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Morningside Now and Then
A fine Shore Front Community on Long Island Sound
 A stranger coming into Morningside for the
first time by one of the two rather rustic entrances would have little difficulty in deciding that there is real value in maintaining the small community on the
American scene. In a day when crowding populations in unsightly towns and cities seem to have lost so much of the human element, there is good reason for the
return of suburbia which has taken place since World War II. Yet, Morningside has represented the advantages of the small suburban community for many decades.
It is perhaps worth noting since Morningside was originally conceived as a summer community, there is likewise a tradition of relaxation and easy-going good
humor to go along with rusticity. The stranger would note that there are no sidewalks along the streets which are still shaded by old trees. This would indicate
to him that the residents have determined not to allow the noise and bustle of commercialism in today's life to invade the privacy of their homes.
Morningside is indeed something unique. It is a community formed into an association for the purpose of preserving a way of life, and on this score alone
there is ample reason for pride. Those who have elected to build or live in Morningside over the past years have done so because the traditions
represented here appealed to them. Consequently, those traditions are being preserved.
In many respects the management of Morningside is in line with the traditions of the old Town Meeting. Once a year, on the last Saturday in June,
Morningsiders meet to discuss common problems and air grievances in open forum. They elect the representatives who are to manage the affairs of their community, and they help to formulate
policies for the coming year.
The job of supervising community functions is carried out by the duly-elected Board. Its officers devote untold hours to their tasks. Their plans are
formulated with the future good of the Association in view. Their work is pointed toward guaranteeing the residents a safer and more congenial place in which to spend their home life.
During the period from the early thirties to the present day, the character of Morningside has gradually changed. Summer homes have been converted to
year round use and over fifty new homes have been erected. The loss of open areas has been compensated for by the development of Fowler Field. This
property, located off Terrace Road, was owned by Mrs. Louise Valentine, and was used as a playground in connection with the summer school she once had
at "The Barn". It was purchased by the Association with the aid of the Women's Club in 1950 and was named in 1955 to honor Mr. & Mrs. Frederic H. B. Fowler
who gave unceasingly of their time and efforts to help make Morningside the fine place it is. It now provides a play area for the younger children with
swings, a baseball diamond, two tennis courts which are converted to basketball courts when the tennis season is over, and a pleasant picnic area for all
residents. Floodlights were added in 1979, and in 1980 the equipment for the children's playground was donated in memory of Dorothy Benvenuti.
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The waterfront area has also seen radical change during these years.
Beginning with the havoc of the 1938 Hurricane, each year successive storms so eroded the bank that portions of Morningside Drive were undermined and
unsafe for traffic. Despite the valiant effort of many board members and residents, aided by sound engineering advice, all attempts to alleviate the
condition failed, and in 1961 the waterfront parklands where ceded to the City of Milford. The center beach was, in turn, leased to the Morningside
Association. Federal, State, and Local groups have now combined to build a permanent retaining wall along the entire waterfront.
Each year, the Functions Committee organizes a fourth of July picnic which includes a flag raising ceremony, a baby parade and track, sports and races.
There is also a Carol Sing at Christmas time and an Easter Egg hunt.
Now, more than a half century since the  Yale Land Company sold its first
building lot—it is doubtful if any of the interested home seekers of that era would recognize the present Morningside. The stately pines that bordered the entrances have almost all gone.
The trolley track that meandered past the entrance gates has been replaced by a macadam road; the open field and wooded areas are now carefully tended gardens. To the real seeker of
the past, however, it is still possible to find some remnants. The barn, carriage house, superintendent's home of the original Thompson Estate
are still in use as residences; the huge rock on Thompson Hill Road and the one at the waterfront are unchanged by time; and the beautiful blue green waters of Long Island Sound
still shimmer in the light of the slowly rising moon.
The Advantages of an Association
When the Charter of the Morningside Association
was adopted in 1921 under the leadership of a group of distinguished residents (including Frederick H. B. Fowler, William T. Yale, William Cowlishow, William
R. Hoppen, Frederic B. Curtis, Albert H. Kirtland, William McKay Higgins, Alanson B. Walker, Samuel Taylor, Richard Johnson, George B. Scoville, Frank
P. Hyde, and M. F. Cross), the object of the Association was stated in Section 2 of the Act incorporating the Morningside Association as follows: "...to provide
for the care and improvement of the lands in said district and for the health, comfort, protection and convenience of persons living therein".
If this purpose was important so many years ago, it is vital today. Since Morningside is a part of the City of Milford, it is governed by the Ordinances and
Regulations enacted by the Municipal Council. But Milford has more than tripled its population since 1940, and during that period municipal problems and
concerns have necessarily become numerous and complex. With an association to carry out the provisions of a foresighted charter and its by-laws,
supplementing and complementing Milford's actions, Morningside has been able to keep abreast of the times and apart from many of the tribulations. To realize
the full value of such an instrument, one need only to study the contrasts offered by other sections of the city.
The Association maintained a sewer system for the residents until 1962, when the city of Milford extended their trunk line beyond this area and Morningside
was connected to it. The private refuse collector hired by the Association for many years retired in 1960 and at this time the Municipal Refuse Collector began to serve Morningsiders.
