Madison, a part of New Haven County, lies in south-central Connecticut adjacent to the Long Island Sound and between the East and Hammonasset Rivers. Formerly East Guilford, it was settled by the English in 1641 and incorporated as a separate town in 1826. Largely agricultural, it also had some notable early industries such as shipbuilding. The Boston Post Road and later turnpikes made Madison popular as a resort community for a seasonal population—a characteristic that it retains to this day. Both Hammonasset State Park and Cockaponset State Forest lie within its borders.
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Hammonasset State Park Serves the State and its Residents
Located in Madison, Hammonasset State Park provides visitors with opportunities for swimming, sunbathing, or strolling along the park’s meandering boardwalk. …[more]
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Websites
“Charlotte L. Evarts Memorial Archives,” 2017. Link.
“Greater New Haven Labor History Association,” 2017. Link.
Places
Madison Historical Society. “Allis-Bushnell House,” 2017. Link.
“Deacon John Grave House,” 2017. Link.
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Hammonasset Beach State Park,” n.d. Link.
Madison Historical Society. “Lee’s Academy,” 2017. Link.
“Madison Historical Society,” 2017. Link.
Madison Historical Society. “Smallpox Burying Ground,” 2017. Link.
Documents
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Madison - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2017. Link.
“Madison Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
O.H. Bailey & Company. “View of Madison, Conn.” Bird’s-eye. Boston: Bailey & Company, 1881. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Books
Steiner, Bernard. A History of the Plantation of Menunkatuck and of the Original Town of Guilford, Connecticut Comprising the Present Towns of Guilford and Madison. Baltimore, MD: Bernard C. Steiner, 1897. Link.
McCain, Diana. Connecticut Coast: A Town-by-Town Illustrated History. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2009.
Rockey, J. L., ed. History of New Haven County, Connecticut. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Preston, 1892. Link.
Charlotte L. Evarts Memorial Archives, and Madison Historical Society. Madison, Connecticut in the Twentieth Century. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1998.