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Phelps
Corner
by Don Malcarne
Town Historian
There
are fewer and fewer residents of Essex who remember Phelps
Corner, although for years, this was a major intersection in
town. It was located where Routes #153 and #154 meet at the traffic
light near the new firehouse. The geography of this area today is
far removed from that of 40 years ago.
The Middlesex Turnpike was
the main north/south route from the Hartford area to the Long Island
shore. This became known as State Route #9, and by the late 1940s
was carrying far more traffic than it was designed for, especially
on weekends. As a result, a new Route #9 interstate style highway
was completed by the mid-1960s, replacing the old road. Entrance/exit
#3 was planned where Phelps Corner was located, and the result was
the virtual obliteration of a small section of Essex. During the
past year, the Essex Historical Society has taken the lead
in an attempt to preserve older structures in Essex, for these artifacts
are a great part of the ambiance and beauty of our area. However,
what occurred in 1964/1965 in Phelps Corner, due to the highway
construction, represents the greatest destruction of older homes
in our town's history.
The
cornerstone of Phelps Corner was a home purchased by Ernest Phelps
in 1921 (ELR 18/421). Shortly, a gasoline station was combined with
this homestead, and for years the Phelps family operated this retail
place. After 1955, Russell Phelps was the owner of this station,
which he relinquished to the State of Connecticut in 1965 (ELR 50/402).
This particular dwelling had been originally constructed by Zephaniah
Pratt circa 1753, and was later occupied by his son, Zadock
Pratt, one of a very few local residents who fought through
the entire Revolutionary War. Later, it was the home and blacksmith
shop of Joseph Pratt (not to be confused with the Pratt Smithy
on Champlin Square). Joseph sold to the Parker family in
1818 (SLR 18/112) and this property remained in the Parker family
until the sale to Phelps in 1921.
The
intersection of West Street (West Avenue) and Plains Road with the
Middlesex Turnpike was not at a ninety-degree angle. Traffic going
west actually had to travel very slightly north and then turn left
down Plains Road. There was a formal rotary (and traffic light)
here in later years. The reason for this slight offset was the fact
that Plains Road (Route #153 today) was not built until the mid-1830s,
while West Street was a pre-1700 highway, and the Middlesex Turnpike
was constructed in 1801. In this part of Essex, the Turnpike was
known as Railroad Avenue after 1870. The train station and tracks
became operative in that year. Over the years, houses were built
south of the Mud River bridge (now in a tube under Route #154 by
exit #3) to where Route #153 is now laid out. In addition a group
of buildings was built on the northeast side of this "corner,"
including a retail store. The Cocapard, Martello, and Pinelli familes
all owned property on this side of the highway. On the other side,
the Fenn, Gerich, and Comstock families occupied a
succession of homes from the above mentioned Mud River to Plains
Road. From Plains Road to the current office of Attorneys Senning
and Reider, an 1812 house built by Noah Starkey, and
the Roscoe Doane homestead were located. The Starkey
house was owned by Minnie Shea when it was condemned by the
State. It had previously been the home of her brother, George
Baroni, and also the place where Mr. Baroni's flower business,
River View Gardens, was located. The 1929 aerial survey of
Essex indicates there were more than 25 buildings in the area of
Phelps Corner that were demolished (or moved) due to construction
of Route #9 and the attendant intersection. Fourteen of these houses
had been built prior to 1900, and six pre-dated 1850. The only structure
to survive in place was the office and garage of the Connecticut
Light & Power Company, which later became a Regional
Technical School. This is the building torn down recently to
allow for the construction of our new firehouse.
Phelps
Corner is but a memory, yet there is a rather imposing question
in its legacy. How much should we allow our culture to be changed,
due to the demands of our private vehicle oriented way of life?
This, of course, not only applies to Essex, but to many parts of
the United States. It has been stated that due to the extended planning
stage through completion, a highway will be very few years old before
it is over-extended.
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