[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 75 (Tuesday, June 13, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE CITY OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 200TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2006

  Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
City of Meriden, Connecticut, on the occasion of its 200th Anniversary 
on June 16, 2006.
  This city was known as the North Farms area of nearby Wallingford 
until 1806, when it was officially recognized as the Town of Meriden. 
The 1800s saw the beginnings of what would become a torrent of 
manufacturing activity in the city. Belts, hoops, pewter, guns, 
cutlery, nails, buttons, lamps, ivory combs, tin ware, organs, coffee 
grinders, and silver--the product that would lend its luster to 
Meriden's reputation as the ``Silver City''--were all manufactured 
here. Stately mansions were constructed as manufacturers prospered. As 
the thriving city's population grew to over 24,000 in 1900, the Castle 
Craig was dedicated in Hubbard Park and the Curtis Memorial Library 
opened soon thereafter.
  In the 1920s, the airport was built and the downtown traffic tower 
erected. Although the world wars and the depression brought hardships 
to the city as well as to the rest of the country, in March 1944, 
Meriden was proudly honored as ``The Nation's Ideal War Community'' for 
its industrial and patriotic contributions to the Nation.
  During the mid-1900s, some of the city's older businesses, including 
International Silver, moved or closed. Urban redevelopment changed the 
look of some sections, but the ``pleasant valley''--possibly the 
ancient meaning of the name Meriden--endured. Newly arriving immigrants 
added their own energy to the growing town. Civic groups grew in 
numbers and in service; daffodils, long planted at Hubbard Park, became 
the city's official flower with the celebration of the inaugural 
Daffodil Festival in April 1978.
  In recent years, Meriden's downtown has undergone a renaissance, as a 
new hospital was erected and many corporate headquarters relocated to 
the east side of town on Research Parkway. City manufacturing firms 
produce electronics, nuclear instruments, automotive devices, plastics, 
gaskets, communications equipment, filters, vaccines, jewelry, food, 
candy, pewter, tools, and machines. The city is proud of its past as it 
eagerly embraces its future.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the city of Meriden in the 
United States House of Representatives, and I extend my best wishes to 
the city and its citizens for another 200 years of prosperity.

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