Pomfret Landing, Connecticut
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Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,266 in 2020 according to the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase") and the town was incorporated in 1713 and named after Pontefract in West Yorkshire, England.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (0.64%) is water. Pomfret is bordered on the north by Woodstock, on the east by Putnam and Killingly, on the west by
Eastford Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census. History Eastford was formed in 1847 when it was broken off from Ashford, Connecticut. The name "Eastford" is locational, for the town ...
, and on the south by Brooklyn and Hampton.


Villages

Pomfret includes several villages, neighborhoods, or sections: * Abington * Elliotts * Pomfret * Pomfret Center * Pomfret Landing


Other geographic features

The principal roads through the town are
U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...
(running east–west) and Routes
169 Year 169 ( CLXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Apollinaris (or, less frequently, year 922 ''Ab urbe co ...
(running north–south), and
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
(running east–west). Mashamoquet State Park and Wolf Den State Park are both located in Pomfret, near the intersection of US 44 and CT 101. Wolf Den State Park is the alleged site of General Israel Putnam's slaying of the last wolf in Connecticut. Rocky paths connect join the small cave which is the actual wolf den with a glacially positioned boulder called the Indian Chair. Camping and cook-out facilities are available for a nominal fee. The Air Line Trail, a former railroad bed, joins the town of Pomfret with its neighbor to the east, Putnam. The Airline Trail runs seven miles (11 km), much of it through an Audubon Society property named the Bafflin Sanctuary, a nature preserve. Pomfret has no formal town center due to the town's significant southward expansion after its establishment, first around Mortlake, later absorbing that town. The town office is located on US Route 44. The Congregational Church, until its destruction by fire on December 7, 2013, stood on the eastern edge of the old town green on Pomfret Hill, across from the Pomfret School, a college preparatory school founded in 1894. About a mile north of the
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 ...
site is Christ Episcopal Church, which contains several windows designed and constructed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Across from Christ Church on the west side of Route 44 is the Rectory School, founded in 1920. At the divergence point of US 44 and CT 169 is Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church. Town House Road is the location of the historic
Pomfret Town House Pomfret Town House is an historic town hall at 17 Town House Road in Pomfret, Connecticut. Built in 1841, it is one of the state's oldest surviving purpose-built town halls. It served that function for many years, and is now maintained by the lo ...
, built in 1841 at a location chosen by a committee of Selectmen from neighboring towns when Pomfret citizens could not agree on a location; it is listed on the National Register. Pomfret First Church was established in today's Pomfret Hill area; Pomfret Second Church covered what is largely today's Town of Brooklyn; while Pomfret Third Church was established in today's Abington area.


Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,247 people, 1,582 households, and 1,123 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.6%
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 ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 1.9% of the population. Of the 1,582 households: 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $82,661, and the median income for a family was $96,641. Males had a median income of $54,042 versus $45,526 for females. The per capita income for the town was $39,712. About 3.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Major firms in Pomfret include: * Loos & Co.


Education

Pomfret residents are zoned to the Pomfret Community School for grades Kindergarten through 8. Pomfret students are eligible to attend Woodstock Academy, which became Pomfret's zoned high school in 1987 Two private schools, the Pomfret School and the
Rectory School The Rectory School is an independent, coeducational, junior boarding (5–9) and day school (K–9) in Pomfret, Connecticut. The school was founded by the Rev. Frank H. Bigelow in 1920. It has expanded to , 26 buildings, 250 students, and 65 facu ...
, are also located in Pomfret.


Historic sites

A portion of the town, along Pomfret Street, is listed as 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 ...
on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The
Pomfret Street Historic District The Pomfret Street Historic District is a historic district roughly along Pomfret Street ( Route 169), from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States. The district represents the core of the village of Pomfret Center. ...
comprises properties along Route 169, from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road. The district was added to the National Register in 1998. Other properties listed on the National Register in the town are: *
Brayton Grist Mill Brayton Grist Mill is an historic grist mill along Mashamoquet Brook, at the entrance to Mashamoquet Brook State Park off United States Route 44 in Pomfret, Connecticut. Built about 1890, it is one of the best-preserved 19th-century rural grist m ...
– US 44 (added 1986) * Gwyn Careg US 44 (added 1994) * Israel Putnam Wolf Den – Off Wolf Den Road (added 1985) *
Pomfret Town House Pomfret Town House is an historic town hall at 17 Town House Road in Pomfret, Connecticut. Built in 1841, it is one of the state's oldest surviving purpose-built town halls. It served that function for many years, and is now maintained by the lo ...
– Town House Road (added 1989)


