text:
Cromwell, Connecticut

Cromwell is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, located within the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 14,225 at the 2020 census.

History
The land where Cromwell is now located, was once named for the Mattabesset, a region and settlement that was once home to Eastern Algonquian language-speaking Native Americans. This may have included the Tunxis, Quinnipiac, Wangunk, and the Wappinger. In 1651, the Mattabesset settlement was incorporated as a town by English settlers. By 1653, the colonists had renamed the settlement Middletown. The area now known as Cromwell was referred to by many names before separating from Middletown. It was commonly referred to as the Upper Houses or Upper Middletown. Upper Middletown is surrounded by natural barriers; such as, the Connecticut River, Mattabesset River and by ridgelines in the North and West. By 1715, the Upper Houses had 50 households, their own school, church and cemetery. Before the creation of the new cemetery in January 1713, burials took place in Middletown. The earliest burial is that of Martha Gipson, who had died in February of that year. As Middletown began to emerge as one of the busiest ports in New England, the Upper Houses also boasted its own expansion of maritime industries. As industry expanded within the Upper Houses a merchant class grew with it. Some of the village's wealthier families owned slaves. Middletown was then incorporated as a city in 1784.

In the 19th century, the War of 1812 limited maritime trade creating a decline in the Upper Houses. Some continued to pursue maritime industry, the village generally reverted back to its agricultural beginnings. By the mid century, the area was revitalized by the founding of several new industries. John and Elisha Stevens formed the J & E Stevens Company in 1843. The company had intended to manufacture cast-iron hardware, hammers and a few iron toys. The brothers later shifted their business plan after much success with their iron toys. J & E Stevens Company would grow to become the largest manufacturer of cast-iron toys in the county. Today, toys produced by this company are a valuable collectible item. In the early 1870s, Andrew N. Pierson emigrated from Sweden and established A.N. Pierson’s Inc. The company started as a small floral nursery, and later evolved into the largest commercial rose growing enterprise in the country. These new industries and labor opportunities created further opportunities for those immigrating to the area. Irish, German and Italian immigrants found housing along the river on lower Main Street, in areas that were more prone to flooding.

With the expansion of the Upper Houses, and the geographical barriers around the town it became increasingly difficult to maintain connection with the larger city of Middletown. Initially, the Upper Houses was able to meet the needs of its residents with the creation of its own school and church, but by the mid-19th century, a stronger movement to become independent of Middletown had developed. In 1851, the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut recognized Cromwell as a new town with a population of 1,259.

The exact origin of the town's name is debated, but many acknowledge that it was named for either the 17th-century English leader Oliver Cromwell, or for the privateer Oliver Cromwell. Despite the continuing presence of industry, Cromwell maintained its rural character until the mid-20th century. Post-World War II the town began to change significantly, including growth in population. With the expansion of the highway system in Connecticut during the 1970s, Cromwell became an intersecting point for three major highway systems. The highway system created further retail and population development. By 1980 the population had grown to 10,265, which is over three times the size of 40 years earlier.

Points of interest

 * Community and Green Spaces:
 * River Highlands State Park
 * Cromwell Meadow Wildlife Management Area
 * Cromwell Landings
 * Pierson Park - named for Andrew N. Pierson, the Rose King of America and founder of A.N. Pierson, Inc.
 * Riverport Park at Frisbee Landing
 * Watrous Park
 * Patriot's Corner - Main Street and Wall Streets
 * Memorial Town Green - Main Street and West Street
 * Valour Memorial Green - Main Street and Fritsch Lane
 * Gold Star Green - West Street, across from St. John Church
 * On the National Register of Historic Places:
 * Main Street Historic District – roughly bounded by Nooks Hill Rd., Prospect Hill Rd., Wall and West Sts. and New Ln., and Stevens Ln. and Main St.; since October 24, 1985
 * Middletown Upper Houses Historic District – on Connecticut Route 99; since July 27, 1979
 * Sage-Kirby House – 93 Shunpike Road; since April 29, 1982
 * Other Historically Significant Places:
 * Cromwell Historical Society - Located within the historic home of John Stevens, built in 1853
 * Cromwell Belden Public Library’s Elizabeth Maselli Room
 * The Old Burial Ground - Timber Hill Road and Ranney Road
 * Hillside Cemetery, East and West - Hillside Road and Shelley Street
 * Former Home of Emily Pierson: Listed on the National Votes for Women Trail - Main Street, across from Valour Memorial Green
 * Private Industries and Businesses:
 * TPC River Highlands – location of the Travelers Championship, PGA Tour event
 * Long-time home of hardware manufacturing company Horton Brasses, Inc.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.9 sqmi, of which, 12.4 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi (4.03%) is water.

The riverfront of the area often experiences freshet during the changing of the seasons. While minor flooding has occurred since Colonial times, occasionally more serious flooding occurs; such as the historic flood of March 1936, the 1955, Hurricanes Connie and Diane, and the most recent serious flood in 1984.

A major north–south highway, Interstate 91, with two Cromwell exits, runs through the Town. The Central Connecticut Expressway (Route 9), opened at the end of 1989, enhances the Town's location as it connects I-95 in Old Saybrook, I-91 in Cromwell and I-84, the State's major east–west highway in New Britain.

Demographics
At the 2010 census there were 14,005 people, 5,212 households, and 3,262 families in the town. The population density was 1,038.5 PD/sqmi. There were 5,365 housing units at an average density of 432.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 93.08% White, 3.13% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.19%.

Of the 5,212 households 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 30.3% of households were one person and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median household income was US$60,662, and the median family income was $70,505. Males had a median income of $46,223 versus $36,218 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,786. About 1.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Cromwell public schools
There are four public schools in Cromwell: Edna C. Stevens Elementary School (Pre-K–2), Woodside Intermediate School (3–5), Cromwell Middle School (6–8), and Cromwell High School (9–12).

Fire Protection
Fire Protection for the Town of Cromwell is provided by the Cromwell Fire District via the Cromwell Fire Department. The Cromwell Fire Department is a combination fire department that operates out of three stations. The Fire Department operates on a rotating 24/7 schedule with six Firefighter/EMT's assigned to each shift. The Fire Department also operates ambulances to provided Emergency Medical Care to residents and visitors.

Full time Firefighters are supplemented by Part-time and Volunteer Firefighters.

Economy
Top employers in Cromwell according to the town's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Notable people

 * David Gere, actor and film producer, Gere was born and raised in Cromwell and attended Cromwell High School, class of 1993
 * Donald Honig, novelist, historian and editor; lived in Cromwell for over 40 years. In September 2020, there was a ceremony at the Cromwell Belden Public Library where Honig was given with a key to the town and presented with a proclamation declaring it “Donald Honig Day.” In his honor, there is a special “Donald Honig Collection,” where many of his books are on display at the library
 * Elizabeth Maselli, Cromwell Town Historian, whose collections are not available at the Cromwell Belden Public Library and the Cromwell Historical Society. Maselli was responsible for restoring and protecting the historic Old Burying Ground
 * Chad Ripperger, a well known Catholic Priest, theologian, philosopher and exorcist. Ripperger had studied at the Holy Apostles College and Seminary located in Cromwell, CT.
 * Josiah Belden, born in Upper Houses in 1815, he left the town in 1831. He was a member of the first wagon train taking settlers to California in 1841. There, he became wealthy running a general store during the Gold Rush. In 1888 Belden sent a substantial donation for the new public library in Cromwell.
 * Sarah Savage, was a teacher of eighth and ninth grades at the Academy in Cromwell, until becoming the town's first Public Librarian of the Belden Library. The Belden Library was established in 1888 and served until 1919.
 * Dr. Emily Pierson, a graduate from Vassar College, and received a master’s degree at Columbia University. Dr. Pierson was actively involved in the Connecticut Effort to win the vote for women. After the 19th amendment was ratified, Pierson attended Yale Medical School, graduating in 1924 when she was in her mid-40s. She then practiced medicine in Cromwell for 40 years, while serving as the town director of health and the school physician.
 * James Timothy Pratt, a U.S. Representative who was born in Cromwell in 1802.
 * Dr. Winthrop Hallock, opened a private sanatorium, Cromwell Hall, in 1877. Dr. Frank Hallock, son of the founder of Cromwell Hall, worked as the director of the asylum. Frank Hallock was also a founder of the Middlesex Hospital, President and Director of the Cromwell Savings Bank, and President of the Belden Library Association, President of the Cromwell Cemetery Association and member of the school board.
 * Rufus B. Sage, born in the Upper Houses in 1817, an American writer, journalist and mountain man. After all his adventures, he returned home to Cromwell where he spent the rest of his life.
 * Captain Nathan Sage, commanded several ships during the Revolution and, as a privateer, seized many British vessels. Sage was honored on the floor of Congress for his contributions to the war effort.
 * Thomas Ranney, one of the first settlers of the Upper Houses. Ranney was a prominent landowner and influential member of the community. Ranney is the only of the original settlers to be buried in the Old Burying Ground in Cromwell, CT.
 * Jenn McKinlay, author, had worked at the Cromwell Belden Public Library and mentions them in the novel, Books Can Be Deceiving

In popular culture

 * A season 6 episode of the Discovery Channel series A Haunting, called The Well from Hell, takes place in Cromwell in 2011.

title: Cromwell, Connecticut


text:
Deep River, Connecticut

Deep River is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 census. The town center is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). Deep River is part of what the locals call the "Tri-town Area", made up of the towns of Deep River, Chester, and Essex.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.2 sqmi, of which 13.6 sqmi is land and 0.6 sqmi (4.30%) is water. The CDP has a total area of 2.7 sqmi, of which 4.38% is water.

