In observance of H.S. Chase Elementary School’s centennial year of 2022, this book traces the history of the Waterbury school - which dates farther back than the 1922 construction of the original portions of the current school (renamed that year for industrialist Henry Sabin Chase).

Composed by Michael Griffin, the book’s journey through time begins when the area was known as the Saw Mill Plain section of Waterbury - and one of its fourteen school districts - in the mid-1800s.

The city’s development into a center of manufacturing by the 1900s led to a boost in population, requiring a growing need to enlarge the school system to accommodate the increases in enrolled students.

Expansions of Mill Plain School (later named H.S. Chase School) helped meet those needs over the years, and the school continues to serve residents in the East End of Waterbury. While no longer a full K-8 school, Chase’s history serves as a reflection of a broader school system adapting to changing times.