Farmland, Sterling

Farmland, Sterling – Town of Sterling

Located in the eastern part of Windham County, the town of Sterling shares its eastern border with Rhode Island. Originally part of Voluntown, it incorporated as Sterling in 1794. In 1800, the town opened its first mill on the Quandock River. The mill, called the American Manufacturing Company and also known as Potter’s factory, produced cotton textiles. In the mid-19th century the town opened a quarry, which is still an active industry today. Within the town lies the Sterling Hill Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1986. The Plainfield Pike, a 3.6-mile route that the Comte de Rochambeau’s army traveled during the American Revolution, runs through the district.

More on Sterling from the CT Digital Archive

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Websites

“The Last Green Valley,” 2017. Link.

Documents

Rood, Elizabeth. “Broadside: Lines on the Ice and Sickness in Sterling (Con.),” 1814. Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Woodford, E. M. “Map of Windham County, Connecticut.” Philadelphia, PA: E.M. Woodford, 1856. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC, Yale University Library, Map Collection. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Sterling - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2014. Link.
“Sterling Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Lee, Stephen. “Windham County, Conn., Business Directory Containing the Names, Business and Location of All the Business Men in the County, Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Other Statistics, with a History of Each Town.” Windham County Transcript Office, 1861. Link.

Books

Bayles, Richard, ed. History of Windham County, Connecticut. New York, NY: W. W. Preston & Company, 1889. Link.
Larned, Ellen. History of Windham County, Connecticut. 1760-1880. Vol. 2. Worcester,  MA: Ellen Larned, 1874. Link.