Wethersfield ( ) is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located immediately south of Hartford along the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 27,298 at the time of the 2020 census.
Many records from colonial times spell the name "Weathersfield" and "Wythersfield", while Native Americans called it Pyquag.Connecticut Towns in the Order of their Establishment, Secretary of the State of Connecticut. Retrieved December 8, 2013. "Watertown" is a variant name.
The neighborhood known as Old Wethersfield is the state's largest historic district, spanning and containing 1,100 buildings, dating to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The town is primarily served by Interstate 91.
History
Founded in 1634 by a Puritan settlement party of "10 Men", including John Oldham, Robert Seeley, Thomas Topping, and Nathaniel Foote, Wethersfield is arguably the oldest town in Connecticut,Clark, George Larkin (1914). A History of Connecticut: Its People and Institutions. New York; London: G. P. Putnam's Sons and The Knickerbocker Press. .Town Profile: Wethersfield. The Connecticut Economic Digest, Connecticut Department of Labor, January 2004 depending on the interpretation of when a remote settlement qualifies as a "town". Along with Windsor and Hartford, Wethersfield is represented by one of the three grapevines on the Flag of Connecticut, signifying the state's three oldest English settlements.Virtual Tour of the Connecticut Supreme Court Courtroom. Retrieved December 22, 2013.Historically Speaking: Stonington-born woman helped create flag, The Bulletin, August 27, 2008 The town was named by colonists for Wethersfield, a village in the English county of Essex. The town was previously called "Watertown", named after Watertown, Massachusetts, until February 21, 1637, when it was incorporated as a town along with Windsor and Hartford. The town established the Old Wethersfield Village Cemetery as its first burying ground on Hungry Hill in 1638.
During the Pequot War, on April 23, 1637, Wangunk Chief Sequin, who had lived with the colonists in Wethersfield but had been forced out after a few years, attacked Wethersfield with Pequot help.DeForest, John. History of the Indians of Connecticut from the Earliest Known Period to 1850. They killed six men and three women, a number of cattle and horses, and took two young girls captive. They were daughters of Abraham Swain or William Swaine (sources vary), and were later ransomed by Dutch traders.Konstantin, Phil (2002). This Day in North American Indian History. Da Capo Press, pp. 99-100.
Four witch trials and three executions for witchcraft occurred in the town in the 17th century. Mary Johnson was convicted of witchcraft and executed in 1648, Joan and John Carrington in 1651. In 1669, landowner Katherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.
From 1716 to 1718, the Collegiate School was briefly located in Wethersfield; it moved to New Haven and developed over the decades as Yale University.
Silas Deane, envoy to France during the American Revolutionary War, lived in the town. His house is now preserved and operated as part of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. In May 1781, at the Webb House on Main Street, General George Washington and French Lt. Gen. Rochambeau planned the Siege of Yorktown, which culminated in the surrender of Britain and independence of the colonies.
The Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature on May 12, 1803, making it the first formally chartered fire department in the state. It is one of the oldest chartered volunteer fire department in continuous existence in the United States.
Wethersfield was "for a century at least, the centre of the onion trade in New England", during the late 1700s and early to middle 1800s."A Great Trade Vanished. How Connecticut's Onion Monopoly Was Lost", The New York Times, June 2, 1889 "Outsiders dubbed the Connecticut village 'Oniontown,' with a crosshatch of affection and derision, for this was home of the world-famous Wethersfield red onion.", Yankee Magazine, August 1993
In addition, the town was home to William G. Comstock, a well-known 19th-century gardening expert and author of the era's most prominent gardening book, Order of Spring Work. In 1820, Comstock founded what would become Comstock, Ferre & Company,"Connecticut seed company Comstock, Ferre & Co. returns to its roots", The Boston Globe, October 16, 2011 America's oldest continuously operating seed company. It pioneered the commercial sale of sealed packets of seeds, as he had learned from the Amish. Other nationally prominent seed companies in and around the town developed from this agricultural past.Wethersfield: The Cradle of American Seed Companies, Wethersfield Historical Society, January 23, 2012
A meteorite fell on Wethersfield on November 8, 1982. It was the second meteorite to fall in the town in the span of 11 years, as the first crashed on April 8, 1971. It crashed through the roof of a house without injuring the occupants, as had been the case with the first meteorite as well. The 1971 meteorite was sold to the Smithsonian, and the 1982 meteorite was taken up as part of a collection at the Yale Peabody Museum.The Wethersfield Meteorite, Yale Peabody Museum. Retrieved August 21, 2013.The Wethersfield Meteorites, Wethersfield Historical Society, October 24, 2011
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 26,268 people, 11,214 households, and 7,412 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 11,454 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.19% White, 2.09% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.82% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.
