Westport traffic is almost unmanageable.
But it had to start somewhere.
Here’s a shot of the first automobile in town:
It was owned by “the Crawford boys.” They lived on the property that is now Longshore Club Park.
Here, they’re motoring west on the Post Road (State Street). They pass what are now the Taylor Place shops (South Moon Under), headed toward the precursor of the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
The horse and wagon ahead is about to be overtaken — literally and figuratively.
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5o Years Ago This Week:
While Westporters will be watching TV to see if their favorite teams make the NFL playoffs this weekend, 50 years ago the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins clinched their spot in Super Bowl VIII.
A favored drinking spot to watch games was Ye Olde Bridge Grille, just over the Post Road bridge on the way to Norwalk, next to National Hall (it was then Fairfield Furniture).
The year after Connecticut dropped its drinking age from 21 to 18 — to match New York’s — that was a safer alternative than Port Chester or Vista.
“The Bridge” was the “Cheers” of Westport — a place “where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
The Bridge was also a mecca for the soccer community. Owner Dave Reynolds sponsored many state championship-winning Under-23 teams.
(Every Friday, “06880” takes a look back. To help ensure we’ll be here in the future, please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
I spent quite a number of nights/dollars there my first year home from college. I don’t remember anything about them.
Look carefully at the picture of the Post (dirt) Road up on that old power pole there is a what is assumed to be a lineman standing on a pole arm probably stringing electric cables. Don’t see a lift truck, safety belt, traffic cones or insulating blankets on the other most likely live wires! Oh my how things have changed! For the better obviously for linemen, but not for traffic flow!
The Bridge Grille
Epic bar & gathering place ..
Westport the best place in the world to grow up.
Staples 72
pegeen gaherin
I’ll take the Euro-stylish roadster in 2nd pic. No idea of the manufacturer or model. Style is style.
Would “Crawford” be the answer to any of the Xmasers posing from the 1880s in a previous post?
When my father climbed poles for SNETCO, he had a belt/harness separate from his work belt. Gloves and a cap. That was it.
There are also streetcar tracks, and to the right, you can see the overhead wires for the streetcars. The streetcars lasted into the 1930’s.
I remember seeing the trolley tracks in the 1960s. Unused of course, but they were there.
My grandparents took the trolley every Sunday to church.
The streetcars between Norwalk and Bridgeport were run by the Connecticut Rail & Lighting Company. In a ruling in the late 1930’s that had an unintended consequence of killing off many streetcar lines, the government mandated electric utilities could not own streetcar lines. The electric utility became United Illuminating and CR&L lines busses operated through Westport into the late 60s. The other bus company in Connecticut was the Connecticut Company, that was divested from the New Haven RR in the ’30s as well. The New York Times had an article about traveling from Wilmington DE to New Haven b y local transit busses and ruled the bus through Westport was the worst. One CR&L lines bus was held by the trolley museum in Branford but was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Around 1970 government “transit authorities” took over local transit routes.
There’s a picture of someone hanging on the side of the car.
There’s also a guy with a white beard standing in the doorway.
No kidding about being safer. We lost seven (7) fellow students driving back from Port Chester my senior year. Dale Hopkins and I, both just back from Vietnam, sat at the ole Bridge for most of the night getting blasted and recalling we were glad we were alive in ’73. Nobody went in the front entrance, always the back.
We moved from Westport in 1962–had we stayed I would have been in the Staples class of 1966. Who were the ones who were lost?
Sunny Ward for one but the Staples ’66 Facebook page has a complete list of who has died. All I can recall is the couple who committed suicide in the woods of Weston because she was pregnant.
See if someone can recognize this death. I’m 76 and he was one year older. It might have been 1964 or 65, he was on his motorcycle, on the Post Rd, and some kid pulled out of the driveway where I think there’s a liquor store, just a few yards short of South Turkey Hill. I was a little bit behind him, and I saw his motorcycle hit the kid’s car and it he went face first into the car and it ripped his face off. The kid riding behind him threw his motorcycle to the ground and said he’d never ride. The one who got his face ripped off was a really popular kinda tough guy in town and I know had a girlfriend. Anyone think they know who it could be? I can remember this like it was yesterday. Hard to forget something like that.
Jack, are you sure of the dates? I investigated a fatal mc accident on a gorgeous Saturday noontime that happened exactly as you described. Post Rd. and the westernmost driveway to Fortuna’s.The decedent was Mike LaFrancois. However I would guess it was early 80’s….
This is driving me nuts, but I’ll think of his name eventually.
Dave, Since I can’t find anything from the mid 1960 era, maybe it’s the one you’re referring to.
Stephen Newsom ’66 was killed in a motorcycle accident while in college.
Greg Dixon maybe who lived on South Maple Ave.?
Greg Dixon was a reply to Scooter’s post, not the motorcycle accident.
Marty Alexander.
Jack,
Was it Timmy Smith?
I remember watching him walk out of the Bridge Grille… and he was killed on his motorcycle later that night?
I think it was 1974 or 1975 … when he died,
He graduated from staples around five years before me..in 1966 or 1967.
pegeen gaherin
Staples 72
Legren, It wasn’t him. It was in the 1964-65 era because I hadn’t been driving for a long time. I can picture his face, but can’t remember his name. Definitely a popular kid.
Oops Pegeen
Jack,
Thanks for your response.
Tragic how so many young lives of our friends were lost to motorcycle accidents.
Happy New Year.
pegeen
Was anyone friends with a Pat Haggerty?
I believe he moved to Westport in 1961-62 and that his father was an author of history books.