WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT

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: ''Another Wethersfield is in Wyoming County, New York''.
'Wethersfield' is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name 'Weathersfield', while Native Americans called it 'Pyquag'[1]. The population was 26,271 at the 2000 census.

Contents
History
Popular culture
Geography
Demographics
Transportation
Education
Places
Streets and paths
Points of interest
Landmarks and historic districts
Notable people
References
See also
External links

History


Founded in 1633–34 by a group of Puritans led by John Oldham, Wethersfield has its niche in history, being "Ye Most Auncient Towne" in Connecticut, as set out by the Code of 1650 — "Colonial Records of Connecticut."
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.[2] Landowner Katherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.[3][4]
Silas Deane, commissioner to France during the American Revolutionary War, lived in the town. His house is now 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[5] planned the battle of Yorktown, which culminated in the independence of the then rebellious 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 Connecticut,
and is believed to be one of the oldest chartered volunteer fire departments in continuous existence in the United States [6].

Popular culture


Wethersfield was the setting for Elizabeth George Speare's novel ''The Witch of Blackbird Pond'', also the setting of the one-act play ''The Valiant'' by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass.

Geography


Wethersfield is located at 41° 42' 43" North, 72° 39' 48" West (41.7122° -72.6636°).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.0 km² (13.1 mi²). 32.1 km² (12.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (5.49%) is water.
Wethersfield is bordered by Hartford on the north, East Hartford on the Northeast, the Connecticut River and Glastonbury on the east, Rocky Hill on the south and Newington on the west.

Demographics


As of the census² of 2000, there were 26,268 people, 11,214 households, and 7,412 families residing in the town. The population density was 818.7/km² (2,119.9/mi²). There were 11,454 housing units at an average density of 356.9/km² (924.3/mi²). 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.
In the town the population was spread out 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. 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.

Transportation


Greater Hartford's only major method of public transportation is Connecticut Transit (CTTransit), a Connecticut Department of Transportation-owned bus service operating routes throughout the New Haven, Stamford and Hartford metro areas, including Wethersfield.

Education


The Wethersfield public school system encompasses five elementary schools (Highcrest School, Charles Wright School, Emerson-Williams School, A.W. Hamner School and Webb Elementary School), one middle school (Silas Deane Middle School) and one high school (Wethersfield High School).
Wethersfield is also the home of Corpus Christi School, a Catholic K-8 school of 440 students, as well as a Porter and Chester Institute campus on the Silas Deane Highway.

Places


Streets and paths

Major streets include

★ Main Street in Old Wethersfield

Route 175

★ Route 99/Silas Deane Highway

Route 15 (Berlin Turnpike and Wilbur Cross Highway).
Heritage Way, a "linear park" developed in the 1990s, is a multi-use path that connects Wethersfield's open areas and recreation facilities [7].
Points of interest


Wethersfield Cove

Keeney Memorial Culture Center

★ Broad Street Green

★ Great Meadows

★ Ancient Burying Ground
Landmarks and historic districts

Four buildings in Wethersfield are designated as historic landmarks by the National Register of Historic Places:

Buttolph-Williams House — 249 Broad St. (added December 24, 1968)

Joseph Webb House — 211 Main St. (added November 15, 1966)

Roger Butler House — 146 Jordan Ln. (added September 15, 1996)

Silas Deane House — 203 Main St. (added November 6, 1970)
In 1970, Old Wethersfield, the district bounded by Hartford, the railroad tracks, I-91 and Rocky Hill, was added as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people



Betsey Johnson, fashion designer

Mark Linn-Baker, actor and director

Chris Murphy, former State Senator and current United States Representative from Connecticut’s 5th District

John Pinone, basketball player for Villanova University and the Atlanta Hawks.

Annabella Sciorra, actor

Tom Tryon, actor and novelist

Levi Warner, United States Representative from Connecticut.

Benjamin Wright, chief engineer of the Erie Canal

References


1. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
2. List of New England witchcraft cases
3. Another list of New England witchcraft cases
4. Brief summary of Katherine Harrison case
5. [2]
6. [3]
7. Introduction to Heritage Way

See also



John Oldham

Robert Seeley

★ ''The Witch of Blackbird Pond''

External links



Wethersfield homepage

Webb Deane Stevens Museum homepage

Wethersfied Historical Society

Historic Wethersfield Tourism Commission

Central Regional Tourism District

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