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1660 First House Lots Map
The Town Plot was laid out along the Yantic River in a rustic frontier overlooking ridges of several hills. At that point-in-time the land was a wilderness and most likely only inhabited by the Mohegan. It is estimated there were 2000 Mohegan living there at the time.
The first proprietors, who became the founders of Norwich, were each granted a plot of land that needed to be cleared before they could build their homes. The Mohegan assisted in the preparation for their new habitations and many other ways.
The map shown on the left shows specific locations of the original house-lots. The first proprietors, almost all farmers and agriculturists, used the land for both their homes and their livelihood. The size of the lots ranged from 4-acres for John Bradford and Thomas Bingham to 15-acres for Nehemiah Smith. Evidently Nehemiah Smith needed the large lot for the care of his sheep.
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, page 67, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
1670 Gates & Fences Map
When settlers first arrived in Norwich the wooded area was filled with a large variety of plants and animals. Evidently, the proprietors homes needed protection from stray animal and varmints.
In 1670, there were “front” fences running along the fronts of the house-lots on West Town Street and “general” fences separating the lots side to side. A front fence had five rails and a general fence had three rails. The primary entry ways to the town were protected by the six gates shown on the left.
Two animal pounds were erected in 1669, one at each end of the town, near Gates 1 and 6. It is believed that the pounds were fully populated with stray or lost cattle, goats and swine.
The next year a city ordinance, which established rules for fences and gates was enacted. It stated : “It is ordered if any person shall pass with horse or cattle over the general fence and so come through the Little Plain, to or from the town, he shall pay a fine of 5 shillings” (about $60 in today’s dollars).
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, (ppg 99,67), by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
1705 Southeastern Norwich Map
This map shows the boundaries and owners of lots in the southeastern part of the town in 1705, 45 years after the proprietors first arrived in Norwich. The present-day names of streets and roads were added for clarity..
Acknowledgements
“Old Houses of the Ancient Town of Norwich, 1600-1800, (1895), pp 102-103, by Mary Elizabeth Perkins
1843 Norwich & Worcester Railroad Map
In 1837 Charles Rockwell was the President the Norwich & Worcester Railroad and was the Mayor of Norwich. With his experience in railroad development and knowledge of civic affairs, he had the ability to greatly further the development of the Norwich transportation system. The opening of the first section of tracks, 59 miles long, in 1840 was a major milestone for Norwich.
Passengers and freight could now easily travel between central New England and New York or Boston. Once passengers arrived in Norwich from central New England they could board one of the two steamboats (also owned by the Norwich & Worcester Railroad) headed to either New York or Boston.
Sometimes, in the middle of winter, the mouth of the Thames in Norwich freezes over. In times like this the steam boats could not make it all the way to Norwich from New London. To remedy this problem, a second section of rail was laid between Norwich and Allyn Point. The green line on the map shows the location of the second section. This line was opened in 1843. This second section is 6 miles long.
Acknowledgements
“Iron and Water: The Norwich & Worcester Railroad Story”, by Richard Malley
1854 Bean Hill Historic District Map
NOTABLE PLACES
- Bean Hill Plain : At the summit of Bean Hill is Bean Hill Plain, (a.k.a. Bean Hill Green) an open square of land, once shaded by elm, ash and poplar trees planted in 1729. It has been open, common land since Bean Hill’s first settlement and is the district’s focal point. The green is surrounded by eight buildings and the 1833 Bean Hill Methodist Church, the first in Norwich.
- Methodist Church 192 West Town Street : Major public structure, built in 1833 and altered in 1879. Early photographs of the church show it to be a humble but attractive structure of typically boxy meetinghouse proportions with long, round-head windows, a two-tiered square steeple and touches of classical ornament.
- Witter House 199 West Town Street : Meeting place for Episcopal Church in 1730’s. It was also used as a tavern owned by Lt Jacob Witter in 1774. Military meetings were held here in 1784.
