Ashford is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core of the region known as the ...
, United States.
[ It is part of the Connecticut ]Quiet Corner
Northeastern Connecticut, better known as the Quiet Corner, is a historic region of the state of Connecticut, located in the northeastern corner of the state. It is generally associated with Windham County, but also sometimes incorporates easte ...
. The population was 4,191 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1714. Eastford was a part of Ashford until 1847, when the former split off to organize its own town. For this reason North Ashford is located in northeast Eastford.
Ashford is home to the largest boy scout camp in Connecticut, the June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation
The headquarters of the Connecticut Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America is located in East Hartford, Connecticut. The present council was formed as the result of the merger between the Indian Trails Council of Norwich, Connecticut and Lon ...
; to Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, based in Ashford, Connecticut, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, residential summer camp, and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and condition ...
for children with cancer and other serious illness; to the Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
CONNRI Lodge and Conference Center; and to the Evangelical Christian Center, a retreat, camp and conference center.
History
President George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, returning from his tour of the country in the fall of 1789, was chagrined to be involuntarily abandoned in the village on a Sunday. It was contrary to law to hire a conveyance on that day, which was observed by villagers, to Washington's great annoyance.
New Ashford in Massachusetts is named after Ashford, as it was settled in 1762 by people from Ashford.
On July 17, 2018, an EF0 tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
—the first tornado to touch down in Windham County since 1992—struck Ashford Lake and the surrounding neighborhoods, downing trees, damaging homes, and killing three household rabbits.
National Register of Historic Places listings
* Ashford Academy
The Ashford Academy is a historic school building on Fitts Road in Ashford, Connecticut. Built in 1825, it is the oldest public building in the town, serving as a school until 1949. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...
– Fitts Road (added 1988)
* Church Farm
The Church Farm is a historic former farm at 396 Mansfield Road in Ashford, Connecticut. Built in 1821, the main house is a remarkably sophisticated example of Federal period architecture in a rural setting. The property was listed on the Nati ...
– 396 Mansfield Road (added December 17, 1988)
* Knowlton Memorial Hall
Knowlton Memorial Hall, also known as Ashford Town Hall, is located at 5 Town Hall Road in Ashford, Connecticut. It was built in 1924 to house town offices and the public library. Construction was made possible by a gift from Charles Knowlton, w ...
– 25 Pompey Hollow Road (added April 17, 1994)
* Mixer Tavern
The Mixer Tavern is a historic tavern, now a private residence, at 14 Westford Road in Ashford, Connecticut. Portions of the building date to 1710, making it one of Ashford's oldest buildings. It is also distinctive for its well-preserved tavern ...
– 14 Westford Road (added April 17, 1994)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.80%) is water. The Mount Hope River
The Mount Hope River is a river in northeastern section of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The river is formed at the outlet of Morey Pond at the extreme northern end of Ashford, Connecticut, at the border of Union, Connecticut, and flows about ...
flows through the middle of the town, from north to south, while Bigelow Brook
Bigelow Brook is a river in northeastern Connecticut, flowing from Mashapaug Lake in Union to its confluence with the Still River in Eastford.
Bigelow Brook is formed in Union, Connecticut at the outflow of Mashapaug Lake. After leaving the lak ...
flows along the town's eastern border with Eastford. Ashford has several lakes and ponds, notably Ashford Lake, Lake Chaffee
Lake Chaffee is a small, shallow, man-made lake located approximately northwest of the hamlet of Westford in the town of Ashford in Windham County, northeastern Connecticut. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Its average surfac ...
, Knowlton Pond, Rychlings Pond, Halls Pond, Poole Pond (Also known as Pearson Pond), and Morey Pond. The community of Lake Chaffee
Lake Chaffee is a small, shallow, man-made lake located approximately northwest of the hamlet of Westford in the town of Ashford in Windham County, northeastern Connecticut. The lake has an area of and a maximum depth of . Its average surfac ...
surrounds the lake of the same name.
Boston Hollow Boston Hollow is a deep ravine in Ashford, Connecticut. It is a unique location in several ways. In geological terms it is an ancient fault in the Central Maine Terrane of the eastern highlands of Connecticut. More specifically, it lays within the ...
