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The town of Norwalk is a coastal town bounded
on the north by New Canaan and Wilton, on the east by Long
Island Sound and on the west by New Canaan and Darien. Roger
Ludlowe purchased land in what is now the present town of East
Norwalk on February 26, 1640, embracing the area of land lying
between the Saugatuck and Norwalk Rivers. Not long after,
Captain Daniel Patrick purchased an additional portion of land
in what is known today as Norwalk.
In 1776, Nathan Hale, disguising himself as a
teacher, was rowed to British-held Long Island and then to New
York to give a report to the British. Later, General William
Tryon raided Norwalk with a combined force of over 2,600 Hessian
and British soldiers and burned the town down, leaving only six
homes untouched. After the war, the citizens of Norwalk rebuilt
the town, adding coastal trade, manufacturing and shipbuilding
to their farm businesses. Norwalk citizens manufactured clocks,
watches, paper, pottery, nails and hats. Oystering peaked
between 1885 and 1910, going from public oyster beds to oyster
farms. Today, the oyster business is booming in Connecticut.
Currently, Norwalk is home to over 80,000 residents. |
