Site History & Symbolism
The land now called Stamford Veterans Park has been the center of Stamford since the city’s foundation in 1641. Townspeople routinely came to the site to attend civic functions and religious services in the town’s Meeting House. For the next 150 years, this location would remain an important community center.
Townspeople attending Sunday services
As the 18th century unfolded, new religious groups began establishing their own buildings, and in 1731, the Congregational Church decided to hold meetings separate from the town, rendering the Meeting House obsolete. The town voted to build a new structure, dedicated solely to serving the civic needs of the community.
Scan to view this page on your mobile device
This Town House was built behind the Meeting House in 1742 and served Stamford until 1790 when it was auctioned off and dismantled; town meetings floated between other buildings in town including the Baptist and Methodist Meeting Houses, the North Stamford Congregational Church, and the Middlesex (Darien) Congregational Church. That same year, the Meeting House, which still stood on the site, was moved, and repurposed as a school. The site was not empty, however; a new Congregational Church was constructed.
The Center of the Community
1837 map showing original park site • Stamford History Center
In 1830, the southern half of Stamford incorporated as a borough. With the increased administration required by the new government, a new Town House was built across from its original location, on the other side of the intersection of Main and Atlantic Streets. The land on which the first Town House stood was still important; it was surrounded by main thoroughfares, factories, workshops, and many businesses including grocers, butchers, dry goods shops, plumbers, millinery, and jewelry shops. In 1859, the neighboring businesses purchased the land and restricted its use to leisure, aptly naming it Central Park. When the site was designated as a park, the Congregational Church building was sold to the Phoenix Carriage Company, a local firm engaged in the manufacture of carriages. Phoenix Carriage moved the church down the street and incorporated it into their factory on Gay Street, where it was used for many years before becoming part of a livery stable.
GALLERY.
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.
TO RETURN, CLICK IMAGE BACKGROUND OR ESC BUTTON.
Evolution to Today
The park remained a small polygon of land in the center of a busy intersection for the next 125 years. Various features were installed during that time: a fountain in 1871, a gazebo, and later, in 1943, a military service roll. Surrounded by local businesses and, for a time, the electric trolley system, the park’s surroundings also remained relatively constant until the early 1980s when the Stamford Town Center was constructed, resulting in the park’s absorption into the center of a newly designed city block.
Since that time, Stamford Veterans Memorial Park has undergone several alterations and had several significant features integrated into its design, including the monoliths representative of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms (the Freedom of Speech and Worship, Freedom from Want and Fear), and the Lincoln statue, inspired by Gutzon Borglum’s Seated Lincoln that was displayed in the park in 1991.
The park was completely renovated and rededicated in 2019.
HONORING VETERANS OF STAMFORD
Warrant Officer John C. Latham
John Latham served in the United States Army, 3D Platoon, Machine Gun Company, 107th Infantry, 27th Division. On September 29, 1918, beset by heavy enemy fire at Le Catalet, France, Latham crossed a fire-swept area to a disabled American tank where a wounded officer and two wounded soldiers were trapped.
Latham helped the men to a trench and then returned to the tank to dismount a Hotchkiss gun to protect their location. Under cover of darkness, Latham was able to rescue the wounded soldiers and bring them back to Allied lines.
He was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism on that day, in addition to a Purple Heart, World War I Victory Medal, and several medals from other countries for his actions during World War I include the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Palm (French Republic), Distinguished Conduct Medal (Great Britain), War Merit Cross (Italy) and Medal for Military Bravery (Kingdom of Montenegro).
Staff Sergeant Homer L. Wise
Homer Wise served in the United States Army, Company L, 142nd Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. On June 14, 1944, Wise’s platoon was pinned down by small arms fire from both flanks in Magliano, Italy. Leaving his platoon, Wise went to the aid of a wounded soldier caught in an exposed position and carried him to safety. He returned to his platoon which continued to advance but was soon stopped by enemy frontal fire and three German soldiers who were attacking the right flank. Wise exposed himself and killed the three German soldiers with a submachine gun before returning to his squad, obtaining an M1 rifle and antitank grenades, and delivering fire on the enemy holding up the advance.
The battalion moved forward, but again was halted by enemy frontal and flanking fire. Wise procured an automatic rifle and, advancing ahead of the unit, neutralized an enemy machine gun. When the flanking fire became more intense, he ran to a nearby tank where he restored a jammed machine gun to operating efficiency and effectively reduced the enemy fire from the adjacent ridge allowing his battalion to occupy its objective. He was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism that day.
He was awarded three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and two foreign medals – the Italian Croce di Guerra and the French Croix de Guerre – for his service during World War II.
WANT TO RECOGNIZE A STAMFORD VETERAN?
The Stamford Veterans Park Partnership is seeking more information on Stamford veterans. If you have a loved one whose service you’d like to recognize, please contact us by scanning the QR code here.