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Welcome to Newtown
Fairfield County
Connecticut
School Information
Detailed Town Statistics
Newtown, Connecticut
Newtown was founded in 1705. It is in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,031 at the 2000 census.
History
The town of Newtown, originally known as Quanneapague, was purchased from the Pohtatuck Indians in 1705. Settled from Stratford and incorporated in 1711, Newtown was a stronghold of Tory sentiment during the early Revolutionary War. French General Rochambeau and his troops encamped here in 1781 on their way to the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, which ended the Revolution. An important crossroads throughout its early history, the village of Hawleyville briefly emerged as a railroad center and the town's population grew to over 4,000 circa 1881. In the following decades, the population dwindled to a low of 2,635 in 1930 before again growing. Newtown covers an area of approximately 60 square miles.
Towns that border Newtown are Bethel, Bridgewater, Easton, Monroe, Oxford, Redding and Southbury.
Local industry has included the manufacture of furniture, tea bags, combs, fire hose, folding boxes, buttons, and hats, as well as farming and mica and feldspar mining. The game of Scrabble was developed here by James Brunot.
Among notable residents have been Purdy, who ministered to a buried smallpox victims during an epidemic at the time of the Civil War; Elizabeth Hawley, Newtown's benefactress.
Landmarks
Local landmarks are the flag (or liberty) pole first erected in 1876; H.G. Warner's store, in operation by the same family since 1857; The Newtown Bee, a newspaper serving the Newtown area since 1877; and the rooster weathervane atop the Congregational Church, said to have been used as a target by French soldiers encamped here in 1781 during the Revolutionary War.
Edmond Town Hall
The building also offers a variety of rooms for all occasions, including the Alexandria Room for weddings, parties and recitals; and a gymnasium for sports, parties and craft shows. Smaller meeting rooms are also available.
The Board of Managers is composed of six members serving six year terms. At each regular Town Election, two members are elected, both of whom may not be members of the same political party. According to Town Charter, the Board "shall have the exclusive care and maintenance of Edmond Town Hall and all grounds and buildings appurtenant thereto, together with all powers and duties prescribed for said Board by Special Act No. 98 of the 1931 session by which it was created, as amended by Special Act No. 517 of the 1953 session".
The architect for this building was Philip Sutherland who also designed the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.
The Edmond Town hall is also notable for its movie theater. Edmond Town Hall Theater is the only two dollar movie theater in Connecticut. This Town hall was constructed for the community by a local benefactress Mary Elizabeth Hawley and dedicated in 1930. The building was named for Miss Hawleys maternal great grandfather Judge William Edmond.
On the National Register of Historic Places
Caleb Baldwin Tavern 32 Main Street (added September 23, 2002)
Camps Nos. 10 and 41 of Rochambeau's Army (added June 6, 2002)
Glover House 50 Main Street (added March 11, 1982)
Hattertown Historic District Roughly, junction of Aunt Park Lane, Castle Meadow, Hattertown, and Hi Barlow roads (added 1996)
John Glover House 53 Echo Valley Road (added September 17, 2001)
March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Reservoir Road Junction of Reservoir Road and Mount Pleasant Road South (added February 8, 2003)
Nathan B. Lattin Farm 22 Walker Hill Road (added June 24, 1990)
New York Belting and Packing Co. 45-71 and 79-89 Glen Road (added July 2, 1982)
Newtown Borough Historic District Roughly, Main Street from Hawley Road to Academy Lane (added 1996)
Nichols Satinet Mill Site (added March 23, 1996)
Newtown is also home to the famous "Fairfield Hills," which was erected in the 1930s. Fairfield Hills was a mental institution for many decades. Now, the mental institution is believed to be haunted to this day and has attracted many ghost hunters to it.
Notable residents, past and present
Henry Dutton, former Connecticut governor
Charles Goodyear, inventor of the vulcanization process;
Anthony Edwards, actor in ER and Top Gun
Bruce Jenner, Olympic athlete, attended Newtown High School. The track there was previously named in his honor. Following renovations in 2002, Jenner failed to return for the rededication ceremony, so now the track is simply a part of "Blue and Gold Stadium."
Burke Marshall, head of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice during the Civil Rights Era, retired in Newtown.
David McCarthy, fg1895) a U.S. Senator (Democrat) representing the state and Connecticut governor
Isaac Toucey, (17921869) a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, Attorney General of the United States and Governor of Connecticut, was born in town.
Joey Styles, announcer for Extreme Championship Wrestling
Joey Styles, announcer for Extreme Championship Wrestling
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Newtown, Connecticut.
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