Shelton
Posted by: Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
N 41° 19.289 W 073° 06.045
18T E 658954 N 4576185
Historical marker highlighting the history of Shelton.
Waymark Code: WM4PRX
Location: Connecticut, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2008
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member muddawber
Views: 27

Shelton

1639 - Stratford area settled, with present-day Shelton as the northern part.

1717 - Northern settlers established Ripton parish.

1789 - Ripton separated from Stratford and became the town of Huntington, named for Governor Samuel Huntington.

1870 - Derby-Shelton dam built allowing industrial development along the Housatonic River.

1915 - The borough of Shelton incorporated as a city, named for Edward N. Shelton, industrialist and promoter of the dam.

1919 - Town of Huntington became Shelton by act of General Assembly

 

Shelton

The Pootatuck Indians were the original inhabitants of Shelton.  They had a palisade fort above Riverview Park and their burying ground was in the Park.  By 1680 they had sold all their lands to the Stratford settlers and moved north.

The first industry in the area was the Leavenworth Shipyards, 1685, on the Housatonic River at Indian Well.   The nearby hills were forested with oak and chestnut, which was used for planking.  As the lands were cleared, farmers moved in.  They sent cattle, pork products, corn, and oak timber to the West Indies on Leavenworth ships.

the 1790 census listed 2742 adults and 120 slaves.  By 1900 Shelton was an industrial town of 5600 people and manufactured everything from pins to pianos. 

In 1977 Shelton has become a residential and light-industrial city with 30,000 people and more than 60 manufacturers.

Erected by the city of Shelton, the Huntington Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission, 1977

Marker Name: Shelton

Marker Type: Roadside

Date Dedicated / Placed: 1977

Additional Information: Not listed

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Recent Visits/Logs:
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Monkeyboybp visited Shelton 12/28/2014 Monkeyboybp visited it
KDubs visited Shelton 09/27/2006 KDubs visited it

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