The Early History of G. Fox & Company (Hartford, CT)

In this video I talk about the growth and development of G. Fox & Company department store from its early days in 1847 as a small fancy goods store, to a large department store occupying several contiguous buildings. I focus on the various buildings the store occupied. I end by describing the fire that destroyed the store in 1917. In another video I will describe the rebirth of the store and its continued expansion into the 1960s.
You can buy my Vanished Downtown book here: www.arcadiapublishing.com/Pro...
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Many images in this video are taken from the collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, including:
Gerson Fox: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
Moses Fox: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
G. Fox & Co. Employees Before 1917: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
W. H. Post Carpet Store and G.O. Sawyer & Co., Main Street, Hartford: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
Exterior of Pratt & Baldwin, 428 Main Street, Hartford: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:9857
Exterior of William H. Post & Company, 428-430 Main Street, Hartford: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:9937
Turkish room at Allyn House, 152 Asylum Street, Hartford: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:18749
Averill building after a fire, 420-424 Main Street, Hartford, January 1887: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:19402
Fire at G. Fox & Co., Main Street, Hartford: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:12251
G. Fox and Co. 1917 Fire, Main Street, Hartford: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
Photograph Album of G. Fox & Co. Fire: hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:TMS...
Exterior Views of G. Fox and Co. Building, Main Street, Hartford: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
Exterior Views of G. Fox & Co., Main Street, Hartford: emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/object...
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[@jchristopher1762]

I was really saddened by the loss of G. Fox. They must have done something right to have been in business for 140 plus years. Even though I grew up in East Hartford, I never learned much about the history of Hartford. Now that I am older and wiser, I am very thankful that I have found your site and I can learn the history of my hometown. Thanks Dan!

[@historywithdansterner263]

Thanks for watching!

[@jacquelinesmith5887]

I've lived in Hartford my entire life and was really disappointed to when the store closed down. Lots of great memories. Hearing its history is intriguing.

[@sedumplant]

Thank you! I worked at G Fox at age 16 in the men's basement store (groan) and then the Toy dept at Christmas (yay!)

[@Hadd13]

My mom and grandmother both worked there, Another great video Dan

[@historywithdansterner263]

Thanks!

[@philipcone357]

My grandmother worked there usually in the China department . Great discount families got.

[@bobmarchetti8878]

Dan. I work at Travelers in Hartford. Can you do a show on Travelers, th eother insurance companies that used to be downtown & the Travelers buildings throughout the years. I love your videos.

[@historywithdansterner263]

I did a video on Travelers a while back and could cover the topic again in the future. Thanks for watching! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGjNiJ1-mrRgY6Msi=fDFDzFl-N2GKF01n

[@junkandthangs]

Fantastic information Dan, thanks

[@nunyabiznes4471]

What a fantastic video! Just subscribed and scrolled through your videos…I am going to watch all of them but first up the Wadsworth and Colt!

[@historywithdansterner263]

Thanks for subscribing!

[@nunyabiznes4471]

@@historywithdansterner263 excellent research and delivery of content!

[@kristinehanko6376]

Thank you. In looking at the street map of Hartford you had in the video @ 1909, I saw First Baptist Church on a corner. Was that on the corner of Talcott Street? I loved going to G. Fox when I was a little girl in the 1960's, and even as I got older.

[@historywithdansterner263]

Yes, the First Baptist Church (built in the 1850s) was there before the congregation merged with the South Baptist Church and formed the Central Baptist Church, which is further south on Main Street.

[@scottnyc6572]

Seems every city had a “Great Fire”.I guess that how The Hartford Fire Insurance came about although it may have been the “Great Fire” in New York City that led to that earlier.Thanks for another interesting video.

[@historywithdansterner263]

Actually, that was my name for because it was so important in the history of G. Fox! The Great Fire that actually was a major boost to the Hartford insurance companies was the Great Chicago Fire!