Killingly 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
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 ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The population was 17,752 at the
2020 census. It consists of the borough of
Danielson
Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Bro ...
and the villages of Attawaugan, Ballouville,
Dayville, East Killingly, Rogers, and South Killingly.
History
In 1653,
the second John Winthrop, son of Massachusetts Bay Colony's founding governor, obtained a grant of land formerly held by the Quinebaug Indian tribe and known as the Quinebaug (Long Pond) Country. The name ''Quinebaug'' comes from the southern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
Native American term, spelled variously , , etc., meaning "long pond", from , "long", and , "pond".
The area in that grant, which is now occupied by Killingly, was first settled by English colonists in 1700. It was first called "Aspinock", a word which may have come from the combination of the
native term "aucks" or "ock" (the place of/where) and the name of the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
settler, Lieutenant Aspinwall. When the town was incorporated in May 1708,
Colony Governor Saltonstall was asked to suggest a name. Saltonstall's ancestral manorial possessions lay in Killanslie and Pontefract, Yorkshire, hence he suggested “Kellingly” (the spelling was later altered).
![Davis Park gazebo, Killingly, Connecticut](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Davis_Park_gazebo%2C_Killingly%2C_Connecticut.jpg)
During the 1830s, Killingly was the state's largest producer of cotton goods, manufacturing textiles in mills from cotton shipped from the Deep South. By the 1930s, it was an important producer of window curtains.
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 (2.94%) is water.
Principal communities
*Attawaugan
*Ballouville
*Chestnut Hill
*
Danielson
Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Bro ...
(borough)
*
Dayville
*East Killingly
*Elmville
*Killingly Center
*Rogers
*South Killingly
On the National Register of Historic Places
*
Broad Street – Davis Park Historic District
Broad Street – Davis Park Historic District is a historic district in the borough of Danielson, in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. The district is mainly residential in character, and includes Davis Park, a triangular park created in 1890 ...
– Roughly along Broad Street, from Dorrance Street to Winter Street (added 1998)
*
Daniel's Village Archeological Site
The Daniel's Village Archeological Site is a historic industrial archaeological site in Killingly, Connecticut. Located in the vicinity of the crossing of Putnam Road and the Five Mile River, the area is the site of one of the earliest textile m ...
(added 1978)
*
Danielson Main Street Historic District
The Danielson Main Street Historic District encompasses the historic late 19th-century commercial business district of the borough of Danielson in the town of Killingly, Connecticut. It extends along Main Street, between the Five Mile River and ...
– Main Street from Water Street to Spring Street (added 1992), featuring Colonial Revival and Italianate architectural styles.
*
Dayville Historic District
The Dayville Historic District encompasses a collection of mid-19th century architecture in the Dayville village of Killingly, Connecticut. It is clustered around the junction of Main and Pleasant streets, extending along Main to High Street. The ...
– Main and Pleasant Streets (added 1988)
*
Elliottville Lower Mill
The Elliottville Lower Mill, also known historically as the Peep Toad Mill, is an historic cotton mill in the East Killingly section of Killingly, Connecticut. Built about 1850, it is a well-preserved example of an early wood-frame textile mill. ...
– Peep Toad Road (added 1982)
*
Old Killingly High School
The Old Killingly High School is a historic school building on 185 Broad Street in the Danielson section of Killingly, Connecticut. Built in 1908 and enlarged in 1927, it served as the town's high school until 1965, and then its junior high sch ...
– 185 Broad Street (added 1992)
*
Temple Beth Israel (Danielson, Connecticut)
Temple Beth Israel is a historic Jewish synagogue building at 39 Killingly Drive in the Danielson village of Killingly, Connecticut. Built between 1951 and 1961 to a design by Boston, Massachusetts architect William Riseman, it is one of the fir ...
– 39 Killingly Drive (added 2003)
Demographics
![Danielson CT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Danielson_CT.jpg)
As of the
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, there were 17,370 people, 6,749 households, and 4,528 families in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 358.1/square mile (137.9/km). There were 7,592 housing units at an average density of 156.5/square mile (60.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 93.1%
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 ...
, 1.5%
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 ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 1.8%
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 ...
, 0.7% 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 2.4% 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 3.0% of the population.
The borough of Danielson and the town of Killingly contain a small
Laotian community. Both are on the nation's list of top 50 cities with the highest percentage of citizens claiming Laotian ancestry.
