Cove Park, Wethersfield

Cove Park, Wethersfield
– Wethersfield Historical Society

The Connecticut River runs along Wethersfield’s eastern flank while Hartford, Newington, and Rocky Hill border it to the north, west, and south, respectively. Settled in 1634 (some say earlier), this Hartford County town vies with Windsor for “first town” status. Early on it weathered witch trials but grew to importance as shipbuilding, onion growing, and trade brought wealth. In 1781, the Webb House hosted Washington and Rochambeau as they planned for the battle at Yorktown, Virginia. In the 1800s, a state prison and commercial seed production led Wethersfield’s economy, and the 20th century saw it transform into a residential suburb of Hartford. The Old Wethersfield Historic District, with over 150 structures built before 1850, preserves the town’s rich heritage.

More on Wethersfield from the CT Digital Archive

Browse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.

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Map of the West Indies, 1717

Connecticut and the West Indies: Sugar Spurs Trans-Atlantic Trade

This profitable exchange brought wealth and sought-after goods to the state but came at the price of supporting slavery in the bargain. …[more]

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Websites

“Wethersfield Library - Local History,” 2016. Link.

Places

Connecticut Freedom Trail. “Ancient Burying Ground,” 2016. Link.
“Buttolph-Williams House.” CT Landmarks, 2016. Link.
“Hurlbut-Dunham House Museum.” Wethersfield Historical Society, 2016. Link.
Wethersfield Historical Society. “The Cove Warehouse Maritime Museum,” 2016. Link.
“Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum,” 2017. Link.
“Wethersfield Historical Society,” 2016. Link.

Documents

Wethersfield, Selectmen. “Broadside - Bye Laws for the Regulation of the Alms and Work House of the Town of Wethersfield,” ca 1811. Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
“Map - Town of Wethersfield, Conn. (Petersen Collection).” Wethersfield, CT, ca 1868. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Wethersfield - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2016. Link.
“Wethersfield Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Connecticut State Library. “Wethersfield Prison Records Warrants - Database,” 2016. Link.

Books

Stiles, Henry, ed. The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut Comprising the Present Towns of Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington, and of Glastonbury Prior to Its Incorporation in 1693, from Date of Earliest Settlement Until the Present Time - History. Vol. 2. New York: Grafton Press, 1904. Link.
Stiles, Henry, ed. The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut Comprising the Present Towns of Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington, and of Glastonbury Prior to Its Incorporation in 1693, from Date of Earliest Settlement Until the Present Time - History. Vol. 1. New York: Grafton Press, 1904. Link.
Wethersfield Historical Society, and Beverly Lucas. Wethersfield. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2008.
Wethersfield and Her Daughters: Glastonbury, Rocky Hill, Newington, from 1634 to 1934. Hartford,  CT: Case,  Lockwood & Brainard Company, 1934.
McDermott, William. Wethersfield, 1634-1790: Families, Community and Change. Tolland,  CT: Kerleen Press, 2009.
Wethersfield Historical Society. Wethersfield: A Tour of Houses and History, 1980. Wethersfield,  CT: Wethersfield Historical Society, 1980.