Wethersfield, Connecticut | |
|---|---|
| Town of Wethersfield | |
 Joseph Webb and Isaac Stevens houses | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: Ye Most Ancient Town in Connecticut[1] | |
 Hartford County and Connecticut Capitol Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show Wethersfield Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°42′51″N72°39′09″W / 41.71417°N 72.65250°W /41.71417; -72.65250 | |
| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
| County | Hartford |
| Region | Capitol Region |
| Settled | October 1634 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1637 |
| Named after | Wethersfield, Essex |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager |
| • Town manager | Frederick J. Presley Town Council
|
| Area | |
• Total | 13.1 sq mi (34.0 km2) |
| • Land | 12.3 sq mi (31.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.81 sq mi (2.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,298 |
| • Density | 2,220/sq mi (856/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 06109 |
| Area codes | 860/959 |
| FIPS code | 09-84900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 212042[2] |
| Interstates |  |
| U.S. Highways |  |
| State Routes |      |
| Website | wethersfieldct |
Wethersfield (/ˈwɛð.ərsfild/WEH-thers-feeld) is a town located inHartford County, Connecticut, United States.[2] It is located immediately south ofHartford along theConnecticut River. The town is part of theCapitol Planning Region. The population was 27,298 at the time of the2020 census.[3]
Many records from colonial times spell the name "Weathersfield" and "Wythersfield", while Native Americans called itPyquag.[4] "Watertown" is a variant name.[2]
The neighborhood known asOld Wethersfield is the state's largest historic district, spanning 2 sq mi (5.2 km2) and containing 1,100 buildings, dating to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The town is primarily served byInterstate 91.
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Founded in 1634 by aPuritan settlement party of "10 Men", includingJohn Oldham,Robert Seeley,Thomas Topping, andNathaniel Foote, Wethersfield is arguably the oldest town in Connecticut,[6][7] depending on the interpretation of when a remote settlement qualifies as a "town". Along withWindsor andHartford, Wethersfield is represented by one of the three grapevines on theFlag of Connecticut, signifying the state's three oldest English settlements.[8][9] The town was named by colonists forWethersfield, a village in theEnglish county ofEssex.[10] The town was previously called "Watertown", named afterWatertown, Massachusetts, until February 21, 1637, when it was incorporated as a town along with Windsor and Hartford. The town established theOld Wethersfield Village Cemetery as its first burying ground on Hungry Hill in 1638.
During thePequot War, on April 23, 1637,Wangunk Chief Sequin, who had lived with the colonists in Wethersfield but had been forced out after a few years, attacked Wethersfield withPequot help.[11] They killed six men and three women, a number of cattle and horses, and took two young girls captive. They were daughters of Abraham Swain or William Swaine (sources vary), and were laterransomed by Dutch traders.[12]
Fourwitch trials and three executions forwitchcraft occurred in the town in the 17th century. Mary Johnson was convicted of witchcraft and executed in 1648, Joan and John Carrington in 1651.[13] In 1669, landownerKatherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.[14][15]
From 1716 to 1718, the Collegiate School was briefly located in Wethersfield; it moved to New Haven and developed over the decades asYale University.[16][5]
Silas Deane, envoy toFrance during theAmerican Revolutionary War, lived in the town. His house is now preserved and operated as part of theWebb-Deane-Stevens Museum. In May 1781, at the Webb House on Main Street, GeneralGeorge Washington and French Lt. Gen.Rochambeau planned theSiege of Yorktown, which culminated in the surrender of Britain and independence of the colonies.
The Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature on May 12, 1803, making it the first formally charteredfire department in the state. It is one of the oldest charteredvolunteer fire department in continuous existence in the United States.[17]
Wethersfield was "for a century at least, the centre of theonion trade in New England", during the late 1700s and early to middle 1800s.[18] "Outsiders dubbed the Connecticut village 'Oniontown,' with a crosshatch of affection and derision, for this was home of the world-famous Wethersfieldred onion."[19]
In addition, the town was home toWilliam G. Comstock, a well-known 19th-century gardening expert and author of the era's most prominent gardening book,Order of Spring Work. In 1820, Comstock founded what would becomeComstock, Ferre & Company,[20][21] America's oldest continuously operating seed company. It pioneered the commercial sale of sealed packets of seeds, as he had learned from theAmish. Other nationally prominent seed companies in and around the town developed from this agricultural past.[19][22]
Ameteorite fell on Wethersfield on November 8, 1982. It was the second meteorite to fall in the town in the span of 11 years, as the first crashed on April 8, 1971. It crashed through the roof of a house without injuring the occupants, as had been the case with the first meteorite as well.[23] The 1971 meteorite was sold to theSmithsonian, and the 1982 meteorite was taken up as part of a collection at theYale Peabody Museum.[24][25]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3,825 | — | |
| 1840 | 3,824 | — | |
| 1850 | 2,523 | −34.0% | |
| 1860 | 2,705 | 7.2% | |
| 1870 | 2,693 | −0.4% | |
| 1880 | 2,173 | −19.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,271 | 4.5% | |
| 1900 | 2,637 | 16.1% | |
| 1910 | 3,148 | 19.4% | |
| 1920 | 4,342 | 37.9% | |
| 1930 | 7,512 | 73.0% | |
| 1940 | 9,644 | 28.4% | |
| 1950 | 12,533 | 30.0% | |
| 1960 | 20,561 | 64.1% | |
| 1970 | 26,662 | 29.7% | |
| 1980 | 26,013 | −2.4% | |
| 1990 | 25,651 | −1.4% | |
| 2000 | 26,271 | 2.4% | |
| 2010 | 26,668 | 1.5% | |
| 2020 | 27,298 | 2.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[26] | |||
As of the 2000census,[27] there were 26,268 people, 11,214 households, and 7,412 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,119.9 inhabitants per square mile (818.5/km2). There were 11,454 housing units at an average density of 924.3 per square mile (356.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.19%White, 2.09%Black orAfrican American, 0.08%Native American, 1.58%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.82% fromother races, and 1.22% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.19% of the population.
There were 11,214 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% weremarried couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.
The town population was distributed with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,289, and the median income for a family was $68,154. (These figures had risen to $66,044 and $86,432 respectively as of a 2007 estimate.)[28] Males had a median income of $43,998 versus $37,443 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $28,930. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Top employers in Wethersfield according to the town's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report[29][needs update]
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State of Connecticut | 810 |
| 2 | Town of Wethersfield | 753 |
| 3 | Hartford Healthcare At Home | 117 |
| 4 | HomeGoods | 108 |
| 5 | Patient Care, Inc. | 107 |
| 6 | Qualidigm | 101 |
| 7 | DSG Yankee | 79 |
| 8 | Hooters | 78 |
| 9 | Corpus Christi School | 55 |
| 10 | Denny's | 50 |
TheConnecticut Department of Correction and theConnecticut Department of Motor Vehicles have their headquarters in Wethersfield.[30][31]
Due to its proximity to the state capital at Hartford, Wethersfield is the site of several State of Connecticut agencies:
The Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce has over 150 member institutions[32] and hosts community events throughout the year.[33]
Three buildings in Wethersfield are designated ashistoric landmarks by theNational Register of Historic Places:
In 1970,Old Wethersfield, the district bounded by Hartford, the railroad tracks, I-91 and Rocky Hill, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is the largesthistoric district in Connecticut, with two square miles containing 1,100 buildings, many dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.[19]
The historicFirst Church of Christ, Wethersfield, is the home of theAlbert Schweitzer Organ Festival [Wikidata].[39]
The Wethersfield Historical Society sponsors free outdoor concerts throughout the summer.[40]
| Event | Time of Year | Location | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cove Park Fireworks[33] | Early June | Cove Park | Town of Wethersfield |
| Wethersfield Farmers Market[41] | Summer Thursdays | 220 Hartford Avenue | Wethersfield EDIC & Tourism Commission |
| Wethersfield Cornfest[33] | Mid-September | Broad Street Green | Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce |
| Scarecrows Along Main Street[33] | Early Fall | Main Street | Old Wethersfield Shopkeepers Association |
| Cove Side Carnival[42] | Mid-October | Cove Park | Keane Foundation |
| Holidays on Main[33] | Early December | Broad Street Green | Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce |
The Old Wethersfield 5K & 10K is an annual road race that takes place in the Old Wethersfield section of town. Both races begin and end at Cove Park on Hartford Avenue.[43] The event is put on by the Hartford Marathon Foundation and typically takes place at the end of August. The 2017 edition of the 10K is the state championship race for the USATF Connecticut Grand Prix Series[44] as well as the final event of the HMF 10K Challenge Series.[45]
The Wethersfield public school system encompassesWethersfield High School,Silas Deane Middle School, and five elementary schools: Highcrest School, Charles Wright School, Emerson-Williams School, Alfred W. Hanmer School, and Samuel B. Webb School.
