Page 24 - Bristol Magazine Spring 2025

HISTORY
HISTOR Y

Bristol Cultural District

IN Bristol Cultural District
THE

by Bristol Historical Society
In 2022, the State of Connecticut olutionary cause. The conflicts and Watch Museum has showcased
officially approved Bristol’s Cultural violence that ensued drove the An- clocks and clockmaking from around
District. The new designation cov- glican church members out of Bris- the world, but you’ll find plenty
ers the Federal Hill, Memorial Bou- tol—no Episcopal Church would re- of Bristol history in the museum’s
levard, and much of the Downtown turn to Bristol until midway through building and exhibits. The museum
area. The area’s cultural attractions the nineteenth century. All that re- itself is located partially in the 1801
are inextricably linked to the city’s main of the Anglican community is Miles Lewis House. Its new wing fea-
history. Knowing a little bit more a small graveyard off Stearns Street tures paneling from the homestead
about the history of the areas in- behind the apartment building. of Ebenezer Barnes, Bristol’s first
volved can only add to residents’ en- permanent settler. The museum’s
joyment of Bristol’s resources. permanent exhibits will acquaint
you with one of the industries that
helped transform Bristol into a
The city’s story could be said to be- wealthy industrial city. This summer
gin with the area around Federal a special exhibition will celebrate the
Hill Green. In 1742, the residents impact of African-American clock
of what was then called the West and watch makers on the industry.
Woods area petitioned the Colonial In 2024, the museum was gifted a
Legislature to form their own eccle- Peter Hill tall clock. Hill (1767–1820)
siastical community, in other words, of Burlington Township, New Jersey,
their own church. Their petition was was the first known black clockmak-
granted, with a few conditions— er in America; the only one known to
for instance, the new community have worked in the late eighteenth
would have to establish a school and early nineteenth centuries. Al-
nearby. That church community though he was not an inventor, Hill
became what is now the still-thriv- was certainly a pioneer. Today, there
ing First Congregational Church on The third meeting house used by the First are only a handful of his clocks in
Maple Street. The new community Congregation Church community was built in existence. The ACWM will highlight
did not grow up without a few hic- 1832. With some additions, it is still in use today. Hill’s story and that of mathema-
cups, though. The first permanent tician, astronomer, and almanac
minister to be hired, Samuel New- The land for the Federal Hill Green author, Benjamin Banneker (1731–
ell, proved contentious enough was purchased in 1773. Like many 1806), and examine their influence
for several members of the com- town greens, ours was used for a on today’s craftsmen. Also featured
munity to strike out on their own, variety of different things over the throughout the exhibition will be ex-
forming a church community asso- years: military drills, concerts, sport- amples of watches by black-owned
ciated with the Anglican Church of ing events, and even as a site for the watch companies working in Amer-
England. This community would set Chautauqua festivals popular in the ica today.
up across what is now Maple Street early 1900s. The area around the
on the current site of the Patterson Green has a bevy of architectural On the opposite end of the Green,
Place Apartments. The two commu- and historic sites nearby, including the Bristol Public Library began in
nities coexisted, albeit with some churches, former taverns, and build- a cramped second-floor office on
tensions, until the Revolutionary ings that were homes for prominent North Main Street. Its first librarian,
conflict began to heat up. The Angli- citizens from the late-eighteenth Charles Lawson Wooding graduat-
can congregants wanted to remain century to the twentieth. ed from Yale University in 1892 but
loyal to the British, while the origi- wanted to stay in his hometown of
nal community embraced the Rev- Since 1954, the American Clock and Bristol. At the time, Bristol had re-

24 Bristol Magazine - Spring Issue 2025