Map of William Francis' Charter-Oak Park Addition to the City of Hartford
SurveyorSurveyed by
Hiram G. Loomis
(American, 1834 - 1911)
PrinterPrinted by
Kellogg & Bulkeley
(American, 1867 - 1990)
Date1873
MediumLithography; black printer's ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 21 x 26 1/4in. (53.3 x 66.7cm)
Sheet (height x width): 22 x 30 1/8in. (55.9 x 76.5cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1991.189.0
DescriptionMap of 374 lots in Charter Oak Park from Grand Avenue to the north, Clermont Street to the east, New Britain Avenue to the south, and Oakwood Avenue to the west. The Park River runs through the center of the addition; and the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill, and New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail Roads run across the top left corner of the map. The Hartford/West Hartford town line runs diagonally between Reed and Newfield Avenues. In the top left corner, there is a circular seal with the phrase "One Mile Race Course" around its outer edge, and an American flag and the words "Fair Ground Charter-Oak Park" inside. In the bottom right corner, the original map has had an addition pasted over it that includes the New Britain Electric Railway line, shifts Clermont Street over to the west, and reduces the sizes of the lots.
Label TextWilliam Francis was a Hartford real estate developer. After successfully developing Parkville in the early 1870s, he turned his attention to the area immediately to the west and in 1873 offered 400 house lots for sale in what was known as the Charter Oak Park addition. The land was previously a dairy farm and was located directly across from Charter Oak Park in West Hartford, which opened in 1873 as a popular venue for harness racing. Developments like Francis's Charter Oak Park addition illustrate the rapid growth of Hartford during the late 1800s as residential neighborhoods expanded outwards from the central city, reaching rapidly out towards the suburbs.
The Connecticut Historical Society has two variant copies of this map. This copy has separate pieces of paper affixed at the lower right, altering the size of some lots, changing the location of Clermont Street, and showing the New Britain Electric Railroad.
NotesCartographic Note: No scaleThe Connecticut Historical Society has two variant copies of this map. This copy has separate pieces of paper affixed at the lower right, altering the size of some lots, changing the location of Clermont Street, and showing the New Britain Electric Railroad.
Status
Not on view
O.H. Bailey and Company