Principal communities

 * Deep River Center
 * Winthrop

History
Saybrook Colony formally joined Connecticut in 1644. The portion of the original colony east of the Connecticut River was set off as a separate town in 1665. The site of the present village of Deep River was said to have been owned by John, Nathaniel, and Philip Kirtland in 1723. The village of Winthrop was said to have been settled by Baptists as early as 1729. In the early to mid-19th century, various portions of Saybrook broke off as separate towns, starting from Chester in 1836 to Old Saybrook in 1854. In 1947, the town of Saybrook changed its name to "Deep River", matching the name of the town center village. The name "Deep River" was taken from the river/stream that once powered mills and factories that runs through it and not from the Connecticut River that is its eastern border. The actual Deep River stream begins at the border of its neighboring Town of Chester, in the western Winthrop section of town, on Cedar Swamp Road and flows through town to the stream that can be seen on Route 154, near Winter Avenue, empty onto the cove that connects to The Connecticut River. Source: Deep River,the Illustrated Story of a Connecticut River Town by Daniel J. Connors, 1966, The Pequot Press, Stonington, Ct. pages17, 19, 20, 27, 37,41, also "Wharf to Waterfall" permanent exhibit, Deep River Historical Society, Inc. 245 Main Street, Deep River, CT 06417, 2020–21

Towns created from Saybrook Colony
Saybrook Colony, along the mouth of the Connecticut River, was one of the early settlements in the area. Several towns broke off and incorporated separately over the course of time. The towns which were created from parts of Saybrook Colony are listed below.

 * Lyme (originally East Saybrook) in 1665
 * East Lyme created from Lyme in 1839 (also partly from Waterford)
 * Old Lyme (originally South Lyme) created from Lyme in 1855
 * Chester in 1836
 * Westbrook in 1840
 * Essex (originally Old Saybrook) in 1852
 * Old Saybrook created from Essex in 1854

Ivory
From 1840 to around 1940, the U.S. was the world's biggest buyer of ivory and most of that ivory went to Deep River. Phineas Pratt developed an ivory lathe and eventually Deep River became known as "the queen of the valley" due to wealth from the ivory industry. The rival Comstock, Cheney & Company was established in nearby Ivoryton in the 1860s.

Points of interest
These sites in town are on the National Register of Historic Places:
 * Deep River Freight Station – 152 River St.; since December 21, 1994
 * Deep River Town Hall – Connecticut Route 80 and Connecticut Route 154; since January 1, 1976
 * Doris (Sailing yacht) – Connecticut River off River Rd.; located there when NRHP-listed, May 31, 1984
 * Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex – Main St. between Bridge and Spring Sts. and 5 Bridge St.; since August 30, 1984
 * The grave of XYZ – Mysterious bank robber's grave w/ "XYZ" initials. Fountain Hill Cemetery. Knock thrice.
 * Mount Saint John – 135 Kirtland St.

Events
Every year on the third Saturday in July, Deep River hosts the Deep River Ancient Muster, the largest one day gathering of fife and drum corps in the United States.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,610 people, 1,824 households, and 1,262 families living in the town. The population density was 340.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,910 housing units at an average density of 140.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.56% White, 2.41% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.95% of the population.

There were 1,824 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,677, and the median income for a family was $62,260. Males had a median income of $46,268 versus $32,454 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,604. About 3.9% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

CDP
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,470 people, 1,023 households, and 652 families living in the Deep River Center CDP. The population density was 943.2 PD/sqmi. There were 1,077 housing units at an average density of 411.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.19% White, 3.72% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.81% of the population.

There were 1,023 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,680, and the median income for a family was $51,685. Males had a median income of $42,958 versus $30,880 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $27,261. About 3.9% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The towns of Deep River, Chester, and Essex make up Regional School District #4. Deep River is home to Deep River Elementary School, serving grades K–6. John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School, serve students for grades 7–8 and 9–12, and are located on Warsaw Street and Kelsey Hill Road, respectively. Additionally, the Connecticut Transition Academy at Mount Saint John which serves students for grades from elementary to high school which is located on Kirtland Street and across the river from Gillette Castle State Park, respectively.

Transportation
The Estuary Transit District provides public transportation throughout Deep River and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town Transit Service. Services include connections to the Old Saybrook Train Station, served by Amtrak and Shoreline East railroads.

Notable people

 * Elizabeth Jarvis Colt, wife of firearms manufacturer Samuel Colt
 * Benjamin Hyde Edgerton, surveyor and politician
 * Mysterious Dave Mather, Wild West gunfighter
 * Gretchen Mol, actress
 * Alpheus S. Williams, lawyer, judge, journalist, U.S. Congressman, and Union general in the American Civil War

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Deep River, Connecticut


text:
East Haddam, Connecticut

East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Niantic. The Indigenous nations called the area "Machimoodus", the place of noises, because of numerous earthquakes that were recorded between 1638 and 1899. Loud rumblings, the "Moodus Noises", could be heard for miles surrounding the epicenter of the quakes near Mt. Tom. The land, which is now Haddam and East Haddam, was purchased by settlers from the natives in 1662 for thirty coats, worth about $100.

Layout of the highways began in 1669 with Creek Row about ¼ mile east of the River and Town Street “The Great Highway” about ¼ mile east of Creek Row. The first permanent settlers established homesteads along Creek Row in 1685. By 1700, there were thirty families living in East Haddam. Agricultural and timber farming, shipbuilding, tanneries and blacksmiths were among the early commerce. Captain John Chapman began ferry service across the Connecticut River in 1695, which ended with the completion of the swing bridge in 1913.

East Haddam was incorporated as a separate town from Haddam in 1734. By 1756, there were nearly 2,000 residents, with the Millington District as the most populated. Growth of commerce brought a surge in population to around 3,000 people by the mid-1800s. In the nineteenth century, Moodus was the “Twine Capital of America,” with twelve mills in operation. In the winter of 1773, American patriot Nathan Hale briefly taught in a one-room schoolhouse in East Haddam which is now a living history museum operated by.

Visitors and residents such as actor William Gillette whose castle home was completed in 1914, were drawn to the area known for its rural charm and natural scenery. The growth of the resort areas of Lake Hayward, Bashan Lake and Moodus Reservoir began in the early 1900s and was a booming business for the next fifty years. Lake Hayward is a small private lake community within East Haddam that is home to around 120 families, most living at the lake only during summer months.

East Haddam was listed as one of the 52 Places to Love in 2021 by the New York Times.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.6 sqmi, of which, 54.3 sqmi of it is land and 2.2 sqmi of it (3.96%) is water.

Principal communities

 * Bashan
 * East Haddam Center
 * Hadlyme
 * Leesville
 * Little Haddam
 * Millington
 * Moodus
 * North Plain

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,333 people, 3,174 households, and 2,285 families residing in the town. The population density was 153.4 PD/sqmi. There were 4,015 housing units at an average density of 73.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.26% White, 0.84% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 3,174 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $62,304, and the median income for a family was $70,091. Males had a median income of $45,500 versus $36,055 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,112. About 1.0% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over. 2017 CERT Town Profile, click here.

