
Sharon Valley Lime Kiln, Sharon – Doug Kerr
The Litchfield County town of Sharon is located in Connecticut’s northwestern corner and its western border abuts New York State. The General Assembly incorporated the town in 1739 and named it after the Plain of Sharon, a fertile region mentioned in the Bible. Iron manufacture sustained Sharon, and in the early 1800s town resident Asahel Hotchkiss produced home and farm goods, including rakes, buckles, and currycombs, from locally mined ore. During the Civil War, the town made munitions and invented the Hotchkiss explosive shell. Today, Sharon is a quiet bedroom community where iron stacks from the days when industry ruled the area can still be seen.
Featured
Turnpikes and Transportation in Sharon
The town of Sharon, like many early communities in the colony, required basic road and bridge infrastructure in order to maintain a thriving community. …[more]