South Windsor - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

Drying Tobacco, South Windsor – Jerry Dougherty

Hartford County’s South Windsor sits east of the Connecticut River across from its parent town Windsor on the western bank.  After English settlement, homesteaders west of the river relied on John Bissell’s ferry to reach pasturelands on the east side. The ferry, which operated from about 1633 to 1925 under various owners, contributed to the growth of what is now South Windsor’s East Windsor Hill Historic District. This main street became a bustling center of commerce and, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the well-off replaced Colonial structures with grander homes that still remain today. The town, which incorporated in 1845, lists theologian Jonathan Edwards, steam boat inventor John Fitch, and clock innovator Eli Terry among its notable citizens.