Public
The East Haddam Public School System has about 1,100 students in grades Pre-K–12; about 121 certified teachers, 70 support staff and 7 administrators. Ms. Teresa DeBrito is superintendent of schools. Located in Moodus, Connecticut, the three schools in the public school system are:
 * Nathan Hale-Ray High School (grades 9–12) – about 418 students
 * Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School (Grades 4–8) – about 573 students
 * East Haddam Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–3) – about 430 students

Private

 * Franklin Academy – "A Boarding and Day School for Students with Nonverbal Learning Differences in grades 8–12", according to the school's Web site. The private, nonprofit school was opened in 2003 and has a campus of 75 acre.

Cultural

 * East Haddam Libraries – two public libraries, The East Haddam Free Public Library] (18 Plains Rd, Moodus) and The Rathbun Free Memorial Library (36 Main St, East Haddam). EHFPL is well known for its teen and family programs, while Rathbun Library is known for its adult and child programs. Both have special collections in addition to offering basic library fare
 * Goodspeed Opera House – twice Tony award-winning theater, on Route 82 near the East Haddam Bridge.
 * Music on the River - annual summer series of free concerts held on the Goodspeed Opera House green.
 * Scherer Library of Musical Theatre - at the Goodspeed Opera House; the only library dedicated solely to American musical theatre in the world.
 * Venture Smith Day – annual celebration at First Church Cemetery honoring Venture Smith, East Haddam resident and author of early slave narrative

Historical

 * Amasa Day House – historic museum, on Plains Road
 * Allegra Farm - horsedrawn carriage and sleigh museum
 * East Haddam Bridge – built in 1913, the 899-foot-long swing bridge is reputed to be the longest of its type in the world
 * East Haddam Historical Society Museum – includes local history exhibits, including pictures of the construction of the East Haddam Swing Bridge.
 * First Church of Christ – Congregational Church built in 1794, on Town Street.
 * Gelston House – built in 1736, once a tavern and boarding house, now a restaurant and bar adjacent from the Goodspeed Opera House.
 * Gideon Higgins house – site on the Underground Railroad, on Route 149.
 * Johnsonville Village – once a thriving mill community, then a Victorian Era tourist attraction, then an abandoned ghost town, now owned by Iglesia ni Cristo.
 * Nathan Hale School House – historic site, on Route 149, one of two Nathan Hale School Houses in Connecticut.
 * St. Stephen's Bell – thought to be the oldest bell in the New World, it was cast in a Spanish monastery in 815 CE and brought to the US in 1834. It now hangs at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Route 149.
 * Thunder in the Valley Ancient Drum & Fife Muster - annual parade of local corps.
 * Venture Smith's Grave – a site on the Connecticut Freedom Trail.

Natural

 * Devil's Hopyard State Park, natural area with hiking trails, picnic areas, campground, and Chapman's Falls.
 * Eagle viewing sites:
 * Along the Connecticut River at the Town Office parking lot
 * Near Riverhouse, overlooking the north side of the East Haddam Bridge
 * Gillette Castle State Park – historic former home of actor William Gillette and river outlook with hiking trails on Route 82.
 * Lake Hayward, 1.5 mi long, 0.5 mi wide spring-fed lake in northern section of East Haddam. Originally called Long Pond.
 * Machimoodus State Park
 * Ray of Light - animal rescue and attraction

Notable Citizens

 * Morgan Bulkeley (1837–1922), Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and first president of the National League
 * George Comer (1858–1937), polar explorer and whaler; namesake of Gallinula comeri
 * Christopher Dodd, a former United States senator for Connecticut
 * William Gillette, actor who portrayed Sherlock Holmes
 * John Gardner Griffin, Wisconsin state assemblyman
 * Bill Griffith (born 1944), cartoonist
 * Louis P. Harvey (1820–1862), seventh governor of Wisconsin
 * Uriel Holmes (1764–1827), United States representative from Connecticut
 * Elizabeth Louisa Foster Mather (1815–1882), writer
 * George White Pratt, Wisconsin state senator
 * Venture Smith, former slave and entrepreneur
 * Joseph Spencer, lawyer, soldier, and statesman during the Revolutionary War
 * Calvin Willey, United States senator and chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee
 * Nathanael Emmons, (1745–1840) Congregational minister, theologian

Filming Location

 * Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018 Hallmark movie) - Staehly Farms
 * Deep In Darkness (2014) - Moodus Village
 * Gilmore Girls (2007) - Drive-by Gelston House in second episode
 * Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971) - Exterior of First Church of Christ, Petticoat Lane, various sciences on Town St.
 * River of Dreams (1993 Billy Joel music video) - Johnsonville Village
 * Sherlock Holmes Turns Engineer (1927) - Gillette's Castle

title: East Haddam, Connecticut


text:
Essex, Connecticut

Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,733 at the 2020 census. It is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton.

The Great Attack
Essex is one of the few American towns to have ever been attacked by a foreign power; this occurred on April 8, 1814, and the economic losses were among the largest sustained by the United States during the War of 1812. 28 vessels, with a total value estimated to be close to $200,000 (at a time when a very large two story home in Essex, then known as Potapoug Point, would have been worth no more than $1,000), were destroyed by the British. One historian has called it the "Pearl Harbor" of that war.

On that date, approximately 136 British marines and sailors under the command of Richard Coote  (or Coot ) rowed 6 boats from four British warships (the HMS Hogue (1811), HMS Endymion (1797), Maidstone and HMS Borer (1812)) anchored in Long Island Sound, 6 miles up the Connecticut River, past the unmanned fort in Old Saybrook, arriving at the boat launch at the foot of Main Street in Essex close to 4 A.M. The boats were armed with swivel guns loaded with grapeshot, the officers armed with swords and pistols, the marines with "Brown Bess" muskets, and the sailors with torches and axes; they responded to the single cannon fired by the town's surprised defenders with a massive volley, neither side incurring any casualties. They quickly commandeered the town, eliciting a promise of no resistance from the Essex militia in return for promising not to harm the townspeople or burn their homes, while a messenger rode to Fort Trumbull in New London for help. A dubious local myth states that Coote did not burn the town as a favor to a local merchant who greeted him with a secret Masonic handshake.

The British marched to the Bushnell Tavern (now the Griswold Inn), then seized the town's stores of rope (each ship of that time requiring 8 miles of rope) and, according to the April 19, 1814 Hartford Courant, "$100,000 or upwards" worth of rum (acquired from the East Indies in trade for beef and wood from Connecticut).

Their main targets, however, were the newly constructed privateers in the harbor, ready or nearly ready for sail, which they burned. Within 6 hours, their mission was accomplished, and The British went downstream with two captured ships in tow, including the Black Prince, a vessel that may well have primarily inspired the raid. Stranded in the river by low tide, they were forced to wait at the extreme range of the shots of the volunteers from the nearby town of Killingworth, Connecticut who lined the riverbanks; 2 marines were killed and the captured ships had to be destroyed, but the rest of the men escaped safely when the tide turned.

At the time of the raid, Essex (then known as Potopaug) had been a major center of shipping and shipbuilding, but was suffering under a blockade by The British; as a result, the privateers were being constructed. Captain Richard Hayden, a prominent shipbuilder, had advertised his Black Prince in a New York City newspaper as "a 315 ton sharp schooner that would make an ideal privateer." This may have caught the attention of The British, who then investigated Essex and launched the successful raid. Perhaps as a consequence of the practical, but somewhat less than heroic, response of the town to the raid, shortly afterwards, the name of the town was changed to Essex.

On the second Saturday of each May since 1964, the "Sailing Masters of 1812" of Essex commemorate the "Burning of the Ships" with an ancient fife and drum corps parade down Main Street and ceremony at the steamboat dock, wearing the United States naval uniform of that period; by tradition, this event is unpublicized. The Connecticut River Museum, situated at the site where Coot landed, now hosts an exhibit portraying the raid, featuring a large diorama by Russell Joseph Buckingham, a musket ball believed to have been fired then and a plank from the ship Osage, burned by The British. Plans are to expand the celebration of "the town's worst day in history" in future years, according to the museum's executive director, Jerry Roberts.

Historical architecture
Centerbrook, a fertile and productive agricultural area, was the "center" of town until the Revolutionary War. Many farmhouses remain from this era. The Selah Griswold House and Clark Nott House on Bokum Road are fine examples of two-story center chimney homes that were characteristic of the time. The Benjamin Bushnell Homestead on Ingham Hill Road falls into the same category. Also characteristic of Centerbrook were smaller Cape Cod type homes. The Snow House on Main Street, the Nott House on Westbrook Road, the Taylor Bushnell House on Ingham Hill Road, and the Silent Rose House near the train station are fine examples. The dominant building in Centerbrook, from a historical standpoint, is the Congregational Church. This structure is the second to stand here, and the oldest existing church building in Middlesex County.

