The Little 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 ...

encompassing a rural village center at Orchard and Town Roads in the town of

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 N ...

. The area was settled early in the town's colonial history and served as its town center into the 19th century. It retains some of its oldest surviving buildings, dating to the 18th and early 19th centuries. The district 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 1996.

Description and history

East Haddam was originally part of Haddam, from which it is separated by 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 ...

. It was settled in the 1670s, and its first

colonial meeting house A colonial meeting house was a meeting house used by communities in colonial New England. Built using tax money, the colonial meeting house was the focal point of the community where the town's residents could discuss local issues, conduct rel ...

was built in Little Haddam in 1704. The town was separately incorporated in 1734. Little Haddam served as the town center, but was later supplanted by locations on the river, where early economic activity was significant, and by Moodus, which developed as an industrial and economic center in the 19th century. It retained some significance in the late 19th century with the introduction of the Grange. The district is centered at the junction of Orchard and Town Roads, which was the site of East Haddam's first church. The present church was built in 1794, and is a good example of Federal period architecture. Other civic buildings include a hall used for town meetings which was purpose-built in 1857, and the Grange hall, which was built in 1905. Residential architecture of note dates back as far as about 1702, with well-preserved examples of houses from the colonial and Federal period predominating.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Villages in Connecticut East Haddam, 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 1794 establishments in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References