Stonington, Connecticut

Last updated

Stonington, Connecticut
Town
Town of Stonington
Water Street at Church Street, Stonington, CT.JPG
Stonington, Connecticut, August 2012
TownStongingtonCTseal.gif
Seal
New London County Connecticut Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Stonington Highlighted 2010.svg
Stonington, Connecticut
Stonington, Connecticut
Stonington, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°21′54″N71°54′24″W / 41.36500°N 71.90667°W / 41.36500; -71.90667
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
U.S. stateFlag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut
County New London
Region Southeastern CT
Settled1649
Established1662
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
 • First selectmanDanielle Chesebrough
 • Other selectmenBen Tamsky (D), Deborah Downie (R)
Area
[1]
 • Total
48.98 sq mi (126.85 km2)
 • Land38.66 sq mi (100.12 km2)
 • Water10.32 sq mi (26.72 km2)
Elevation
75 ft (23 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,335
 • Density370/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
06355, 06378, 06379
Area code 860/959
FIPS code09-73770
GNIS feature ID0213513
Website www.stonington-ct.gov

Stonington is a town located on Long Island Sound in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The municipal limits of the town include the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic. Stonington is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population of the town was 18,335 at the 2020 census. The town is home to many restored homes and preserves its long nautical history. [2]

Contents

History

The memorial to the 1814 bombardment of Stonington in Cannon Square Cannon Square, Stonington, Connecticut.jpg
The memorial to the 1814 bombardment of Stonington in Cannon Square

The first European colonists to arrive include William Chesebrough and Walter Palmer in Wequetequock, Thomas Minor in Quiambaug, and Thomas Stanton in Pawcatuck. Stanton established a trading house in the Pawcatuck section of town in 1649. The present territory of Stonington was part of lands that had belonged to the Pequot people, who referred to the areas making up Stonington as Paquatuck [3] (Stony Brook to the Pawcatuck River) and Mistack (Mystic River to Stony Brook). It was named "Souther Towne" or Southerton by Massachusetts in 1658, and officially became part of Connecticut in 1662 when Connecticut received its royal charter. Southerton was renamed "Mistick" in 1665, [4] : 26  and finally named Stonington in 1666, [4] : 36  meaning "stony town". [5] The town of North Stonington was set off as a parish from Stonington in 1724 and incorporated as a town in 1807. [6]

Sir Thomas Hardy led a British squadron during the War of 1812 consisting of HMS Ramillies, HMS Pactolus, HMS Dispatch, and HMS Terror. The ships appeared off Stonington Point on August 9, 1814, and Hardy demanded that the town surrender. The town Selectmen replied with a note which stated, "We shall defend the place to the last extremity; should it be destroyed, we shall perish in its ruins." [7]

Hardy's squadron then bombarded Stonington for three days using stinkpots, while American forces in the town responded by firing at the British warships with two 18-pounder cannons. The only American casualty from the bombardment was an elderly woman who was already mortally ill, while Hardy's squadron suffered several killed and wounded before sailing away on August 12. [8] American poet Philip Freneau wrote:

The bombardiers with bomb and ball
Soon made a farmer's barrack fall,
And did a cow-house badly maul
That stood a mile from Stonington.

They kill'd a goose, they kill'd a hen
Three hogs they wounded in a pen—
They dashed away and pray what then?
This was not taking Stonington.

But some assert, on certain grounds,
(Beside the damage and the wounds),
It cost the king ten thousand pounds
To have a dash at Stonington.

A memorial in Cannon Square at the center of Stonington Borough was constructed to memorialize the 1814 bombardment that became known as the Battle of Stonington. It consists of the two 18-pounder cannons that were used by American forces during the engagement and a granite obelisk. [9]

From the 1790s onward, Stonington experienced an economic upturn as its harbor became home to a fleet of American merchant ships engaged in seal hunting, targeting whales off the Patagonian coastline and selling their skins in China. [10] Six sealing ships from Stonington commanded by Benjamin Pendleton set sail in 1820 to hunt whales off Deception Island, and on November 16, 1820 Nathaniel Palmer first sighted Palmer Land, which was named for him. [11]

The Stonington Harbor Light is a low stone building erected in 1840. In 1925, it became the flagship museum of the Stonington Historical Society, making it the oldest lighthouse museum in America. During the 19th century, Stonington supported a small fishing, whaling, and sealing fleet that carried out trade with the West Indies—with enough volume for it to be made a port of entry in 1842. This saw a huge explosion in Portuguese immigration to the village from the Azores via whaling vessels. [12] The small granite Customs House faces Main Street just north of Cannon Square.

The Groton and Stonington Street Railway was a trolley line created in 1904 to serve the Stonington area. The trolley was dismantled and replaced by buses in 1928. [13] In recent decades, Stonington has experienced a large influx of new home owners using historic Stonington Borough houses as second homes. The town has undergone a widespread reconditioning of these homes since the mid-1990s, when an altercation over property rights attracted substantial news coverage about Stonington's revitalization. [14] Today, Stonington is home to the last commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut.

