Meriden, Connecticut

Meriden is a ceety in New Haven Coonty, Connecticut, Unitit States. Accordin tae 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population o the ceety is 59,653.[1]

History eedit

 
Meriden Britannia Co. electro-gold an silverplating factory, 1881

Meriden wis oreeginally pairt o Wallingford. It wis grantit a separate meetinghoose in 1727, became a toon in 1806, an incorporatit as a ceety in 1867. It wis named for the toun o Meriden, Wast Midlands, Ingland.

The auldest hoose in toun still standin, built bi Solomon Goffe in 1711, is nou a museum, the Solomon Goffe House.

In the 1800s, Meriden earned the nickname “Silver Ceety,” due tae the lairge number o cutlery an relatit products which wur manufactured here bi companies such as International Silver an Meriden Cutlery.

Charles Parker an his younger brither, opened their first manufacturin factory in Meriden in 1832, wi a caipital ootlay o $70.00. Ower the years they manufactured a wide variety o products‚ frae steam ingines, train wheels an printin presses tae piano stools. Durin the American Ceevil War Parker's Meriden Machine Company wis unner Union contract tae produce 10,000 repeatin rifles an 15,000 Springfield rifles. Parker began producin his awn shotgun, referred to as “The Gun of 1866”. In 1868, Charles an his sons, Wilbur, Charles an Dexter stairtit the Parker Brothers Gun Company, which continued as an independent company till 1934 when it wis purchased bi the Remington Arms Company.[2]

 
The Hanging Hills an Hubbard Park; Meriden belaw

The Hanging Hills' Hubbard Park wis financed bi Walter Hubbard, local entrepreneur an preses o the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company. Hubbard elicitit the assistance o notable landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in drawin up the design.[3]

Edwin Howard Armstrong, a netwirk radio pioneer who inventit FM radio, uised West Peak for the location o ane o the first FM radio broadcasts in 1939. His oreeginal 70 feet (21 m) tall radio mast still staunds on the peak. Currently West Peak is hame tae sax FM broadcast stations, includin WPKT, WWYZ, WKSS, WDRC-FM, WPHH an WHCN.[4] In 1900, Castle Craig wis dedicatit in Hubbard Park.

The Curtis Memorial Library opened in 1903.

The Franciscan Sisters o the Eucharist hae their mither hoose in Meriden as dae the Franciscan Brithers o the Eucharist.

References eedit

  1. "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Connecticut" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. 21 Juin 2006. Retrieved 17 November 2006.
  2. Copy of "The Parker Gun" by Ron Kirby Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine from The City of Meriden Message Board
  3. City of Meriden Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine. Cited Dec. 13, 2007
  4. This Week in Amateur Radio. Cited Dec. 13, 2007


Coordinates: 41°32′12″N 72°47′41″W / 41.5367°N 72.7947°W / 41.5367; -72.7947