I was born in the Hill neighborhood and have lived most of my adult life in various suburbs of New Haven. I am an adult learner, a History major at Southern Connecticut State University, and nearing retirement from my day job. I will graduate in 2025 and plan to do graduate work in 19th century U.S. history. My work as a docent at the Hyland House Museum in Guilford, Ct. has piqued my interest in the roles of slavery and the abolition movement in Connecticut's past.
“ Yankee Elysium ” chronicles the rise and fall of the Elm Tree in New England and New Haven in particular . Campanella sees the planting of shade trees, and Elms in particular, in villages and cities of New England as an intentional design intended to ameliorate the negative effects of urban growth. Incorporating the pastoral into its growing villages and cities was in keeping with the Jeffersonian vision of America as a nation of ‘ y eoman f armers ,’ and worked as a hedge against the sins inherent in large cities as seen in the Old World. At its pinnacle in the latter half of the 19 th century, the st ately rows of Elms provided a n antidote to the rush of progress in cities across the country. New Haven, dubbed the “Elm City,’ w as singled out in praise by leading writers and prominent leaders. These same voices anguished over the devas tation of the Elms that progress, abetted by the Dutch Elm Disease and the 1938 Hurricane , brought to New Haven , New England, a...
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