Guilford, Connecticut | |
---|---|
Town of Guilford | |
Motto: "Discover A Piece Of Connecticut History" [1] | |
Coordinates: 41°17′N72°41′W / 41.283°N 72.683°W | |
Country | United States |
U.S. state | Connecticut |
County | New Haven |
Region | South Central CT |
Settled | May 19, 1639 |
Established | October 15, 1644 |
Named for | Guildford, Surrey |
Government | |
• Type | Selectman-town meeting |
• First selectman | Matthew T. Hoey III (D) [2] |
• Selectman | Louis Federici (D) |
• Selectman | Sandra Ruoff (D) |
• Selectman | Charles Havrda (R) |
• Selectman | Susan Renner (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 49.7 sq mi (128.7 km2) |
• Land | 47.1 sq mi (121.9 km2) |
• Water | 2.7 sq mi (6.9 km2) |
Elevation | 56 ft (17 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 22,073 |
• Density | 440/sq mi (170/km2) |
• Demonym | Guilfordian |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
ZIP Code | 06437 |
Area code(s) | 203/475 |
FIPS code | 09-34950 |
GNIS feature ID | 0213438 |
Website | www |
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the Connecticut coast. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 22,073 at the 2020 census. [3]
Prior to European colonization, the area that became Guilford was the site of Menunkatuck, a Quinnipiac village. [4] The Quinnipiac spoke Quiripi, one of the Eastern Algonquian branches of the Algonquian language family.
By 1614, the Dutch had surveyed, charted, and established New Netherland, a colonial province, with claimed territories from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. This included claims over the Quinnipiac territory. However, a lack of any significant Dutch presence in the area gave English settlers an opportunity to settle in the Quinnipiac territory. [5] Dutch claims over land that included Menunkatuck (and would later include Guilford) remained until the 1674 Treaty of Westminster that ended the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
In June 1637 during the Pequot War, a force of 100 English soldiers and Narragansett, Mohegan, and Montauk allies arrived from Long Island in pursuit of the Pequot grand sachem Sassacus near Menunkatuck. At a neck of land known today as Sachems Head, they captured and executed three Pequot sachems before continuing on west in pursuit of Sassacus. [6]
In 1639, after landing in the plantation of Quinnipiaic (later known as New Haven) via ship from England, a group of 24 English Puritan families led by Rev. Henry Whitfield chose to settle almost 13 miles away near Menukatuck. [7] During their voyage from England, the settlers drafted and signed the Plantation Covenant on June 1, 1639 (O.S.). The text of the covenant is memorialized by an engraved pink granite slab at the corner of Old Whitfield and Whitfield streets. [8] On September 29, 1639 (O.S.), the colonists secured a land grant for their settlement from Shaumpishuh, the female sachem of Menunkatuck. [9]
Guilford was admitted to New Haven Colony in 1643. [10] In 1664, New Haven Colony, including Guilford, joined Connecticut Colony.
The English settlement originally shared the name Menunkatuck with the Quinnipiac village. On July 6, 1643 (O.S.), records of the General Court session held at New Haven note that Menunkatuck changed its name to “Guilforde,” although no reason for the change was recorded. [11] It is assumed that Guilford was named after the town of Guildford, England, [12] the native home of a share of its first English settlers. [13] In early maps of the Connecticut Colony, the town is seen on several maps as "Gilford."
Guilford is considered by some to have the third largest collection of historic homes in New England, with important buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. [14] There are five historic house museums, including Dudley Farm and the Henry Whitfield House (1639), the oldest dwelling house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house built by English settlers in North America. The Comfort Starr House (1695) is one of the oldest wooden framed private dwellings in Connecticut, and one of the few houses remaining of the original signers who settled Guilford. [15]
In June 1781, during the American Revolution, a skirmish was fought on Leete's Island between the Associated Loyalists and local militia under Captain Peter Vail.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.7 square miles (129 km2), of which 47.0 square miles (122 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (6.9 km2 or 5.39%) is water.
The primary settlement in Guilford, known as Guilford Center, is located in the southern part of town around the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Connecticut Route 77. It is served by three exits of Interstate 95, which passes just north of the town center. The Guilford Center census-designated place had a population of 2,597 at the 2010 census. [16]
The northwest side of Guilford is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Important features of the Metacomet ridge in Guilford include Totoket Mountain; its most notable peak, Bluff Head; and two eastern high points on the Totoket Mountain ridge named East Sugarloaf and West Sugarloaf. The 50-mile (80 km) Mattabesett Trail traverses Bluff Head; a shorter network of trails criss-cross the Sugarloaves. Guilford also contains the Westwoods Trail System which covers 39 miles (63 km) of trails on 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) of land.
