This month marks the 376th anniversary of New London’s founding by John Winthrop, Jr. It isn’t one of those major milestones that inspires parades, speeches, and fireworks, but back on May 6, 1896, on the city’s 250th anniversary, New London threw a spectacular party. Judging by a picture in The Day’s book “Looking Back, a Photo Retrospective of New London County,” everybody — I mean everybody — was there!

The next day, the Morning Telegraph, a competitor of The Day, published an account of the event. They described how crowds of people arrived by train throughout the day. Visitors came by boat, too. The steamship City of Lowell brought a band of 65 ”bright manly boys” from a church in New York City. The band made a stirring sight marching from the pier up State Street to St. Mary’s Star of the Sea.

Early in the day, the cornerstone was laid for a statue of John Winthrop, Jr., the man who started it all. The statue itself was sculpted by Bela Lyon Pratt, a descendant of James Avery, an early (1650) settler. It was unveiled on May 6, ten years later, and of course still stands near Bulkeley Place and Hempstead Street.

A centerpiece of the 1896 celebration was the dedication of the Civil War memorial, the Soldier and Sailors Monument. Sebastian Lawrence spoke at the ceremony. The philanthropist, along with his brothers, had provided the funds for the monument. The Telegraph reported, “Standing at the head of State and looking toward the parade, the eye sees a vista of beauty culminating in the crowning sight, the magnificent monument to the soldiers and sailors who gave their lives to perpetuate the Union … Today there is double commemoration of the past that gave us a city and the men who preserved us a nation.”

Finally, The Telegraph eloquently summed up the spirit of the occasion. The day ended with fireworks designed to “make the human heart joyous … New London was delighted. It was fine. … It was something to look back upon.”

Looking back from today’s vantage point can be both sad and sweet. The partygoers pictured in The Day’s retrospective — women in long dresses and men in suits and hats — looked different back then. So did the city. The new Union Station (1887) and the courthouse are still familiar State Street bookends, but in 1896, the street was lined with beautiful elms that hadn’t yet succumbed to disease and hurricanes.

Horses provided transportation, so roads weren’t paved. As late as 1915, hardtop extended only as far out of town as Cedar Grove Cemetery on Broad Street. My high-spirited grandmother drove her buggy at breakneck speed from her home on Main Street (now Gov. Winthrop Boulevard) to her teaching job at Cohanzie school. The schoolhouse stood somewhere near the Vauxhall Street I-95 connector. Her brothers ran the G&G Avery Livery, located where the Salvation Army headquarters is today. Renting out horses and conveyances was a thriving enterprise until fire destroyed the building and automobiles destroyed the business.

The New London Public Library, made possible by a gift from whaling merchant, Henry Haven, had opened in 1891, replacing a gambrel-roofed office building. A Victorian-style house next door was still standing in 1896 but was taken down in the 20th century to provide more parking space for library patrons. It was the last private residence on State Street.

Revolutionary War general Jebediah Huntington’s Mount Vernon-style white brick mansion had a commanding presence on the corner of Broad and Huntington Streets. After the war, Huntington was appointed the first customs collector for New London. His house was razed in 1948 and replaced by a grocery store.

Wealthy whaling merchant William Williams had a grand estate, part of which is now the site of the Garde Arts Center. Theodore Bodenwein, owner-publisher of The Day between 1891 and 1939, purchased the property from Williams’ descendants.

The list of cityscape changes, both good and dreadful, could go on and on. However, the unifying constant through the centuries is New London’s rich history. It’s a heritage that’s always worth celebrating.