Fair Haven is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

in the eastern part of the city of

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, between the

Mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

and

Quinnipiac The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connect ...

rivers. The northeast section of the neighborhood is also known as Chatham Square. Fair Haven is located about two miles east of the

New Haven Green The New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown New Haven, downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of t ...

comprising New Haven

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s 14, 15, 16, and a portion of 8. It is bounded on the east and south by the Quinnipiac River, on the west by the Mill River, on the northwest by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

railroad tracks, and on the north by

I-91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, ...

(in the vicinity of Exit 7). The main through routes of the area are Grand Avenue, Blatchley Avenue, and Ferry Street. In its early days, the area was called by a succession of names including Farmes, East Farmes, The Neck, Dragon, and Clamtown. Herman Hotchkiss is credited as founder due to his investments and development. Fair Haven is not to be confused with the adjacent Fair Haven Heights neighborhood.

History

17th century

Prior to its founding by European settlers, Fair Haven was used by the Momauguin group of

Quinnipiack The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connecticu ...

Native Americans for

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

It is said that in 1639, when Captain Richard Russell first viewed the harbor, "The sight of the harbor did so please the Captain of the ship, that they called it a Fayre Haven." In 1640, the area currently called Fair Haven was named 'The Neck'. Fair Haven was originally a village formed in 1679 to house industrial workers, as the area was a source of

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

s and other products of the rivers and nearby

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

. It is said to have produced almost 5,000 gallons of oysters per day in season when at its peak. Besides oyster houses, manufacturing plants and a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

were established. In the beginning, Fair Haven could only be reached by boat, on foot, or on horseback. In time, dirt roads were laid, for use by

horse-drawn vehicle A horse-drawn vehicle is a piece of equipment pulled by one or more horses. These vehicles typically have two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have mostly been replaced by auto ...

18th century

In 1784 Fair Haven became a part of the city of New Haven. The Pardee Family of East Haven began a ferry service across the Quinnipiac in 1785. The service was discontinued in 1791 with the construction of the Dragon Bridge.

19th century

In 1806, land was donated for Fair Haven Union Cemetery. By 1808, Fair Haven had 50 houses. In 1820, the first apartment building for multiple residences was built. In 1824, residents changed the name of their home from 'Dragon' to 'Fair Haven'. By 1830, the oyster beds were dried up. In 1835, importation of oysters began, with the supply being replenished by 1900. River_St

In 1837 Fair Haven withdrew from the jurisdiction of New Haven. A number of homes in Fair Haven were used to hide slaves in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. By the time of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, some streets had been paved. There was an influx of

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

after the war, notably Irish,

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Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

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and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. One area with a large number of Irish was nicknamed 'little

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

'. In 1860, a group of local businessmen drew up a charter to build and operate a

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...

line of one or two tracks between Fair Haven and Westville. In 1866, Samuel L. Blatchley developed Blatchley Ave., building moderately-priced homes for local workers. St. Francis Church held its first service in 1867. In 1870 Fair Haven rejoined New Haven. In 1881 Ferry Street School was opened. In 1885, Nathaniel Graniss donated land for the construction of the First Quinnipiac School. In 1888, Lancraft Fife and Drum Corps organized, practiced in Ed Lancraft's Oyster house.

20th century

By the 1930s, Fair Haven was home to more immigrants than 'natives'. Many

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

and Puerto Rican families migrated into Fair Haven by the 1960s. Redevelopment occurred along the Quinnipiac River. As part of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Richard C. Lee's urban renewal program, 107 Fair Haven households were displaced in the 1960s. In 1978, a local historic district was created. In the early 1980s, many buildings on Grand Avenue were renovated.

21st century

The waterfront area (Front Street and adjacent streets) have been redeveloped in the last decade, including construction of luxury condominiums, renovation of the Fair Haven marina, demolition of the Quinnipiac Terrace public housing project and replacement with a Cape Cod style village with both subsidized and market rate units, and the renovation of many of the old oyster houses. This part of Fair Haven has attracted a culturally diverse mix of young professionals, students, artists, and families with children. Other parts of Fair Haven continue to struggle with poverty related problems such as crime and homelessness. In 2010, a 100 kW windmill was erected near Criscuolo Park, which can be seen from much of New Haven.