Geography

Water Street shops and restaurants in Historic Stonington Shops in historic Stonington, Connecticut.jpg
Water Street shops and restaurants in Historic Stonington

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.0 sq mi (129.6 km2), of which 38.7 sq mi (100.2 km2) is land and 11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2) (or 22.68%), is water.

In the waters off Stonington, the states of New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island converge at a single point.

Principal communities

Other minor communities include Deans Mill, Grand View Park, Greenhaven, Ledward Island, Ram Island, Road Church District, and Wamphassuc Point.

Climate

Like much of coastal Connecticut, Stonington lies close to the transition zone between the southern end of the humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and the humid subtropical zone Cfa. Stonington falls into USDA hardiness zones 7a.

Climate data for Stonington, Connecticut
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)38
(3)		39
(4)		47
(8)		56
(13)		66
(19)		75
(24)		81
(27)		80
(27)		73
(23)		62
(17)		53
(12)		43
(6)		59
(15)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)23
(−5)		25
(−4)		31
(−1)		40
(4)		48
(9)		57
(14)		63
(17)		62
(17)		56
(13)		45
(7)		37
(3)		29
(−2)		43
(6)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.39
(112)		3.54
(90)		4.46
(113)		4.23
(107)		3.79
(96)		3.67
(93)		3.31
(84)		4.46
(113)		4.06
(103)		3.98
(101)		4.51
(115)		4.32
(110)		48.72
(1,237)
Source: The Weather Channel [15]

Demographics

Stonington Harbor Light Stonington light.png
Stonington Harbor Light
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1820 3,036—
1840 3,898—
1850 5,75347.6%
1860 5,8271.3%
1870 6,3138.3%
1880 7,35516.5%
1890 7,184−2.3%
1900 8,54018.9%
1910 9,1547.2%
1920 10,23611.8%
1930 11,0257.7%
1940 11,002−0.2%
1950 11,8017.3%
1960 13,96918.4%
1970 15,94014.1%
1980 16,2201.8%
1990 16,9194.3%
2000 17,9065.8%
2010 18,5453.6%
2020 18,335−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [16]

As of the census [17] of 2000, there were 17,906 people, 7,665 households, and 4,897 families residing in the town. The population density was 462.8 inhabitants per square mile (178.7/km2). There were 8,591 housing units at an average density of 222.1 per square mile (85.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.81% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 7,665 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% 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 2.88.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,437, and the median income for a family was $63,431. Males had a median income of $45,596 versus $32,069 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,653. About 2.9% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places

Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House Palmer House 2013.JPG
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House

Notable people

Stephen Vincent Benet's gravesite at Evergreen Cemetery in Stonington Evergreen Cemetery, Stephen Vincent Benet.jpg
Stephen Vincent Benét's gravesite at Evergreen Cemetery in Stonington

Stonington has been used for several on-location movie shoots, including Steven Spielberg's Amistad and Julia Roberts' Mystic Pizza . It was used extensively for Hope Springs , with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones filming scenes in Stonington Borough.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New London County, Connecticut</span> County in Connecticut, United States

New London County is a county in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut Combined Statistical Area. There is no county government and no county seat, as is the case with all eight of Connecticut's counties; towns are responsible for all local government activities, including fire and rescue, snow removal, and schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New London, Connecticut</span> City in Connecticut, United States

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The city is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystic, Connecticut</span> Census-designated place in Connecticut, United States

Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Stonington, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

North Stonington is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States which was split off from Stonington in 1724. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 5,149 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawcatuck, Connecticut</span> Village in Connecticut, United States

Pawcatuck is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Stonington which is located in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,624 at the 2010 census. It is located across the Pawcatuck River from Downtown Westerly, Rhode Island. The Mechanic Street Historic District of Pawcatuck is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes sites of shipbuilding, mills, and worker housing in a 147-acre (0.59 km2) area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerly, Rhode Island</span> Town in Rhode Island

Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. Westerly is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a population of 23,359 as of the 2020 census.

<i>Mystic Pizza</i> 1988 film by Donald Petrie

Mystic Pizza is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Donald Petrie in his feature directorial debut, and starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts and Lili Taylor. It follows the coming-of-age of three young Portuguese-American friends who work at a pizza parlor in a seaside Connecticut town. The film received positive reviews, with Roger Ebert declaring at the time, "I have a feeling that Mystic Pizza may someday become known for the movie stars it showcased back before they became stars. All of the young actors in this movie have genuine gifts." It marked Matt Damon's film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groton, Connecticut</span> Town in New London County, Connecticut

Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is located in Groton, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer is also a major employer. Avery Point in Groton is home to a regional campus of the University of Connecticut. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 38,411 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawcatuck River</span> River in the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Connecticut

The Pawcatuck River is a river in the US states of Rhode Island and Connecticut flowing approximately 34 miles (55 km). There are eight dams along the river's length. USS Pawcatuck was named after the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Route 27</span> State highway in New London County, Connecticut, US

Route 27 is a north–south state highway in southeastern Connecticut running for 3.21 miles (5.17 km) from U.S. Route 1 in Mystic to Route 184 in Old Mystic.

