Connecticut Historical Collections

Prnm the Conntcticut Journal, December 2\tk, 1807. Tif.marknhlc Phcnmncnon. — On Monda)' llic llili inst., at about tliL- break of day, or a liiile after, the weailicr beiii;,' nioderaie, calm, aud ilic aiiiiosphcre soiucw bat cluudy and foggy, n meteor or Jire ball, passing from a northern point, disnlodud over the west- ern pan of this State, with a tremendous report. At the same time several pieces of stony substance fell to the earth in Fairfield county. One mass was driven ai^ainst a rock and dasiied in small pieces, a peck of whicli remained on the spot. About three miles distant, in the town of Weston, another larj^e piece fell upciii the earth, of which a mass of about thirty pounds weight remains entire, and was e.thibited the same day nt town meeting. A small mass lias been sent to Yale College, ami examined by a number of gentlemen. It was immediately perceived by Professor Silliman to con- lain a metal, and on presenting it to a magnet a powerful attraction proved it to be iron. This is, we believe, the (irst instance in the United Slates, in uiiich the sub- .stance of this speci'.'s of meteor has been found on the earth, iliougli it has often been found in Kuropc. Foiiuntiiely the fads respciing this wonderful phenomenon, are c!«p-\ble of being ascertained and verified by iHeeision, and an invesiigation will, wo understand, be commenced lor the purpose. \Vc rcipiest genilemen wlio may have observed il in distant parts of the Stale, lo favor the public with their observations. It is desirable to ascertain the course or diieclioii of the rneleor j tlie point ofroinpass in which it appeared in ditfereni places ; the general ajipearance and velocity; the mau- ner of its explosion, and the time between the c.xpioiiuii and the report. WESTPORT. Wkstpokt was incorporated as a town in 1S35. It was formed front the towns of Fairfield, Norwalk and Weston. Sauyutuck river jiasses ihrotiyh this town from north to south, dividing it into two nearly e(|ual parts. The .soil is |:,fenerally of an excellent quality. The towiVship is bounded n. by Weston and Wilton, e. by Fairfield, s. by the waters of Lonj( Island sound, .'|;id w, by Norwalk. It is about five miles in length from north to south, and u\'era!j;es about three and u half miles in width. Tlie population at this time is estimated to be 1,800. \v r: s T r o u T . 411 i'icw in fi'tatjiurt, [rcntntl part.) The above shows the uppearniice of the central part of Westport, ns it is seen 10 or 12 rods cast from the brldj^e over the San«j;atiK;k river. 'J'lie villai,'e is built on both sides of the river, and was formerly called Saugatuck. It is connected by the bridge seen in the engraving, which is about 40 rods in length, and between two and three miles from the sea. The building seen in the distance with a tower, on a rocky emi- nence, is the ICpiscopal chnrch, recently erected. The Congregational church is on the elevated ground on the eastern side of the Saugaiuck ; the two churches are about half a n)ile apart. There is a Methodist church about two miles above the hridge. These three; are all the churches which are in the town. There are iu ^Vcstport two carriage and two or three cotton factories. Shoes, hats, and other articles, are manufactured to some extent. There are 10 or 12 mercantile stores in the place. Saugaiuck river is navigable for sloo|)s and schooners as far as the village. At common tides there are about 7 feet of water by the bridge. This place is fij miles west from Fairfield, 3i from Norwalk, 21 from Danbury, and 27 i from New Haven. In 17St), there were but five houses on both sides of the river, in the limits of the present village, of which only two now remain. In con- se([uence of having the surplus money distrihuted i^roperly, a committee was recently appointed to ascertain how many persons were in the limits of wdiat is now Westport, when the census of 1830 was taken. It was found that 811 were in Fairfield, 725 from Norwalk, and 167 from Weston, making in the wbole 1,706 persons. About two and a half miles souili of the vrllage of Westport, is a smooth and beautiful elevation, called Compo. 