Historical populations

* 1808 - 150 (15 families) * 1837 - 1,000 * 1850 - 1,317 * 1870 - 5,600 * 1930 - 23,960 * 1989 - 13,895 * 1990 - 14,545 * 2000 - 13,753 (4,724 households)

Flora and fauna

Aside from stray cats and dogs, other small animals that can be found in Fair Haven include

mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, urban

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

opossums Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 126 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon (also spelled racoon) to distinguish it from Procyonina, other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest ...

s, and

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

s. Common birds include

blue jay The blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata'') is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to eastern North America. It lives in most of the eastern and central United States; some eastern populations may be migratory. Resident populations ar ...

feral pigeon Feral pigeons are birds derived from domesticated populations of the rock dove ''Columba livia'', descendants that have escaped and are living independently from (and often unwanted by) humans, having gone "feral". They are sometimes given the ...

robins Robins may refer to: Places United States * Robins, Iowa, a small city * Robins, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Robins Township, Fall River County, South Dakota * Robins Island, of the coast of New York state *Robins Air Force Base, Georgia ...

, and

starling Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine (perching) birds known for the often dark, glossy iridescent sheen of their plumage; their complex vocalizations including mimicking; and their distinctive, often elaborate swarming behavior, know ...

s. Along Dover Beach, there are

scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

s and

caddisflies The caddisflies (order Trichoptera) are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the basis ...

. Plants include the

autumn olive ''Elaeagnus umbellata'' is known as Japanese silverberry, umbellata oleaster, autumn olive, autumn elaeagnus, spreading oleaster, autumnberry, or autumn berry. The species is indigenous to eastern Asia and ranges from the Himalayas eastwards to J ...

, the beach rose, ''

Spartina alterniflora ''Sporobolus alterniflorus'', or synonymously known as ''Spartina alterniflora'', the smooth cordgrass, saltmarsh cordgrass, or salt-water cordgrass, is a perennial deciduous grass which is found in intertidal wetlands, especially estuarine salt ...

'', ''

Rosa virginiana ''Rosa virginiana'', commonly known as the Virginia rose, common wild rose or prairie rose, is a woody perennial in the rose family native to eastern North America, where it is the most common wild rose. It is deciduous, forming a suckering shr ...

'', and the

weeping willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and Siberia but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southw ...

Notable sites

* A. C. Gilbert Company * Barnesville Bridge (carrying Grand Ave over the Mill River) * The Bigelow Company * Clinton Avenue School (built in 1911) *

Erector Square Erector Square LLC is a 11-building, three-story brick industrial warehouse complex located at the intersection of Blatchley Avenue and Peck Street in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. History The complex originally house ...

* Ezekiel Cheever School * Fair Haven Middle School (built in 1927) * Fair Haven Union Cemetery * First Church * Grace Church * Grand Avenue Bridge (built in 1896; the 3rd bridge on the site). * Grapevine Point * John Rowe's tavern * King's Hotel * Lewis Bridge (carries Middletown Ave. across the Quinnipiac River) *

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

(originally a Congregational Church) * National Folding Box Company (In Cedar Hill (New Haven) once a community of Fair Haven) * National Pipe Bending Company * New Haven Brewing Company * Quinnipiac River Historic District * Quinnipiac River State Park * River Street Historic District * Regan Metal Corporation (began in 1887) * St. Donato Roman Catholic Church (built in 1915) * St. Francis Roman Catholic Church * St. Rose Roman Catholic Church (built in 1908) *

Strong School Strong School is a school located at 69 Grand Ave. in the Fair Haven, Connecticut, Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, United States, USA. It is an overflow school for district kindergartners and first graders. It has a student ...

(built in 1916) * Tomlinson Bridge (built 1796–98) * Quinnipiac Brewery

References

Bibliography

Digital

A River Runs Through It - A Brief History of Fair Haven

DataHaven

The Fair Haven & Westville Railroad

New Haven Vital Statistics

Print

* ''Harrison's Illustrated Guide: Greater New Haven'' * ''Images of America: New Haven - Reshaping the City 1900-1980'' * ''New Haven - A Guide to Architecture and Urban Design'' * ''The Streets of New Haven - The Origin of Their Names'', 2nd edition 1998 * ''Three Centuries of New Haven - The Tercentenary History'' {{authority control Neighborhoods in New Haven, Connecticut Fair Haven (New Haven) Populated coastal places in Connecticut