There were a few homes built in Essex Village (known as Potapoug Point until 1854) during the first half of the 18th century. One of the more notable is the Pratt House on West Avenue, an "organic" structure built according to the immediate needs of the Pratt family. Shipbuilding dominated between the Revolution and the Civil War. As a result, the village came to be the focal point of the area. Many homes were erected between 1790 and 1820. By that time, Main Street had much the same make-up as today. The homes were primarily Federal, with one extended family dominating lower Main Street. The first eight structures (including the Griswold Inn) on the south side of this highway (starting at the waterfront) were either built or lived in by members of the Hayden family. Of these eight structures, only the one on the west side of Novelty Lane and the one on the east corner of Parker Lane were not built by this family. The fact that the well known Hayden Shipyard was directly south of these buildings was the primary reason for this situation. All these homes are different architecturally. The Ebenezer Hayden House (third from the river) was the initial hip-roof house in the lower valley, and the current Episcopal Church Rectory (the Richard Hayden Dwelling) was the first brick house in the lower valley. Pratt Street runs parallel to Main Street, and many houses on that thoroughfare not only were built in the Federal style, but have their roof lines perpendicular to the street, which allows for more homes to be erected on a given highway. In addition, there are two homes on Pratt Street that have Palladian windows in the garret area. Also of note is the 1846 Baptist Church on Prospect Street, one of three Egyptian Revival style churches in the United States.

As the construction of wooden sailing ships faded, the growth of the ivory and piano parts industry in the village of Ivoryton changed the focal point of Essex again. The growth of Comstock, Cheney & Co., one of the two largest producers of ivory products in the United States, made Ivoryton literally the center of Essex (and the lower Connecticut River Valley). The houses built here after the Civil war reflect the influence and affluence of that village. East Main Street, entering Ivoryton from Centerbrook is " Victorian Row." All the houses along this way were owned by executives or stockholders of Comstock, Cheney & Co. Contrast this with Essex Village, where there are relatively few Gothic or Victorian style dwellings, two examples of which are the 1855 "Gingerbread House" at the corner of Riverview Street and Maple Avenue, and the Parker House on North Main Street.

Perhaps the most culturally significant homes in town were built in Ivoryton during the 1890 to 1920 era. The factory was in desperate need of low-cost labor, and as a result, many immigrants from Italy and Poland came to work for Comstock, Cheney & Co. around the turn of the 20th century. The firm constructed many factory homesteads for these people. The great majority of these homes remain today, although most have been substantially altered. A journey through Blake, Oak, Walnut, and Chestnut Streets as well as Comstock Avenue is most revealing, as these factory homes give a glimpse into the past.

Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.8 sqmi, of which, 10.4 sqmi of it is land and 1.5 sqmi of it (12.35%) is water.

The town is made up of three villages: Essex (ZIP code 06426), Centerbrook (06409) and Ivoryton (06442). The local public school, Essex Elementary School, educates around 560 students for grades K–6.

Climate

There are 4 distinct seasons in Essex. During Autumn, the leaves change colors and the temperatures fall. The average November high temperature is about 50 degrees. Snow is prevalent in winter, typically starting in December and lasting through March. The average January low temperature is about 19 degrees. In recent years winter have become erratic, with the first snowfall of winter 2006-2007 not reported until mid-late January. However, the winter of 2008-2009 was unusually cold and snowy, with over 50 inches of snow (compared to an average of about 30 inches) and days with temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning. Spring is pleasant with temperatures averaging in the 60s. Summertime in Essex is warm and humid, with average July temperatures into the 80s.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,505 people, 2,811 households, and 1,776 families residing in the town. The population density was 627.6 PD/sqmi. There were 2,977 housing units at an average density of 287.2 /sqmi. There were 2,811 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,746, and the median income for a family was $88,888. Males had a median income of $54,053 versus $38,276 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,806. About 0.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Ancestry/Ethnicity
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Essex, Connecticut are:

 * English 24.9%
 * Irish 23.1%
 * Italian 18.6%
 * German 15.5%
 * Scottish 6.1%
 * Polish 6.6%
 * French 6.3%
 * Swedish 5.0%

Government
The Essex Town Hall is located on the corner of West Avenue and Grove Street in Essex.

Police/Fire/EMS
-Essex Police Department is attached to the rear of the town hall. Essex has a resident state trooper and five constables. The town pays the Connecticut State Police for a state trooper to supervise the constables. The First Selectman is considered the Chief of Police.

-Essex Fire Engine Co. 1 has two fire houses: the central fire house on the corner of Route 153 and Route 154 and the sub-station in Ivoryton on Summit Street. The Fire Department is the designated PSA holder for first responding to medical emergencies.

Elections for these positions are annual and voted by the department at an annual meeting. The department is limited by its charter with the town to 60 Members. The Fire Department responds to about 1000 calls each year, mostly medical first response calls, and fire alarms.

-Essex Ambulance Association, Inc. is an independent association, receiving town funding for workers' compensation insurance only. The association was founded in 1964, and is composed of 32 volunteers with MRT and EMT certification levels. The association operates three ambulances which respond to over 900 calls for service each year, and provides mutual aide to all surrounding towns. Elections for officers are held annually.

The association is self-sufficient, funded through billing and donations. The ambulance receives an intercept paramedic for Advanced Life Support when needed through Middlesex Hospital.

Libraries
There are two libraries in Essex: the Essex Library, located next to the Town Hall (corner of Grove St. and West Ave.) and one in the center of Ivoryton, the Ivoryton Library.] A resident can obtain a single card for both libraries. The Essex Library was recently rebuilt and is a center of the community, providing nearly 400 free programs a year for children and adults. It is an association library with 501(c)(3) non-profit status.

Religion
The one Lutheran Church sits on Main Street in Centerbrook. There is a building which once housed a Methodist church on the corner of Prospect Street and Main Street, but it is no longer in use. The First Baptist Church of Essex, Connecticut, built in 1846, is notable for being one of only three Egyptian revival churches known to have ever been built in the United States. The architect was Minard Lafever.

There is also one Catholic Church, Our Lady of Sorrows, on Prospect Street in Essex Village, just a short walk from Essex downtown. After being destroyed by a fire in 1925, the new church was built on the foundations of an abandoned inn. Recently, the parish joined with the Chester, CT parish church, St. Joseph's. The current pastor of the Our Lady of Sorrows is Father Arul Rajan Peter, and has been with the parish since 2012.

Education
Essex, like the other two towns in the "tri-town area" (Deep River and Chester), is a member of Regional School District #4. Essex Elementary School is located in Centerbrook and serves students in grades Pre-K–6 and serves about 350 students. John Winthrop Junior High School, located in Deep River, serves grades 7 and 8, and Valley Regional High School, located on Kelsey Hill Rd. in Deep River, serving grades 9–12, are the secondary schools for Regional School District #4.

Culture and attractions
The town of Essex sponsors an annual Groundhog Day parade. A large papier mache groundhog named "Essex Ed" is carried through town with revelers making noise in order to rouse him from his slumber and bring an end to winter. The town also sponsors a "Loser's Day Parade," which celebrates the 1814 event of having 29 ships burned in Essex harbor during a raid by British marines. The first Saturday in June there is a Shad Bake sponsored by the Rotary Club of Essex.

In 1851 was founded the Essex Savings Bank located on the Main Street (today on the Plains Road), one of the oldest still functioning banks in Connecticut.

The Essex Art Association Gallery at 10 North Main St. was founded in 1946 by a group of avant-garde artists. It is open 1–5 PM daily during the summer months. It is housed in a historic schoolhouse. Artists are invited to take part in the six shows held each season.

The Essex Steam Train is one of the most famous and popular Essex attractions. The main station is located in Centerbrook, with other stations in Deep River, Chester, and Haddam. The regular train ride goes from Essex to Deep River and then the Becky Thatcher Riverboat takes the passengers up to the Haddam area. The Essex Clipper Dinner Train goes from Essex all the way up to Haddam. A few times a year Thomas the Tank Engine comes to town and it a large attraction for the children. During the holiday season, the Essex Steam Train has a North Pole Express where you can celebrate the spirit of the season with elves and Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The Ivoryton Playhouse is a regional theater located in Essex's village of Ivoryton. The theater produces 8–12 plays and musicals each year.

The Connecticut River Museum, located at the end of Main Street and right on the Connecticut River, is home to numerous river artifacts and is home to the Connecticut River Eagle Festival each year.

Transportation
The Estuary Transit District provides public transportation throughout Essex and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town Transit Service. Services include connections to the Old Saybrook Train Station, served by Amtrak and Shore Line East railroads.

National Historic Sites in Essex

 * Benjamin Bushnell Farm, added May 10, 1990
 * Centerbrook Congregational Church, added February 12, 1987
 * Christeen, added December 4, 1991
 * Comstock-Cheney Hall (The Ivoryton Playhouse), added April 15, 1982
 * Essex Freight Station, added April 19, 1994
 * Hill's Academy, added August 23, 1985
 * Pratt House, added August 23, 1985
 * Steamboat Dock Site, added April 1, 1982

Sister cities

 * 🇭🇹 Deschapelles, Haiti

title: Essex, Connecticut


text:
Essex Village, Connecticut

Essex Village is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Essex, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 2,583 at the 2020 census, out of 6,733 in the entire town of Essex. The government offices of the town are located within the village.

Geography
The village is located in the eastern part of the town, along the banks of the Connecticut River. The census-designated place extends from the border of the town of Old Saybrook in the south to the Deep River town line in the north. The western edge of the CDP runs from north to south along the border of the Canfield-Meadow Woods Nature Preserve; Dennison Road; small portions of the Falls River and Connecticut Routes 154 and 621; the Mud River; the Connecticut Valley Railroad; and Bokum Road. The Route 9 expressway passes through the western part of the CDP, with access from Exit 3.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.16 sqmi, of which 3.84 sqmi are land and 1.32 sqmi, or 25.58%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,573 people, 1,190 households, and 727 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 734.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,286 housing units at an average density of 367.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.29% White, 0.43% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 1,190 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $78,763, and the median income for a family was $109,276. Males had a median income of $68,281 versus $52,889 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $51,928. About 1.3% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

title: Essex Village, Connecticut


text:
Fenwick, Connecticut

Fenwick is a borough in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, in the town of Old Saybrook. The borough is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 53 at the 2020 census, making it the least populous borough in Connecticut. Most of the borough is included in the Fenwick Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1995, the district included 66 contributing buildings and one other contributing site.

Fenwick is set off from the town center of Old Saybrook by a large cove crossed by a causeway. It is located exactly where the Connecticut River flows into Long Island Sound, and sits on the river's west side. The town has two lighthouses, the Inner and the Outer. The Inner is at the tip of Lynde Point, Fenwick's peninsula, and the Outer is a quarter mile off shore, connected by a rough jetty. The Outer Light is the lighthouse shown on many Connecticut license plates.

Fenwick Historic District
The Fenwick Historic District covers an area of approximately 195 acre and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It includes 60 buildings in the center of Fenwick, as well as the Fenwick Golf Course.

Architecturally, the Fenwick Historic District is composed largely of Shingle-style residences from early in the century. The Historic District comprises the bulk of the community, however some residences were built in the 1950s in a more modern style. Of the district's 60 main buildings, 17 represent examples of the Shingle style, with some others in Queen Anne or Victorian styles. Frequent features include gable-on-hip roofs that encompass side porches with minimalist wood bracing, creating a sense of heaviness characteristic of the Shingle style. Other frequently observed common architectural features include flares at the eaves of roofs, upper stories that overhang lower stories, and pent roofs over windows and doors. All of the three are typified in St. Mary's-By-the-Sea, a 1 and 1/2 story church building at 30 Agawam Avenue, designed by Francis Goodwin and built in 1883.

In the late 1800s The Fenwick Golf Course was created from several empty lots in the center of the district and is the site of the Stephen Potter Cup. The 9-hole golf course has changed layouts on several occasions, with the most recent re-design in the 1930s following acquisition of the course by the British manufacturer Armitage Shanks.

Geography
Fenwick is in the southeast corner of Middlesex County and is bordered to the east by the Connecticut River and the south by Long Island Sound. The main road is CT 154, which goes over the bay on the north side of the borough and leads 2.5 mi to Old Saybrook Center.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.4 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 52 people, 26 households, and 17 families residing in the borough. The population density was 121.9 PD/sqmi. There were 83 housing units at an average density of 194.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 100.00% White.

There were 26 households, of which 11.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.41.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 11.5% under the age of 18, 1.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 38.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $57,500, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,135. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.

Notable people

 * Katharine Hepburn, actress; lifelong resident, died in Fenwick on June 29, 2003, at the age of 96
 * John Lindsay, New York City mayor
 * Rosemary Murphy, actress

title: Fenwick, Connecticut


text:
Haddam, Connecticut

Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 8,452 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the only town in Connecticut that the Connecticut River runs through the middle of instead of at the town's border edge. The town was also home to the now-decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.

History
Haddam, in Middlesex County, is located in south-central Connecticut in the lower Connecticut River Valley. It is also home to Cockaponset State Forest. It was incorporated in October 1668 as Hadham, but unusually for the many New England towns ending in -ham, the spelling eventually came to reflect the phonetic pronunciation. Haddam is the only town in Connecticut divided by the Connecticut River, and only one of three divided towns along the entire Connecticut River, the other two being Northfield, Massachusetts, and Pittsburg, New Hampshire. Haddam contains five villages: Hidden Lake, Higganum, Shailerville, and Tylerville on the west side of the river, and Haddam Neck on the east. For the first two hundred years of the town's existence, the Connecticut River was a major source of income and transportation. Today, the town of Haddam is a residential community.

The town was named for Much Hadham and Little Hadham in Hertfordshire, England, collectively known as The Hadhams.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,157 people, 2,701 households, and 2,101 families residing in the town. The population density was 162.5 PD/sqmi. There were 2,822 housing units at an average density of 24.7 persons/km2 (64.1 inhabitants/mi2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.86% White, 1.03% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,701 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $78,571, and the median income for a family was $87,026. Males had a median income of $50,500 versus $37,447 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,519. 3.5% of the population and 1.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.6% were under the age of 18 and 7.2% were 65 or older.

Notable people

 * Samuel Arnold, politician
 * David Brainerd, missionary
 * George Bradford Brainerd, engineer, photographer, and nature historian
 * Smith Clark, lawyer and legislator
 * Mary H. Dickerson, businesswoman
 * David Dudley Field II, politician
 * Stephen Johnson Field, politician and jurist
 * Josiah J. Hazen, college football player and coach
 * Asahel W. Hubbard, attorney, judge, and politician
 * David McDowell, psychiatrist, author, and consultant
 * Emil Planeta, MLB pitcher
 * Alexander Shaler, military general
 * Venture Smith, enslaved African and author
 * James Clark Walkley, politician

Literary references

 * The "thin men of Haddam" are apostrophized in stanza seven of "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens:
 * O thin men of Haddam,
 * Why do you imagine golden birds?
 * Do you not see how the blackbird
 * Walks around the feet
 * Of the women about you?

Notable locations and historic sites

 * Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant
 * Higganum Landing Historic District, NRHP-listed
 * Camp Bethel – a historic religious camp at 124 Camp Bethel Road, built in 1877 and added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2007
 * The town center village, listed as the Haddam Center Historic District on the NRHP
 * James Hazelton House, NRHP-listed
 * Thankful Arnold House Museum, a stop on the Connecticut Women's Heritage Trail

title: Haddam, Connecticut


text:
Higganum, Connecticut

Higganum is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Haddam, a part of Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,089 at the 2020 census.

History
The name "Higganum" is derived from an Indian name meaning either "at the tomahawk rock" or "Great Bend in River".

At about 1800, Higganum Center was the area of most economic activity in the town. The neighborhood had abundant water power, and Higganum Landing on the Connecticut River formed a natural cove that served as a river port and shipbuilding center from the late 1700s through the mid-1800s. Scovil Hoe Company, which made hoes that helped till soil for crops that included cotton and tobacco, once had a major factory based in Higganum. Higganum Landing Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2018.

Higganum now encompasses the town's traditional center and remains the shopping and civic center for Haddam. It has a center green with a veterans' memorial, Shad museum, a youth center and a gazebo.

Geography
Higganum lies on the southwest banks of the Connecticut River and is found immediately south of Middletown. Geographical landmarks include Candlewood Hill, Candlewood Brook, Seven Falls and Bible Rock. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Higganum CDP has a total area of 6.5 sqmi, of which 6.2 sqmi are land and 0.3 sqmi, or 4.77%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,671 people, 673 households, and 495 families living in the CDP. The population density was 132.5/km$2$ (343.4/mi2). There were 698 housing units at an average density of 55.3/km$2$ (143.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.19% White, 1.08% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 673 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,405, and the median income for a family was $80,998. Males had a median income of $48,125 versus $36,131 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,238. About 1.5% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Higganum is home to Haddam Killingworth High School (HKHS) and Burr District Elementary (BDES).

title: Higganum, Connecticut


text:
Killingworth, Connecticut

Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,174 at the 2020 United States Census.

History
Killingworth was established from the area called Hammonasset, taken from the local Native American tribe of the same name. The area originally incorporated the area of the present town of Clinton, which was separated from Killingworth along ecclesiastical borders in 1838. Part of New London County prior to May 1785, Killingworth was then included in the newly formed Middlesex County, where it remains today.

The New England town received its name from Kenilworth, England, the previous home of one of the first settlers in New England, Edward Griswold. Kenilworth's name resembled "Killingworth" during the colonial American period, though over time the pronunciations and spellings of the names drifted toward the two distinct modern ones. A town and village in England called Killingworth and Killingworth Village, in the county of Tyne and Wear, do not appear to have any connection with Killingworth, Connecticut.

In the late 17th century, Killingworth became the birthplace of what would eventually become Yale University. The Rev. Abraham Pierson, the college's first president, taught some of the first classes in his Killingworth home—which is actually in present-day Clinton, Connecticut. However, in 1701, the college's first official home was constructed in Old Saybrook on the peninsula known as Saybrook Point donated by Yale's first Treasurer Nathanial Lynde. Eventually the school was moved to its present-day home in New Haven.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 35.8 sqmi. Of this total, 35.3 sqmi is dry land and 0.5 sqmi – or 1.34% – is water-covered.

Killingworth also contains Chatfield Hollow State Park.

Government
Killingworth is governed by a Board of Selectmen, currently headed by First Selectman, Eric Couture, with Joel A. D’Angelo and Eric J. Nunes also on the board.

Demographics
As of the census of July 1, 2015, there were 6,455 people, 2,513 households, and 1,765 families residing in the town. The population density was 184.7 PD/sqmi. There were 2,598 housing units at an average density of 70.6 per square mile (24.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.4% White, 0.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.2% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.3% Two or More Races.

There were 2,513 households, with a 95.3% occupancy rate, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 4% under the age of 5, 23.9% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 16% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $112,137. The per capita income for the town was $48,537. None of the families and 1.7% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 1.4% of those over 64.

Education
Students attending school in Killingworth are a part of Connecticut's Regional School District #17, which consists of Haddam and its villages of Haddam Neck (located on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River) and Higganum. The high school, Haddam-Killingworth High School (often abbreviated as simply "HK"), is located in Higganum. The middle-school, Haddam Killingworth Intermediate-Middle School, was built in Killingworth in 2006 and houses grades 4 through 8. The elementary schools, Burr Elementary School and Killingworth Elementary School are located in Higganum and Killingworth respectively. The school's sports teams are called the 'Cougars'.

Transportation
The Estuary Transit District provides public transportation throughout Killingworth and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town Transit Service. Services include connections to the Old Saybrook Train Station, served by Amtrak and Shoreline East railroads.

Popular culture
The town was the subject of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Birds of Killingworth" published in Tales of a Wayside Inn.

1999: The largest tree in Rockefeller Center history, 100 ft high, was chosen from Killingworth, CT.

Notable people

 * Jeff Bagwell, Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player for the Houston Astros
 * Carleton Beals, journalist, author, historian, and a crusader with special interests in Latin America
 * Abel Buell, publisher of the first map of the new United States created by an American
 * Jonathan Bush, American banker, brother of President George H. W. Bush
 * Titus Coan, missionary to Hawaii
 * Silas Halsey, former US Congressman
 * Haynes Johnson, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, author and political analyst
 * Camille Kostek, model who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
 * Ricki Lake, television personality
 * Hugh Lofting, author of the Doctor Dolittle series
 * Washington F. Willcox, U.S. Congressman (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893), born on North Chestnut Hill on August 22, 1834

Listings on the National Register of Historic places

 * Emmanuel Church, added August 5, 1999
 * Oak Lodge, added September 4, 1986
 * Parmelee House (Killingworth, Connecticut).

title: Killingworth, Connecticut


text:
Middlefield, Connecticut

Middlefield is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 4,217 at the 2020 census. The town includes the village of Rockfall in the northeast section.

History
Middlefield, in Middlesex County, is so named because it is halfway between Middletown and Durham, and Middletown and Meriden. For such a small community, Middlefield has an abundance of wonderful history that goes back to the late 17th century and many first settlers of Connecticut. The Old North Burying Ground was established for those living west of Middletown and the first burial was in 1738.

Middlefield became a town in 1866 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature. The town was previously part of the City of Middletown.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.3 sqmi, of which, 12.7 sqmi of it is land and 0.6 sqmi of it (4.65%) is water.

The west side of Middlefield is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable mountains of the Metacomet Ridge in Middlefield include Higby Mountain and Besek Mountain. The 50 mile Mattabesett Trail traverses the ridge. The Nature Conservancy manages the summit and ledges of Higby Mountain.

Attractions
Middlefield offers many seasonal activities. Residents can also go ice-skating on one of the many ponds located at the edge of Peckham Park. In the summer Peckham Park has little league baseball games going on almost every day of the week. The smaller kids can play on the jungle gym or play basketball and soccer. Some other summer activities could be golfing on one of the two local golf courses or go to the beach located on Lake Beseck just off of Route 147. Residents can also enjoy picking fruit, playing golf, shopping, and eating at Lyman Orchards. Middlefield is also home to the Powder Ridge Ski Area.

Wadsworth Falls State Park, or simply Wadsworth Falls, is a public recreation and preserved natural area located on the Coginchaug River in the towns of Middletown and Middlefield, Connecticut. The state park's 285 acres (115 ha) offer trails, fishing, swimming, and picnicking. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Powder Ridge Ski Area (category Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut) is a small ski area located in Middlefield, Connecticut. It began operations on January 22, 1961, the day JFK was inaugurated. It closed in 2007, and has since reopened.

Registered historic places in town

 * David, II Lyman House – 5 Lyman Rd. (added March 6, 1986)
 * William, Jr. Ward House – 137 Powder Hill Rd. (added March 19, 1988)

Education
Middlefield, along with Durham, forms Regional School District 13. It offers a traditional as well as an "Integrated Day" program of education for students in the two communities. The schools in Regional School District 13 are: Brewster Elementary School (K–2), John Lyman Elementary School (grades K–4), Korn Elementary School (grades 3–4), Memorial Middle School (grades 5–6), Strong Middle School (grades 7–8) and Coginchaug Regional High School (grades 9–12). The town is also home to the private pre-school–8 school The Independent Day School.

Town seal
The town seal is a view of Middlefield as seen through a gun sight. The crosshairs represent the gun sight manufacturing that has taken place in Middlefield for many years. The four quadrants of the gun sight are broken into different aspects of the town of Middlefield. The upper left-hand quadrant is a picture of the 1700s saltbox homes that still stand in Middlefield. The upper right-hand quadrant represents the orchards and farmland that make up much of the open space of Middlefield. The lower left-hand quadrant represents many of the outdoor activities that go on in Middlefield such as fishing, hunting, boating, skiing, golfing, and many other activities. The lower right-hand quadrant is the old pistol shop that used to be a major part of Middlefield's makeup. The seal was designed by Donald Ginter.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,203 people, 1,645 households, and 1,199 families residing in the town. The population density was 330.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of 137.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.74% African American, 0.02% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 1,645 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $59,448, and the median income for a family was $69,267. Males had a median income of $43,953 versus $31,487 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,711. About 0.6% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Middlefield has a selectman-town meeting form of government. The current acting first selectman is Robert Yamartino, whom assumed the office of First Selectman on December 8, 2021, due to the death of incumbent first selectman Ed Bailey. The other current selectman is Carol Bufithis.

State politics
Middlefield is in the 13th state senate district, being represented by Democrat Mary Daugherty Abrams, and in the 82nd district in the state house by Democrat Michael Quinn.

Middlefield has swung for Republican candidates in gubernatorial elections, including in 2018, where Republican Bob Stefanowski won 53% of the vote.

Federal politics
Middlefield is part of Connecticut's 3rd congressional district, and is represented by Rosa DeLauro. It has swung in presidential elections, voting for Joe Biden in 2020 and Barack Obama in 2012 but supporting Donald Trump in 2016.

title: Middlefield, Connecticut


text:
Moodus, Connecticut

Moodus is a village in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. The village is the basis of a census-designated place (CDP) of the same name. The population of the CDP was 1,982 as of the census of 2020.

