Timeline of Hartford, Connecticut
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The following is a timeline of the
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
of the city of Hartford, Connecticut, USA.


Prior to 19th century

* 1623 –
Fort Hoop House of Hope ( nl, Huys de Hoop), also known as Fort Good Hope ( nl, Fort de Goede Hoop), was a redoubt and factory in the seventeenth-century Dutch colony of New Netherland. The trading post was located at modern-day Hartford, Connecticut. ...
built by Dutch West India Company. * 1635 – English settlers arrive. * 1636 – First Church congregation relocates to "Newtown", Connecticut, from New Town, Massachusetts. * 1637 ** Settlement renamed Hartford. ** Town square laid out. * 1638 –
Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...
founded. * 1640 – Burying Ground established (approximate date). * 1647 – Alse Young hanged for witchcraft. * 1662 – Hartford serving as capital of Connecticut Colony. * 1670 – Indian treaty signed. * 1701 – Hartford and New Haven designated joint capitals of Connecticut Colony. * 1720 - “Hartford Hills” separate to form the town of
Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...
. * 1758 -
Noah Webster Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible ( Book of Genesis, chapters 5 ...
born here, publisher of ''Grammatical Institute of the English Language'' * 1764 – '' Connecticut Courant'' newspaper begins publication. * 1774 – Library Company formed. * 1775 –
4th Connecticut Regiment The 4th Connecticut Regiment was raised on April 27, 1775, at Hartford, Connecticut. The regiment saw action in the Invasion of Canada. After which the regiment was disbanded on December 20, 1775, and reformed on September 16, 1776, to fight i ...
organized. * 1783 – Town of East Hartford separates from Hartford. * 1784 ** City chartered. ** ''American Mercury'' newspaper begins publication. * 1788 – Woollen mill in operation. * 1790 – Population: 2,683. * 1792 – Hartford Bank incorporated. * 1796 ** '' American Cookery'' published. ** State House built. * 1797 –
Joseph Steward Joseph Steward (July 6, 1753, Upton, MA – April 15, 1822, Hartford, CT) was an American minister, portrait painter and museum curator. Minister Joseph Steward was born on July 6, 1753, the son of Joseph and Jane (Wilson) Steward of Upton, M ...
's museum opens.


