Thomaston - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building, Opera House, and Town Hall, Thomaston – Jerry Dougherty

The southern Litchfield County town of Thomaston is located at the confluence of the Naugatuck River and the Northfield and Black Rock Brooks. From 1795 through the late 1800s, present-day Thomaston was the Plymouth Hollow section of Plymouth. Here, clockmaker Seth Thomas earned fame for his mass production techniques and also helped bring the Naugatuck railroad to the hollow. Named in honor of this entrepreneur, Thomaston incorporated from Plymouth in 1875. The town’s industry largely concentrated along the Naugatuck River, with outlying areas remaining agricultural in nature. Today, the Thomaston Opera House, built in 1884, still serves as a cultural center for the town.