The Shore Line East train stops at Guilford station with service to Branford, East Haven, New Haven and New London, and the Connecticut Transit S bus travels between Guilford and New Haven several times each day.
Other minor communities and geographic features in Guilford are Guilford Lakes, Indian Cove, and Old Quarry.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1820 | 4,131 | — | |
1850 | 2,653 | — | |
1860 | 2,624 | −1.1% | |
1870 | 2,576 | −1.8% | |
1880 | 2,782 | 8.0% | |
1890 | 2,780 | −0.1% | |
1900 | 2,785 | 0.2% | |
1910 | 3,001 | 7.8% | |
1920 | 2,803 | −6.6% | |
1930 | 3,117 | 11.2% | |
1940 | 3,544 | 13.7% | |
1950 | 5,092 | 43.7% | |
1960 | 7,913 | 55.4% | |
1970 | 12,033 | 52.1% | |
1980 | 17,375 | 44.4% | |
1990 | 19,848 | 14.2% | |
2000 | 21,398 | 7.8% | |
2010 | 22,375 | 4.6% | |
2020 | 22,073 | −1.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [17] |
As of the census [18] of 2000, there were 21,398 people, 8,151 households, and 6,039 families residing in the town. The population density was 454.8 inhabitants per square mile (175.6/km2). There were 8,724 housing units at an average density of 185.4 per square mile (71.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.04% White, 0.93% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 8,151 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. Of all households 21.6% were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $76,843, and the median income for a family was $87,045 (these figures had risen to $90,026 and $104,852 respectively as of a 2007 estimate [19] ). Males had a median income of $60,623 versus $40,307 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,161. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 30, 2014 [20] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
Democratic | 4,743 | 551 | 5,294 | 33.05% | |
Republican | 3,183 | 333 | 3,516 | 21.95% | |
Unaffiliated | 5,995 | 1113 | 7,108 | 44.38% | |
Minor parties | 94 | 5 | 99 | 0.62% | |
Total | 14,015 | 2,002 | 16,017 | 100% |
In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 61.02% of the town vote, against 38.06% for Republican John McCain. [21] In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton carried the town with 59.2% over Republican Donald Trump with 37.1%. [22]
American Cruise Lines has its headquarters in Guilford. [23] [24] There are many small businesses throughout the town, including the shops on the Guilford Green.
Guilford is served by the Guilford Public Schools district, which provides comprehensive education from kindergarten through high school. The district comprises four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school, offering a range of academic and extracurricular programs.
The Guilford Free Library is a resource for the community, providing access to a vast collection of books, digital media, historical materials about Guilford’s history and genealogy, and educational programs for all ages. [32] The library hosts numerous events, workshops, and activities aimed at promoting literacy and lifelong learning.
The town government operates these parks: [33]
Guilford, Connecticut is noted for its rolling farmland, its avoidance of the density and sprawl that has occurred from land use regulations of its neighboring communities, and its numerous historic homes and sites. [34]
The town is home to one of the most well-preserved and intact central villages in the region. Its historical significance is further underscored by the presence of over 450 historical houses dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. [37]
Among its notable designations, Guilford includes a National Historic Landmark, four designated areas, and 11 individual structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the town features two local historic districts encompassing a total of 226 buildings within the downtown area, highlighting its rich historical and architectural legacy.
Building | Image | First built | National Register of Historic Places listed | Current use | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Henry Whitfield House | 1639 | Yes | House museum | Oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. | |
Acadian House | 1670 | Yes | Residential | One of Connecticut's oldest surviving houses. Notable for its later occupation by refugee Acadians following their 1755 deportation from Nova Scotia. | |
Elisha Pitkin House | 1690 | Yes | Residential | Moved to Guilford from East Hartford in 1955 | |
Comfort Starr House | 1695 | No | Residential | Classic New England saltbox home. | |
Pelatiah Leete House | 1710 | Yes | Residential | Oldest surviving house associated with the locally prominent Leete family, who were among the founders of New Haven Colony. | |
Hyland House | 1713 | Yes | House museum | Open to the public as a museum since 1918. | |
Jared Eliot House | 1723 | Yes | Residential | Well-preserved example of period residential architecture | |
Thomas Burgis II House | 1735 | Yes | Residential | One of Guilford's finest and best-documented colonial-era houses | |
Sabbathday House | 1735 | Yes | Residential | One of two Sabbathday houses to survive in the town. Built for the purpose of sheltering church-going families between morning and afternoon services. | |
Griswold House | 1764 | Yes | House museum | Museum includes the saltbox house, a historic blacksmith shop, a barn with farm tools and implements, two corn cribs and a Victorian era three seat outhouse. | |
Falkner Island Light | 1802 | Yes | Lighthouse | Second-oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut. Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. | |
Medad Stone Tavern | 1803 | Yes | House museum | Example of early 19th-century Federal period architecture. Never used as a tavern. | |
First Congregational Church | 1830 | No | Church | Third church building for a congregation founded in 1643. |
Historic districts include:
Building | Image | Built | Current use | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Junior Olsen House | 1951 | Residential | Modernist home by sculptor and architectural designer Tony Smith. [38] [39] Old Quarry neighborhood. | |
Fred Olsen, Sr. House | 1953 | Residential | Modernist residential compound by sculptor and architectural designer Tony Smith. [40] Old Quarry neighborhood. | |
"The spaceship" | 1987 | Condos | Uniqiue condo building designed by architect Wilfred J. O. Armster. |
Falkner Island is a 2.87-acre (1.16 ha) crescent-shaped island located in Long Island Sound 3 miles (5 km) off Guilford, Connecticut, United States. The island has been visited by the Native Americans for thousands of years. Its Quinnipiac name is "Massancummock", meaning "the place of the great fish hawks". In 1641, Henry Whitfield and the founders of Guilford purchased the island from the Mohegan tribe's sachem, Uncas, as part of a transaction for the land east of East River. Purchased by the Stone family in 1715, it remained in the family until it was sold to the government in 1801.