19th century

* 1810 – Hartford Fire Insurance Company incorporated. * 1812 – Chauncey Goodrich elected mayor. * 1814 **
Hartford Convention The Hartford Convention was a series of meetings from December 15, 1814, to January 5, 1815, in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, in which the New England Federalist Party met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and ...
. ** Phoenix Bank incorporated. * 1818 ** Bridge over Connecticut River built. ** American Asylum for Deaf-mutes incorporated. * 1819 – Aetna Insurance Company and Society for Savings incorporated. * 1820 – Population: 4,726. * 1823 **
Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...
founded. **
Hartford Female Seminary Hartford Female Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut was established in 1823, by Catharine Beecher, making it one of the first major educational institutions for women in the United States. By 1826 it had enrolled nearly 100 students. It implemente ...
established. ** Connecticut River Steamboat Co. incorporated. * 1824 **
Nathaniel Terry Nathaniel Terry Jr. (January 30, 1768 – June 14, 1844) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge who served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing the at-large congressional district of Connecticut from 18 ...
becomes mayor. ** Connecticut Retreat for the Insane opens. * 1825 **
Connecticut Historical Society The Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the official statewide historical society of Connecticut. Established in Hartford in 1825, the CHS is one of the oldest historical societies in the US. ...
established. ** ''Times & Hartford Advertiser'' newspaper begins publication. ** Connecticut River Banking Co. and Protection Insurance Co. incorporated. * 1826 ** ''
The Hartford Times ''The Hartford Times'' was a daily afternoon newspaper serving the Hartford, Connecticut, community from 1817 to 1976. It was owned for decades by the Gannett Company which sold the financially struggling paper in 1973 to the owners of the ''New ...
'' newspaper begins publication. ** African Religious Society church built on Talcott Street. * 1827 – Christ Church Cathedral built. * 1830 – Population: 7,074. * 1833 ** Miss Draper's Seminary for Young Ladies in operation (approximate date). ** Hartford Literary and Religious Institution and Colored Methodist Episcopal congregation formed. ** Farmers & Mechanics Bank incorporated. * 1834 – Exchange Bank incorporated. * 1835 – ''Patriot and Democrat'' newspaper begins publication. * 1836 ** Firemen's Benevolent Society organized. ** ''Northern Courier'' newspaper begins publication. * 1837 – ''Daily Courant'' newspaper begins publication. * 1838 – Hartford Young Men's Institute formed. * 1840 ** ''Hartford Times'' newspaper begins publication. ** Population: 9,468. * 1841 – Washington Temperance Society, Martha Washington Temperance Society, and Young Men's Temperance Society organized. * 1843 – ''Hartford Journal'' newspaper begins publication. * 1844 **
Hartford and New Haven Railroad The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (H&NH), chartered in 1833, was the first railroad built in the state of Connecticut and an important direct predecessor of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The company was formed to connect the ...
and
Hartford and Springfield Railroad The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (H&NH), chartered in 1833, was the first railroad built in the state of Connecticut and an important direct predecessor of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The company was formed to connect the ...
begin operating. **
Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...
opens. * 1847 – I. & G. Fox Co. established. * 1848 –
Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC (CMC, formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt and is now a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the suc ...
founded. * 1849 – ''The Republican'' newspaper begins publication. * 1850 – Population: 13,555. * 1853 – Aetna Life Insurance Company incorporated. * 1854 **
Henry C. Deming Henry Champion Deming (May 23, 1815 – October 8, 1872) was a politician and writer who served as U.S. Representative from Connecticut, the mayor Hartford, the acting military mayor of New Orleans, and a member of the Connecticut House of Repr ...
becomes mayor. **
West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...
municipality splits from Hartford. **
Connecticut State Library The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. The Sta ...
and
