Stratford: The Stories We Tell

Stratford’s First Documented “Domestic” Incident

By David Wright

Town Historian

Stratford’s First Documented “Domestic” Incident

Perhaps the following isn’t, in fact, the first documented “domestic violence” incident, but it has to be one of the most colorful.

Minor Smith’s Shorehouse opened at the foot of Broad Street in April 1888. Minor Smith opened his establishment in what had been a home owned by P. R. Scott of Stratford. The home was over 200 years old. The Shorehouse rapidly gained fame for its “shore dinners”, featuring lobsters and shellfish. Diners and partiers from all around the area would hold their affairs and celebrations at Minor Smith’s.

This first Shorehouse burned to the ground in 1892, due to the Stratford hook and ladder fire company arriving on the scene with no fire hoses to fight the fire. Mrs. Smith had discovered the fire and alerted the volunteer fire company. The fire company watched with Minor Smith as his restaurant burned to the ground. All that was left after the fire were the two chimneys that had been at either end of the building.

Minor Smith rebuilt on Housatonic Avenue near Broad Street in 1894. Sometime in 1896, Minor Smith and his wife ceased seeing eye-to-eye. After some months of unending disagreement, Mrs. Smith left with her four children to live with her family in Newtown due to Minor’s “cruel treatment”. Mrs. Smith was awarded $5 ($150 today) weekly in alimony and child support by Stratford’s Judge Charles Peck, which Minor refused to pay.

Mrs. Smith, then safely ensconced in Newtown, determined it was time to force Minor to pay up. Subsequently, she traveled to Stratford with her children in April of 1897. When she arrived at the Shorehouse, Minor was in Bridgeport on business. Mrs. Smith determined that the best path forward would be to take over the Shorehouse and run it as she saw fit.

When Minor arrived back home, he quickly determined that Mrs. Smith was, in fact, not in charge of the Shorehouse. He ordered her to leave with the children. When Mrs. Smith refused to leave, Minor decided to force her to leave. Responding to Minor, Mrs. Smith picked up a broom and began chasing him with it. When Minor successfully dodged each broomstick blow, Mrs. Smith resorted to throwing household dishes and utensils at him. Minor responded by throwing utensils and dishes of his own at her.

Mrs. Smith discovered her fusillade of dining implements was failing to achieve her ends, so she ran to Stratford Center to retrieve Constable Judson. When Constable Judson arrived at the Shorehouse, he quickly determined he needed to disarm the combatants and restore order. Judson hustled Mrs. Smith and her children to Town Hall in Stratford Center.

Judge Peck was alerted about the battling Smiths and went to Town Hall to see how he could aid Mrs. Smith and her children. Upon arriving, Judge Peck learned that Mrs. Smith had returned to her relatives in Newtown. Before Mrs. Smith left Town Hall, she let those there know she would be returning, in the near future, to renew her attempts to force Minor to support her and their children.