Stonington is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

and the town center of

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of the villages of ...

, referred to by locals as "The Borough". The population was 929 at the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

. The densely built Borough of Stonington occupies a point of land that projects into

Little Narragansett Bay Little Narragansett Bay is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean and an estuary of the Pawcatuck River on the Rhode Island– Connecticut state line. It is sheltered by a curving peninsula, known as Napatree Point. At the base of Napatree Point is the ...

. It has two main streets that link Cannon Square and Wadawanuck Square, named for the former Wadawanuck Hotel that brought wealthy visitors in the post-Civil War era. Its

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

, Federal, and outstanding

Greek revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

architectures have been preserved through the lack of traffic or modern industry, together with the borough's role as a fashionable summer residence, while the activity of one of Connecticut's last remaining fishing and lobstering fleets keeps it from being simply a quaint, historic village. There is a large community of Portuguese descent.

History

On August 30, 1775, a

ship's tender A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship, used to service or support other boats or ships. This is generally done by transporting people or supplies to and from shore or another ship. A second and distinctl ...

chased two small private sloops into Stonington Harbor during the American Revolutionary War. The sloops had made it to the dock and discharged their passengers when the tender fired a broadside into the dockside and stores before sailing out of the harbor again. It returned later in the company of another tender and . All three ships then bombarded the town throughout the day. The local militia assembled and returned fire, claiming to have killed five or six men aboard the ships. A more damaging attack occurred between August 9 and 12, 1814 during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. The British vessels , , HMS ''Dispatch'', and under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy appeared offshore on August 9, 1814. The British demanded immediate surrender, but Stonington's citizens replied with a note that stated, "We shall defend the place to the last extremity; should it be destroyed, we shall perish in its ruins." For three days, the Royal Navy pounded the town, but the only fatality was that of an elderly woman who was mortally ill. The British sailed off on 12 August after suffering many dead and wounded. : The

Stonington Harbor Light The Stonington Harbor Light is a historic lighthouse built in 1840 and located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in the Borough of Stonington, Connecticut. It is a well-preserved example of a mid-19th century stone lighthouse. The light was ...

is a low stone building erected in 1823, and was the first lighthouse established by the federal government. In the 19th century, Stonington supported a small fishing, whaling, and sealing fleet, with some direct trade with the West Indies, enough in volume for it to be made a

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...

in 1842. The small granite Customs House faces Main Street just north of Cannon Square.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km), of which 0.3 square miles (0.9 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km), or 50.72%, is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 1,032 people, 556 households, and 260 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 723 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 96.90%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.58%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.29% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.55% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 556 households, out of which 13.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% 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 ...

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.1% were non-families. 46.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.82 and the average family size was 2.54. In the borough the population was spread out, with 12.8% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $53,000, and the median income for a family was $78,324. Males had a median income of $43,472 versus $34,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $45,444. About 3.3% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 153.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 156.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 161.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 162.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 163.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 164.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 165.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 203.jpg, File:Stonington (borough), Connecticut 2016 205.jpg,

References

External links

Borough of Stonington official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stonington (Borough), Connecticut Stonington, Connecticut Boroughs in Connecticut Battles of the War of 1812 in Connecticut Populated places in New London County, Connecticut Populated coastal places in Connecticut