New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Fieldhouse demolition begins today in Derby
DERBY — Did you know that Derby — the state’s smallest city — was named after Derby, England? Or that the city is home to the first water-powered gristmill and was once a booming manufacturer of hoop skirts and corsets?
Those interesting tidbits and more will bring Derby’s history to life next weekend when the firstever walking tour of the popular Derby Greenway steps off.
The walking tour is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, weather permitting. Folks are asked to meet at the Division Street entrance of the Greenway, at the Hall of Fame Plaza, surrounding the Historical National Alliance Fountain.
The tour is free, and will include walking the entire 3.4-mile length of the trail to Main Street and back, all while learning about the history of Derby, according to Jack Walsh, who will serve as tour guide. Walsh said participants may also receive a little souvenir for the inaugural tour.
Walsh, who is co-chairman of the Naugatuck Valley River Greenway Committee, said the idea for a walking tour actually came about by accident. He said an intern with the National Park Service recently paid a visit. She’s doing research about the Naugatuck Valley Greenway system, and Walsh was glad to give her a tour of Derby’s Greenway,
which according to statistics tracked by the Connecticut Trails Census Project, is the most heavily used trail of the 15 trails currently part of the system.
Walsh posted a picture of the intern on the Greenway’s Facebook page and mentioned how he took her for a tour. Before long, Walsh received a few posts from people asking when the tour was going to happen and how they could join in. Walsh then took a quick poll for interest and 31 of 36 people responded they’d love to go on a walking tour.
“When the Greenway was being built, one of the things that we had considered was what I called “A Walking History of Derby,” Walsh said “When you look at the Greenway, you can see that the Division Street entrance is where the earliest settlers lived and worked and formed what I would call the Colonial period of Derby history. When you get down to O’Sullivan’s Island and look across to East Derby, you think of the maritime history including ship building and world trade as well as the birthplace of Commodore Hull. Then when you get to the Housatonic side and Main Street, you get to the industrial and retail history.”
Walsh said Derby is one of the oldest cities in the United States, settled as a Native American trading post in 1654, at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers, and its history has always been intertwined with those rivers.
“The tour will tie all these pieces together and illustrate just how important the rivers have been in Derby’s history,” he added.
Walsh is hoping there might be enough interest from people to periodically host future tours.