New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's five largest cities, New Haven (3rd) and Waterbury (5th), are part of New Haven County.
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.
Branford is a shoreline town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, about 6 miles (10 km) east of downtown New Haven. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. Branford borders East Haven to the west, Guilford to the east, and North Branford to the north. The population was 28,273 in the 2020 census.
North Branford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 13,544 at the 2020 census. The town is primarily known for agriculture and for other points of interest including Lake Gaillard and Northford Ice Pavilion. Wallingford, Durham, and North Haven border it to the north, East Haven to the west, Guilford to the east, and Branford to the south.
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and the New York Metropolitan Area. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in England.
Montville is a town in New London County, Connecticut in the United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 18,387 at the 2020 census.
New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 1664.
The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritan congregation of settlers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony led by Thomas Hooker. The English would secure their control of the region in the Pequot War. Over the course of the colony's history it would absorb the neighboring New Haven and Saybrook colonies. The colony was part of the briefly-lived Dominion of New England. The colony's founding document, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut has been called the first written constitution of a democratic government, earning Connecticut the nickname "The Constitution State."
North Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut on the outskirts of New Haven, Connecticut. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 24,253.
The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connecticut is today.
Route 146 is a state road that serves as a scenic alternative to US 1 between Branford and Guilford in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Route 146 is 13.00 miles (20.92 km) long, with 8.36 miles (13.45 km) in Branford and 4.64 miles (7.47 km) in Guilford.
The Henry Whitfield House is a historic house located in Guilford, Connecticut, down the street from the town green. This house dates from 1639, having been built just before the town of Guilford was settled. It is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. It also served as a fort to protect the community with its massive stone walls. Henry Whitfield was a Puritan minister who had come from England to flee religious persecution, and the settlers built the house for him. The house was remodeled in 1868 and opened to the public in 1899 as the Henry Whitfield State Museum, the first Connecticut state museum. It was restored in 1902–04 and again in the 1930s, and it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997. It was named a State Archeological Preserve in 2006.
The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. The ridge is an important recreation resource located within 10 miles (16 km) of more than 1.5 million people, offering four long-distance hiking trails and over a dozen parks and recreation areas, including several historic sites. It has been the focus of ongoing conservation efforts because of its natural, historic, and recreational value, involving municipal, state, and national agencies and nearly two dozen non-profit organizations.
William Leete was Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683.
Wequash Cooke was allegedly one of the earliest Native American converts to Protestant Christianity, and as a sagamore he played an important role in the 1637 Pequot War in New England.
Guilford Historic Town Center is a large historic district encompassing the entire town center of Guilford, Connecticut, in the United States. It is centered on the town green, laid out in 1639, and extends north to Interstate 95, south to Long Island Sound, west to the West River, and east to East Creek. It includes more than 600 historic structures, most built between the late 17th and early 20th centuries, reflecting the town's growth and history during that time. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
The Plantation Covenant of Guilford, Connecticut, sometimes called the Guilford Covenant, was a covenant signed on June 1, 1639 by English colonists during their Atlantic crossing as the founding document of what would become Guilford, Connecticut.
The Route 146 Historic District encompasses a historic streetscape in Branford and Guilford, Connecticut. Extending along Connecticut Route 146 between Flat Rock Road in Branford and the West River bridge in Guilford, it includes two centuries of rural residential architecture, and a well-preserved pre-World War II street layout created as a "state assistance road" in the 1920s. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Henry Whitfield (c.1590-c.1657) was a Puritan minister who was a founder of Guilford, Connecticut and the first pastor there. His house, the Henry Whitfield House, is one of the oldest surviving American houses.