'It was at this place that the British troops landed in April, 1777, wdien on their expedition lo Danbury. The/also returned to this place when they embarked on board of their sliipjiing. Seven or eight men were killed in the vicin- ity of the Congregational church in Westport. " When the British / ■ ' 412 WILTON, reached Compo," says Dr. Dwight, " they were hard pressed by the Americans ; and probably would not have escaped from complete de- struction, but by the following expedient, said to have been j)roposed by Sir William Erskine. They landed a body of marines, and moving them into the van of their army, charged the Americans with so mucli vigor, that they were driven from the ground. The British then em- barked in their boats, with the utmost expedition, and reached their ships in safety, but so fatigued with their march, that many of the sol- diers fell, it was said, upon the decks of the vessels, and there lay for a considerable time immovable and torpid. The Americans, also, were most of them exceedingly weary. The marines being fresh, took the place of their exhausted countrymen, and were an overmatch for the fatigued Americans." Ball Mountain^ a conical eminence, covered with large trees from its base to its summit, is situated a little south of the village, and is a striking feature in the landscape. WILTON. Wilton was incorporated as a town in 1902. It was previously a society in the town of Norwalk, organized as such in 172G. The town is about 65 miles in length, and 4 in breadth ; bounded n. by Ridge- field, E. by Reading and Weston, s. by Norwalk, and w. by New Cti- naan and Salem in the state of New York. The surface of the town- ship is broken, there being two ridges running northerly and southerly through the town. The soil is a gravelly loam, considerably produc- tive, and best adapted to a grain culture. The lands are also well adapted for fruits of various kinds. Agriculture is the principal business of tlie inhabitants. There is a satinet factory in the town. There are four churches, 1 Kpisc'opal, 1 Congregational, and 2 Methodist. 'J'lie central part of the town is seven miles north of Norwalk Wilton Academy is a classical school of high repute. The students are generally from the different states of the Union. It was instituted about the year 1818, by Havvley Olmstead, Esq., and is still under his direction. The number of students is limited at about forty. — Profes- sor Stuart, of the Andover Theological Seminary, is a native of this town. A silver mine has been discovered in this town. It was worked by some Englishmen during the Revolutionary war. After having work- ed in the mine for some time, they suddenly absconded, and took off their treasure with them. Since this period the mine has been neg- lected. 15 R O O K I, Y N . 413 WINDHAM COUNTY Windham County is bounded n. by Worcester County in Massa- cbusetts, K. by the state of Rhode Island, s. by New London County, and w. by Tolland County, It averages about 26 miles in length from north to south, and is about 19 miles in width. This county is uniformly hilly, yet no part of it is mountainous or very elevated. The prevailing soil is a primitive gravelly loam. The greatest portion of the county is stony and considerably rough, and the lands generally best adapted for grazing, and many sections allbrd some of the richest iluiry farms in the State. The Quinnebaug and Shetucket, with their branch- es, intersect this county, and afford many valuable water privileges lor mills and manufacturing purposes. The valley of the Quinnebaug riv- er comprises the best land in the county. The inhabitants of this county are more extensively engaged in the manufacturing business than in any other county in the Slate. Cotton and woolen goods are the principal articles manufactured. Windham County originally belonged to the counties of Hartford and New London. It was incorporated as a county in ]May, 172G. The followi ig is a list of the severa towns n the county, with their population in 830. Brooklyn, . 1,415 Killiugly, . 3,257 Thom|)son, . 3,380 Ashford, . L>,GGl Pom fret, 1 ,078 Vohmtown, . ' 1,304 Canterbury, 1 ,880 Plainfield, . 2,280 Windham, . 2,812 Chaplin, 807 Sterling, 1 /2 10 Woodstock, . 2,917 Hampton, . 1,101 J^opulalion of the comity in 1820, 31,()84; in 1830, 27,077. BROOKLYN. The town of Brooklyn was incorporated in the year 17SG, previous to which period it was included within the limits of Pomfret and Can- terbury. 'J'he boundary line between these two towns, ran about half a mile south of the present village of Brooklyn, extending from the Quinnebaug river in the east, to a small stream nearly a mile cast of the village of Hampton, which was then called Kennedy or Wind- ham village. " In the year 1703, Richard Adams, Esq. then residing in that part of Norwich which now constitutes the town of Lisbon, purchased of James Fitch 3,000 acres of land, lying in the south part of Pomfret, where the village of Brooklyn now stands. This land he divided into five narrow lots, which he deeded to his five sons. The first lot was bounded south by the line between the two towns, extending in length from Quinnebaug rive\ on the east, to land owned by Daniel Cady, ./'•'' 414 .BROOKLYN. «