Lover's Leap Bridge, New Milford

Lover’s Leap Bridge, New Milford – Steven Schwartz

The town of New Milford, located in Litchfield County, is in the western portion of the state near New York and shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. Settled in 1707 and incorporated in 1712, New Milford’s first English settlers were John Noble, Sr. of Massachusetts and his eight-year-old daughter, Sarah.  In the late 1800s, town factories produced buttons, paint and varnish, hats, and furnishings, among other goods, but tobacco crops and warehouses made up its main industry. Today, the town is best known as the former home of Roger Sherman, member of the Continental Congress and signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

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Places

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Lovers Leap State Park,” 2016. Link.
“New Milford Historical Society,” 2016. Link.
“The Gaylordsville Historical Society,” 2012. Link.

Documents

“Map - South Part of Litchfield Co., Connecticut from Page 214 & 215 of Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” Real Property. Boston, MA: D.H. Hurd & Co., 1893. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Fagan, L. “Map of New Milford, Litchfield Co., Conn. Surveyed by L. Fagan, Sketches by Edgar Beman.” New Milford; Bridgewater, CT: Richard Clark, 1853. Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “New Milford - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2016. Link.
“New Milford Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
“View of New Milford, Conn. 1906.” Panoramic. New York: Hughes & Bailey, 1906. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.

Books

Murphy, Susan, and Gary Smolen. Candlewood Lake. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2005.
J.W. Lewis & Company. History of Litchfield County, Connecticut, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of the Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1881. Link.
Orcutt, Samuel. History of the Towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1703-1882. Hartford: Case,  Lockwood and Brainard Company, 1882. Link.
Smith, Frances. New Milford. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2000.