Connecticut Historical Collections

perennial spring, between two trees, a walnut and chestnut, now three and four feet in diameter, and judged to be two huntlred years old, standing twenty-two feet apart. This fountain is stoned as if with design, and probably remaining as the Judges left it. Tradition says that when they came to this spring, one of them said, " Would to God we had a hatchet ;" and immediately finding a hatchet, left there probably by the Indian hunters, they cut down boughs and built a temporary harbor, from this circumstance called Hatchet Harbor to this day." " On an eminence west of this, by the side of a ledge of rocks twenty feet high, was built a cave, or convenient lodgment, ten feet long and seven wide, regularly stoned. 1 find the walls (says Dr. Stiles) now remaining, though somewhat broken down. It was covered with trunks of trees, which remained, though much rotten and decayed, till within forty years ago ; indeed I saw some of the rudera, rafiers, or broken relics, limbs and trunks of trees, still lying in the cavity. This was undoubtedly their great and principal lodge, and in a very recluse and secreted place. There is a beautiful spring six rods from it." About 100 rods north, " on Deacon Peck's farm, lies another hillock or eminence, called to , this day, and in the records so early as 1675, ' Providence Hill ; be- tween which and Fort Rock's Hill, is a valley and brook. Between these two hills runs the dividing line of the towns of IMilford and New Haven. The tradition is, that it acquired its name thus. While the Judges resided at the lodge on the southern hill, they apprehended themselves discovered and pursued, while walking on the tops of the hillsj — and the Indians always burned rings or tracts on those summits, to give a clear view for hunting deer. Supposing themselves discover- ed, they took to the bush, and to deceive their pursuers, ranged a north course between the hills, and giving them a false scent, turned off to the westward, and came round the hill to their old place in security. On account of this ddiverance, they called this northwest hill, Provi- dence Hill." During the time they were in the vicinity of New Haven, the Judges had " two other occasional lodgments in the woods ; one at the house of Mr. Kiggs, newly set up in the wilderness, at Faugassct or Derby ; an- other between that and IMilford. They were sometimes at Toto'kct or Branford." — '•' From their lodgments in the woods the Judges removed and took up an asylum in the house of INIr. Tomkins, in the center of Milford, thirty or forty rods from the meeting house." It is stated, that there was a house built for them on Tornkins's lot, about twenty feet square, and of two stories. The lower room was built with a stone wall and considered as a store ; the room above was built of wood, and was used by the Tomkins family as a working or spinning room. The family used to spin in the room above, ignorant of the Judges being below, where they resided for two years, without going abroad so much as into the orchard. 271 NEW LONDON COUNTY. New London County is bounded n. by Windljam, Tolland and Hartford Counties, e. by Windham County and the state of Rhode Island, s. by Long Island sound, and w. by the county of Middlesex. Its average length from east to west averages about 20 miles, and it has a medium breadth of about 20 miles. This county possesses superior maritime advantages, having an extensive border on Long Island sound, which ailbrds numerous bays, inlets and harbors. Excepting a small section, principally in the town of Lyme, no portion of the county can be considered as mountainous, but it is generally hilly and elevated, and comprises a small proportion of alluvial. The hills and elevated tracia are considerably rough and stony. The lands in general are not adapted to grain culture, although upon the intervals and other tracts, Indian corn is raised to advantage, and to a considerable extent. The princi- pal agricultural interests depend very much upon grazing. The waters of the county are abundant and valuable. On the south it is washed more than thirty miles by Long Island sound, part of its western bor- der by Connecticut river, and the interior of the county is watered and fertilized by the Thames and its branches. The fisliing business is more extensively carried on in this county than in any other section of the state, and is an important branch of industry. The manufacturing busi- ness is carried on to a considerable extent in the northern part of the county, and is increasing. The following is a list of the several towns in the county, with the population in 1830. New London 