New London — The land at the foot of State Street, known as the Parade since Colonial times because it was where troops would assemble, was once a hub of commercial activity and social interaction.

Before the Henry Hobson Richardson train station was built in 1888 and prior to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument going up in 1896, the intersection of State, Bank and Water was filled with horses, wagons and two-wheeled hay carts. It has been used as a fort and a military parade ground. The city jail and a church once stood there.

Public scales weighed hay, coal and wood. Train tracks hugged the shoreline. Ferries and steamers filled the harbor.

An 1876 photograph, published in a 1936 edition of The Day, showed an unobstructed view of the river all the way to the Groton Monument at Fort Griswold. Piers and docks accommodated steamers and sailboats. Steps led down to the water for the convenience of those with smaller boats.

The parade has undergone many transformations over the years.

There was once a liberty pole in the center of the area, with a wooden feed trough for oxen and horses. "Punch and Judy" shows were staged there, vendors sold "cures" for human ills, as well as cheap jewelry, soap and novelties. At night, entertainment featured singers, orators, peddlers and street fakers, who practiced "the art of coaxing dimes and quarters from unwilling pockets,'' according to news accounts in The Day.

Peddlers paid a fee to the city for the privilege of plying their trade, and the Parade was one of the few sources of revenue for the city. Public notices were posted there.

After a small train station was destroyed by fire in 1883, two local railroad companies combined forces and built Union Station, at a cost of $15,000. The massive building blocked most of the water views from the Parade and left a narrow passageway at the southern end for access to the ferries across the tracks.

In 1896, during the 250th anniversary celebration of New London, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated to the city. The 50-foot monument, made of alternating blue and red Westerly granite, was a gift from Sebastian D. Lawrence, the son of a founder of Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. He is also one of two benefactors who gave a portion of Riverside Park to the city.

Atop the monument, a nine-foot tall "heroic statue of Peace" stands on a granite ball at the top of the obelisk, which is dedicated to city residents who fought in defense of the country.

When cars began to replace horses and wagons, the greenery was paved over and public parking created.

Artists depicted the area in the 1940s as an eclectic night scene of flashy cars, bright movie marquees, musicians as well as sailors and young women dancing in the street.

In the 1960s, with federal redevelopment money available for cities to modernize, many of the older buildings were torn down. Union Plaza was created and angular, glass and granite buildings replaced the old Gothic-inspired architecture.

Then in the 1970s, in another round of redevelopment, State Street became a pedestrian mall closed to traffic and the Parade was raised above street level. A pedestrian walkway was created to connect walkers to the Water Street Parking Garage. The city's Nathan Hale Schoolhouse, which had been moved four times previously, was relocated to the redesigned parade.

This week marks another phase in the life of the Parade.

K.EDGECOMB@THEDAY.COM