The East Haddam Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

representing the historical development of two 18th-century settlements of the town on the east bank of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

, Upper Landing and Lower Landing. The district is linear and runs along Route 149. It was listed 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 ...

in 1983, and includes a diversity of 18th and 19th-century styles, as well as the town's main civic structures, and the

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

. Also included in the district are two monuments, one to

Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured b ...

and another to Gen.

Joseph Spencer Joseph Spencer (October 3, 1714 – January 13, 1789) was an American lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Connecticut. During the Revolutionary War, he served both as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a major general in the C ...

, a park, and a cemetery. and East Haddam was settled in 1685, and was originally part of Haddam. Ferry service was introduced on the river in 1695, and developed at several points. The Upper and Lower Landings each developed somewhat independently, but over time became united into a long linear village, caused in part by the steep terrain immediately to the east which limited growth in that direction. Both landings flourished up to 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 ...

, as centers of international commerce doing business with the East and West Indies. The landings declined in economic importance after the war, owing to the rise of the railroad as the principal means of commercial transport, which was run up the west side of the river. The southern landing eventually became more significant as a tourist destination, and is where the East Haddam Bridge is now located, as is the village's commercial district.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places East Haddam, Connecticut Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut Victorian architecture in Connecticut Historic districts in Middlesex County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

See also

References