Roxbury - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

Mine Hill iron-making complex, Roxbury – Ashley Estep

The town of Roxbury is located in the state’s northwest corner in the Litchfield Hills. Once known as Shepaug, which means “rocky water,” the town was settled in 1713 as part of Woodbury and incorporated as Roxbury in 1796. By the middle of the 18th century, residents discovered valuable natural resources, including iron ore and granite, within town bounds and opened Mine Hill. There, they built a smelting furnace and a quarry. Today, Roxbury is known for its quiet tranquility and through the years has attracted a diverse assortment of residents including Seth Warner, Ethan Allen, Alexander Calder, Marilyn Monroe, and Arthur Miller.

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Websites

Roxbury Land Trust. “Mine Hill,” 2012. Link.

Documents

“Map - South Part of Litchfield Co., Connecticut from Page 214 & 215 of Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” Real Property. Boston, MA: D.H. Hurd & Co., 1893. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.

Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Roxbury - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2015. Link.

“Roxbury Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

Cothren, William. History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut, from the First Indian Deed in 1659. Waterbury, CT: Bronson Brothers, 1854. Link.

J.W. Lewis & Company. History of Litchfield County, Connecticut, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of the Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1881. Link.

Larned, Ellen. History of Windham County, Connecticut. 1600-1760. Vol. 1. Worcester,  MA: Ellen Larned, 1874. Link.

Green, Jeannine. Roxbury and Bridgewater. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2011.