Wolcott, Connecticut | Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project

The Old Stone Schoolhouse, Wolcott – Jerry Dougherty

Located at the northern tip of New Haven County, the town of Wolcott, originally known as Farmingbury, incorporated from Southington and Waterbury in 1796. Its name honors Governor Oliver Wolcott, who is credited with casting the deciding vote for incorporation. Wolcott, a crossroads village for travelers journeying between Waterbury and Hartford, lacked the rivers to power early industrial growth, so it remained rural up to the 20th century. However, as the neighboring city of Waterbury grew, Wolcott developed into a suburban residential community and developed a more diverse business base. Among the town’s notable past residents are clockmaker Seth Thomas and Amos Bronson Alcott, an educator, reformer, and father of Louisa May Alcott.

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Seth Thomas Works Around the Clock in Wolcott

Seth Thomas was a Connecticut native who became a pioneer in the mass production of high-quality wooden clocks. …[more]

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Places

“Wolcott Historical Society,” 2017. Link.

Documents

“Map - North Part of New Haven Co., Connecticut from Town and City Atlas of the State of Connecticut.” Boston, MA: D.H. Hurd & Company, 1893. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.

Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Wolcott - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2017. Link.

“Wolcott Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

Rockey, J. L., ed. History of New Haven County, Connecticut. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Preston, 1892. Link.

Orcutt, Samuel. History of the Town of Wolcott (Connecticut) from 1731 to 1874, with an Account of the Centenary Meeting, September 10th and 11th, 1873 and with the Genealogies of the Families of the Town. Waterbury,  CT: American Printing Company, 1874. Link.

Alcott, Amos Bronson. New Connecticut. An Autobiographical Poem. Boston, MA, 1881. Link.

Bronson, Henry. The History of Waterbury, Connecticut the Original Township Embracing Present Watertown and Plymouth, and Parts of Oxford, Wolcott, Middlebury, Prospect and Naugatuck. Waterbury, CT: Bronson Brothers, 1858. Link.