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869066 t1_iuetmm7 wrote

r/takebackthenotch

40

fekinEEEjit t1_iufq0c6 wrote

They are mocking us with this map...political torture...

4

redcapmilk t1_iui9ybg wrote

If we take back the notch we get Southfield and that's not so bad, but then we'd be touching Wastefield, and I'm not about that.

2

Porcupine224 t1_iueq359 wrote

Some observations as someone who isn't well-educated in CT history at all:

-Southington is nowhere to be found; further reading shows it was the "South Society of Farmington" until being an official town in 1779.

-The clear pattern of older cities surrounding the waterways and expansion going further outward from there can be seen by the years of settlement.

-"Saybrook". Just that.

-The almost uniform boundaries of Litchfield county at the time. Like there was a concerted effort to split the county evenly into towns all at once.

-How recently the towns we know of and think of as staples of CT were formed based on just being separate neighborhoods that declared township.

-Tolland and Middlesex counties don't exist.

-Beginnings of I-95 and I-91 are obvious. The route I-84 eventually creates isn't present.

As a map nerd, old maps like these are sooo interesting. Thanks for sharing!

31

TankGirlwrx t1_iuf3wv7 wrote

I’m not sure if it’s just a quirk of whoever labeled this but Middle Town makes me kinda giggle. “Oh, here’s a town in the middle…what a great name!”

4

billdf99 t1_iufjp95 wrote

Really interesting observations. Thanks for sharing.

I think I CAN make out 84. Follow the road from danbury to Newtown to Southbury to Waterbury to Hartford. This map isn't exactly correct so it's hard to follow, but I think that's the general path.

4

Porcupine224 t1_iufvw89 wrote

Yeah, you're right I can see it. I was more commenting on how 95 and 91 already appear as "major" roads at this time. I definitely would have thought 84 came before 91.

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billdf99 t1_iuha62w wrote

I see what you mean. I'm not sure the order the highways were built. I think 84 was a little later though.

1

Personal-Ad-7407 t1_iuggd7z wrote

Another fun look is Windsor, which later splits into Windsor Locks, East Windsor and Ellington. Later, South Windsor splits off from East Windsor.

On this map, Windsor is on both sides of the CT River. Am I correct that Haddam is the only town that still is on both sides of the river?

3

CalligrapherDizzy201 t1_iuhk26n wrote

An infuriatingly tiny part of Wethersfield is between East Hartford and Glastonbury. You can walk through it on the Goodwin University river trail.

2

Personal-Ad-7407 t1_iuhr8fd wrote

Interesting!

That is a strange jog in the border. I checked the Wethersfield GIS map to be sure it wasn’t a Google Map artifact. Great trivia question material.

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infiniZii t1_iuhgsck wrote

I'm pretty sure Naugatuck existed at the time of this map. The river was the Naugatuck river but the borough isn't listed. It was tiny at the time though so they probably just didn't include it.

2

smartypants4all t1_iufvrc8 wrote

I am pretty sure that Route 44 follows that same path through the NW hills and into Hartford.

1

imjustaidan t1_iuf95t7 wrote

I might be bad at reading maps but it seems that the route from new Milford to new Fairfield would be impossible now because of candlewood lake, which was made in 1928. Crazy how something so big and such a staple of the area is man made.

8

CTHistory42 OP t1_iug456a wrote

I'll have an episode upcoming on the creation of Candlewood Lake. It's a simply incredible story.

2

wremt t1_iuhu8ks wrote

I hope it covers the Black history of former town of Jerusalem. Would love to hear it!

1

Few-Information7570 t1_iuf4wbk wrote

Very cool. Here two is a later map where Wilton has been formed and east and Weston have been split off from Fairfield.

https://whereilivect.org/wp-content/uploads/CT-Stagecoach-route-map.pdf

5

IGameOnMac t1_iuf77fu wrote

Bridgeport exists… and it’s in bold letters to indicate it’s city status!