Over and above these tangible advantages which the Association can define and make possible, however, is the somewhat intangible and highly desirable quality
of community spirit, community pride, and just plain neighborliness which has been fostered in Morningside. With every property holder a member of the
Association, a lively interest and a healthy cooperation in the running of the business is as natural and as important as the payment of taxes. This purely
local interest has been broadened to include City affairs, too, for the Association sends representatives to confer with Municipal Officials so that Morningside's
needs and options may be heard.
Although the Founders of Morningside probably never imagined what it would be like today, they could have improved very little on their original aims as
expressed in the charter. Surely today's residents owe a hearty debt of gratitude to them for laying the foundation for the present Morningside
Association, and a vote of thanks to the Officers of the Association who through the years have carried out the provisions of the Charter and By-Laws. The
value of everyone's property is increased by the benefits of the Association, and all members should actively participate in its endeavors.
The History of Morningside
The hundred-odd acres comprising Morningside was part of the land purchased for the Town of Milford from the Indians by the Town's first settlers in 1639,
and it was included in the "plantation" of Miles Merwin who settled in this area in 1645. Like other parcels of land in Milford, it was secured by a patent
granted in 1685 by the Governor of the Colony, Robert Treat, in the name of King Charles II of England, and by a later patent granted in 1713 by Gurdon
Saltonstall, Governor, in the name of Queen Anne of England. "Merwin's Farms" at Pond Point as the plantation was known, has been the home of six
generations of the Merwin family, some of whom are today still living on portions of this original grant.
The Morningside section was known as the "Rock Farm", because it was divided
off into fields and sections by stone walls built from the rocks which bad been cleared from the land in cultivation. Not until the mid-1860's was it separated
from the Merwin holdings, when Henry G. Thompson, a New England industrialist, purchased it from the descendents of Miles Merwin. After sailing
along the North Shore of Long Island Sound from New London to New York in search of a suitable home-site, Mr. Thompson was attracted most by this high
bluff overlooking the Sound. On March 27, 1865, he acquired 43 acres from Benedict Merwin for $8,000.00; on May 19, 1866, he secured an additional 35
acres from Mark Merwin and William M. Merwin for $2,000.00 and on October 15, 1866, he bought 3 acres from Anson Merwin for $450.00, thereby bringing
his holdings to 81 acres at a total cost of $10,450.00
High on the bluff, looking out over the water, between what is now Thompson
Hill Road and Manor Drive, Mr. Thompson built a manor house of twenty-two rooms, surrounded by wide expanses of lawn, rare and beautiful trees and
elaborate flower gardens. Because it faced the rising sun, Mr. Thompson called his new estate "Morningside".
Two men from Milford were largely responsible for the construction of the estate, Miles B. Plumb, a skilled carpenter, and James L. Miles, a master mason.
Because of the immensity of the project and because of Mr. Thompson's taste for fine craftsmanship, "Morningside" was several years in the building. The
interior of the house was handsomely designed and richly adorned with woodwork: the rooms were paneled in English and Circasian walnut with black
walnut trim; the massive walnut doors had silver knobs. Great crystal chandeliers imported from Europe hung from the high ceilings.
On the practical side, too, there were features unusual for those times. Running water was supplied to each bedroom, in addition to the main baths and
kitchens by the use of an Ericson Hot Air Pump in the basement which, operated by coal, generated enough pressure to pump water from the cisterns to the tank
on top of the house, and the water then descended to each outlet by gravity.
A system of bells was installed throughout the mansion, each bell of a different
tone, and the servants, of whom there were usually five, responded to the proper room according to the tone of the summons.
The estate manufactured its own supply of illuminating gas in a small building located near the big rock off Thompson Hill Road. It had its own ice pond and
ice house, just below the Recreation Field. In the basement of the "Big House" was a milk room, a laundry room, an ice room, a furnace room, an engine and
pump room, and a room for storing wine, mineral waters, cider, vinegar and other beverages.
In addition to the manor house, there were on the Thompson estate a large
carriage house, a barn and tool house, and the home of the superintendent. The black walnut paneling and woodwork were carried over into many of the
out buildings, especially in the superintendent's home and the carriage house, where there were housed several work and riding horses and two fine white
ones used to pull the fancy carriage which was driven by a liveried coachman. Below the carriage house itself were the piggery and large vaults for the
storage of grains and fodder. In the big barn were facilities for cattle, oxen, chickens and ducks, and adjoining this was the tool house which has since been
detached from the barn and moved to Ridgewood Drive where it is the home of the Holdens.
When Mr. Thompson moved here, he engaged Thomas and John Hadden as his
gardener and farmer. The Hadden brothers were natives of Ireland, but Thomas had learned his profession in England where he had worked on a large
estate. In 1876 Thomas F. Maher of Milford came to work under Mr. Hadden, and when the latter accepted a post on a New Haven estate, Mr. Maher was
named head gardener and superintendent of "Morningside", and until his death he lived in the house still standing on the corner of Little Pond Road and
Ridgewood Drive. The Hadden brothers and Mr. Maher planted the trees and shrubs which grace the manor and were responsible for the many varieties of
flowers, vegetables and fruits, including a particularly fabulous strain of Hamburg grapes which came originally from Queen Victoria's greenhouse,
which were grown in the greenhouses and grapery that were situated in what is now Fowler Field.
