Sandy Hook is a village in the town of

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury metropolitan area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 censu ...

. It was founded in 1711. It was listed as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

prior to the 2020 census. Sandy Hook borders the village of Botsford, the Newtown borough, and the towns of Monroe, Southbury, and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

along the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

. The village of Sandy Hook includes the communities of Berkshire, Riverside, Walnut Tree Hill, and Zoar. It also extends for a short distance into the town of Monroe along Old Zoar Road and Bagburn Hill/Jordan Hill Road.

History

Sandy Hook was founded when several proprietors with land in the area relocated together to reduce isolation. Within a year of the settlement of Newtown, some of its proprietors began moving away from the central village to some of their larger parcels. Colonists found that the

Pootatuck River The Potatuck were a Native American tribe in Connecticut. They were related to the Paugussett people, historically located during and prior to the colonial era in western Connecticut. They lived in what is now Newtown, Woodbury and Southbury o ...

at Sandy Hook allowed for saw and grist mills, leading to it becoming one of the first outlying areas to be settled. The neighborhood did not grow dramatically until the mid-19th century post-industrialization.

2012 school shooting

, Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother at home, then went to

Sandy Hook Elementary School Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) * (Sandy) ...

where he killed 26 people including 20 children. He committed suicide when police arrived to the school. It was the mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, after the 2007

Virginia Tech shooting The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree shooting that occurred on April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. Seung-Hui Cho, an u ...

Landmarks

Sandy Hook has a few historic landmarks on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. * Nathan B. Lattin Farm * New York Belting and Packing Co. *

Sanford–Curtis–Thurber House The Sanford–Curtis–Thurber House, also known as James Thurber House, is a historic house at 71 Riverside Road in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Connecticut. It is a Georgian style house built in c.1780 that was listed on the National R ...

Notable residents

* John Angel, sculptor *

Luther Meade Blackman Luther Meade Blackman (February 14, 1834 – July 11, 1919) was an American engraver. He was born in Sandy Hook, Newtown, in Fairfield County, Connecticut to Denman (or Denmon) and Elizabeth Jane Shepard Blackman. His parents were married Januar ...

, major during 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 ...

accused of forging the

Bat Creek inscription The Bat Creek inscription is an inscribed stone tablet found by John W. Emmert on February 14, 1889. Emmert claimed to have found the tablet in Tipton Mound 3 during an excavation of Hopewell mounds in Loudon County, Tennessee. This excavation was ...

Suzanne Collins Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer. She is known as the author of the book series ''The Underland Chronicles'' and ''The Hunger Games''. Early life Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962, in ...

, American television writer and author of ''

The Underland Chronicles ''The Underland Chronicles'' is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland,” a subterranean world located under ...

'' and ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set ...

'' trilogy * Anthony Edwards, actor *

William Hamilton Gibson William Hamilton Gibson (October 5, 1850July 16, 1896) was an American illustrator, author and naturalist. Biography Gibson was born in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, of an old, distinguished New England family; one of his great-great-grandfathers was ...

, 19th-century illustrator, author, and naturalist *

Charles Goodyear Charles Goodyear (December 29, 1800 – July 1, 1860) was an American self-taught chemist and manufacturing engineer who developed vulcanized rubber, for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844. ...

, gained renown in 1839 for the technique of the vulcanization of rubber *

Ruth Gordon Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter, and playwright. She began her career performing on Broadway at age 19. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, Gordon gained internati ...

, actress *

Arthur Twining Hadley Arthur Twining Hadley (, ; April 23, 1856 – March 6, 1930) was an American economist who served as President of Yale University from 1899 to 1921. Biography He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of James Hadley, Professor of Greek at Y ...

, 13th president of Yale University *John Howat, curator at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

Charles R. Jackson Charles Reginald Jackson (April 6, 1903September 21, 1968) was an American writer. He wrote the 1944 novel '' The Lost Weekend''. Early life Charles R. Jackson was born in Summit, New Jersey on April 6, 1903, the son of Frederick George and Sa ...

, 1950s writer and novelist, author of '' The Lost Weekend'' *

Caitlyn Jenner Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born William Bruce Jenner; October 28, 1949) is an American media personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete. Jenner played college football for the Graceland Yellowjackets before incurring a kne ...

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

decathlon gold medalist *

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

, stage/motion picture director and author *

Steven Kellogg Steven Castle Kellogg (born October 26, 1941 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is an American author and illustrator who has created more than 90 children's books. On November 12, 2011, Kellogg was given an honorary ''Doctor of Humane Letters'' from the ...

, illustrator *

Grace Moore Mary Willie Grace Moore (December 5, 1898January 26, 1947) was an American operatic soprano and actress in musical theatre and film.Obituary ''Variety'', January 29, 1947, page 48. She was nicknamed the "Tennessee Nightingale." Her films helped ...

, operatic soprano and actress in musical theater and film * Valentin Panera, Spanish actor, husband of Grace Moore * Molly Pearson, 20th-century stage actress *

Albert Berger Rossdale Albert Berger Rossdale (October 23, 1878 – April 17, 1968) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Born in New York City, Rossdale attended the public schools. He served as clerk in the New York post office 1900-1910. He served as presiden ...

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York *

James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected in ...

, writer, satirist, cartoonist, author of ''

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book ''My World and Welcome to It'' (Harc ...

'' *

Marcus Tracy Marcus Garin Tracy (born October 2, 1986 in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania) is an American soccer player who plays as a striker. Career College and Amateur Although born in Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Tracy grew up in Newtown, CT, pla ...

, professional soccer player *

Mead Treadwell Louis Mead Treadwell II (born March 21, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 11th lieutenant governor of Alaska from 2010 to 2014. Treadwell also served as chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission from 20 ...

, 13th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska and former chair of the

U.S. Arctic Research Commission The United States Arctic Research Commission is a List of U.S. federal agencies, United States federal agency. It was established by the ''Arctic Research and Policy Act'' of 1984 (as amended, Public Law 101–609). Duties The commission's pri ...

Jenna von Oÿ Jennifer Jean "Jenna" von Oÿ (born May 2, 1977) is an American actress, singer and author. She played the role of Dorothy "Six" LeMeure in the NBC sitcom '' Blossom'' and Stevie Van Lowe in the UPN sitcom ''The Parkers'', the spin-off series ...

, actress and singer *

Thelma Wood Thelma Ellen Wood (July 3, 1901 – December 10, 1970) was an American artist, specialising in the traditional fine line drawing technique known as Silverpoint. She was noted for her hectic private life, and her lesbian relationship with Djuna B ...

, sculptor *

Wally Cox Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He began his career as a standup comedian and then became the title character of the popular early U.S. television series ''Mister Peepers'' from 1952 to 19 ...

, Actor *

Antonio Fargas Antonio Juan Fargas (born August 14, 1946) is an American actor known for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation and comedy movies, as well as his portrayal as Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series '' Starsky & Hutch''. Early life Fargas was born in New ...

, Actor *

Max Nacewicz Max Nacewicz (born June 5, 1993) is a former American linebacker. He first played in the Indoor American football, arena football for the Tampa Bay Storm and then internationally in the German Football League for the Saarland Hurricanes. In 2022 ...

, Professional Football Player

References

{{Authority control Newtown, Connecticut Villages in Connecticut Villages in Fairfield County, Connecticut 1711 establishments in Connecticut Populated places established in 1711 Census-designated places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Census-designated places in Connecticut