Wethersfield: One of America's Oldest Towns on the Connecticut River
Wethersfield disputes with Windsor over which holds the title of Connecticut's oldest settlement, with both claiming origins in the early 1630s. What is not disputed is that Wethersfield's Old Wethersfield Historic District is one of the best-preserved colonial neighborhoods in New England. Over 150 pre-1850 buildings line Broad Street, Main Street, and the surrounding blocks. The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum operates three adjacent 18th-century houses, including the Joseph Webb House where George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau planned the Yorktown campaign in 1781.
The town's early wealth came from the Connecticut River and onion farming. Wethersfield's red onions were exported as far as the West Indies during the colonial period, giving the town a commercial importance well beyond its small size. Cove Park, where the Great Meadows meet the river, marks the area where river trade was concentrated. The Cove itself is now a sheltered inlet used for recreational boating and birding.
Modern Wethersfield is a Hartford suburb of approximately 26,668 residents. The commercial center runs along the Silas Deane Highway (Route 99) and Berlin Turnpike (Route 5/15), both of which carry traffic through the eastern portion of town. The residential neighborhoods west of Main Street are quieter, with housing stock ranging from colonial-era saltboxes to postwar Cape Cod-style homes. Mill Woods Park and the town's various playing fields serve the recreation needs of a family-oriented population.
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Wethersfield disputes with Windsor over which holds the title of Connecticut's oldest settlement, with both claiming origins in the early 1630s. What is not disputed is that Wethersfield's Old Wethersfield Historic District is one of the best-preserved colonial neighborhoods in New England. Over 150 pre-1850 buildings line Broad Street, Main Street, and the surrounding blocks. The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum operates three adjacent 18th-century houses, including the Joseph Webb House where George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau planned the Yorktown campaign in 1781.
The town's early wealth came from the Connecticut River and onion farming. Wethersfield's red onions were exported as far as the West Indies during the colonial period, giving the town a commercial importance well beyond its small size. Cove Park, where the Great Meadows meet the river, marks the area where river trade was concentrated. The Cove itself is now a sheltered inlet used for recreational boating and birding.
Modern Wethersfield is a Hartford suburb of approximately 26,668 residents. The commercial center runs along the Silas Deane Highway (Route 99) and Berlin Turnpike (Route 5/15), both of which carry traffic through the eastern portion of town. The residential neighborhoods west of Main Street are quieter, with housing stock ranging from colonial-era saltboxes to postwar Cape Cod-style homes. Mill Woods Park and the town's various playing fields serve the recreation needs of a family-oriented population.
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