Because of the Thompson's desire for privacy, "Morningside" was completely
enclosed by fences, some of stone, many of white pine, and one a screen of closely planted spruce trees.
This then was "Morningside" , the estate of Henry G. Thompson, and the home
of his petite and attractive wife and their three daughters and two sons. Mr. Thompson, who was born in Enfield, Connecticut, on October 18, 1818, came
from the carpet-making family from whom Thompsonville, Connecticut is named. He was himself in this business for a time, but in later years he had
many business interests including the Thompson Saw Company in New Haven, of which he was president, as well as others in New York City. He has been
recalled as a tall man of erect carriage, whose kindly face was rimmed with white whiskers. Those who remember him say that he had an unusually happy
disposition and that he was habitually humming and whistling.
Following Mr. Thompson's death in June 1903, the family used "Morningside"
as a summer home, after which it passed through several other hands including Mr. Avy Smith who now resides in Clinton, Connecticut.
Finally, in 1912, the property was offered for sale in the New York papers where it was noted by Milton T. Yale, who with his two sons, Fred and Will, operated
The Yale Land Company of Flushing, Long Island. They were specialists in developing small, select residential communities and in Morningside they saw
opportunities for an ideal shorehome development. After dividing the land into building lots, they laid out and constructed Morningside Drive on the shore front
and Ridgewood Drive bordering the Woodland, with nine roads running due west to connect these Drives and provide settings for homes. At considerable
expense they installed a sewer system which is still in use today, and they provided for other utilities. Water mains had been brought this far in 1897, and
a trolley line linking Milford with New Haven and Bridgeport ran along the edge of Morningside from 1897 until it was replaced by buses around forty years ago.
The Yales converted the old manor house into a private club-inn called "Morningside Club" and managed by Mrs. M. E. Terrell, an aunt of William T.
Bissell. Rooms were available to carefully screened guests. ("The Club is not a hotel and guests are expected to furnish references"), and meals were served
("Excellence of the table has been each year the special concern of the Management"). The carriage house was made over to house the Anaconset
Club, where there were card and billiard rooms, as well as a dance floor, and several tennis courts were constructed nearby. During World War I shelters
were maintained in the basement of the Club. The barn was remodeled by it's owners, the William T. Bissels, equipped with extra sleeping rooms for guests,
and with a large private garage for residents or guests of Morningside.
By 1921, since many of the lots had been sold and about seventy homes built,
the Yale Land Company gradually withdrew its policy of active maintenance. It was at this point that Morningside property owners decided to form an
association, apply for a charter from the State, and thereby assured the continuance of the standards and conditions which had made Morningside such
a desirable location in which to live. In 1923, the Anaconset Club was also taken over by the residents and incorporated. It was the center of
Morningside's social life, with dances several nights a week, including one for the young people on Friday nights; amateur theatricals; activity groups for
both adults and children; and buffet suppers for members and their guests. The Club continued actively until the depression years when the expense of
maintaining the property and the organization forced it to disband. The building reverted back to the Yale Land Company which held the mortgage, and
remained unoccupied until purchased in 1942 by the artist, Wendell Philips Austin, as his studio and home.
The Thompson mansion, which for a time had been in the possession of Mrs.
Terrell, also reverted back to the Yales. When it became impracticable to maintain it, the Yales sold the building itself to a wrecking company which had it
demolished in the late 1930', preserving for re-use and re-sale much of the fine woodwork, paneling and accessories.
Morningside's two entrances were marked by the stone waiting stations of the Bridgeport-Milford-New Haven trolley line and by gates which were at one
period kept closed to the general public. Later the gates were open, except for one twenty-four-hour period each year when they closed to signify that the road
was a private thoroughfare. At the intersection of Yale Avenue leading from the South Gate, and Ridgewood Drive leading from the North Gate, there was
erected the flagpole, now a familiar landmark. At the base of the pole the public signpost called for in the Charter, upon which were to be posted for a
ten-day period by-laws and ordinances passed by the Association. During World War II, a section of the public signpost was used as an honor roll, listing the
residents of Morningside who were in the Service.
Morningside, having been historic farmland, gentlemen's estate, and a land
company development, has come today to mean a "carefully managed growing community of desirable homes" for about one hundred and seventy-six families.
The Morningside Women's Club was initiated around the middle '40's as a social and service organization for the women of Morningside. The late Alanson B.
Walker may be considered the founder and first president. At various times, work groups such as gardening, rug making, ceramics, millinery, wood
refinishing and bridge were active. The Club was instrumental in raising the money to purchase the Recreation Field, and established the traditions of
decorating the flagpole, caroling, and donating prices for Christmas decoration contests which were awarded annually. Unfortunately the Club was
discontinued in 1984 due to lack of interest, but it is hoped that in the near future it will again become active. |