Of the 6,749 households: 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
The area population contained 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,598, and the median income for a family was $68,565. Males had a median income of $49,467 versus $35,429 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 $26,585. About 8.5% of families and 10.3% 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 12.7% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Danielson Airport
Danielson Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northwest of the central business district of Danielson, a borough in the town of Killingly in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The smal ...
is a state owned, public use
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
located two
nautical mile
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (4
km) northwest of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Danielson
Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Bro ...
, a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
in Killingly.
Bus service to the area is provided by the
Northeastern Connecticut Transit District The Northeastern Connecticut Transit District (NECTD) is an agency providing multiple forms of public transportation in northeastern Connecticut. Six fixed routes (with deviation on request) provide week-round service to the towns of Brooklyn, Killi ...
.
Notable people
*
Francis Alexander
Francis Alexander (February 3, 1800 – March 27, 1880) was an American portrait-painter.
Biography
Alexander was born in Windham county Connecticut in February 1800. Brought up on a farm, he taught himself the use of colors, and in 1820 we ...
(1800–1881), born in Killingly, was a portrait painter
*
Harriet Pritchard Arnold
Harriet Pritchard Arnold ( Harriet Eudora Pritchard; pen name: H.E.P.; December 24, 1858 - August 4, 1901) was a 19th-century American author.
Born in Connecticut, in 1858, she removed with her parents to Maine at a young age, with the greater ...
(1858–1901), writer
*
Manasseh Cutler
Manasseh Cutler (May 13, 1742 – July 28, 1823) was an American clergyman involved in the American Revolutionary War. He was influential in the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and wrote the section prohibiting slavery in the Nort ...
(1742–1823), US representative, soldier, minister, botanist, doctor, and scientist. He was educated at both Yale and Harvard Universities. He lobbied Congress to pass the
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance (formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio and also known as the Ordinance of 1787), enacted July 13, 1787, was an organic act of the Congress of the Co ...
of 1787, helped establish the
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country (approximately the present U.S. state of Ohio) and to trade with the Native Americ ...
, and worked to found
Ohio University
Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
*
John M. Dowe
John Marshall Dowe (September 1, 1896 – May 15, 1946) was an American politician who served as Connecticut State Comptroller (1941–1943, 1945–1946). A Democrat from Killingly, he also served in the Connecticut General Assembly.
Political ...
(1896–1946),
Connecticut State Comptroller The State Comptroller is the chief fiscal guardian of the State of Connecticut. The duties and responsibilities of the state comptroller include, among other things, overseeing state accounting, preparing state financial reports, paying and administ ...
(1941–1943, 1945–1946)
*
Mae Flexer
Mae Flexer is a member of the Connecticut State Senate representing the state's 29th district, which includes the towns of Brooklyn, Connecticut, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Connecticut, Canterbury, Killingly, Connecticut, Killingly, Mansfield, Connect ...
, Connecticut state senator
*
William Torrey Harris
William Torrey Harris (September 10, 1835 – November 5, 1909) was an American educator, philosopher, and lexicographer. He worked for nearly a quarter century in St. Louis, Missouri, where he taught school and served as Superintendent of School ...
(1835–1909), a philosopher who introduced reindeer to Alaska, educator (and later
U.S. Commissioner of Education The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the federal Office of Education, which was historically a unit within and originally assigned to the Department of the Interior in the United States. The position was created on March ...
) who introduced the first permanent kindergarten, and lexicographer who introduced the "divided page" into dictionaries (the 1909 edition of ''Webster's New International Dictionary''). He was born in North Killingly. He also founded the first philosophical journal in the country
*
Mary Dixon Kies
Mary Dixon Kies (March 21, 1752 – 1837) was an American inventor. On May 5, 1809, her patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats was signed by President James Madison.
Some sources say she was the first wom ...
(1752–1837), the first woman in the United States to receive a patent (in 1809, for a method of weaving straw with silk or thread). Kies was born and lived in South Killingly, an unincorporated village in the Town of Killingly
*
Samuel Knight (1731–1804), chief justice of the
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court.
The Court ...
*
Charles Tiffany (1812–1902) born in town, became the owner of Tiffany and Company
*
Ebenezer Young
Ebenezer Young (December 25, 1783 – August 18, 1851) was a United States representative from Connecticut. He was born in Killingly, Connecticut and graduated from Yale College in 1806. He studied law and was admitted to the bar and commenced p ...
(1783–1851), a
United States 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 ...
from Connecticut
References
External links
Town government Web site
{{authority control
Towns in Windham County, Connecticut
Towns in Connecticut