Wylie School, Voluntown Historical Society

Wylie School, Voluntown Historical Society – Jerry Dougherty

A town located in the northeast corner of New London County, Voluntown shares its eastern border with the state of Rhode Island. Incorporated in 1721, the community received its name from the fact that, in 1700, the Volunteers of the Narragansett War were given lots in the area to build homesteads—thus creating a Volunteer Town. Early industry included farming and textile mills. Today, Pachaug State Forest, located within Voluntown’s borders, takes up two-thirds of the town and is a popular camping and hiking destination.

More on Voluntown from the CT Digital Archive

Browse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.

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Pachaug Trail, Wiclcabouet Marsh, Voluntown

The Story of Connecticut’s Largest State Forest

Pachaug State Forest is the largest state forest in Connecticut and covers approximately 24,000 acres and crossing the borders of numerous towns. …[more]

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Websites

“The Last Green Valley,” 2017. Link.

Places

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Pachaug State Forest,” 2016. Link.

Documents

Woodford, E. M. “Map of Windham County, Connecticut.” Philadelphia, PA: E.M. Woodford, 1856. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC, Yale University Library, Map Collection. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Voluntown - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2014. Link.
“Voluntown Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Lee, Stephen. “Windham County, Conn., Business Directory Containing the Names, Business and Location of All the Business Men in the County, Agricultural, Manufacturing, and Other Statistics, with a History of Each Town.” Windham County Transcript Office, 1861. Link.

Books

Marshall, Benjamin Tinkham, ed. A Modern History of New London County, Connecticut. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1922. Link.
Larned, Ellen. History of Windham County, Connecticut. 1600-1760. Vol. 1. Worcester,  MA: Ellen Larned, 1874. Link.
Larned, Ellen. History of Windham County, Connecticut. 1760-1880. Vol. 2. Worcester,  MA: Ellen Larned, 1874. Link.
The Story of the Twenty-First Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, During the Civil War. 1861-1865. Middletown, CT: Stewart Printing Co., 1900. Link.