4,35t) Groton 4,S05 N. Stonington 2,810 Norwich 5,179 Lebanon 2,555 Prellon 1,935 Bozrah 1,079 f-edyard Salem 959 Colchester 2,073 Lisbon 1,1 GG Stonington 3,401 Franklin 1,191 Lyme 4,092 Watcyford 2,477 Griswold 2,212 Montville 1,972 Population of the county in 1820, 35,943; in 1830, 42,295. NEW LONDON. The first Isnglisli settlement in New London was made by several persons in 1G4G. Lots were laid out to them, but it appears that some of the settlers were discouraged and left the place. The next year Mr. Richard Blinman, who had been a clergyman in England, removed from Gloucester to this new settlement : in consequence of which consider- able accession was made to the number who had kept their station. In 1648, more than forty families had joined the settlement. Some of the principal persons were John Winthrop, Esq., the Rev. Mr. Blinman, Thomas ^linot, Samuel Lathrop, Robert Allyn, and James Avery. . ! v" .,i r. 272 NEW LONDON. The Indian name of the place was N^nrnenug, alias Toicaivofr* The tract of country now comprised in the limits of New London, Montville, Waterford and Groton, was called Pequot for a number of years, from the name of the harbor and original inhabitants. In INIarch, 1G5S, the Assembly passed the following act respecting its name. ''■ Whereas it hath been the commendable practice of the inhabitants of all the colonies of these parts, that as this country hath its denomina- tion from our dear native country of England, and thence is called New England, so that planters, in their first settling of most new plantations, have given names to those plantations of some cities and towns in Eng- land, thereby intending to keep up, and leave to posterity the memorial of several places of note there, as Boston, Hartford, Windsor, ^ork, Ipswich, Braintree, Exeter ; this court considering, that there hath yet no place in any of the colonies, been named in memory of the city of London, there being a new plantation within this jurisdiction of Con- necticut, settled upon that fair river Mohegan, in the Pecjuot country, being an excellent harbor and a fit and convenient place for future trade, it being also the only place which the English in these parts have ))os- sessed by conquest, and that upon a very just war, upon that great and warlike people, the Pequots, that therefore they might thereby leave to posterity the memory of that renowned city of London, from whence we had our transportation, have thought fit, in honor to that ilunou.s city, to call the said plantation New London." The name of the river was also changed and called Thames. f The town of New London is situated on the west bank of the river Thames. In its territorial limits it is much the smallest of any town in the state, being about four miles in length from north to south, and averaging about three fourths of a mile in breadth. The city of New London is situated 3 miles from Long Island sound ; it is the semi-seat of justice for the county, and a poil of entry. It is 42 mil* southeast from Hartford, 13 miles south of Norwich, and 53 miles east from New Haven. Lon. -l- 0' Irf ' ea^t from \\'ashiMgion, Lat. 4L^0' 25" north. The city is i)rincii)ally built on a declivity, which descenils to the east and south. On the summit of the high ground, back of the most jiop- ulous part of the city, the observer has a fine prospect of the surrounding country. The city is irregularly laid out, owing to the nature of the ground on which it is built, being much incumbered with granite rocks. The houses are not so handsome in their outward appearance as might be reasonably exi)ected, considering the wealth of the inhabitants. In the course of a few years past, however, a spirit of improvement in this respect has taken place, and many buildings have been erected which are elegant in their appearance. Some of the streets have been strait- ened and leveled, by blasting the granite locks with which they were disfigured. These rocks afford an excellent material for the construc- tion of buildings, and it is believed that no city in this country has the advantages of New Ijondon, in this particular, where the materials for erectinn; houses can be found in their streets. The harbor is one of Dr. Trumbull. + R,ecords ofConneciicul and New Loudon I? .'«?>' NEW LONDON 273 the best in the United Stales, being I;iige, safe, and commodious, hav- ing five fathoms of water. It is three miles long, and rarely obstructed with ice. During the extreme cold in January, 1&35, while the navi- gation of the harbor of New York was closed by the ice, the harbor of New London remained open and unobstructed. N. vine of Fort Truinhtill from iS'civ London, (IrfJO.^ •