Notable people

* Jim Calhoun (born 1942), former head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, lives in the town *
Effingham Capron Effingham Lawrence Capron (17911859), a Quaker, was a mill owner, and nationally recognized leader of the anti-slavery movement prior to the American Civil War, Civil War. He was known especially in the Northeast United States for his anti-slavery ...
(1791–1859), born in Pomfret, anti-slavery champion at Uxbridge, MA, state and national anti-slavery leader * John Capron (1756–1834), "clothier" at Pomfret, built first woolen power looms at Uxbridge, MA *
Augustus Sabin Chase Augustus Sabin Chase (August 15, 1828—June 7, 1896) was an American industrialist of the Gilded Age. Augustus Sabin Chase was born in Pomfret, Connecticut, the only son of Capt. Seth Chase (1798-1893) and Eliza Hempstead (Dodge) Chase, who also ...
(1827–1896), industrialist of Waterbury, Connecticut * Rivers Cuomo (born 1970), member of American rock band Weezer, lived in the town * Ernest Flagg (1857–1947), designer of the
Singer Building The Singer Building (also known as the Singer Tower) was an office building and early skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. The headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company, it was at the northwestern corner of Liberty Street and Broadw ...
designed the main buildings of the Pomfret School Campus *
Lemuel Goodell Lemuel Goodell (November 27, 1800April 9, 1897) was a farmer and politician in Michigan and Wisconsin who also worked as a teacher, restaurateur and law enforcement officer. Background Goodell was born on November 27, 1800, in Pomfret, Connecticu ...
(1800–1897), Wisconsin politician *
Nathan Goodell Nathan Goodell (August 8, 1798 – June 2, 1883) was an American politician who served as the fifth and ninth mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Biography Goodell was born on August 8, 1798, in Pomfret, Connecticut. He was the eleventh of twelve c ...
(1798–1883), Mayor of
Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...
*
Roswell Eaton Goodell Roswell Eaton Goodell (October 21, 1825 – October 9, 1903) was a politician and businessman who served in several political positions. Among the government positions Goodell held was Sheriff of LaSalle County, Illinois, Secertary of the Illin ...
(1825–1903), politician and businessman * Bertram Goodhue (1869–1924), an architect renowned for his work in the neo-Gothic style and the designer of notable typefaces, was born in town *
Robert Hillyer Robert Silliman Hillyer (June 3, 1895 – December 24, 1961) was an American poet and professor of English literature. He won a Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1934. Early life Hillyer was born in East Orange, New Jersey to an old Connecticut fa ...
(1895–1961), poet, novelist, and critic, lived in the town * Asa Lyon (1763–1841) a United States representative from Vermont was born in town *
Louise Chandler Moulton Louise Chandler Moulton (April 10, 1835 - August 10, 1908) was an American poet, story-writer and critic. Contributing poems and stories of power and grace to the leading magazines, '' Harper's Magazine'', ''The Atlantic'', '' The Galaxy'', the ...
(1835–1908), poet, story-writer, and critic, was born in town * Israel Putnam (1718–1790), a major general serving George Washington, lived in the town * Swami Satchidananda (1914–2002), Indian religious figure, lived in the town *
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), is believed to have authored the Manuscript Story while staying at the Post Road Tavern in the town *
Warren L. Wheaton Warren Lyon Wheaton (1812–1903) was an American farmer, teacher, legislator, businessman, philanthropist, and benefactor and namesake of Wheaton College and Wheaton, Illinois. Early life Warren L. Wheaton was born in Pomfret, Connecticut on M ...
(1812–1903) philanthropist and co-founder and namesake of
Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...
and Wheaton, Illinois, was born in Pomfret * James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), a painter and printmaker, lived in the town * Renée Zellweger (born 1969), Academy Award-winning actress, owned a home in the town


See also

* Abington Congregational Church


References


External links


Town government Web site
{{authority control Towns in Windham County, Connecticut Towns in Connecticut 1713 establishments in Connecticut Populated places established in 1713