, a deep ravine, is located in Ashford, in the Yale-Myers Forest
The Yale-Myers Forest is a 7,800-acre (32 km2) forest in Northeastern Connecticut owned by Yale University and administered by the Yale School of the Environment. Located in the towns of Union, Ashford, Eastford, and Woodstock, the forest ...
. Parts of Natchaug State Forest
Natchaug State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in six towns including Ashford, Chaplin, and Eastford. The Natchaug River runs from north to south along (and in a few cases through) the western border of the main forest parcel. Jam ...
and Nipmuck State Forest are also located in Ashford, and both the Natchaug Trail and the Nipmuck Trail
The Nipmuck Trail is a '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail system which meanders through of forests in northeast Connecticut. It is maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and is considered one of the Blue-Blazed hiking trails. There ...
runs through the town. Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust, or Joshua's Trust, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust operating in northeast Connecticut. Joshua's Trust was incorporated in 1966 to help conserve property of significant natural or historic inter ...
has several nature preserved in town. Snow Hill located in the northwest corner of the town, is the highest point in Windham County at 1,210 feet.
Flora and fauna
Ashford is located in the northeastern coastal forests
The Northeastern coastal forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the northeast and middle Atlantic region of the United States. The ecoregion covers an area of 34,630 sq miles (89,691 km2) encompassing the Piedmont a ...
, which is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.
These ...
ecoregion. Ashford is home to the Yale-Myers Forest
The Yale-Myers Forest is a 7,800-acre (32 km2) forest in Northeastern Connecticut owned by Yale University and administered by the Yale School of the Environment. Located in the towns of Union, Ashford, Eastford, and Woodstock, the forest ...
, which is used by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale School of the Environment (YSE) is a professional school of Yale University. It was founded to train foresters, and now trains environmental leaders through four 2-year degree programs ( Master of Environmental Management, Master of Environm ...
for scientific research and education. The most famous tree in town is the Ashford Oak, a very large and old Northern Red Oak with a trunk that is 8 meters in circumference.
The last recorded sighting of periodic cicadas belonging to Brood XI
Brood XI (Brood 11) was a brood of periodical cicadas that appeared regularly in the eastern United States. It was one of the smallest 17-year broods, consisting exclusively of the species ''Magicicada septendecim'', and was historically restricte ...
of the 17-year variety occurred in Ashford in 1954 along the Fenton River
300px, Fenton River along the Nipmuck Trail just north of CT Route 44 (UConn Forest)
The Fenton River is a major water source for the University of Connecticut that runs through Mansfield, Storrs, and Willington, as well as small parts of W ...
.
Demographics
As of 2010 Ashford had a population of 4,317. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 94.1% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 1.1% from some other race, 2.1% from two or more races and 3.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 4,098 people, 1,578 households, and 1,084 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,699 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.71% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.00% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.27% Native American, 1.02% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.44% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.00% of the population.
There were 1,578 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,000, and the median income for a family was $61,693. Males had a median income of $42,117 versus $31,942 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $26,104. About 3.4% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
The town of Ashford is heavily Democratic and has been since the 1930s. Ashford was one of only 8 towns in Connecticut that voted for George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pres ...
over Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
in the 1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
election.
Religion
Several churches exist in Ashford. They include the St Philip-Apostle Church (Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
), Living Proof Church (formerly United Baptist Church
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
of Ashford), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
, and Westford Congregational Church
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
.
Education
Elementary and middle school-aged residents attend Ashford School, the town's only school, built in 1951 to replace the old Ashford Academy
The Ashford Academy is a historic school building on Fitts Road in Ashford, Connecticut. Built in 1825, it is the oldest public building in the town, serving as a school until 1949. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...
schoolhouse. This school educates students from Pre-K through grade eight. In February 1979, the town's board of education considered closing the school in response to a budget crisis.