History
Prior to its purchase by English settlers in 1662, the area around Moodus was inhabited by Native American Algonquians. The names of three of the inhabiting tribes are known. The Wangunks, the Mohegans and the Nehantics were their names. The name was derived from the Native American name for the area. The name was "Matchetmadosett" or "Matchitmoodus". It can be translated to the place of noises. Its name possibly because of the frequent earthquakes in the area. Numerous earthquakes were recorded in the area between 1638 and 1899. Loud rumblings, possibly the "Moodus Noises", could be heard for miles surrounding the epicenter of the quakes near Mt. Tom. The land, which is now the towns of Haddam and East Haddam, was purchased by settlers from the Indians in 1662 for thirty coats. In today's money, it is worth about $100.

During the nineteenth century, Moodus was advertised as the "Twine Capital of America", with twelve mills in operation. The most successful was Brownell & Company. Moodus was in an ideal location for textile production since it had access to ample water power and shipping (via the Connecticut River and the Connecticut Valley Railroad ), and it was close to an enormous trading center and market, New York City. Moodus's mills primarily manufactured cotton yarn, cotton duck, and twine, and that production lasted from 1819 to 1977. The mills also produced certain related products, particularly fishing nets and pearl buttons. A part of that textile mill history is preserved in the Johnsonville historical section of Moodus, named after one of the mill owners. Brownell was a pioneer with DuPont Corporation in the production of nylon products, and Brownell still manufacturers specialized textile-related products in Moodus such as archery bowstrings, helicopter cargo nets, and tennis nets.

Moodus had many local resorts that operated during the course of the early and mid-20th century. During the summer seasons of the 1940s and 1950s, people visiting the more than 30 Moodus-area resorts quadrupled East Haddam's population to about 20,000 people. Nearby Bailey Beach on Bashan Lake was popular with local residents and vacationers alike. The resorts, boarding houses and camps of Moodus attracted Christian and Jewish vacationers primarily from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and other parts of Connecticut. One of the last resorts to remain in operation, Sunrise Resort, was purchased by the state of Connecticut in late 2008 to be incorporated into the adjacent Machimoodus State Park as a campground, and to protect "4,700 feet of additional frontage along the Salmon River".

The village center, dubbed "Downtown Moodus", located formerly at the intersection of routes CT 151 and CT 149, was a popular destination for resort guests. However most of the village was razed after the citizens of East Haddam controversially voted in 1967 to accept urban renewal funding to build a new commercial district for Moodus a quarter mile east, along CT 149. East Haddam was one of the smallest towns in the United States to participate in the urban renewal program.

Geography
Moodus is in eastern Middlesex County, in the northwest part of the town of East Haddam. Connecticut Routes 149 and 151 pass through the village, Route 149 running northeast–southwest and Route 151 running northwest–south. Colchester is 8 mi to the northeast, East Hampton is 7 mi to the north-northwest, and the village of East Haddam is 4 mi to the south, on the Connecticut River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Moodus CDP has a total area of 3.4 sqmi, of which 0.02 sqmi, or 0.59%, are water. The CDP includes the village of Bashan and some neighborhoods next to Moodus Reservoir in the northeast.

The area is subject to earthquakes, with an intensity VI quake occurring in 1568, and numerous quakes being recorded from 1638 onwards. The largest earthquake recorded for Connecticut was an intensity VII quake on May 16, 1791, near Moodus.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,263 people, 529 households, and 322 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 438.8 PD/sqmi. There were 592 housing units at an average density of 205.7 /sqmi. The racial composition of the CDP was 97.78% White, 0.40% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 529 households, out of which 31.8% had children younger than age 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder without a husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were composed of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the CDP, the age distribution was 25.7% younger than age 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and older, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,188, and the median income for a family was $68,500. Males had a median income of $42,938 versus $33,214 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $32,475. None of the families and 2.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including none younger than age 18 and none of those older than age 64.

Attractions

 * Amasa Day House - a historic house museum on Town Street.
 * Johnsonville Village - once a thriving mill community, then a Victorian Era tourist attraction, now an abandoned ghost town.
 * Machimoodus State Park "Sunrise State Park"
 * Cave Hill Resort
 * Bailey Beach
 * Bashan Lake

Noises
Moodus is infamous in Connecticut for strange noises coming from the woods which have been termed "Moodus noises", and are attributed to shallow micro-earthquakes. The noises can be heard most strongly from Cave Hill, located next to Mt. Tom and owned by the Cave Hill Resort.

In the book Legendary Connecticut, author David Philips asserts that the Moodus noises were the source of an indigenous religious cult important to local Native Americans. Local Algonquin chiefs would gather around Mt. Tom in order to experience the living presence of the god Hobomok. Pequot, Mohegan and Narragansett tribes participated with this cult, and according to local Alison Guinness, the Wongums were involved as well. Hobomok was considered the spirit of the dead and worshipped by the tribe that inhabited the area. The Puritans that came to inhabit the area considered him evil. However, to the native people he was more like a Zeus or a Hades, a god that can do good or bad, depending on what mood he was in.

The Moodus noises were the basis for the otherworldly noises in H. P. Lovecraft's “The Dunwich Horror”. The local high school's athletic teams are dubbed the "Noises".

title: Moodus, Connecticut


text:
Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, and the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.

History
In 1624, shortly after establishing their first settlement at Governors Island, Dutch settlers established a short-lived factory at present-day Old Saybrook. The trading post was named Kievits Hoek, or "Plover's Corner". Kievits Hoek was soon abandoned as the Dutch consolidated settlement at New Amsterdam. In 1633, Fort Goede Hoop (Huys de Goede Hoop), was established at present-day Hartford.

The Pequot siege of Saybrook Fort took place from September 1636 to March 1637 during the Pequot War.

Following the August 1636 Massachusetts Bay attack on Manisses, Pequot, and Western Niantic villages, the Pequot retaliation fell on the settlers at Saybrook. Over a period of eight months, the Pequot killed and wounded more than 20 settlers at and near Saybrook Fort. The settlers were attacked when they ventured far from their palisade, and the Pequot destroyed their provisions and burned warehouses while they attempted to interrupt river traffic to Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford. During the Siege and Battle of Saybrook Fort, the Pequot and New England colonists assessed each other's military capabilities, and adjusted countertactics. Each side's tactical modifications show a high degree of sophistication, planning, and ingenuity. Lessons learned during the siege of Saybrook escalated the Pequot War in Connecticut Colony, and indirectly resulted in the attack and destruction of Mistick Fort (May 1637).

The Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River, in what is today Old Saybrook and environs. John Winthrop, the Younger, son of the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was designated governor by the group that claimed possession of the land via a deed of conveyance from Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick. Winthrop was aided by Colonel George Fenwick and Captain Lion Gardiner. As the principals of the group who had planned to settle the colony were supporters of Oliver Cromwell and remained in England during the English Civil War, the colony struggled. In 1644, Fenwick agreed to merge the colony with the more vibrant Connecticut Colony a few miles upriver, which purchased the land and fort from him.

The design of the Flag of Connecticut comes from the seal of Saybrook Colony. The seal was brought from England by Colonel George Fenwick, and depicted 15 grapevines and a hand in the upper left corner with a scroll reading "Qui Transtulit Sustinet", "He who transplanted sustains".

In 1647 Major John Mason assumed command of Saybrook (Colony) Fort, which controlled the main trade and supply route to the upper river valley. The fort promptly and mysteriously burned to the ground, but another improved fort was quickly built nearby on the Battery Mound. He spent the next 12 years there and also served as commissioner of the United Colonies, the chief military officer, magistrate, and peacekeeper. In 1659, almost all settlers from Saybrook under the leadership of Mason, purchased land from Uncas, sachem of the Mohegan tribe, removed to and founded Norwich, Connecticut. This second fort was eventually abandoned after 200 years and the battery mound remained until 1871, when the Valley Railroad leveled it and other hills on the point to provide needed fill for their tracks across the north and south coves.

In 1661, a witch trial was held of Saybrook residents Margaret Jennings and her husband Nicholas, who were accused of causing the deaths of Marie Marvin and others. The trial resulted in a finding that they were probably witches, but the proof was not sufficient to execute them.

On October 9, 1701, the Collegiate School of Connecticut was chartered in Old Saybrook. It moved to New Haven in 1716, and was later renamed Yale University.

Turtle—the first American submarine—was invented in Westbrook, Connecticut, in 1775 by David Bushnell. A replica is housed at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex.

The General Assembly created the separate town of Old Saybrook from Saybrook in 1852. Old Saybrook was partitioned again in 1854, when the northern part became the town of Essex.

