The Northford Center Historic District encompasses the historic village area of
Northford in northern
North Branford, Connecticut
North Branford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,544 at the 2020 census. The town is primarily known for agriculture and for other points of interest including Lake Gaillard and Northford Ice Pavili ...
. The basically linear district extends along Middletown Avenue from the village center at its southern end, to a point beyond its northern junction with Old Post Road. The area was settled in the early 18th century, and was transformed into a rural industrial village in the 19th century by the locally prominent Maltby and Fowler families. The district includes many fine pre-Civil-War houses (including the
Howd-Linsley House
The Howd-Linsley House is a historic house at 1795 Middletown Avenue in the Northford area of North Branford, Connecticut. Built in 1705, it is a candidate as the oldest surviving building in the town, and a good example of period residential ...
), two churches (including the gothic-revival Northford Congregational Church designed by
Henry Austin), and a schoolhouse (the
Fourth District School
The Fourth District School is a historic district school building on Old Post Road in North Branford, Connecticut. Built about 1800, it is a rare surviving example of a late 18th-century schoolhouse in Connecticut. It was moved to its present lo ...
).
[ It 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 2002.
Description and history
Northford was originally part of the New Haven Colony
The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America from 1638 to 1664 primarily in parts of what is now the state of Connecticut, but also with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
The history of ...
in the 17th century, and was settled in the early 18th century as part of Branford. It became part of North Branford when that town was incorporated in 1831. It was at first a rural outpost of Branford, which was granted a separate Congregational parish in 1745. The village center of Northford, now at the southern junction of Middletown Avenue and Old Post Road, grew around the 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 reli ...
that was erected soon afterward. It served primarily the local farming community, and also travelers along the post road; one of the oldest surviving buildings in the district is a tavern built in 1776.[
The village was transformed in the 19th century into a small industrial center, whose major early industry was the manufacture of pins, screws, and other fasteners. These industrial efforts were largely run by members of the interrelated Maltby and Fowler families. As a result, the district is architecturally diverse, with buildings dating from the 18th to the early 20th century. Most of the buildings were built before the ]American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, although there are a few residences, including several fine ones, built later by the industrial leaders.
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Historic districts in New Haven County, Connecticut
North Branford, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut