The Riverton 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 ...
in the town of
Barkhamsted, Connecticut
Barkhamsted ( ) is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It contains seven villages: West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton. The population was 3,647 at the 2020 ce ...
that 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 2007.
[ It encompasses most of the historic 19th century industrial village of Riverton, whose mills were powered by the waters of the Still River and the East Branch ]Farmington River
The Farmington River is a river, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in length along its main stem, located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries ex ...
, which is located in the far northwestern corner of the town.
Description
Notable sites in Riverton include the post office, the Riverton General store, Sweetpea's Restaurant, Still River Antiques, Greenwood Glass Blowing Studio and Gallery (located in the former Union Church
A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations.
Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...
), and the Old Riverton Inn (separately listed on the National Register). Two major points of interest in Riverton are the Hitchcock Factory and the Sweet Shop, both of which closed down in the spring of 2006. The Hitchcock Chair Co. was reopened in Sept. 2011 and has a retail store in the village once again.
Riverton is also the site of the annual Riverton Fair, which takes place in early October of each year. The Riverton Fair is the last fair of the year in Connecticut.
History
The town of Barkhamsted was first settled in the mid-18th century, mainly with small dispersed settlements along the rivers and ridges. The first house documented in what is now Riverton was built in 1789 by William Moore, Sr., and a bridge spanning the East Branch Farmington River
The Farmington River is a river, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in length along its main stem, located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries ex ...
was built in 1790. The bridge, the only crossing for miles in either direction, spurred growth of the village. The Old Riverton Inn was built in 1811, and still stands directly facing the bridge's eastern end. The village developed in the 19th century as a small industrial center, powered mainly by the chair manufactory of Lambert Hitchcock.[
]
See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Barkhamsted, Connecticut
Historic districts in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Early Republic architecture
Colonial architecture in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut