[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   HONORING THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE MORNINGSIDE ASSOCIATION

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                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2021

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today 
to join the families of the Morningside community and the City of 
Milford in marking the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the 
Morningside Association--a very special milestone for this unique 
organization. Chartered by the Connecticut state legislature in 1921, 
the Morningside Association created a tight-knit, welcoming community 
where families have flourished for generations.
  Nestled along the shores of Long Island Sound, the Morningside 
property has had a rich history. The parcel was included in the 
original land purchase from the Paugusset Tribe and for the first 
several hundred years was known as ``Merwin's Farm'' at Pond Point and 
was both a working farm and home to sixteen generations of the Merwin 
family. In the mid-1860's, the land was purchased by New England 
industrialist Henry G. Thompson. Mr. Thompson built a manor house of 
twenty-two rooms, surrounded by wide expanses of lawn, rare, beautiful 
trees and elaborate flower gardens. The ``Morningside'' moniker was 
quickly given to his new home by Mr. Thompson because it faced the 
rising sun. In 1912 the property was offered for sale. Specialists in 
developing small residential communities, the owners of the Yale Land 
Company, Milton T. Yale and two sons, Fred and Will, recognized an 
ideal opportunity for a shorefront development. After dividing the land 
into building lots, they laid out and constructed Morningside Drive on 
the shore front and Ridgewood Drive bordering the woodland, with nine 
roads running due west to connect these drives and provide settings for 
homes.
  By 1921 the majority of the lots had been sold and the Yale Land 
Company had gradually withdrawn its policy of active maintenance. It 
was then that the Morningside property owners decided to form an 
association and seek a charter from the state which would enable them 
to preserve the unique character of the Morningside neighborhood. They 
successfully lobbied the state legislature for the charter, designating 
the community as an improvement district. Over the course of the last 
century the Morningside Association has guided the community through a 
multitude of challenges including the transition from a summer to year-
round residential community, the installation of a private storm drain 
and sewer line system, and the expansion of the community's borders. 
The Association has also worked closely with the City of Milford, 
particularly with the installation and maintenance of the Morningside 
revetment--a granite wall made necessary due to the damage and erosion 
caused by hurricanes that hit the area in the early half of the 20th 
century.
  Beyond the physical maintenance of the property, the Association is 
also responsible for the special sense of community that is 
Morningside. From the annual July 4th celebration to the shared 
enjoyment of the water and nature, the Association makes every effort 
to ensure that the families who call Morningside home are proud to do 
so. I am honored to have this opportunity to extend my thanks and 
appreciation to the members of the Morningside Association, past and 
present, who have and continue to work so diligently to create and 
enrich such a vibrant community. My heartfelt congratulations to them 
as they mark their centennial anniversary. As we say in Italian--C'ent 
Anni--to another hundred years.

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