The Clinton Village Historic District encompasses the historic portion of the town center of

Clinton, Connecticut Clinton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population of the town was 13,185 at the 2020 census. The town center along the shore line was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 ...

. It is roughly linear and extends along East Main Street ( United States Route 1) from the Indian River in the west to Old Post Road ( Connecticut Route 145) in the east. The area represents a well-preserved mid-19th century town center, with architecture dating from the late 17th to mid-20th 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 ...

in 1994.

Description and history

The area that is now Clinton was settled in 1663, and was incorporated in 1838, separating from Killingworth. Liberty Green, a small triangular park at the junction of East Main and Liberty Streets, is a surviving remnant of the community's town common and militia training ground. Land for a

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Ch ...

and cemetery were also laid out at an early date, now located on Church Street at the western end of the district. This area would serve as the town center of Killingworth (incorporated 1667) until the two towns separated. The town grew as a modest coastal community, serving local farmers and passing travelers on the

Boston Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States. The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U.S. Ro ...

(now US 1), then the major road through the region. In the 1840s, Liberty Green was transformed into a park. Economic development of the town center shifted westward across the Indian River in the late 19th century, because the railroad station was located there, leaving the eastern portion of the town with a more distinctively mid-19th century character. The district comprises 154 buildings, objects, sites, and structures that contribute to the historical and architectural significance of the area. Most of these are arrayed along East Main Street, with major spurs along Liberty Street to the north and Waterside Lane to the south. The oldest house, known as The Arsenal, stands on Waterside Lane and is believed to date to 1675. The most common architectural style in the village's many houses is the Greek Revival, with features such as corner pilasters and entablatures sometimes applied to older buildings, as well as being found on period buildings of the 1830s and 1840s.

Historic buildings

Some of the historic buildings and structures located in the district are: *Clinton Volunteer Fire Department (1931) *The Academy, now used by the Clinton Parks and Recreation Department (1801) *Town Hall *First Church of Christ (1837) * Abraham Pierson Monument

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Clinton, Connecticut Historic districts in Middlesex County, Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

Historic buildings

See also

References