Glastonbury, Connecticut

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Glastonbury (Template:IPAc-en Script error: No such module "Respell".) is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States, officially founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England.[1] Glastonbury is on the banks of the Connecticut River, Script error: No such module "convert". southeast of Hartford. The population was 35,159 at the 2020 census.[2] Glastonbury sits at an elevation of approximately 154 feet (47 meters) above sea level.

History

File:Connecticut - Cromwell through Glastonbury - NARA - 23936421 (cropped).jpg
Flood of the Connecticut River, 1930

In 1636, 30 families settled in Pyaug, a tract of land belonging to Wethersfield on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River, purchased from the Native American chief Sowheag for Script error: No such module "convert". of trading cloth. In 1672, the General Court granted Wethersfield and Hartford permission to extend Pyaug's boundary line Script error: No such module "convert". to the east. By 1690, Wethersfield had permitted Pyaug residents to form a separate town and the town of Glassenbury was created in 1693.[3]

The ties have not been completely broken: the oldest continuously operating ferry in the United States still runs between South Glastonbury and Rocky Hill, also then part of Wethersfield, as it did as far back as 1655. One result of being split off from Wethersfield was that the town was built along a main road, rather than around the large green, that anchors most New England towns. After part of New London Turnpike was realigned to eliminate the rotary in the middle of town during the mid-20th century, a small green was established there.

During the American Revolutionary War, several homes in Glastonbury were used to hold classes from Yale University. Noah Webster was a student in these classes; later he taught at one of the town's one-room schoolhouses.

Glassenbury freed its slaves in the 1780s, 60 years before Connecticut formally abolished slavery. The town organized its first library in 1803. It organized the first hospital shortly after the Revolution to combat and treat smallpox. By the end of the Revolution, there were ten schools, formed one by one during the 18th century.

During the American Revolution, George Stocking's gunpowder factory operated in the town.[4] In 1785, the town residents renamed Glassenbury to Glastenbury.[5] In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Glastenbury was a shipbuilding town. Located on the Connecticut River, it had reliable waterpower and nearby hardwood forests of oak. Sawmills, charcoal kilns, and foundries developed around the shipyards to process timber and other goods for their needs.

As shipbuilding was ending, the early industrial beginning continued. The J.B. Williams Soap Factory started in 1840 in James B. Williams's drugstore in Manchester, where he experimented with chemical formulas for shaving soap. When he had produced a formula that satisfied him, he moved his business to Glastenbury. Two years later, he was joined by his brother, William Stuart Williams. They formed what is believed to be the world's first commercial soap manufacturing business. Although shaving soap was their first product, they also made ink and shoe blacking. The J.B. Williams Company's products included Williams' Lectric Shave and Aqua Velva. Over time, J.B. Williams expanded to Montreal (around 1922), England, and Argentina. When the business was sold in 1957, ten former employees organized Glastonbury Toiletries and continued operation into the 1970s. J. B. Williams Park, on Neipsic Road, is named for James B. Williams.

Remaining parts of the industrial complex have been adapted for use as the Soap Factory Condominiums. Another portion was occupied by the Glastonbury Board of Education office and is now occupied by a translation company.

In 1870, the town's name was changed from Glastenbury to Glastonbury, to match Glastonbury, England. During the World Wars, Glastonbury factories supplied leather and woolen goods to the militaries of Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. In addition, Glastonbury has been a center for feldspar mills, cotton mills, paper mills, and silver plate factories. It also had an airplane building industry.

J.H. Hale Orchards began operations in 1866 in Glastonbury. John Howard Hale became known as the Peach King for developing a peach that could withstand New England winters and was disease-resistant, as well as for his operations' large, national scale. He also had land in Georgia and was the first Glastonbury industry to establish a branch outside the state. A marketing pioneer, Hale shipped peaches to markets all over the country. The orchard that started with Script error: No such module "convert". in 1866 grew to more than Script error: No such module "convert". by 1900.

Hale never went beyond grade-school, but he initiated the founding of Storrs Agricultural College, now the University of Connecticut. He helped to organize the Glastonbury Grange and the State Grange. His home, at the intersection of Main Street and Route 17, was adapted in the 20th century for use first as a restaurant and, more recently, for business offices.

Henry Saglio began a pioneering effort to breed a white chicken, because black pinfeathers were difficult to pluck from a bird headed for the dinner table. In 1948, the Saglio Brothers formed Arbor Acres and produced a broiler chicken that A&P Food Stores awarded the title "Chicken of Tomorrow". By 1958, Arbor Acres was selling globally. Today the brand is owned by Aviagen. In 1977, Henry Saglio was inducted into the Poultry Hall of Fame.[6][7]

Glastonbury was also a major grower of broad-leaf tobacco. This agricultural tradition is carried on by the orchards and berry farms on its hills.

