Hartford HistoryTrivia Questions, Weeks 109-114Return to trivia home page
Q: The Hartford Convention of 1814 was an important event in the early history of the United States. What was its purpose? A: New Englanders who were aligned with the Federalist Party met in the Old State House in Hartford from Dec. 15, 1814, to Jan. 4, 1815, to discuss the continuing War of 1812, which they opposed, calling it "President Madison's war." The convention demurred on the more radical proposals before it, including one that New England secede from the union. Neverthless, it provoked anger and even charges of treason in other parts of the country, especially since the delegates met behind closed doors. Indeed, the convention sped up the collapse of the Federalist Party. For more, see this article in the "Columbia Encyclopedia," via Bartleby.com: http://www.bartleby.com/65/ha/HartfordC.html. Also see an excellent account in Albert E. Van Dusen's "Connecticut."
Q: When were the dikes protecting downtown Hartford from the Connecticut River completed? A: They were finished in 1941, though planning for them began even before the flood of 1936 and the hurricane of 1938, both of which put downtown Hartford and much of East Hartford under water. "The flood of 1936 was the most destructive in Hartford's history," Glenn Weaver wrote in, "Hartford: An Illustrated History of Connecticut's Capital." "The cost was five lives and $35,000,000 in property damage, and it was particularly unfortunate that the flood had come at a time when Hartford was just beginning to shake off the effects of the Depression." The dikes were the last project carried out in Hartford by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a massive public works program that President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched as a way to both put unemployed people to work and modernize the country's infrastructure.
Q: What well-known eating and drinking establishment occupies a late 19th-century building that originally housed the Hartford Brick Carriage Factory, manufacturer of buggies and carriages? A: The Arch Street Tavern, which has a website explaining its history: http://archstreettavern.com
Q: In 1929, the Hartford Police Department opened a precinct headquarters on Capitol Avenue. The building is still there. Where is it, exactly, and who occupies it now? A: At 760 Capitol Avenue, near the Interstate 84 overpass. It's occupied today by the Connecticut State Employees Association.
Q: Who was the first African-American elected to the City Council? A: John C. Clark Jr., in 1955. It is for him that the Clark Elementary School is named. Visit the school's Web site at http://www.jcclark.org.
Q: What world-famous architect designed the Bushnell Plaza apartment complex in downtown Hartford? A: I. M. Pei. His many other projects include the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, the modernization of the Louvre in Paris, the Bank of China tower in Hong Kong, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. See his company's Web site for a biography and complete list of projects, including those in Connecticut: http://www.pcf-p.com/a/i/loc/ct/ct.html.
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