New Haven Independent

With all of the negative connotations attached to this neighborhood and the many complex community issues to focus on here, some of us neighbors get excited, and talk about every good thing that we notice.

So on this spring morning winding down from my morning walk I greeted John, one of our neighbors— with salutations mentioning the blooming trees on Sheffield. John owns a two- family near Division Street, whose front porch is adorned with more plants and wind chimes than any other in the neighborhood, perhaps in the city. Like several other houses on the block, John’s house built in 1900 is beautifully preserved.

Inspired by the beauty of our trees, our conversation changed to the historical nature of our neighborhood. But this conversation brings some grumblings from John that the features of our street, and the preservation efforts by the homeowners go unnoticed. He wants more recognition and celebrations of the history of the street and the residents trying to preserve it as is given other historic communities

Little did I know that this innocuous exchange with my neighbor at 8:00 o clock in the morning would end the day with me on a quest for historical information about our Newhallville street. After hearing him out, I decided to do some research on the downtime between my workday projects.

On my way to a meeting that morning, I had a telephone conversation with someone at the New Haven Colony Historical Society, then with someone at the New Haven Preservation Trust. By mid-afternoon I got a return call from the author of the book “Streets of New Haven: The Origin of Their Names,” which led me to purchase the book, later that afternoon. I also got the chance to visit the New Haven Colony Historical Society on Whitney Avenue and spent some time with the Librarian there pouring over maps of New Haven dating back to 1888.

By 5:30 that very afternoon I was back on Sheffield parking at the curbside in front of John’s house to tell him what I had learned. John was sitting on his old-fashioned rocker taking in what he calls “the music of (his) wind chimes,” tree branches swaying in the wind and the liveliness of neighborhood.

We talked about what I’ve learned about the fascinating story and mysteries of Sheffield Avenue. It was named in 1881 for a wealthy philanthropist Joseph E. Sheffield, who replaced the Farmington Canal with a Railroad, according to Author Doris B. Townsend in her book Streets of New Haven…. There is also a Yale connection. Sheffield was Benefactor to Yale’s new scientific school at the time, named the Sheffield Scientific School. And I was able to confirm John’s earlier assertion that the house across the street his was perhaps the first houses constructed on Sheffield in the late 1800s. I also pointed out two other houses that were among the first three to be developed on the block. John’s house and several others on the odd-numbered side of the block seemed to have been part of a newer housing development for workers of the Winchester Repeating Arms during the turn of the century. And by the way, I told him, Sheffield once crossed Division into the now Science Park. As Winchester expanded, that part of the street was closed off.

I couldn’t verify his claim that the “blue” house on our block was very special. John and others have maintained that it was moved to Sheffield from somewhere in the East Rock neighborhood to house a Winchester Repeating Arms Company executive. I still have to check that out.

And one more thing; how did a side street get to be named as an “Avenue”?

Well, I need to make a few more calls and do a bit more research. but we as neighbors will find our way to learn more, highlight the history and celebrate the beauty of our street and our neighborhood.

For past editions of Gemma Joseph Lumpkin’s Sheffield Avenue diary, click here and here.