In 1993, Billy Joel filmed part of the video for his song "The River of Dreams" in a barn in South Glastonbury. The video also has a scene with the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry.[8][9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". or 1.76% is water.[10] The Glastonbury Center CDP has an area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which 3.30% is water.

The town begins on the banks of the Connecticut River and extends up into foothills, many of which provide a view of Hartford's skyline. Some major developments in the town are built entirely on relatively steep hills, such as Minnechaug Mountain, which became the site of a major residential area developed from the 1970s until the late 1990s.

Part of Glastonbury lies in an area called Kongscut Mountain, locally called Rattlesnake Mountain, because it has a small population of timber rattlesnakes. Since that area is sparsely developed and mostly in a state forest, the snakes pose little threat.

The town has a small private lake, Diamond Lake, surrounded by growing subdivisions of large homes. Access to the lake is limited to members of the Diamond Lake Property Owners Association.

Glastonbury has one of the largest state forests, Meshomasic State Forest, a popular area for hiking, fishing, and hunting.

Glastonbury borders the town and cities of East Hartford, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, Marlborough, Hebron, Bolton, and Manchester.

Climate

The town center experiences a humid continental climate (Dfa). However, the rural parts of the town, at an elevation of 800 feet near Bolton and Hebron, experience a colder climate which straddles the (Dfa) and (Dfb) lines. [11]

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Communities

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Template:Sronly%±
18203,114—
18403,007—
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18603,363Script error: No such module "String".%
18703,560Script error: No such module "String".%
18803,580Script error: No such module "String".%
18903,457Script error: No such module "String".%
19004,260Script error: No such module "String".%
19104,796Script error: No such module "String".%
19205,592Script error: No such module "String".%
19305,783Script error: No such module "String".%
19406,632Script error: No such module "String".%
19508,818Script error: No such module "String".%
196014,497Script error: No such module "String".%
197020,651Script error: No such module "String".%
198024,327Script error: No such module "String".%
199027,901Script error: No such module "String".%
200031,876Script error: No such module "String".%
201034,427Script error: No such module "String".%
202035,159Script error: No such module "String".%
U.S. Decennial Census[12] 2020[2]

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According to the 2020 U.S. Census[13], the racial makeup of the town was 82.8% White, 1.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.6% of the population. There were 35,159 people and 14,078 households. The population density was 685.9 inhabitants per square mile. There were 12,614 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert"..

The population was distributed with 4.8% under age 5, 20.8% under 18, and 20.0% 65 years of age or older. Women were 51% of the population.{{

As of 2024, the median household income in the town is $140,836.[14]

Economy

Top employers

Top employers in Glastonbury according to the town's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report[15]

# Employer # of Employees
1 Healthtrax Inc. 1000–4999
2 Open Solutions 250–499
3 Glastonbury High School 250–499
4 Glastonbury Town Hall 250–499
5 GM2 Associates Inc 100–249
6 The Home Depot 100–249
7 Stop & Shop 100–249
8 Glastonbury Healthcare Ctr 100–249
9 Salmon Brook Health and Rehab 100–249
10 Smith Brothers Insurance LLC 100–249

Arts and culture

Historical houses

Glastonbury has the second-highest number of genuine colonial houses of any U.S. town. There are 154 houses built before 1800; only Marblehead, Massachusetts, has more, with over 200. Newport, Rhode Island, has over 300, but it is a city, not a town. Four houses in Glastonbury are from the 1600s.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The town's oldest house, the John Hollister House, was built around 1675. It is one of Connecticut's five oldest houses, and one of the oldest in the nation.[16]

Parks and recreation

The town has four private pool and tennis clubs: Minnechaug, Orchard Hill, Woodledge, and Pinebrook. Glastonbury also has a private country club with a golf course, Glastonbury Hills Country Club. The town's other golf course is the nine-hole Minnechaug Golf Course, at the base of Minnechaug Mountain and owned by the town.

Public aquatic facilities include the Grange pool, Eastbury Pond, an indoor pool at Glastonbury High School, and a pool at Addison Park.

Cotton Hollow Nature Preserve is in South Glastonbury and is open to residents for fishing and hiking. It covers 80 acres, and during the 18th and 19th centuries was home to several mills, which no longer stand, except for the ruins of the cotton mill built in 1814. The stream of water that runs through the preserve is known as Roaring Brook.[17]

Glastonbury is also home to several parks open to residents, including Addison Park, Blackledge Falls, Buckingham Park, Butler Field, Center Green, Earle Park, Cotton Hollow Nature Preserve, Eastbury Pond, Ferry Landing, Grange Pool, Great Pond Reserve, Hubbard Green, Riverfront Park, Salmon Brook Park, Shoddy Mill Preserve, and J.B. Williams Park.[18]