- David Keeler House 200 West Town Street : circa 1870 : The site is said to be the scene of the bean-pot discovery, the suggested source of the name. Bean Hill, It is more certainly the site of an earlier house, known as the Lamb House, thought to be the first house on Bean Hill, demolished circa 1870 by David Keeler, a Bean Hill grocer.
- Bean Hill Tavern : The Bean Hill Tavern served as a meeting place for Norwich militia patriots. Major John Durkee, the tavern-keeper, spearheaded the drive against the Stamp Act. In 1765, Durkee earned a spot in Connecticut history when he led a band of liberty men who intercepted Stamp Distributor, Jared Ingersoll, at Wethersfield and forced Ingersoll’s resignation; for this act, Durkee was known thereafter as the “Bold Bean Hiller.”
- Aaron Cleveland Hat Shop and William Cleveland’s Jewelry Shop : Bean Hill’s citizens were humble people, respected but not renowned. There are, however, several prominent exceptions. The Clevelands were a noteworthy family who lived on Bean Hill. Aaron Cleveland , who ran a Bean Hill hat-shop (now standing at 122 West Town Street, but originally located next to the Methodist Church) was an early abolitionist who wrote poems, essays, and sermons on the political, social, and religious questions of the day. He was President Grover Cleveland’s great-grandfather. His son, Deacon William Cleveland, was a silversmith on Bean Hill and was President Grover Cleveland’s grandfather.
- Jarvis Hyde House : 5 Huntington Ave : 1780 : May have been Hyde’s Tavern
- David Ruggles’ Parent’s House : Sylvia Lane
Acknowledgements
Bean Hill Historic District
“Map of New London County, Connecticut”, 1854, by Henry Francis Walling
1854 Greenville Historic District Map
NOTABLE PLACES
- Greeneville Dam (1829) : The Shetucket River was first dammed in 1829, by William P. Greene and the Norwich Water Power Company. However, the currently existing hydro-power generation system in the district mostly dates from 1882. The system includes the present dam, gatehouse and head gates, a power canal, and a number of ancillary structures. The power canal, completed in 1828, was the first industrial power canal in Connecticut. The dam was originally constructed of granite rubble with dressed granite aprons with rubble-stone abutments. After a flood in 1886, the collapsed middle section was rebuilt with gravel filled timber cribbing.
- First Congregational Church (1834) : 143 Prospect Street : The first institutional building in the district was the 1834 Greek Revival-style Congregational Church, which once faced Central Avenue. In 1867, when it was turned around to face Prospect Street, the building was literally cut in half and two additional bays inserted in the long elevations
- Camp, Hall & Company (1835) : 3 Fifth Street : The manufacture of paper in Greeneville began in 1835 with the Camp, Hall & Company. The company was reorganized as the Chelsea Paper Company in 1867 and its facilities were expanded. By 1870 the plant contained 19 paper making machines. It remained in business under this name until 1890, producing an average of 30 tons rag stock per day. The company employed 200 men and 100 women. Chelsea Paper Company was reorganized as the Uncas Paper Company in 1893.
- Shetucket Company (1840) : 385 North Main Street : The first of the textile mills in the district was built by the Shetucket Company in 1840. William P. Greene formed the Shetucket Company from the failed Quinebaug Company. The company’s cotton mills were major manufacturers of unfinished cotton cloth.
- Norwich Bleaching, Dyeing & Printing Co. (1840) : 485 North Main Street : This company, locally known as the “Bleachery” produced finished cotton cloth using cloth made by the Shetucket Company. At its peak the Bleachery had at least 20 buildings and employed 400 people. Hugh Henry Osgood was its President in 1898.
- First St. Mary’s Church (1843) : 200 North Main Street : Father James Fitton’s dream of a church for his parish was fulfilled in 1843, when the first Church of St. Mary, a wood-frame building of the Greek Revival style, was erected. It was the first Roman Catholic church in eastern Connecticut, it also served Catholics from the surrounding communities of Voluntown, Baltic, Taftville, Jewett City, Yantic, and Preston.
