Shelton - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

Ousatonic Dam, Shelton – Jerry Dougherty

Shelton, in Fairfield County, is located in western Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. Settled in 1639 as part of the town of Stratford, the area was known as Coram, and also Ripton, before being incorporated in 1789 as Huntington. In 1882, it was renamed Shelton, before being incorporated as a city in 1915. The harnessing of abundant waterpower from the Husatonic River dam and a local canal allowed for the production of everything from pins to pianos. Today, Shelton remains a manufacturing center and the headquarters of many international companies. Included among Shelton’s manufactured goods are Wiffle balls—a Connecticut invention.