High school-aged residents may attend E. O. Smith High School
E. O. Smith High School, (or E.O. Smith) named after a member of Connecticut's legislature and former University of Connecticut president Edwin O. Smith, is a High school, secondary school located in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. E.O. Smith ...
in Mansfield, CT, part of Regional School District 19. They also can go to Windham Technical High School
Windham Technical High School, or Windham Tech, is a technical high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools pr ...
, ACT. and Ellis Technical High School.
Notable people
* Francis Bugbee (1794–1877), lawyer, judge and politician
* Walter Eli Clark
Walter Eli Clark (January 7, 1869 – February 4, 1950) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. In addition to his journalistic activities, he was the last Governor of the District of Alaska from 1909 to 1912, and the first Govern ...
(1869–1950), journalist, last governor of the District of Alaska
The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation ...
and the first governor of the Alaska Territory
The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...
* Emeline Horton Cleveland
Emeline Horton Cleveland (September 22, 1829December 8, 1878) was an American physician and one of the first women to perform major abdominal or gynecological surgery in the United States. She became one of the first woman physicians associated wi ...
(1829–1878), physician and college professor, the first woman on record to perform major surgery
* Galusha A. Grow (1822–1907), speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863
* John Keyes (1744–1824), first adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the State of Connecticut
* Elias Keyes
Elias Keyes (April 14, 1758July 9, 1844) was an American politician and judge. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont.
Biography
Keyes was born in Ashford in the Connecticut Colony. He attended the common schools and later read law. ...
, (1758–1844), United States Congressman from Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
* Thomas Knowlton
Thomas W. Knowlton (November 22, 1740 – September 16, 1776) was an American patriot who served in the French and Indian War and was a colonel during the American Revolution. Knowlton is considered America's first Intelligence professional, ...
(1740–1776), military officer in the American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, who led the Knowlton's Rangers, America's first Army intelligence unit
* Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginning of the conflict, to forestall secret secessionist plans of th ...
(1818–1861), the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
* Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
(1925–2008), award-winning actor, film director and philanthropist. A seasonal resident of Ashford from the opening of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, based in Ashford, Connecticut, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, residential summer camp, and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and condition ...
in 1988
* Eliphalet Nott
Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York.
Early life
Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1 ...
(1773–1866), president of Union College
Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
, and from 1829 to 1845 simultaneously was president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...
. Inventor of the first stove for anthracite coal
* Caroline Lathrop Post
Caroline Lathrop Post (November 27, 1824 – May 3, 1915) was an American poet. Born Caroline Lathrop in Ashford, Connecticut, her youth included residencies in Hartford and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She married businessman Charles Rollin Post o ...
(1824–1915), poet
* James Hamilton Shegogue (1806–1872), painter
* Solomon Spalding
Solomon Spalding (February 20, 1761 – October 20, 1816) was an American author who wrote two related texts: an unfinished manuscript entitled ''Manuscript Story – Conneaut Creek'', and an unpublished historical romance about the lost civilizati ...
(1761–1816), writer
* John H. Trumbull
John Harper Trumbull (March 4, 1873 – May 21, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 70th Governor of Connecticut.
Early life
Trumbull was born in Ashford, Connecticut son of Hugh Homer Trumbull (1847–1922) and Mary Ann (Harper ...
(1873–1961), the 70th governor of Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
* Valerie Wilson Wesley
Valerie Wilson Wesley (born November 22, 1947) is an American author of Mystery fiction, mysteries, adult-theme novels, and children's books, and a former executive editor of ''Essence (magazine), Essence'' magazine. She is the author of the Tamar ...
(born 1947), mystery writer[Staff]
"Mystery Plot: Whodunit in Newark?"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', August 26, 1994. Accessed February 6, 2012. "Ms. Wilson Wesley grew up in Ashford, Conn., and now lives in Montclair, N.J., with her husband and two daughters. But she lived in nearby East Orange in the early 1970s, and Tamara's yellow-and-green Cape Cod is modeled on her old house."
* Edward W. Whitaker (1841–1922), Brevet Brigadier General; soldier and Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Towns in Windham County, Connecticut
Populated places established in 1714
Towns in Connecticut
1714 establishments in Connecticut