- The Connecticut Company (1905) : 385 Central Avenue : The office and Greeneville Trolley Barn were essential buildings used the Norwich trolley system in the early 1900s. The trolley system in the Norwich area provided locals the opportunity to easily travel among all Norwich neighborhoods.
- St. Mary’s Catholic Church (1915) : 70 Central Avenue : A Gothic Revival granite edifice with rose window. A bell tower, erected in 1921, stands next to the Tudor Revival rectory that was built in 1909.
- St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (1915) : 33 Convent Avenue : Officially known as the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, the building displays a characteristic onion dome. The rectory next door was built in 1920. Although most houses on this street were built in the same period, none of the Greeks lived nearby. Typically, they first lived in boarding houses or tenements or rented small houses on the periphery of the district.
Acknowledgements
Greeneville Historic District
“Map of New London County, Connecticut”, 1854, by Henry Francis Walling
1876 Norwich Transportation Center Map
The map above is an 1876 snapshot in time of downtown Norwich. The town was booming. Hugh Henry Osgood was Mayor, Ponemah Mills was one of the largest textile mills in the United States, the Yantic Woolen Mill was in full operation, and there were more than six active gun manufacturers.
The combination of access to both a rail system and a port helped to make Norwich be one of the most important transportation hubs in New England. Its system of railroads and steamships provided manufacturers, merchants and individual passengers easy access to central New England, New York and Boston markets.
The first major development in the transportation system came in 1840 when the Norwich & Worcester Railroad opened. This line provided direct, railroad access from central New England to the port city of Norwich. At Norwich, cargo and passengers could be transferred to and from a steam ship headed to either New York or Boston. By the time this map was drawn, the Norwich & Worcester Railroad had been extended down to New London. And, the newer company, the New London Northern Railroad had built a line along the western banks of the Thames River that connected Norwich to New London, central Vermont, and even Canada.
The map also shows the locations of the two railroad stations at that time, the Norwich & Worcester Depot (#2 on map) and the New London Northern Depot (#7 on the map). The New London Northern Depot was replaced by Union Depot (#6 on the map) in 1891.
Acknowledgements
“City of Norwich, Conn, 1876”, 1876, by O.H. Baily & Co.
1912 Commonwealth Works Site Map
NOTABLE PLACES
- Upper Yantic Falls : All the enterprises located at the Commonwealth Works Site relied on the energy produced from the fall of water at Yantic Falls.
- Lower Yantic Falls : The scene of Indian Leap.
- Commonwealth Works Site : The site was equivalent to a modern-day industrial park. Several water-powered industries were clustered here. As shown in the maps above, the Commonwealth Works Site is located near the Upper Falls.
- New London Northern Railroad : From 1861-1872 the New London Northern Railroad operated train service from New London, thru Norwich, to Brattleboro, Vermont. The goods manufactured at the Commonwealth Works site, had easy access to markets via this railroad.
- Falls Company Cotton Mill : A large cotton factory located beneath the Lower Falls. The Falls Company Cotton Mill is not a part of the Commonwealth Works site; it is highlighted as a reference point.
Acknowledgements
Commonwealth Works Site
“Aero View of Norwich, Connecticut” (1912), by Hughes & Baily
2021 Norwich Railroads Map
Two regional railroads run through Norwich today. The railroads are now solely used to transport cargo. The black outline shows the boundaries of Norwich. The New England Central tracks, shown as a red line, travel along the west side of the Thames River from New London through Norwich to Canada. The trains that run on these tracks are operated today by the New England Central Railroad which is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming.
The Providence and Worcester tracks, shown as blue lines, run south from Norwich along the east side of the Thames River through New London on to Providence. The P&W track also runs north from Norwich to Plainfield. At Plainfield the tracks split, and continue on to either Worcester or Willimantic. The trains that run on these tracks are operated by Providence & Worcester Railroad which is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming.
Over the years, these railroads have been known by several different names because they have been owned and operated by many different railroad companies.
Acknowledgements
Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
1840-Present Providence & Worcester Railroad
1848-Present New England Central Railroad