Sun Publishing Company is a daily and weekly newspaper publisher in southwest Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut, United States. It is a Westerly, Rhode Island–based subsidiary of RISN Operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Area Transit</span> Connecticut bus service provider

Southeast Area Transit is a provider of local bus service in eight towns and two cities in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Connecticut: East Lyme, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, Norwich, Stonington, and Waterford. Under contract to Amtrak, SEAT also provides Amtrak Thruway service from New London to Foxwoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Route 234</span> State highway in New London County, Connecticut, US

Route 234 is a state highway in southeastern Connecticut, running entirely within the town of Stonington. It connects the Old Mystic section of town with the village of Pawcatuck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Route 184</span> State highway in New London County, Connecticut, US

Route 184 is a state highway in southeastern Connecticut, running from Groton to North Stonington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanton–Davis Homestead Museum</span> Historic house in Connecticut, United States

The Stanton–Davis Homestead Museum is a historic house on Greenhaven Road in Stonington, Connecticut. It was built around 1700. The property has been a working farm for over 350 years, most by members of the Davis family. The property is currently in the process of being restored by the Stanton-Davis Society into a museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wyoming, Rhode Island</span> United States historic place

Wyoming is a village and census-designated place on the Wood River in southern Rhode Island, United States, primarily in the town of Richmond, but extending north across the river into the town of Hopkinton. The population was 270 at the 2010 census. It is the site of the Wyoming Village Historic District and a post office, assigned ZIP code 02898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystic Bridge Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Mystic Bridge Historic District is a historic district in the village of Mystic, Connecticut on the Stonington side of the Mystic River. It includes the Mystic Seaport Museum, whose grounds and floating vessels represent the area's history, and the 1924 Mystic River Bascule Bridge. The district is significant as a well-preserved shipbuilding and maritime village of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonington (borough), Connecticut</span> Borough in Connecticut, United States

Stonington is a borough and the town center of Stonington, Connecticut, United States, referred to by locals as "The Borough". The population was 976 at the 2020 United States Census, up from 929 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich and Westerly Railway</span>

The Norwich and Westerly Railway was an interurban trolley system that operated in Southeastern Connecticut during the early part of the 20th century. It operated a 21-mile line through rural territory in Norwich, Preston, Ledyard, North Stonington, and Pawcatuck, Connecticut to Westerly, Rhode Island between 1906 and 1922. For most of its length, the route paralleled what is now Connecticut Route 2.

The Hersilia was an American merchant vessel and the first from the United States to visit the South Shetland Islands. During its second voyage it was seized by Vicente Benavides, a Royalist commander in the Chilean War of Independence, who ordered its destruction late in 1821.

References

  1. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Stonington town, New London County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "American Indian Place Names In Rhode Island, Page 6". theusgenweb.org. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Connecticut (1852). The public records of the colony of Connecticut [1636-1776] ...: transcribed and published, (in accordance with a resolution of the general assembly) ... Brown & Parsons. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  5. ↑ The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 334.
  6. ↑ Wheeler, Richard Anson (1900). History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connecticut: From Its First Settlement in 1649 to 1900. Press of the Day publishing Company. p. 91.
  7. ↑ "Stonington: A Connecticut seafaring town has held off all challenges to its essential character for three centuries" . Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ Roscoe, Theodore; Freeman, Fred (1956). Picture history of the U.S. Navy: from old Navy to new, 1776-1897. p. 123.
  9. ↑ "The Defenders of the Fort - Stonington, CT". Waymarking. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  10. ↑ Diana Muir, Reflections in Bullough's Pond: Economy and Ecosystem in New England, 2000:80.
  11. ↑ Headland, R.K. (2002). Lopez-Martinez, J.; Smellie, J.L.; Thomson, J.W.; Thomson, M.R.A. (eds.). "Appendix 1 Selected chronology of expeditions and historical events at Deception Island, in Geology and geomorphology of Deception Island". Bas Geomap Series. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey: 3, 64. ISSN   0951-8886.
  12. ↑ "The Portuguese in Connecticut: "They Came Here as Fishermen..."". June 25, 2016.
  13. ↑ Kimball, Carol W. Historic Glimpses: Recollections of Days Past in the Mystic River Valley. Mystic, Connecticut: Flat Hammock Press, 2005.
  14. ↑ Wojtas, Joe (December 3, 2000). "DEVELOPMENT; There Goes The Neighborhood" (hmtl). The New York Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Stonington, CT". Weather.com. 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.