A 1964 meeting at Old Saybrook, the First Invitational Conference on Humanistic Psychology, was key to the early development of humanistic psychology. Saybrook University in California, established in 1971, is named after the conference.

Later development
In early 2007, plans were established to return the former town hall building to its original use as a theater. The theater was completed in 2009 and is named the "Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and Theater". The town has committed spending almost $2 million on the renovation, and at least $810,000 were to be contributed by the state. A committee was attempting to raise another $2.5 million, partly for the renovation and to add two wings, but also for an endowment. The structure was originally built in 1901, and was a theater until the 1940s. After renovations, the theater was to seat 250, and Hepburn memorabilia would be displayed there.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.6 square miles (56.0 km$2$), of which 6.6 sq mi (17.0 km$2$) (30.45%) are covered by water.

Principal communities

 * Chalker Beach
 * Cornfield Point
 * District of Fencove
 * Borough of Fenwick
 * District of Fenwood
 * Indian Town
 * Knollwood
 * Old Saybrook Center (includes Saybrook Point)
 * District of Otter Cove
 * Saybrook Manor
 * North Cove

Flora
Coastal Connecticut (including Old Saybrook) is the broad transition zone where so-called "subtropical indicator" plants and other broadleaf evergreens can successfully be cultivated. Old Saybrook averages about 90 days annually with freeze (temperatures of 32 °F/0 °C) – about the same as Baltimore, Maryland, or Albuquerque, New Mexico, for example. As such, southern magnolias, needle palms, windmill palms, loblolly pines, and crape myrtles are grown in private and public gardens.

Education
Old Saybrook is home to a district educational system. Kathleen E. Goodwin School is for prekindergarten through grade 4, Old Saybrook Middle School is for grades 5 through 8, and Old Saybrook Senior High School is for grades 9 through 12. The high school competes in the Shoreline Conference. In 2018 and 2019, the boys' soccer team won back-to-back state championships.

Old Saybrook is also home to prekindergarten through grade 8 at St John's Catholic School, and toddler–grade 6 at the Children's Tree Montessori School. The town also has a number of students who attend private schools, including nearby parochial schools such as Xavier High School and Mercy High School.

2010 U.S. Census
As of the 2010 census, 10,242 people, 4,247 households, and 2,923 families were living in the town; 1,108 households had children under 18. The population density was 682.8 PD/sqmi. The 5,602 housing units had an average density of 373.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 93.9% White, 0.9% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.3% of the population.

Of the 4,247 households, 23.7% had children under 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were not families. About 28.9% of households were one person and 14.6% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21, and the average family size was 2.71.

The age distribution was 21.4% under 20, 3.4% from 20 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.3% 65 or older. The median age was 50.1 years. The population consisted of 4,852 (47.4%) males and 5,390 (52.6%) females.

The median household income was $80,347 and the median family income was $97,399. Males had a median income of $74,298 versus $49,913 for females. The per capita income for the town was $43,266. About 4.5% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000 U.S. Census
At the 2000 census, 10,367 people, 4,184 households, and 2,920 families resided in the town. The population density was 689.5 PD/sqmi. The 5,357 housing units had an average density of 356.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.75% White, 1.01% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.87% of the population.

Of the 4,184 households, 27.2% had children under 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were not families. About 25.4% of households were one person, and 12.9% were one person 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 2.90.

The age distribution was 21.7% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median household income was $62,742 and the median family income was $72,868. Males had a median income of $48,527 versus $36,426 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,720. About 1.5% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Old Saybrook's train station opened in 1873 and was rebuilt in 2002. Amtrak, the national rail passenger system, provides daily service along the Northeast Corridor to Boston, New York, and points south. The high-speed Acela Express passes through Old Saybrook, but does not stop; service is provided by the conventional Northeast Regional. The Connecticut Department of Transportation provides regular commuter service to New Haven, New London, and Stamford via the Shore Line East, and connecting service to the MetroNorth Railroad, which runs to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

The Estuary Transit District provides public transportation services throughout Old Saybrook and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town transit services.

Old Saybrook is served by two freeways that intersect within the town's borders. Interstate 95 runs across the town from west to east (though it is signed north–south), and connects Old Saybrook to New Haven and New London along the Connecticut shoreline. Connecticut Route 9 has its southern terminus at I-95, and extends to the northwest to ultimately reach Middletown and Hartford.

Media
One radio station is licensed to Old Saybrook: WLIS AM 1420 (variety). The town is also covered by Shore Publishing and the local newspaper the Harbor News.

National Register of Historic Places in Old Saybrook

 * Black Horse Tavern, added December 1, 1978
 * Elisha Bushnell House, added November 29, 1978
 * Connecticut Valley Railroad Roundhouse and Turntable Site, added April 28, 1994
 * Jedidiah Dudley House, added April 12, 1982
 * Samuel Eliot House, added November 9, 1972
 * General William Hart House, added November 9, 1972
 * James Pharmacy, added August 5, 1994
 * Lynde Point Lighthouse, added May 29, 1990
 * Old Saybrook South Green, added September 3, 1976
 * Parker House, added November 29, 1978
 * Humphrey Pratt Tavern, added November 7, 1972
 * Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, added May 29, 1990
 * William Tully House, added March 15, 1982
 * Ambrose Whittlesey House, added August 23, 1985
 * John Whittlesey Jr. House, added October 26, 1984

Notable people

 * Vin Baker (born 1971), professional basketball player in the NBA (1993–2006)
 * Virginia Biddle (1910–2003), American revue performer and showgirl
 * Fred Crane, American baseball player in the 1860s/1870s)
 * Lion Gardiner (1599–1663)
 * Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003), four-time Academy Award-winning actress and Hollywood legend, lived in the borough of Fenwick
 * John Clellon Holmes (1926–1988), writer and poet associated with the "Beat Generation"
 * Anna Louise James (1886–1977), first female African American pharmacist in Connecticut
 * Ann Petry (1908–1997), novelist, journalist, and biographer
 * Maria Sanford (1836–1920), American educator and professor at Swarthmore College and University of Minnesota
 * Elmer Eric Schattschneider (1892–1971), prominent political scientist and former president of the American Political Science Association
 * Simon Willard (1605–1676)

title: Old Saybrook, Connecticut


text:
Old Saybrook Center, Connecticut

Old Saybrook Center is the primary village and a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,278 at the 2020 census, out of 10,481 in the entire town of Old Saybrook. The CDP includes the traditional town center and the peninsula known as Saybrook Point.

Geography
Old Saybrook Center is in the southeast part of Middlesex County, in the central and eastern part of the town of Old Saybrook. It is bordered to the east by the tidal Connecticut River and its coves, North Cove near the center of the community and South Cove along the southern edge of the community. Saybrook Point, part of the CDP, occupies the land between the two coves.

U.S. Route 1 passes through the northwest part of the community, leading west 8 mi to Clinton and northeast 4 mi to Old Lyme Center. Connecticut Route 154 passes through the center of Old Saybrook and leads north 5 mi to Essex Village and southeast 3 mi to Fenwick.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Old Saybrook Center CDP has a total area of 2.9 sqmi, of which 2.0 sqmi are land and 0.9 sqmi, or 31.47%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,962 people, 908 households, and 548 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 994.3 PD/sqmi. There were 984 housing units at an average density of 498.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.08% White, 0.61% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.14% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.68% of the population.

There were 908 households, out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.3% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,625, and the median income for a family was $63,021. Males had a median income of $46,522 versus $41,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,217. None of the families and 4.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.5% of those over 64.

title: Old Saybrook Center, Connecticut


text:
Saybrook Manor, Connecticut

Saybrook Manor is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Old Saybrook, a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,127 at the 2020 census. The Saybrook Manor section is generally the area south of U.S. Route 1 between the Westbrook town line and the Oyster River.

Geography
Saybrook Manor is in southeastern Middlesex County, in the southwest part of the town of Old Saybrook. Via U.S. Route 1, it is 1 mi west of Old Saybrook Center and 2 mi east of Westbrook Center. It is bordered to the south by Long Island Sound.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Saybrook Manor CDP has a total area of 1.0 sqmi, of which 0.8 sqmi are land and 0.2 sqmi, or 19.79%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,133 people, 522 households, and 328 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,497.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,027 housing units at an average density of 1,357.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.12% White, 0.35% African American, 2.74% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 522 households, out of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,489, and the median income for a family was $73. Males had a median income of $40,221 versus $37,938 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $30,511. About 3.7% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

title: Saybrook Manor, Connecticut