The history of Waterbury, Connecticut - citizen hylbom blog

HISTORY OF WATERBUKY. 19
but not north or south, on highway. South Main street, so
called, was laid out and made as a countrj road, not till after
1800 ; but there was, from an early date, a passage, called the
Pine Hill road, from the south end of Bank street, near
wliere Meadow street commences, running southeasterly in
the general direction of Meadow street,* within the common
fence, to the Mad River crossing, near the present bridge, and
so on to Judd's Meadow, (Naugatuck.) A branch from this
passage, communicatingwith what is now Union street, and the
corn mill, (Scovill Manufacturing Go's Rolling Mill,) extended
northeasterly, bounding in the rear, or on the southeast, some
of the Bank street home lots above mentioned.
I have been unable to find (as already suggested) any reference
at an early date, to what is now Union street, from Bank
to Elm. I have not identified it as bounding any of the home
lots, or any grants of land. And yet, it was probably includ-
ed in the original plan of the village. A road, or path, such
as I have referred to in the preceding paragraph, connecting
the corn mill with the Pine Hill road running down the river,
was required for the convenience of the people. I obtain no
certain knowledge of it, however, till March 13th, 1730, when
a highway was laid out, (which has been closed within the last
thirty years,) beginning near the top of the hill, a little west of
Elm street, " a little below Hopkins' Plain bars, from that
highway that runs by the common fence, to that that goes to
Judd's Meadow," at a stake on the brow of the hill, in the
corner of Thomas Porter's lot, running across said lot south-
wardly fourteen rods, then seven rods, " at the bottom of the
hill within Deacon Clark's fence, where it empties into said
highway that goes to Judd's Meadow, two rods wide." It
came out near Charles Bronson's house. It was to be a " pent
road," that is, to be closed at its upper end with a gate or bars.
Its object appears to have been to shorten the distance to the
mill, for the southern and southwestern inhabitants.
Probably the survey above referred to is, for the most part,
* The passage referred to, at the time the turnpike was made, (1801,) came into the latter near
the house of John M. Stocking, (on the map.)