomplishments from this past year. Continue reading
Christmas has always been an enchanting time of year; the carols, elaborate decorations, and endless celebration all come to mind when thinking of this holiday. In the Nutmeg State, Christmas has influenced many serenades, poems and well wishes for the season. Lydia Sigourney’s Christmas Hymn and Louisa Bushnell’s The Watcher’s Carol are just a couple of examples that have highlighted the reason for the season. Continue reading
Ready to deliver! The G. Fox & Co. Fleet in 1955. CHS 2007.24.263.
Long before Jeff Bezos imagined drones delivering packages to your door, G. Fox & Co. built their business on world-class service and home delivery—and even air delivery. So many Hartford residents have warm memories of visits to the iconic downtown department store, but the truth was that you didn’t have to set foot in G. Fox & Co. to shop there. Almost immediately after they opened in 1847, G. Fox was already delivering to its customers—via wheelbarrow. Technology evolved rather slowly, and the wheelbarrows were finally replaced by one-horse wagons in 1907. By 1964, a fleet of 165 boxy blue G. Fox trucks reminded everyone around Hartford and Connecticut that G. Fox delivered. And deliver they did—the official policy was that they would any purchase of any size to your door, and even pick up merchandise for returns. Continue reading
For decades now, the day after Thanksgiving has been referred to by many as “Black Friday”, the first day of the holiday shopping season. It’s a day of transition from a season of autumn and Thanksgiving to a season of holiday shopping and festivities; a day of drastic sales, crowds and madness at retail stores. As with many aspects of history common folklore often dictates people’s beliefs, falsely. So, what is the history of “Black Friday”? What does it mean? Where did it come from? How long has it been around and what on earth was it like before “Black Friday”? Continue reading
inside the CHS 