A Very Brief Introduction...

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Connecticut Historical Society placed signs in all of Connecticut's 169 municipalities to help tell the unique stories of the history of each municipality in the Constitution State. These signs were generally placed at town halls, town greens, town squares and other places of historical significance in each town. Generally, these signs have historical information on each side of the sign. While all signs may not be in place today, many are still around. The purpose of the Connecticut Town Historical Signs project is to take a unique look at the towns of the State of Connecticut through the gateway of these historical signs, which can be commonly found at town squares and parks or in front of municpally-owned buildings (such as libraries). Your help is enthusiastically encouraged. Photos, links, corrections, and anecdotes are all accepted. Photos should focus on the sign and if possible the surroundings. Extreme close-ups are not necessary; however, the context should be readable. Photos are subjected to be resized to fit the needs of this project. If you are interested in helping out, I can be contacted by following the link below. Thank you for your enjoyment and continued support!

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z A ASHFORD (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1710; Incorporated 1714. Formerly a stop along a road between Hartford and Boston, Ashford was once home to the glass making industry. B BERLIN (2) (taken by Kevin Lagasse) Settled 1661; Incorporated 1785. Originally part of Kensington in Hartford County, the geographical center of Connecticut is in Berlin. BROOKFIELD (taken by Douglas Kerr) Incorporated 1788. Located in Fairfield County, Brookfield was originally named Newbury from the three towns that land in the town once belonged to; New Milford, Newtown and Danbury. BERLIN (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1725; Incorporated 1806. Once an ecclesiastical society, Burlington was the birthplace for prominent educators and was home to the copper mining industry. C CANAAN (taken by Ian Livingston) Established 1738. Located along the Great Falls of the Housatonic River in the Litchfield Hills, the natural resources of Canaan were important to the United States in its early wars. CANTON (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1737; Incorporated 1806. The quietest of towns along the Farmington Valley, Canton emerged as a trading center for the firearms industry along the Albany Turnpike during the early industrial era. CHESHIRE (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1695; Incorporated 1780. Originally part of Wallingford, this northern New Haven County Town is home of the Cheshire Academy, a prepatory academy that boasts such alumni as famed financier J.P. Morgan and Gideon Welles, who was a Secretary of the Navy under President Abraham Lincoln. COLEBROOK (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Founded 1765. Named after a town in Devonshire, England, Colebrook, in northern Litchfield County, was the last town to be settled in colonial Connecticut. It is the home of the legendary Colebrook Cave. CORNWALL (taken by Ian Livingston) Incorporated 1740. Home to the Cornwall covered bridge, this town in the Litchfield Hills was once home to a foreign mission school. COVENTRY (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1706; Incorporated 1712. Coventry was the birthplace of known patriot Nathan Hale. Many vaudeville actors also started a resort colony in Coventry. D DURHAM (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1699; Incorporated 1708. Nestled in the southwest corner of Middlesex County, Durham is where one of the first lending libraries in what was to become the United States was established, in 1733. Durham is also the birthplace of Moses Austin, who helped settle the first legal American settlements in Texas. DEEP RIVER (2) (3) (4) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Founded 1635. Fomerly known as Saybrook, Deep River was the whole to bustling lumber and shipbuilding industry. E EAST LYME (taken by Douglas Kerr) Incorporated 1839. Located on the shore of Long Island Sound, East Lyme was originally a farming area and is now the home of the Niantic scallop. F FAIRFIELD (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1639. Originally named "Uncowaye", Fairfield is home to Fairfield University. G GLASTONBURY (taken by Kevin Lagasse) Settled 1649; Incorporated 1693. A suburb of Hartford, Glastonbury was settled by colonists from nearby Wethersfield crossing the Great (Connecticut) River. GOSHEN (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1738; Incorporated 1739. Located in Litchfield County, Goshen was once a regional leader in the industry of cheese production. GRISWOLD (2)(taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1760; Incorporated 1815. Deep in the heart of New London County, Griswold is named after Federalist Governor Roger Griswold of Connecticut. H HAMDEN (taken by Douglas Kerr) Incorporated 1786. A suburb of New Haven and the home to Quinnipiac University, Hamden was the home of Eli Whitney, who invented the cotton gin and was a pioneer in the use of interchangeable parts. HARWINTON (taken by Ian Livingston) Founded 1731. An agricultural town located along the old Hartford-Litchfield Turnpike in Litchfield County, Harwinton is named after Hartford and Windsor, two communities along the Connecticut River. J JEWETT CITY (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1771; Incorporated 1895. A borough of Griswold, Jewett City was named after Eliezer Jewett, who operated a sawmill. K KENT (taken by Douglas Kerr) Founded 1739. Named after County Kent, England, Kent, in western Litchfield County, was the last town to be settled in colonial Connecticut. It is the home of the Kent Iron Mines, providing an excellent source for ore, as well as where the Appalachian