Boothe Memorial Park, Stratford

Boothe Memorial Park, Redwood Building, Stratford – Jerry Dougherty

Located on Long Island Sound, the Fairfield County town of Stratford is bounded by the Housatonic River on its eastern border. Europeans settled the area known as Cupheag, or harbor, in 1639 and later named it Stratford. Its original lands included what eventually became Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, and parts of Bridgeport. Early industries included oystering and shipbuilding. With the advent of the industrial age, manufacturing became an economic mainstay and Stratford today still produces an array of goods, from chemicals, electrical parts, and hardware to plastics and paper products. It is best known, however, as the birthplace of the American helicopter industry built on the pioneering work of Igor Sikorsky.

More on Stratford from the CT Digital Archive

Browse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.

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Igor Sikorsky's first helicopter ascent, Stratford

World’s First Helicopter – Today in History: September 14

On September 14, 1939, the VS-300, the world’s first practical helicopter, took flight at Stratford, Connecticut. …[more]

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Places

“Boothe Memorial Park & Museum,” 2016. Link.
Stratford Historical Society. “Captain David Judson House,” 2016. Link.
“National Helicopter Museum,” 2016. Link.
Norwalk Seaport Association. “Sheffield Island Lighthouse,” 2016. Link.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Stewart B. McKinney: National Wildlife Refuge,” 2016. Link.
“Stratford Historical Society,” 2016. Link.

Documents

“Map - Stratford - Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” Boston, MA: D. H. Hurd & Co., 1893. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
“Map - Town of Stratford, Fairfield Co., Conn. (Petersen Collection).” ca 1868. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Painting: Along the Housatonic, Stratford, October 11, 1898. 1898. Connecticut History Illustrated, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
“Photograph: US-300 Helicopter Hovering, Stratford,” 1949 1940. Connecticut History Illustrated, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
“Stratford Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

Orcutt, Rev. Samuel. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Vol. 1. New Haven,  CT: Tuttle  Morehouse & Taylor, 1886. Link.
McCain, Diana. Connecticut Coast: A Town-by-Town Illustrated History. Guilford,  CT: Globe Pequot Press, 2009.
Hurd, D. Hamilton, ed. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1881. Link.
Wilcoxson, William Howard. History of Stratford Connecticut, 1639-1969. Stratford, CT: Published under the auspices of the Stratford Tercentenary Commission, 1969.
Stratford Historical Society, and Lewis Knapp. In Pursuit of Paradise: History of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut. West Kennebunk,  ME: Phoenix Publishing, 1989.
Stratford Historical Society, and John Calhoun. Stratford. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 1999.
Stratford Historical Society, and Lewis Knapp. Stratford and the Sea. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2002.