Roxbury is a picturesque and historic small town nestled in the northwest hills of Connecticut in Litchfield County. Its Indian name is "Shepaug," a Mohegan name signifying "rocky water." It was settled in 1713 as a part of Woodbury, which today lies to the east. A parish evolved in 1743 and in 1796 the town was incorporated, separating from Woodbury. General Ephraim Hinman of the CT Militia, a legislator, spearheaded this achievement. Besides Woodbury, Roxbury is also bordered by Bridgewater (SW), New Milford (NW), Washington (N) and Southbury (S).
During the early and mid-1800's Roxbury was a farming town but had ten sawmills and five hat-making shops. The first mining operations began here in the mid-18th century in the hope of finding silver. A silver mine was opened here and was later found to contain spathic iron, specially adapted to steel making and a small smelting furnace was built. The abundance of granite found in many of Mine Hill's quarries provided the building material for the ore roaster and blast furnace, buildings throughout New England as well as for such world wonders as the Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Station in New York City. The granite was transported by the Shepaug Railroad.
Garnet, now the State Mineral was also mined in Roxbury.
Roxbury is also the birthplace of three cousins of Revolutionary War fame, also known as the Green Mountain Boys: Remember Baker, Ethan Allen and Seth Warner.
Today, Roxbury is a town of 2,340 residents and covers an area of 27 square miles. This rural town runs through the watershed of the Shepaug River.
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