Trail enters Connecticut from New York State. L LISBON (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1687; Incorporated 1786. Formerly a part of the Town of Norwich, Lisbon was once home to an ecclesiastical society. M MILFORD (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1639. Founded by Puritans, Milford is the sixth oldest town in Connecticut and is home to the second longest town green in all of New England. N NAUGATUCK (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1702; Incorporated 1848. Located in the vicinity of Waterbury along the Naugatuck River, Naugatuck is an Algonquin Indian name meaning "lone tree by the fishing place." Naugatuck was settled on a site originally part of the Mattatuck plantation. NEW CANAAN (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1731; Incorporated 1801. Formed as an ecclesiastical society, New Canaan was once an imporant shoe making center. Famed television personality David Letterman has called New Canaan home. NEW HARTFORD (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1734; Incorporated 1749. Located along the Farmington River, New Hartford is an old mill town which produced the sails for defending vessels in America's Cup races. NEW HAVEN (2) (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1638; Incorporated 1784. Home to Yale University, New Haven is the first planned community in the United States and was home to the Amistad trial. NEW MILFORD (taken by Ian Livingston) Founded 1731. New Milford, along the banks of the Housatonic River in Litchfield County, was an important producer of tobacco and limestone. NORFOLK (taken by Ian Livingston) Settled 1744; Incorporated 1758. New Milford, along the banks of the Housatonic River in Litchfield County, was an important producer of tobacco and limestone. NORTH CANAAN (taken by Ian Livingston) Settled 1738; Incorporated 1858. North Canaan, along the state border with Massachusetts, was a center for the stone and metals industry. The marble used at the state capitol in Hartford was quarried here. Ethan Allen, of Vermont independence fame, was once a bookkeeper in North Canaan. O OXFORD (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1678; Incorporated 1798. Norfolk, one of a number of picturesque towns in the Litchfield Hills region of Connecticut, was the birthplace of Dr. William H. Welch, who was known as the dean of scientific medicine in America. P POMFRET (taken by Douglas Kerr) Incorporated 1713. Pomfret was the home of General Israel Putnam, who fought in the Revolutionary War. R RIDGEFIELD (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Founded 1708. Ridgefield, in western Fairfield County, was the site of the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Ridgefield in 1777 and later became a weekend resort community for well-to-do residents of New York City. S SALISBURY (taken by Ian Livingston) Incorporated 1741. The charming village of Salisbury, located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, provided native sons Ethan and Ira Allen, who have prominence in the history of Vermont. SHARON (taken by Ian Livingston) Incorporated 1739. Sharon, located on the western border with New York State in Litchfield County, took its name from the Biblical Plain of Sharon. Largely agricultural in nature, Sharon benefitted from the iron making industry as many towns in Litchfield County had done. SOMERS (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1706; Incorporated 1734. Originally known as East Enfield, this town along the northern tier of Connecticut was originally part of Massachusetts. Later, it became an agricultural and textiles center, as well as the birthplace for Gen. Stonewall Jackson's favorite horse. SOUTHBURY (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1673; Incorporated 1787. Once a center for manufacturing, Southbury has maintained a rural charm throughout the years. SPRAGUE (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1659; Incorporated 1861. Located on the banks of the Shetucket River in New London County, Sprague was named after Rhode Island governor William Sprague, who was an area landowner. STAFFORD (taken by Douglas Kerr) Founded 1718. Home of famous mineral springs that nursed President John Adams back to health, and the woolens industry. Stafford was one where many elite members of society came to meet and relax. T TORRINGTON (taken by Ian Livingston) Settled 1732; Incorporated 1740. Located in Litchfield County, Torrington is its largest city. Known for its art deco architecture, Torrington has the largest concentration of such buildings in Connecticut. W WALLINGFORD (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1670. Located on the banks of the Quinnipiac River, Wallingford has made a name of itself through the silverware industry. WARREN (taken by Ian Livingston) Settled 1737; Incorporated 1786. Located in Litchfield County, Warren named for a Massachusetts man, the Revolutionary hero General Joseph Warren, who lost his life at Bunker Hill. WATERTOWN (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1701; Founded 1780. Located in Litchfield County, Watertown was justly famous for its Connecticut red oxen, and is the birthplace of Nathaniel Wheeler, who helped develop the sewing machine. WESTON (2) (taken by Tom Fatone) Settled 1670; Incorporated 1787. Once an agricultural community and the site of a meteorite explosion, Weston has transformed into one of the most affluent towns in the United States. WOODBRIDGE (taken by Tom Fatone) Founded 1738; Incorporated 1784. A suburb of New Haven, Woodbridge was once an agricultural and manufacturing town. WOODSTOCK (2) (taken by Douglas Kerr) Settled 1686. Originally part of Massachusetts, the town became a part of Connecticut colony in 1749. Home to Roseland Cottage, Woodstock is also the site of the Old Quasset School, which the oldest one room schoolhouse in the United States in continuous use.

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