State’s ferries continue to keep history afloat
Can the founding of the United States of America be traced back to the Connecticut River ferries?
“The British officers could ride for free, and not only did the ferry operators hate it, the colonists hated it, too,” said Wick Griswold, whose new book, “Connecticut River Ferries,” delves into the history of the crossriver service and the quirky characters who operated the barges.
“And when Rochambeau had to transport his army across the Connecticut, the ferry operators quickly mobilized — transporting his 5,000 troops and horses and gear from East Hartford to Hartford in just three days, an amazing achievement,” Griswold said, referring to the Comte de Rochambeau, a French general who helped the Colonies win their independence.
Griswold said if you spend time with modern ferries and ferry operators, it’s not long before you make a connection with the ferries of legend.
In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers that divide the world of the living from the world of the dead. He appears in Dante’s Inferno as the ferryman unwilling to transport Dante across the river Acheron, the first of the three infernal rivers of Hell.
Griswold is quick to note the connections between the ferries of mythology and those that crossed the Connecticut River. Like the irascible Charon, ferry captains were impatient with travelers who couldn’t come up with the fare. (In ancient Greece, the dead were buried with a coin in their mouths to pay the ferryman.)
Rich in history
Then there’s the story of Jonas Lincoln, the Revolutionary War veteran whose battle-scarred mind leaves him to wander aimlessly about New England. After being refused passage on the Hartford-East Hartford ferry, he walks around the Connecticut, perhaps as far north as Canada, to wade across the river. He eventually meets up with the crusty ferryman on the other side.
“Here I am, in spite of you, you old skinflint,” the old soldier says.
“A similar story played out in Norse legend,” Griswold said. “There was a ferryman called Harbard who also made Thor — by then an old warrior — walk around a river.”
Griswold teaches history at the University of Hartford. He co-wrote the book with Stephen Jones, professor emeritus of the Maritime Studies Program of the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. Both have written several books on New England’s maritime legacy.
The Chester-Hadlyme ferry, although it dates back to 1769, isn’t the oldest in the state. That honor belongs to the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury ferry, which began service in 1655. It’s the oldest continuously operating ferry in the U.S.
Today, those two ferries are the last that still cross the Connecticut River in the state. In the 19th century, there were more than 100 ferries crossing the river, but most quickly went out of business after several bridges went up.
Changing business model
“Before the steam era, ferries were kept in the same families for over 100 years,” Griswold said. “Because, in addition to the boat, you needed a place on the riverbank, and this was where many built an inn.”
So for decades, operating a ferry was a profitable enterprise.
“And they were the purveyors of information, too — they were often the first to get the news from Boston and New York.”
Still, some of these ferries faltered as families squabbled over ownership. And over time, fees were increasingly dictated by the government. When the steam era arrived in the late 1800s, they became too expensive to operate. Soon local governments took over the ferries, then the state.
“The state still threatens to shut them down,” Griswold said. “They lose about a half-million dollars a year. But every time this happens, people turn up in Hartford with the pitchforks at the state Capitol.”
He wryly noted that schools and highways produce even less income than the pittance collected on the ferries.
Not all of the stories in the book are from the bygone era when boats were propelled by long poles and arm-power. In 2014, the state, hoping to squeeze every last dime from the ferries, turned the boats — according to critics — into floating billboards, festooned with “Get Carter!” signs.
“Carter” is Carter Mario, who heads a large team of personal injury attorneys. He quickly realized that the signs weren’t having the desired effect and had them replaced with a large educational poster depicting the history of the ferry service. This was much more in keeping with “aesthetics and proper New England decorum” preferred by the ferry fanatics.
It costs $5 to take your car on the ferry ($6 on weekends), $2 if you’re on foot or with your bicycle. The Chester-Hadlyme ferry can hold nine cars, and it still offers the easiest crossing in that part of the state. The stunning Gillette Castle is on the Hadlyme side and there are several quaint towns to explore nearly. The tug-and-barge Rocky HillGlastonbury ferry can only hold three cars.
“The state still threatens to shut them down ... They lose about a half-million dollars a year. But every time this happens, people turn up in Hartford with the pitchforks at the state Capitol.”
Wick Griswold, author of “Connecticut River Ferries”