Entrepreneur Legacy

The beauty of traprock ridges in Hubbard Park, Meriden at dusk.
Character is destiny.

The landscape of Connecticut would not be the same without the life of enterprising Walter Hubbard.

Born Sept. 23, 1823, in Middletown, Conn., Hubbard was raised on a farm. At 18, he “secured a position as clerk in a country store where, by his thrift, his energy and his strict attention to his employer’s interests, he was enabled to accumulate enough capital to embark in business for himself.”

And he never looked back. First he opened a small store in Meriden. Then, along with his brother-in-law, Bradley, Hubbard founded the Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company, growing it from clock making to quality lighting and other goods. By 1888, the company employed more than 1,000 workers and had showrooms in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago.

Commuters and travelers on busy Interstate 691, which bisects the park (Hubbard would have objected to its construction) see his signature castle high on the rocky crag of the Hanging Hills of Meriden. Castle Craig, a rook-like stone tower, commands attention, though many have no idea how to access the mountain road, nor why the landmark exists.

Walter Hubbard is why. He is the man who gifted some 1,800 acres to create a the buffer of land, water, pathways and woods, long before the age of open space preservation. Today known as Hubbard Park, it is only one of his park legacies.

Walter Hubbard's image on a stone memorial in the park that bears his name

Hubbard was intelligent enough to add a stipulation that “everything connected with the park was to remain free of charge for the people of Meriden. No concessions for profit were ever to be allowed within the park.”

The point being that one human in business can change the face of a community, a state. If Hubbard was not a successful entrepreneur, the parklands would not be preserved.

At present, the park is Meriden’s crown jewel, a Central Park-like oasis. The roads around Mirror Lake are festooned each year with seasonal light displays for the holidays and attracts thousands of visitors who can delight in the reflected beauty.

Today, Bradley and Hubbard lamps and other goods are highly collectible. Beautiful and well crafted, they, like Hubbard’s work, stand the test of time.

The traprock ridges remain unblemished by quarries or housing. A drive up the spine of the ridge to the stone tower offers panoramic views and occasional glimpses of soaring hawks.