There were 11,214 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.
The town population was distributed with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,289, and the median income for a family was $68,154. (These figures had risen to $66,044 and $86,432 respectively as of a 2007 estimate.). Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2013. Males had a median income of $43,998 versus $37,443 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,930. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy Top employers Top employers in Wethersfield according to the town's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
# Employer # of Employees1State of Connecticut8102Town of Wethersfield 7533Hartford Healthcare At Home 1174HomeGoods1085Patient Care, Inc.1076Qualidigm1017DSG Yankee798Hooters789Corpus Christi School5510Denny's50
The Connecticut Department of Correction and the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles have their headquarters in Wethersfield.Contact Us. Connecticut Department of Correction, 24 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109. Retrieved December 8, 2013.Contact Information. Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06161. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
Due to its proximity to the state capital at Hartford, Wethersfield is the site of several State of Connecticut agencies:
The Department of Motor Vehicles office and testing location at 60 State Street. The Department of Labor is headquartered at 200 Folly Brook Boulevard. The Department of Correction is headquartered at 24 Wolcott Hill Road. The Superior Court Operations Unit is located at 225 Spring Street. The Court Support Services Division is located at 936 Silas Deane Highway.
The Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce has over 150 member institutions and hosts community events throughout the year.
Arts and culture Landmarks and historic district Three buildings in Wethersfield are designated as historic landmarks by the National Register of Historic Places:
Buttolph-Williams House, 249 Broad Street (added December 24, 1968) Joseph Webb House, 211 Main Street (added November 15, 1966) Silas Deane House, 203 Main Street (added November 6, 1970)
In 1970, Old Wethersfield, the district bounded by Hartford, the railroad tracks, I-91 and Rocky Hill, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is the largest historic district in Connecticut, with two square miles containing 1,100 buildings, many dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Other points of interest
Old Wethersfield Village Cemetery Broad Street Green Roger Butler House Captain James Francis House Great Meadows (Connecticut River)|Great MeadowsGreat Meadows Conservation Trust, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and Glastonbury CT Heritage Way – a "linear park" and multi-use path that connects Wethersfield's open areas and recreation facilitiesIntroduction to Heritage Way , Wethersfield CT Hurlbut-Dunham House Keeney Memorial Culture CenterKeeney Memorial Culture Center, Wethersfield CT – home of the Wethersfield Museum and Visitor Center Millwoods Park/Pond Wethersfield Cove Wethersfield Historical SocietyWethersfield Historical Society, Wethersfield CT Wethersfield Skate Park John Chester Willard Pool Wintergreen Woods – forest with vernal pools and walking trails Wethersfield High School (Connecticut) Eleanor Buck Wolf Nature CenterEleanor Buck Wolf Nature Center, Wethersfield CT 9/11 Memorial Sports Center
Music The historic First Church of Christ, Wethersfield, is the home of the .
The Wethersfield Historical Society sponsors free outdoor concerts throughout the summer.
Community events + Community Events Event Time of Year Location Organizer Cove Park Fireworks Early June Cove Park Town of Wethersfield Wethersfield Farmers Market Summer Thursdays 220 Hartford Avenue Wethersfield EDIC & Tourism Commission Wethersfield Cornfest Mid-September Broad Street Green Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce Scarecrows Along Main Street Early Fall Main Street Old Wethersfield Shopkeepers Association Cove Side Carnival Mid-October Cove Park Keane Foundation Holidays on Main Early December Broad Street Green Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce
Sports Running The Old Wethersfield 5K & 10K is an annual road race that takes place in the Old Wethersfield section of town. Both races begin and end at Cove Park on Hartford Avenue. The event is put on by the Hartford Marathon Foundation and typically takes place at the end of August. The 2017 edition of the 10K is the state championship race for the USATF Connecticut Grand Prix Series as well as the final event of the HMF 10K Challenge Series.
Education The Wethersfield public school system encompasses Wethersfield High School, Silas Deane Middle School, and five elementary schools: Highcrest School, Charles Wright School, Emerson-Williams School, Alfred W. Hanmer School, and Samuel B. Webb School.