The birthplace of John Brown, Torrington
Torrington, in Litchfield County, is located in northwest Connecticut on the Naugatuck River. Originally called Mast Swamp for the pines harvested for use as ship masts, Torrington was settled in 1735, incorporated in 1740, and chartered as a city in 1923. In the years before the Civil War, Torringford, a section of Torrington, was a transportation center for the Underground Railroad. In the 19th century, Torrington was an industrial center for the manufacture of brass, needles, tacks, woolen cloth, and millwork. Litchfield County’s largest town, Torrington is home to the iconic Warner Theater located in the Downtown Torrington Historic District.
More on Torrington from the CT Digital Archive
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Video
Zeeland Productions. Pursuit of Precision: Documentry Film of the Hendey Machine Company. Torrington, CT, 2003. Link.
Places
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Burr Pond State Park,” 2016. Link.
Torrington Historical Society. “Hotchkiss-Flyer House Museum,” 2016. Link.
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “John A. Minetto State Park,” 2016. Link.
Torrington Historical Society. “John Brown Birthplace,” 2016. Link
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Paugnut State Forest,” 2016. Link.
Torrington Historical Society. “The John H. Thompson Memorial Library & Archives,” 2016. Link.
“Torrington Historical Society,” 2017. Link.
Connecticut Freedom Trail. “Uriel Tuttle House,” 2016. Link.
Documents
Houston, John. “Map of the Town of Torrington.” Philadelphia, PA: Richard Clark, 1852. Connecticut History Illustrated, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Lamb, Amherst. Patent US990660 - Chain Stich Looper for Lock Stitch Sewing Machine. 990,660. Torrington, CT, issued April 25, 1911. Link.
“Torrington Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Norris, George E. “Torrington, Connecticut. 1889.” Bird’s-eye. Brockton, MA: George E. Norris, 1889. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
D. Bremner & Company. “Wolcottville, Conn.” Bird’s-eye. Boston, MA: O.H. Bailey & Company, ca 1875. Connecticut History Online, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Books
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 Torrington, Connecticut, from Its First Settlement in 1737, with Biographies and Genealogies. Albany, NY: J. Munsell, Printer, 1878. Link.
Pape, William J. History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut. Vol. 1. Chicago; New York: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1918. Link.
Torrington Historical Society, Bess Bailey, and Merrill Bailey. Torrington. 3 vols. Torrington, CT: Torrington Historical Society, 1975.
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