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 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 Thomas Bingham  to 15-acres for Nehemiah Smith.  Evidently Reverend Smith needed the large lot for the care of his sheep.