"Amos Bull was not only an educator but a successful merchant. He had five wives; two died, two he divorced, and one outlived him by 15 years. His second wife, Catherine Lush, turned out to be 10 years older than he thought, and he petitioned the court in 1787 for a divorce - accusing her of intemperance, inchastity, profanity and brawling. (While he was married to Catherine, he lived in the Silas Deane house in Wethersfield.) The divorce was granted, and he immediately married his next-door neighbor, Abigail Webb. While married to Abigail, he built his home on South Main Street (1788). The bricks for the house came from Windsor and the brownstone from Portland. During those years (between 1788 and 1801) he ran a store in the front of the house and sold linens and hardware. He provided the hardware for the State House."

Q: In the early part of the last century, Hartford had a Chinatown. Where was it?

A: It was located on the south side of State Street, between the Old State House and Front Street, which was razed for the construction of the interstate highways and Constitution Plaza. The 20 or so small businesses there included Chinese restaurants and import stores. The back rooms of some of these places functioned as opium dens.

Thanks to Karen O'Maxfield for submitting the question. Her information comes from "Hartford: An Illustrated History of Connecticut's Capital," by Glenn Weaver.

Q: Not that long ago, Washington Street was known for its car dealerships. But what lined the street before they arrived?

A: Mansions. In the late-19th century, Washington Street was a leafy boulevard occupied by some of the most stately homes to be seen anywhere. For proof, see pages 58-62 of Wilson H. Faude's recently published picture book, "Lost Hartford." The Samuel N. Kellogg house, at the corner of Madison Street, is the only vestige of that era.

Q: What Hartford street became known in the 1920s as insurance row? (Hint: It's not Main Street, or Farmington Avenue.)

A: Elm Street, which runs along Bushnell Park. The buildings that went up there include: the 1926 Connecticut General Life Insurance building, also known as Little Aetna; the 1913 Scottish Union and National Insurance Company Building; the 1920 Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company Building; and the 1917 Phoenix Insurance Company Building. Around the corner, on Trinity Street, is the 1905 Orient Insurance Company Building. State offices now occupy most of these structures.

Q: Whose ashes are interred in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park?

A: Those of George Keller, who designed the arch, and his wife, Mary. "Keller, who began his career in Hartford as a designer of graveyard monuments, ironically had a horror of cemeteries," wrote Gregory E. Andrews and David F. Ransom in their book, "Structures and Styles: Guided Tours of Hartford Architecture."

The arch, completed in 1885 as a monument to those who died in the Civil War, is the first permanent triumphal arch in the United States. The frieze on the north side of it depicts the progress of the war. To view details of the work, visit the What's New page of this site or Karen O'Maxfield's fine gallery of Hartford photos at Omaxfield.com. She has dedicated a full page to the arch.

Q: True or false: The Old State House was standing when the Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776.

A: False. It was not completed until 1796. Until then, the colony relied on a succession of buildings erected nearby, in a square that was laid out in 1636. The last of these buildings, erected in 1720, was the only one built exclusively as a state house. For a summary of the many important events that happened on the site, visit the state of Connecticut's site.