Alexander Hamilton Signature & Lock of Hair
As a signer of the Constitution and as first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton’s signature carried particular weight. A prolific writer, Hamilton constantly wrote letters, composing on a portable desk when he travelled. Some of his political writings, most notably the essays on the Constitution that were known as The Federalist Papers, were anonymously published. The July, 24, 1868 notation, written by James A. Hamilton, says: “The above is the hair and autograph of my Father Alexander Hamilton.”
Alexander Hamilton
1787
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Ronald Reagan Photo with Signature
Architect Cameron Clark kept these framed photographs of Ronald Reagan’s visit to Fairfield’s Town Green during the election season of 1984. The upper photograph was autographed by Ronald Reagan.
Cameron Clark
1984
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1991.6.2
Roger Ludlow Signature
A highly-educated lawyer and colonial leader, Ludlow’s signature marked key documents, including the land purchases that established the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk. His highly ornamented signature has led later generations to puzzle over whether his name should be spelled “Ludlow” or “Ludlowe.”
Roger Ludlow
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Painted Stairway of Broad Street Steps
Artist Liz Squillace transformed the Broad Street steps from Elm Street to Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport into a brightly-colored mural. The pattern represents a strand of DNA, reflecting the city of Bridgeport and our shared humanity. The work took about a year of planning and a group of volunteers from Bridgeport Generation Now to complete, turning a part of the cityscape into a vibrant landmark.
Liz Squallace
2017
Two-Student School Desk
Wooden school desks have long been a favorite place to carve one’s initials or secret messages, showing the next generation of students that “I was here.”
Fairfield Museum and History Center
A-3814
Gravestone of Sarah Burr
This is the headstone of Sarah Burr, who died in 1723 at the age of 16. Her father Peter Burr died a year after her, and his headstone is nearly identical, standing in the Old Burying Ground near the Museum’s driveway. Symbols used in headstones like Sarah’s had specific meanings: the skull meant death triumphant, while the side panels symbolized the continuation of life. The style of this headstone matches that of well-known carver Nathaniel Emmes (1690 - 1750), the most popular gravestone maker in Boston during the first half of the 18th century. Stonecutters often trained as cabinet makers, potters, or shipbuilders – using the same designs in different materials. Emmes learned the trade from his neighbor William Mumford, and in turn, taught his sons Henry and Josua.
Nathaniel Emms
1723
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Painting of Boys Rock
Part of a rock outcrop located near King’s Highway,
this ledge was a favorite playing spot for Southport
boys in the mid-19th century. Between 1857 and
1863, the field was known as “The Boys’ Lot” and
the rock as “The Boys’ Rock.” The boys carved their
initials into the rock using discarded spikes found
along the railroad tracks. Among the surnames were
Bulkley, Jennings, Perry, and Wakeman. Years later,
property owner C. O. Jelliff had the inscription
“The Boys Rock 1860” cut into the stone. Jelliff
deeded the rock to the Fairfield Historical Society, with the proviso that it be enclosed with
a metal railing. In 1956, a portion of the historic rock
was saved during construction of Interstate 95 and
deposited on our former grounds at 636 Old Post
Road. Later in 1968, this rock was placed in Reeves
Park in tribute to William Reeves’ devotion to the
youth of Southport. Today you can visit a piece of
Boys Rock near the corner of Westway Road and
Pequot Avenue, diagonal from Pequot Library, in
Southport.
Joseph Wickham Roe (1871-1960)
Joseph W. Roe
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1978.651
Calling Card Case and Cards
Instead of dropping a text or leaving a voicemail,
people in the 19th century often left a card after a
social visit, to express condolences, or to convey
thanks. These cards were literally a way to say:
“I was here.” If the recipient was not available, then
the cards could be left in a tray in the home’s entrance
hall. Trays of cards were often displayed as a way of
demonstrating one’s social network—a precursor
to Facebook. Intricate social rules governed the
exchange of calling cards. They were an important
way to establish or strengthen social ties among elite
families. This case, covered in Chinese silk brocade,
contains cards from three sisters: Lillian, Mary, and
Florence Burr of Greens Farms.
Estate of Catherine Burr
19th Century
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1986.12.129
Family Register
This family register displayed a record of birth,
marriage, and death, serving as a record of the cycle
of life for the Jennings-Howell family of Southport.
The print would have been mass produced, very
often part of a family Bible, and the family filled in the names and dates for births, marriages,
and deaths.
ca. 1858-1860
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Fairfield Museum Collection (?)
Sampler
Abigail Nichols of Fairfield worked this linen
sampler when she was 9 years old, embroidering
several alphabets as well as numbers, and the
17th-century verse:
“Our days begin with trouble here
Our life is but a span
And cruel death is always near
So frail a thing is man.”
Samplers were part of 19th-century girls’ education,
an opportunity to learn and display needlework
and design skills as well as knowledge of letters and
numbers. Decorative needlework was an important
skill for women, who often used it to conceal repairs
to their families’ wardrobe, or to mark the family’s
linens. Embroidering her name onto a sampler
was one of the few occasions that an 18th or 19th
century girl would be asked to “make her mark”
on something permanent.
Abigail Nichols
1827
Mary B. Kippen
Fairfield Museum and History Center
1973.92