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Government

Glastonbury town vote
by party in presidential elections[19][20]
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2020 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|62.53% 13,990 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|35.75% 7,998 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.72% 386
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2016 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|56.43% 11,074 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|38.38% 7,533 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|5.19% 1,018
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2012 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|52.88% 10,135 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.96% 8,809 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.16% 222
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2008 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|59.50% 11,767 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|39.21% 7,755 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.29% 256
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2004 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|52.19% 9,971 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|46.34% 8,854 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.47% 280
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|2000 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.88% 9,134 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|44.16% 7,928 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|4.96% 890
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1996 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|47.55% 7,811 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|41.11% 6,754 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|11.34% 1,863
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1992 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|39.67% 6,976 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|38.89% 6,840 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|21.44% 3,770
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1988 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|41.81% 6,638 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|57.24% 9,088 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.95% 151
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1984 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|34.19% 5,015 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|65.44% 9,599 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.37% 54
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1980 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|30.78% 4,283 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.44% 7,019 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|18.78% 2,614
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1976 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|39.10% 4,952 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|60.28% 7,634 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.62% 78
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1972 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|36.56% 4,145 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|62.71% 7,111 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.73% 83
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1968 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|40.38% 3,813 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|54.91% 5,185 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|4.70% 444
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1964 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|59.79% 4,991 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|40.21% 3,357 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.00% 0
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1960 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|43.15% 3,267 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|56.85% 4,305 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.00% 0
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1956 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|32.21% 2,052 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|67.79% 4,319 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.00% 0
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 27, 2015[21]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Democratic 6,554 668 7,222 31.78%
Republican 5,505 374 5,879 25.87%
Unaffiliated 8,469 976 9,445 41.56%
Minor parties 161 18 179 0.79%
Total 20,689 2,036 22,725 100%

Education

Glastonbury has five elementary schools: Buttonball Lane School, Hebron Avenue School, Hopewell School, Naubuc School, and Nayaug School. A sixth, Eastbury School, closed in 2018. Each school has between 288 and 608 students. Glastonbury has two middle schools: Gideon Welles School, which serves 6th grade and has just over 500 students, and Smith Middle School, which serves 7th and 8th grades and has 1,035 students. The town's high school, Glastonbury High School, had 2,173 students as of October 2013.

Glastonbury's school system was referenced in episode 563, Act 2, of the radio show This American Life.

Infrastructure

Media

Glastonbury is served by regional and local media outlets. The Hartford Courant, the largest daily newspaper in Connecticut, regularly covers news from Glastonbury and the surrounding Capitol Region.[22] The town is also covered by The Glastonbury Citizen, a weekly print and digital newspaper that reports on local government, schools, community events, and obituaries.

Public access television programming is produced by Glastonbury Community TV (GCTV), a municipal station that broadcasts town meetings, educational programming, and local community content. GCTV operates channels 16, 17, and 18 on Cox Communications within the town, and also streams content online via its website and YouTube channel.

In terms of radio and broadcast media, Glastonbury is part of the Hartford–New Haven media market.[23] Residents can receive signals from a wide range of AM and FM radio stations as well as local network television affiliates based in Hartford, including WTIC-TV (Fox), WFSB (CBS), WVIT (NBC), and WTNH (ABC).

Transportation

File:IMG 4136 Rocky Hill - Glastonbury Ferry.jpg
Glastonbury Ferry
  • Glastonbury's major highway is Connecticut Route 2, serving the town with six exits.
  • Connecticut Route 3 only has the Main Street exit in Glastonbury. The expressway then proceeds westward across the Putnam Bridge into Wethersfield before connecting with Interstate 91.
  • Route 17 has two exits in Glastonbury: the New London Turnpike and Hubbard Street. It then reduces to a surface street, merging with Main Street in South Glastonbury.
  • The 95 (formerly O) route of Connecticut Transit (CT Transit) buses runs between downtown Hartford and Glastonbury, usually terminating at the corner of Main Street and Hebron Avenue.[24] The 91 (formerly X) route travels between Wethersfield and the Buckland Hills area in Manchester via the Somerset Square Shopping Center.[25] The 904-Glastonbury Express route conveniently operates into Putnam Bridge, St. Paul's, and St. Augustine's Park & Ride lots.[26]
  • The Rocky Hill–Glastonbury ferry operates between May 1 and October 31. It is the nation's oldest continually operating ferry, dating to 1655. Fees are $5 for a vehicle and $1 for pedestrians and bicyclists. The trip across the Connecticut River takes about four minutes.

Notable people

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Conn.Col.Recs., 4:91-92
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ "History" Template:Webarchive, Historical Society of Glastonbury, Connecticut
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Humid continental climate
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Arthur Browne, One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York, Beacon Press, 2015.
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Historical Society of Glastonbury

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External links

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Template:Authority control

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