Connecticut Towns and Cities:
How They Grew

Early Towns

The settlers of the Massachusetts and Plymouth Bay Colonies were not aware of what lay to the southwest of them until they were approached in 1631 by Podunk Indians in an effort to start trading. Representatives were sent to see what the area was like. After their favorable reports, settlement began along the Connecticut River, beginning with Windsor in 1633 and Wethersfield in 1634. Hartford was settled in 1635, with Thomas Hooker bringing a large group overland from Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636. New Haven, which became a rival city to Hartford, was settled in 1637.

< This 19th-century drawing is based on a 17th-century map showing an original 1634 plan of the town of Windsor. House lots and even the burial ground were located within a stout defensive palisade reflecting the settlers’ fears of attack by Native Americans.

John Warner Barber
First Meeting House built in Connecticut
Hartford, ca. 1836
Photo CD:2826 File:Img0001.pcd

< This small single story structure is believed to be a true representation of the first church built in Connecticut. The settlers had started new lives to pursue religious freedom, and one of their first priorities after shelter, food, and clothing would have been to build a place to worship.

John Warner Barber
Plan of the City of New Haven
New Haven, 1825
Photo CD:2826 File:Img0095.pcd

< This plan for the city of New Haven shows how the town was laid out in a grid pattern that is still very obvious in the city today. Such deliberate town planning was relatively unusual in New England.

< People settled in Wethersfield originally because of the rich farmland along the Connecticut River. In the 18th century the town was prospered due to its flourishing trade with the West Indies. This house was completed in 1752 for Wethersfield merchant Joseph Webb.

< The historic preservation movement in Wethersfield began with the purchase and restoration of this house. It was acquired in 1916 by photographer and collector Wallace Nutting and used as one of his show houses. It was sold to the Colonial Dames of Wethersfield in 1919 and kept as a public museum and tearoom. Today it is part of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum.

Link to other essays in this Journey:

>> Introduction: Connecticut Towns and Cities: How They Grew
>> Town Greens
>> Factory Villages
>> Transportation Hubs
>> Expansion into Suburban Living

>> Guideposts
>> Suggestions for further reading