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Commercial Development Timeline for Waterford
From its beginning, Waterford was a thriving commercial center. Waterford's
commercial development peaked, with the exception of the war years,
between 1850 and 1875. The village was home and work place to millers,
tanners, carpenters, blacksmiths, wagon makers, wheelwrights and also
cabinet makers and chair manufacturers.
In 1871 the railroad by-passed Waterford and the village entered
into a slow decline. The Quaker Fairfax Meeting was laid down in 1929.
When the Historic
American Buildings Survey made a photographic record of Waterford in 1937 much of the
village was derelict .
Waterford's
historical timeline »
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Waterford's Commercial Development Timeline
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1733-1800
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Clustered
at the intersection of First, Bond and Main Streets,
Waterford's
earliest development consisted
of a mill, a miller's house, a blacksmith shop, and a cabin. There
was a strong Quaker
influence. |
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1790
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The first expansion of the town occurred when
Joseph Janney subdivided
and sold lots on the south side of Main
Street. Today most houses on both sides of Main date to late 1700s
and early 1800s. |
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1800-1860
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During this period Waterford became one of the county's
major- farming and manufacturing centers. |
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1800
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The second expansion extended Main Street up the "big
hill" as far as High Street. Existing historic houses along
this street generally date from 1804-1815. |
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1803
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Lots begin to be sold on the Main Street end of
Second Street. |
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1809
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Subdivision opens on Patrick Street between Second
and High Streets. |
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1820s
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Area from Patrick Street to Factory Street including
both Second and High Streets plotted- and sold, beginning "New
Town." |
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1830-1860
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Construction limited to Second Street and its intersecting
streets (Church, Patrick, and Mahlon). Set apart from the main
residential and commercial areas, Factory Street began as a manufacturing
section for Steer & Schooley's "cold iron" factory.
1865- |
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1830-1840
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Railroads
and roads bypass Waterford |
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1880
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After the Civil War, while suspended commercial
enterprises returned, construction never regained its former momentum. |
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1885-1905
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Houses were built
on remaining lots on Second Street while lots on High, Main,
and Patrick Streets were laid out and
built upon. Factory Street was redeveloped as a residential area.
First automobiles arrived. |
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1900-1930
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Building boom stops. Waterford becomes interested
in emerging national historic preservation consciousness (Historic
Sites Act - 1935). |
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1920s
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The few houses built after 1900 were in early 20th
century American Foursquare style. |
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Late 1930s
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Edward and Leroy Chamberlin began restoring historic
homes and removing Victorian additions. |
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1930s-1960s
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Some new buildings were designed in Colonial Revival
style, often copying important colonial buildings. |
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1977-present
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Since its designation as a Historic
and Cultural Conservation District in 1977, additions, alterations,
and new buildings are checked for appropriateness by the county
Historic District Review Committee. |
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View of Main Street looking Southeast toward the Big Hill. The painted
stripes to the right advertise a barbershop.
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