Hartford Hospital Hartford Hospital is an 938-bed acute care teaching hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Hospital was established in 1854. The hospital campus is located on Seymour Street in Hartford and is directly adjacent to the ...
established. * 1856 ** City rechartered. **
Charter Oak The Charter Oak was an unusually large white oak tree growing on Wyllys Hyll in Hartford, Connecticut in the United States, from around the 12th or 13th century until it fell during a storm in 1856. According to tradition, Connecticut's Roy ...
felled in storm. ** ''Hartford Evening Press'' newspaper begins publication. **
Armsmear Armsmear ("meadow of arms"), also known as the Samuel Colt Home, is a historic house located at 80 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut. It was the family home of firearm manufacturer Samuel Colt. Armsmear was listed as a National Histor ...
built for
Samuel Colt Samuel Colt (; July 19, 1814 – January 10, 1862) was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company (now Colt's Manufacturing Company) and made the mass production of ...
. * 1858 ** The Putnam Phalanx, a ceremonial honor guard, established. ** ''Hartford Daily Post'' newspaper begins publication. * 1860 ** Boys' Club founded. ** Population: 26,917. ** Police department established. * 1864 –
Travelers Insurance Company The Travelers Companies, Inc., commonly known as Travelers, is an American insurance company. It is the second-largest writer of U.S. commercial property casualty insurance, and the sixth-largest writer of U.S. personal insurance through indepen ...
founded. * 1865 – Theological Institute of Connecticut relocates to Harford. * 1866 – Charles R. Chapman becomes mayor. * 1868 **
Bushnell Park Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. It was conceived by the Reverend Horace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized. ...
laid out. ** Cedar Hill Cemetery consecrated. * 1869 – ''Travelers Journal'' newspaper begins publication. * 1872 **
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
and Ados Israel Synagogue founded. ** Windsor Avenue Congregational Church built (approximate date). * 1873 – Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church built. * 1874 – Mark Twain's house built on Farmington Avenue. * 1876 – Cheney Building constructed. * 1877 – Hartford Society for Decorative Art formed. * 1878 ** George G. Sumner elected mayor. ** State Capitol building constructed. **
Pope Manufacturing Company Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope around 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts, US and incorporated in Hartford, Connecticut in 1877. Manufacturing of bicycles began in 1878 in Hartford at the Weed Sewing Machine Company fact ...
in business, making
Columbia Bicycles Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region ...
. * 1880 –
Morgan Bulkeley Morgan Gardner Bulkeley (December 26, 1837 – November 6, 1922) was an American politician, businessman, and sports executive. A Republican, he served in the American Civil War, and became a Hartford bank president before becoming the third p ...
becomes mayor. * 1881 – Watkinson School founded. * 1882 – Post Office and Custom House built. * 1883 ** ''Hartford Telegram'' newspaper begins publication. ** Hartford Electric Light Co. organized. * 1884 – ''The Wooden Nutmeg'' begins publication. * 1885 – Hartford Camera Club organized. * 1886 –
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, Hartford, Connecticut, honors the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the American Civil War, including 400 who died for the Union cause. It is notable as the first permanent triumphal ...
dedicated. * 1888 – ''Hartford Morning Record'' newspaper begins publication. * 1889 –
Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
built. * 1890 – Population: 53,230. * 1892 –
Hartford Public Library The Hartford Public Library serves the city of Hartford, Connecticut, United States. The library's main branch is located at 500 Main Street in downtown Hartford. The nine branch locations are named Albany, Barbour, Blue Hills, Camp Field, Dw ...
opens. * 1896 – City consolidated. * 1897 – Elizabeth Park laid out (approximate date). * 1898 ** Pope Park laid out. ** La Salette Missionary college in operation. **
Sage-Allen Sage-Allen was a mid-market department store chain based in Hartford, Connecticut. The store was a fixture in southern New England and anchored a number of smaller local and regional shopping centers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and, later, Ne ...
building constructed. * 1899 – Corning Fountain in Bushnell Park dedicated. * 1900 - Population: 79,850.