1

Few-Information7570 t1_iuf8ci7 wrote

And we still have interesting issues with borders. Could black rock go back to being part of Fairfield? On Ridgefields east side, Lewisboro could easily just be an extension as it was before it was ceded to NYS. Interesting stuff.

2

IGameOnMac t1_iuf99cz wrote

Oh… and let’s get back long island… only… that’s three times our population right there and they wouldn’t like being ruled from hartford

2

colslaww t1_iueo08a wrote

Any idea what year the map was made ? My little town of Wolcott, hadn’t popped up yet.

3

CTHistory42 OP t1_iuev6cn wrote

Sorry, I don't. But I can tell you that stagecoaches were running from 1783 to 1850.

4

TheRealGodHatesFigs t1_iuf28wb wrote

The Southwick jog (aka "the notch") wasn't formalized until 1801 so if the map is accurate, it would be dated to before that point.

3

neurocellulose t1_iufd9pn wrote

It's from 1933, part of the lead up to the Tercentenary of the state. Some of the omissions are odd but I think the lack of town-by-town resolution is for the sake of clarity.

2

IGameOnMac t1_iuf6rtc wrote

Ah… before 1821… my major city… Bridgeport hasn’t popped up yet either

Someone mentioned southington is no where to be found… founded 1779 so before then I assume

1

Few-Information7570 t1_iuf62bu wrote

Here’s a bit on our steamboat history: https://www.ctexplored.org/full-steam-ahead-steamboat-travel-in-connecticut/

And somewhere too there are old adverts for the Norwalk Wilton and Ridgefield stagecoach that was timed to coincide with the steamers heading to New York.

3

CTHistory42 OP t1_iug40tm wrote

Great article! And yes, the stagecoaches were timed to coordinate with the steamers so that, for example, someone going from Litchfield to New York City had to start off at 3 am to take the stagecoach to Norwalk. But, they could get back home the very same day, if their appointment in NYC was in the morning.

2

Few-Information7570 t1_iug7iyt wrote

That I did not know the actual timing but I assumed it was an arduous and long journey!

1

NerdDruggist t1_iufm6fd wrote

I’m curious what the different colors for the churches signify.

Edit: sigh, if I had looked at the legend, I wouldn’t have had to ask

3

zgrizz t1_iuek1qd wrote

That's really cool. Thanks!

1

UnitDogeX t1_iufpd54 wrote

dang Fairfield was big, I now live in modern day Fairfield

1

CTHistory42 OP t1_iug4d08 wrote

Fairfield was one of the first settlements in CT - and yes, it was huge and gave up land to form a number of its (today) neighboring towns.

1

UnitDogeX t1_iujjrv1 wrote

Yeah, but I just wonder how come they break up into smaller towns and stuff.

1

CTHistory42 OP t1_iujl1zf wrote

In those days, the primary reason was that it was too long of a horse and buggy ride on Sunday to attend church - or, during the week, to do business.

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fekinEEEjit t1_iufq72j wrote

New London Turnpike from Gbury to the southeast!

1

taakoblaa t1_iugbhjg wrote

Oh this is so funny. I was just telling my husband about how New Milford used to be much bigger before pieces were broken off to create Brookfield, Sherman, and Washington. And how a town needed to have a Congregational church to be a town.

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CTHistory42 OP t1_iugc0og wrote

Just for the record, New Milford is still the largest town in CT in terms of acreage. However, it did not give land for the formation of Sherman. That distinction falls to New Fairfield. They did give land for Bridgewater though.

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GunnieGraves t1_iuho7ig wrote

Love how large Windsor was before they parceled it out

1

CTHistory42 OP t1_iuik9qs wrote

Some people aren't aware that Windsor was the very first settlement in CT

1

singalong37 t1_iuil4b0 wrote

Hartford might be in better shape today if West Hartford, East Hartford and Manchester were all still part of Hartford.

1