Essex Square

Essex Square. . , Essex Square as we know it today did not exist until after the British attack on Essex harbor on April 8, 1814 when 28 ships were destroyed. A change in the configuration of the streets leading to the river, thanks to the building of a large, new ropewalk and the shifting of the center of business interests, created a new intersection that became Essex Square. What is remarkable is that much of the downtown Essex Village of today looks as it did in the 1820s. Businesses have come and gone, styles have changed, but the original structures are still recognizable. , Hunt Building , In the mid 1890s, Edwin Hunt built the striking Hunt building where he operated a fine furniture and undertaking establishment. For many years, furniture and undertaking existed in America as dual businesses since the skills needed for cabinet-making and coffin-making made these two businesses compatible. Though some distinctive architectural features have been lost, the building remains an impressive presence on the Square. , Trolleys , Trolleys once were an important part of life in Essex. The Shore Line Electric Railway Company first ran trolleys in Essex in 1910. By 1913, trolleys rumbled noisily through valley towns along tracks that took passengers to the center of Essex over a bridge in Middle Cove. Electric lines crisscrossed Main Street with signs reading "Railway Crossing, Danger". Trolleys made it possible for riders to go from New Haven to Chester and from Old Saybrook to New London. The fare from Essex to Ivoryton in the 1920s was four cents. , Head of Main and Pratt Streets , A one-story building built in 1818 on a lot described as "a triangular shape" at the point of Main and Pratt Streets served the town as a drug store and other enterprises. In the mid 19th century a house was built behind the one-story store and the buildings were expanded to house such merchants as Morris Hall's piano shop, Niles Gladding's General Store, a succession of drug stores and, more recently, dress shops. , Corner of North Main Street , In 1814 Benjamin Williams built an impressive two-story house at the location where Talbots stands today. At that time North Main Street and Pratt Street did not exist and business conditions were pushing Essex Square to its formative stages. During the years before the old house was dismantled to make way for the Essex Square Theatre, it was occupied as a residence and office space by a succession of local doctors. For a number of years, the fledgling Essex Library Association used a room in the house for its first lending library. In 1925, the property was sold to the Essex Square Theatre, Inc., builders of this distinctive building designed to house a movie theatre, stores and offices. For almost fifty years, this is where folks from miles around came to see the latest movies. Since the 1970s, Talbots, a national clothing chain, has occupied the building. , ( photo caption ) , The brick Arkin Block, built in 1920 on North Main St. at the corner of Pratt St., housed the A&P. The original house on the site was moved up the street and is currently a retail store.