20th century

* 1901 –
Underwood Typewriter Company The Underwood Typewriter Company was an American manufacturer of typewriters headquartered in New York City, with manufacturing facilities in Hartford, Connecticut. Underwood produced what is considered the first widely successful, modern typewri ...
factory in operation. * 1908 **
Bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
over Connecticut River rebuilt. **
Royal Typewriter Company The Royal Typewriter Company is a manufacturer of typewriters founded in January 1904. It was headquartered in New York City with its factory in Hartford, Connecticut. History The Royal Typewriter Company was founded by Edward B. Hess and Lew ...
manufactory in operation. ** Morgan art gallery built. * 1909 – Flood. * 1910 ** Connecticut State Library and Supreme Court Building constructed. ** Population: 98,915. * 1919 –
Travelers Tower Travelers Tower is a 24-story, skyscraper in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Travelers Tower was the seventh tallest building in the world when it was constructed in 1919, and is currently the second tallest building in Hartford. Travelers Towe ...
built. * 1920 –
The Hartt School The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...
founded. * 1921 –
University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. In ...
established. * 1925 –
WTIC (AM) WTIC (1080 kHz "WTIC NewsTalk 1080") is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios and offices are on Executive Drive in Farmington. The transmi ...
radio begins broadcasting. * 1930 – Horace Bushnell Memorial Hall opens. * 1931 – Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford organized. * 1934 ** February 7: Premiere of Thomson's opera ''
Four Saints in Three Acts ''Four Saints in Three Acts'' is an opera composed in 1928 by Virgil Thomson, setting a libretto written in 1927 by Gertrude Stein. It contains about 20 saints and is in at least four acts. It was groundbreaking in form, content, and for its all-b ...
.'' ** Symphony Society of Greater Hartford formed. * 1935 – Thomas J. Spellacy elected mayor. * 1938 –
Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
. * 1941 – Windsor Locks
airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
active. * 1942 –
Connecticut Opera Connecticut Opera was a professional, non-profit, opera company based in Hartford, Connecticut, and a member of OPERA America. The company presented three fully staged opera productions during an annual season. It was founded in 1942 under the d ...
formed. * 1944 ** Interstate 84 constructed. ** Circus fire. * 1945 ** Hartford Collection of local history established at the public library. ** State governor's residence locates to Prospect Avenue in Hartford. * 1947 ** Edward N. Allen becomes mayor. **
Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England. The airport is about hal ...
established. **
Hillyer College Hillyer may refer to: People *Ethel Hillyer Harris (1859-1931), American author * Barbara Hillyer (born 1934), American women's studies academic *Charles Hillyer (1845–1872), English cricketer *Charles Hillyer Brand (1861–1933), American polit ...
established. * 1950 – Population: 177,397. * 1955 – Hartford Graduate School established by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. * 1957 –
University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...
chartered. * 1962 – Cathedral of St. Joseph rebuilt. * 1963 ** Hartford Stage founded. **
Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building The Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Building, locally called the "Boat Building", is a notable Modernist office building located on Constitution Plaza in Hartford, Connecticut. Designed by Max Abramovitz and completed in 1963, it is listed on the N ...
constructed. * 1964 –
Constitution Plaza Constitution Plaza is a large commercial mixed-use development in Downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Construction Constitution Plaza was built for $42 million and completed in stages from 1961 to 1964. Its planning and construction were spearheade ...
built. * 1967 – Greater Hartford Community College established. * 1968 – Harriet Beecher Stowe House museum opens. * 1970 ** Racial unrest. **
Cinestudio Cinestudio is an independent film theater located on the campus of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The theater is a single-screen venue with a seating capacity of approximately 485, a classic McKim, Mead & White design from 1935. Regi ...
founded. * 1974 **
Mark Twain House The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. It was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter and built in the American High Gothic style. Clemens bi ...
museum opens. ** ''
Hartford Advocate ''CTNow'' is a free weekly newspaper in central and southwestern Connecticut, published by the '' Hartford Courant''. The previous iteration of CTNow was New Mass. Media, a privately owned weekly newspaper company until 1999, when its owners, in ...
'' begins publication. * 1975 **
Hartford Civic Center Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
opens. ** Real Art Ways established. ** ''Valley Advocate'' and ''Hartford Inquirer'' newspapers begin publication. * 1976 –
Connecticut Transit Hartford Connecticut Transit Hartford (CTtransit Hartford Division) is the largest division of Connecticut Transit, providing service on 43 local routes, 5 "flyer" limited stop routes and 18 express routes throughout 27 towns in Hartford County, including ...
founded. * 1979 **
Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
hockey team active. ** Charter Oak Cultural Center established. * 1980 ** Population: 136,392. ** City Place I built. * 1987 ** Hartford Karma Thegsum Choling established. ** Carrie Saxon Perry elected mayor. ** ''Hartford News'' begins publication. * 1992 **
Capital Community College Capital Community College is a public community college in Hartford, Connecticut. The only public undergraduate institution in the City of Hartford, Capital's roots date to 1967 with the founding of Greater Hartford Community College. In 1992 ...
established. ** Connecticut Forum founded. * 1998 – City website online (approximate date). * 1999 – Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy established.


21st century

* 2001 – Eddie Perez elected mayor. * 2004 –
University High School of Science and Engineering University High School of Science and Engineering (UHSSE) is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math magnet high school located in Hartford, Connecticut. This public school was started in 2004, with a small body of faculty, headed by princi ...
established. * 2005 – Connecticut Convention Center opens. * 2008 – Global Communications Academy opens. * 2009 – Connecticut Science Center opens. * 2010 ** Population: 124,775. ** Pedro Segarra becomes mayor. * 2011 –
Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 ...
. * 2016 – Hartford Connecticut Temple of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated in
Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles ...
, a suburb. It is the second Latter-day Saint temple dedicated in
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
.


See also

*
History of Hartford, Connecticut The History of Hartford, Connecticut has occupied a central place in Connecticut's history from the state's origins to the present, as well as the greater history of the United States of America. Founders Here is a partial list of the 163 men an ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Hartford, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hartford, Connec ...


References


Bibliography

;published in the 19th century * * * * * * * * ;published in the 20th century * * * * .
Chronology
* * (fulltext via Open Library) ;published in the 21st century *


External links

* Connecticut History Online
Items related to Hartford
* http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hartford-whalers/hc-whalers-historical-timeline,0,5898691.story
Items related to Hartford
various dates (via
Digital Public Library of America The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a US project aimed at providing public access to digital holdings in order to create a large-scale public digital library. It officially launched on April 18, 2013, after two and a half years of dev ...
). {{Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
Years in Connecticut