The Connecticut Guide (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Connecticut Guide How did this Guide come to be written? In the winter of 1934, under the Civil Works Administration of Connecticut, a Survey of Places of Scenic and Historic Interest was initiated by the State Planning Board, under the general supervision of the Director, George H. Gray, and Austin F. Hawes, State Forester. The project has been completed with F. E. R. A. funds. The work was done by a keen and enthusiastic field crew, who covered every town through interviews and personal exploration. The help of various specialists was enlisted. Altogether about a thousand persons cooperated in the Survey. This wealth of material has been worked up by the project supervisor into a Guide Book, as an aid to those traveling through Connecticut in connection with the Tercentenary. What is Connecticut? The gateway to New England and one of the original Thirteen States, a pioneer in industrial development, with a wide variety of scenery and rich exhibits from the Colonial era. When was it settled? In 1635, by Puritan congregations which trecked through the wilderness from eastern Massachusetts to found Wethersfield, Hartford and Windsor. Another congregation started the New Haven Colony in 1638. The settlement of Saybrook in 1635 was a direct attempt at colonization by English Puritan leaders. What were the main population movements? The first settlements were along the shore and on the rivers, which provided ready transportation and natural pasture land. Immigration from England practically ceased in 1640, with the outbreak of the English Parliamentary struggle, but during the next hundred years the native increase had settled much of the back country. Connecticut later overflowed to the north and west. During the 19th century, the development of industry checked this outward movement and attracted large immigration from Europe. The population of the State grew from 251,000 in 1800 to 908,000 in 1900, reaching over 1,600,000 by the time of the 300th anniversary. What did Connecticut contribute to national settlement? Newark, N. J., was founded by a congregation from Branford. Many of the towns in the Berkshires, New Hampshire, Vermont and central New York bear Connecticut names. In the Western Reserve of Ohio, at one time owned by Connecticut, the site of Cleveland was chosen and laid out by Moses Cleveland of Canterbury. Manasseh Cutler drafted the Ordinance of 1787, and organized the company, largely made up of Connecticut veterans, which sailed down the Ohio River to found Marietta. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.