Griswold, Connecticut
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Griswold is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
New London County, Connecticut New London County is a County (United States), county in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich, Connecticut, Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford, Conne ...
, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 11,402 at the 2020 census. Griswold contains the borough of Jewett City and the villages of Doaneville, Kaalmanville, Rixtown, Glasgo, Hopeville, Nathanieltown, and Pachaug.


History

Long a fishing ground for the Mohegan people, the waterways attracted settlers who established ironworks, saw and corn mills, and other businesses. The town of Griswold was originally the northern part of the town of Preston. The North Society was established in 1716 at the request of residents who had been travelling to Preston to attend church. In the late 1700s, Eliezer Jewett opened several mills and an irrigation plant. His success led the area to be called Jewett City.Connecticut History: Griswold
accessed November 5, 2017.
The town of Griswold incorporated in 1815, naming itself after Governor
Roger Griswold Roger Griswold (; May 21, 1762 – October 25, 1812) was a lawyer, politician and judge from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court and the List of Governors of C ...
. In 1895, Jewett City incorporated as a borough of the town. Griswold contains
Hopeville Pond State Park Hopeville Pond State Park is a public recreation area located on Hopeville Pond, an impoundment of the Pachaug River, in the town of Griswold, Connecticut. A portion of the state park occupies the site of the lost village of Hopeville. The ...
, former site of a woolen mill.


Geography

The Pachaug and Quinebaug rivers flow through the town of Griswold, which is located at the northeastern edge of New London County. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 6.37%, is water.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 11,951 people, 4,646 households, and 3,225 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 5,118 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.8%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.9% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.6% some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino people of any race were 3.3% of the population. There were 4,646 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were headed by
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $40,156, and the median income for a family was $48,852. Males had a median income of $57,869 versus $17,441 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $21,196. About 6.1% of families and 9.2% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.


Notable locations

* Ashland Mill Bridge, a bridge over the Pachaug River built in 1886 and on the National Register of Historic Places since 1999 * Avery House, built in 1770, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 * Brewster Homestead, built about 1740, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Griswold and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2000 * Edward Cogswell House, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993 * John Wilson House, built about 1781, it is an example of Georgian residential architecture, and as the home of John Wilson, a leading local industrialist of the late 18th century. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. * Kinne Cemetery, on Jarvis Road, in use since 1713 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 * Timothy Lester Farmstead, built in 1741 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 * Slater Library and Fanning Annex, 26 Main Street in Jewett City, built in 1884 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002


Notable people

* Louis J. Bakanowsky, Jr. (1930–2025), architect; founding partner of CambridgeSeven, designers of the
New England Aquarium The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include Harbor seal, harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African penguin, African and southern rockhopper penguins, gia ...
and the Boston Children’s Museum; raised in Jewett City *
Clifford Chapin Clifford Samuel Chapin IV (born January 29, 1988) is an American voice actor and voice director. Career Chapin is known for his roles in anime and video games. In 2014, Chapin landed the lead voice role of Raishin Akabane in '' Unbreakable M ...
(born 1988), voice actor affiliated with
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
; born in Griswold * Samuel Coit (1708–1792), Militia officer, farmer, politician; Colonel, 8th Connecticut Militia Regiment and Preston representative to the Connecticut General Assembly; resident of North Preston, now Griswold * John Cantius Garand (1888–1974), Canadian-American designer of firearms best known for creating the first successful
semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single round each time the Trigger (firearms), trigger is pulled while automatically loading the next Cartridge (firearms), cartridge. These rifles were developed Pre-World War II, and w ...
to be widely used in active military service, the M1 Garand; namesake of the Interstate 395 bridge that crosses the Quinebaug River on the Griswold/Lisbon town line * Eliezer Jewett (1731–1817), Founder and namesake of Griswold's borough of Jewett City; settled in 1771 * Roger LaFrancois (born 1956), is an American former professional baseball player. He played for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
as a
catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
; raised in Jewett City * Charles H. Tracy (1833–1911), was an
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
soldier who received the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
while serving in the Union Army during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
for two acts of bravery; born in Jewett City * John Tyler (1721–1804), Brigadier General who fought in both the Seven Years' War and the Revolutionary War; commanding officer of the 10th Continental Regiment of the Connecticut Line and the 3rd Connecticut Brigade of Militia; resident of North Preston, now Griswold * Moses Coit Tyler (1835–1900), author; born in Griswold


References


External links


Town of Griswold official website
{{authority control Towns in New London County, Connecticut Towns in Connecticut 1815 establishments in the United States Towns in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut