Profile of the ​Dog's Nest Neighborhood

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1. About the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​Existing since prior to 1846  
   2. In 2015, the area of the Dog's Nest Neighborhood was excavated out of it's own tomb at the hand of a modernization, renovation, reconstruction, and updating project
   3. Also see: DogsNestBooklet FinalAug2018.pdf (ct.gov)
   4. More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
2. History of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​in existence since prior to 1846
   2. Officially designated on legal documents
      1. from at least as early as 1860
      2. to at least as late as 1866
      3. with a resurgence since 2015 and the rebuilding of Jackson Street
   3. so-named to reflect the unsafe and isolated nature of the Dog's Nest Neighborhood
      1. with the Naugatuck River to it's back
      2. a quasi wall of brick to it's east
         1. primarily huge manufacturing and milling corporate buildings
   4. Colloquially lost it's name in the early 1900s
      1. being replaced by the name Jackson Street neighborhood
   5. all but vanished as a neighborhood beginning in 1901 due to the construction of huge Brass City industries and their factories, including:
      1. Plume & Atwood
      2. Randolph & Cloews
   6. rediscovered in 2015
3. ​Location of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​about an eighth of a mile southwest from the heart of Downtown Waterbury
   2. north west of Pine Hill
   3. south east of Riverside Hill
   4. south east of [the old] Field Street
   5. south east of Freight Street
   6. west of Riverside Cemetery
   7. west of the Naugatuck River
4. Other Names for the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​International Neighborhood
   2. Jackson Street Neighborhood
5. Streets in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​Bank Street
   2. Dog's Nest Row
   3. Field Street
   4. Freight Street
   5. Jackson Street
   6. Meadow Street
6. The Dog’s Nest Neighborhood Highlights
   1. ​The Train Station
   2. Naugatuck River
7. Safety in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood​
   1. ​During the late 1800s and early 1900s, this neighborhood was reputed to be unsafe, due to 
      1. being isolated and in an infrequently-traveled area
      2. as a result of the roadways having only one pathway in and out
      3. which, most recently, required travel over the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad railways
      4. being surrounded on two sides by large and obscuring industrial buildings
   2. More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
8. Parks in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​There were never any parks in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   2. Currently, the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood, albeit an untraditional and non-residential neighborhood, is bounded to it's west by the Waterbury Greenway walking and biking system
9. ​Water in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
   1. ​Naugatuck River
10. Demographic Profile of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    1. The residents of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood were a near-perfect representation of the City as a whole
       1. Economically
       2. Ethnically
       3. Racially
       4. Religiously
       5. Socially
    2. ​More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
11. Business in Dog’s Nest (partial list)
    1. ​Brass Rolling Mill
    2. Waterbury Gas Light Company
12. Features of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    1. ​Low-lying river basin
    2. The Waterbury Greenway biking and hiking system
    3. More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
13. The Dog’s Nest Neighborhood Association
    1. ​There is no known neighborhood association nor community club which is dedicated to the Dog’s Nest neighborhood.
    2. ​More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
14. Partners and Supporters of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    1. There are no known partners nor supporters of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    2. ​More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
15. ​Noteworthy People from the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood​
    1. ​There are no known noteworthy people from the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    2. More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
16. ​Significant Structures in the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood
    1. ​​The railway railroad system
    2. Federal Interstate Highway Route 84
    3. Waterbury's famed "The Tower"
    4. More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
17. The Dog’s Nest Neighborhood Online
    1. ​There is no known presence of the Dog’s Nest neighborhood online.
    2. ​More research and information is needed about this neighborhood.
18. ​​Map of the Dog’s Nest Neighborhood​
    1. ​See the map herein

The Lost Neighborhood of the Dog's Nest: Uncovering Waterbury's Colorful Immigrant and Historic Past

​In the heart of Waterbury, Connecticut, beneath modern roads and vacant lots, lie the buried remains of a long-forgotten immigrant neighborhood known as the "Dog's Nest." This small enclave, which existed from the 1850s to the early 1900s, was home to generations of Irish and Italian immigrants who helped fuel Waterbury's industrial boom. Though erased from the landscape over a century ago, recent archaeological excavations have brought the Dog's Nest back to light, offering a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Waterbury's working-class immigrant families.


Origins and Early Development

The Dog's Nest neighborhood emerged in the early 1850s along what would become Jackson Street, tucked away behind the massive factories lining Bank Street and hemmed in by railroad tracks and the Naugatuck River. The origins of the unusual name "Dog's Nest" are unclear, though it was likely a derogatory term applied by outsiders to this predominantly Irish enclave.
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The first homes in the area were built by Irish immigrants who had fled the Great Famine in Ireland. These early settlers included families like the Kellys, McNamaras, McGraths, McAuliffes, and Collinses. They constructed modest wood-frame houses on small lots, typically measuring about 26 feet wide by 63 feet long. The houses had stone foundations with basements, and usually consisted of two stories above ground.

By 1860, the neighborhood was well-established. That year's census shows the Collins family living at what would become 32 Jackson Street - Michael and Mary Collins, their nine children, and an astounding 16 boarders crammed into the house. Most of the boarders were young single men from Ireland working as laborers or in Waterbury's booming brass factories. The Collins family was recorded as the wealthiest in the neighborhood at the time, with real estate valued at $2,000.


Growth and Change

Over the following decades, the Dog's Nest grew steadily. More houses were constructed, filling in the available land. By 1900, there were 22 houses on Jackson Street, home to 363 people. While the neighborhood retained a strong Irish character, it also began to diversify. In the 1890s, a new wave of immigration brought many Italian families to Waterbury.

They found homes in the Dog's Nest, often as tenants or boarders in houses still owned by Irish families.
The archaeological excavations revealed how some homeowners adapted to the growing population. At 23 Jackson Street, the Kelly family built two additional houses behind their original home in the 1870s. They moved into the middle house and rented out the front and rear buildings. By 1900, the front house at 23 Jackson was home to two Italian families - the Colesantis and Aldorisis - with a total of 13 people including boarders. The rear house contained two more Italian families - the Dilorios and Duomos - with a combined 20 residents.


Life in the Dog's Nest

The excavations and historical records provide intriguing details about daily life in this crowded working-class neighborhood. Most of the men worked as laborers or factory operatives in Waterbury's renowned brass industry. Companies like Scovill, Holmes, Booth & Hayden, and Benedict & Burnham employed many Dog's Nest residents. Others found work at the nearby gas works, in construction, or for the railroad.

Married women typically did not work outside the home, but unmarried women and older children often joined the men in the factories, their wages helping to support large households. The 1900 census shows a variety of other occupations as well - shoemakers, bicycle repairmen, grocers - indicating the development of a more diverse local economy.

Dog's Nest Neigh-borhood News Archive

Centre District; Dogs Nest Neighborhood
Injuries After Vehicle Strikes Bridge, Catches Fire
article; 2024.07.14

Centre District
Dog's Nest Neighborhood
State Could Expand Waterbury Rail Service
(wtnh.com); article; 20230502

Centre District
Dog's Nest Neighborhood
26-year-old woman: victim in train accident
Newport Dispatch; article; 20230322

What You Might Have Seen at the Dog's Nest

• A crowded 19th century working-class neighborhood with small wood-frame houses lining a narrow street.
• Irish and Italian immigrant families on porches and in doorways.
• Large brick factories and railroad tracks visible in the background.
• Horse-drawn carts and clotheslines between houses.
• Gas street lamps and water pumps along the street.
• A mix of men in work clothes, women in long dresses, and children playing.
• Smoky industrial skyline in the distance.
• Small wood-frame houses typical of the neighborhood
• Irish and Italian immigrant residents
• Crowded, working-class nature of the area
• Proximity to large factories and railroads
• Period-appropriate details like gas lamps and water pumps
• A mix of residents including workers, women, and children
• Industrial character of the surrounding area

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Living conditions were undoubtedly cramped. Multi-generational families often shared homes with numerous boarders. Privacy would have been scarce. Yet the archaeological evidence also shows attempts to improve quality of life. At 23 Jackson Street, the Kelly family installed indoor plumbing and toilets in their houses, running sewer pipes out to the Naugatuck River. This was a significant investment at a time when most residents still relied on backyard outhouses.

The excavations uncovered numerous artifacts that speak to the material lives of Dog's Nest residents - fragments of ceramic dishes, glass bottles, smoking pipes, buttons, marbles, and more. A small bowl from a holy water font, found in the ruins of 32 Jackson Street, hints at the Catholic faith shared by most Irish and Italian residents. The overall assemblage suggests a modest but not impoverished standard of living.


Demise of the Neighborhood

Despite its vitality, the Dog's Nest was ultimately doomed by Waterbury's continued industrial growth. The neighborhood found itself increasingly hemmed in by expanding factories, railroad yards, and the gas works. In the first decade of the 20th century, as part of a major rail expansion project, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad began buying up properties in the area.

Between 1904 and 1911, all of the houses in the Dog's Nest were demolished. The residents scattered to other parts of Waterbury. The land was absorbed by the railroad and the gas company, which built a massive gas holder on part of the site. Jackson Street was realigned, and the former neighborhood was buried beneath fill and largely forgotten.


Rediscovery and Legacy

It was not until 2015 that the remains of the Dog's Nest neighborhood were rediscovered. Archaeological testing in advance of road construction projects exposed the buried foundations of several houses. More extensive excavations in 2017 uncovered the remnants of seven houses and yielded a wealth of information about this lost community.

While the physical traces of the Dog's Nest have long since vanished from Waterbury's landscape, the legacy of its residents lives on. The Irish and Italian immigrants who made their homes here were part of the workforce that helped make Waterbury the "Brass Capital of the World." Their labor and sacrifices contributed to the city's growth and prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The story of the Dog's Nest also reflects broader themes in American urban and immigration history. It illustrates the challenges faced by successive waves of immigrants as they sought to establish themselves in a new country. It shows how industrialization shaped the urban landscape, sometimes at the expense of existing communities. And it demonstrates the economic and social mobility achieved by many immigrant families over the course of a generation or two.

Today, the former site of the Dog's Nest is slated to become part of Waterbury's new Riverfront Park, transforming this long-neglected area into a public space for recreation. As the city looks to revitalize its downtown and riverfront, the rediscovery of the Dog's Nest serves as a reminder of the diverse communities and rich history that have shaped Waterbury over the centuries.

Though the neighborhood itself is gone, archaeological research has ensured that the story of the Dog's Nest and its inhabitants will not be forgotten.

- written by Claude Sonnet

Image by Dall-e-3

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The Dog's Nest Neighborhood Map

This map is overlaid by a modern-day map of the area.