In addition to traditional public schools, Wethersfield also offers parochial and magnet school choices. TheCREC Discovery Academy is a Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade magnet school designed with a focus on STEM education. The Corpus Christi School is a Catholic school of approximately 400 students from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. It was one of only fifty private schools named as a 2012National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Secretary of Education, in the category of "Exemplary High Performing."[46]
| Representative | Chamber | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Blumenthal | Senate | Dem |
| Chris Murphy | Senate | Dem |
| John B. Larson | House of Representatives | Dem |
| Representative | Chamber | District | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Fonfara | Senate | 1st | Dem |
| Matthew Lesser | Senate | 9th | Dem |
| Amy Morrin Bello | House of Representatives | 28th | Dem |
| Kerry Wood | House of Representatives | 29th | Dem |
Ken Lesser, mayor.[49]
As of 2013,Greater Hartford's major system of public transportation isConnecticut Transit (CT Transit), a Connecticut Department of Transportation–owned bus service operating routes throughout theNew Haven,Stamford, Hartford and other metro areas. Wethersfield is served by route numbers 43, 47, 53, 55, 61, and 91.[50]
Major roads include:
Hartford station is the nearest rail station. Wethersfield was once connected to Hartford by streetcar[51][52] and by passenger service on theValley Railroad. Its tracks still provide a route for sporadic freight trains between Hartford andOld Saybrook.
The Wethersfield Police Department is headquartered at 250 Silas Deane Highway. In addition to normal police service, the department maintains a Marine Patrol Unit, a Special Response Dive Team, a Special Response Tactics Team, a DARE youth drug awareness program, and a Police Explorer program.[53]
The town has three volunteer fire stations.[54] The year 2003 marked the formal 200th Anniversary of the Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department. Wethersfield has the oldest volunteer fire company in Connecticut, and in New England.
TheUnited States Postal Service operates the Wethersfield Post Office at 67 Beaver Rd. The Town zip code is 06109.[55] The Wethersfield Post Office is a fully trainedUnited States Passport acceptance facility.[56]
Wethersfield was the setting for the children's novelThe Witch of Blackbird Pond byElizabeth George Speare, as well as the setting of the one-act playThe Valiant by Holworthy Hall andRobert Middlemas.[59]
Actor-turned-authorThomas Tryon used his native Wethersfield as the setting for his action/romance novelsThe Wings of the Morning andIn the Fire of Spring, as well as a mystery/horror novelThe Other and afilm of the same name.
The short filmDisneyland Dream features the Barstow family from Wethersfield, including footage of their neighborhood.
InThe Autobiography of Malcolm X, written withAlex Haley,Malcolm X recounts a car accident in which he was rear ended at a stop light while traveling through Wethersfield.
The novelParrot and Olivier in America by two-timeBooker Prize–winning Australian authorPeter Carey was largely set in the town of Wethersfield. The novel touches on some hallmarks of its history including the predominance of onion farming and the old state prison.
The Disney Channel animated seriesThe Owl House features the town of Gravesfield, Connecticut, where the main characterLuz Noceda resided prior to entering the Boiling Isles. Gravesfield was partly inspired by Wethersfield, alongside show creatorDana Terrace's hometown ofHamden.
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