Ledyard ( ) 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 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. ...

, United States, located along the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a Revolutionary War officer who was killed at the

Battle of Groton Heights The Battle of Groton Heights (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold, and occasionally called the Fort Griswold massacre) was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 6, 1781 between a small Connecticut militia force le ...

. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,413 at the 2020 census. The

Foxwoods Resort Casino Foxwoods Resort Casino is an integrated resort owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their Indian reservation, reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casino ...

, owned and operated by the

Mashantucket Pequot Tribe The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a federally recognized American Indian tribe in the state of Connecticut. They are descended from the Pequot people, an Algonquian-language tribe that dominated the southern New England coastal areas, and ...

, is located in the northeastern section of Ledyard, on the reservation owned by the tribe. Ledyard's zip code is 06339. Within the southwestern area of Ledyard is the district known as Gales Ferry, which has the

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

06335. In the northeast is Mashantucket, with the

06338.

History

Named for Colonel William Ledyard, slain commander of Colonial forces in the Battle of Groton Heights in September 1781, the Town was set off from Groton in 1836 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature. The western section, on the east bank of the Thames River, had been settled in the mid-seventeenth century by Thomas Bayley, John Gager, Robert Allyn, and Robert Stoddard. The settlers were farmers and the river, their transportation.

Geography

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 4.62%, is water. Ledyard is situated north of Groton, and borders the east bank of the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut. The northern half of the

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

is located in the southwestern corner of the town. Ledyard is among the areas of the United States that was covered by a continental ice sheet during the last ice age. Therefore, Ledyard has its share of interesting glacial geology. The glaciers that covered Ledyard carried the many large boulders that are scattered around the town. The town has set aside land designated as a "Glacial Park", which consists of a section of end moraine and outwash deposits (containing kettles). This area encompasses a segment of the "Ledyard Moraine"—a

clast Clastic rocks are composed of fragments, or clasts, of pre-existing minerals and rock. A clast is a fragment of geological detritus,Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak, p. G-3 chunks, and smaller grains of rock broken off other rocks b ...

-supported boulder deposit that is anomalous in nature. Examples of glacial erratics in Ledyard: File:Glacial Erratics in Ledyard, CT.jpg File:Glacial Erratic in Ledyard, CT.jpg The principal communities of Ledyard are Ledyard Center (also known as Ledyard Village) and the Gales Ferry section (including Christy Hill Estates, Devonshire Estates, Ferry View Heights, Glenwoods, Birdland, Sherwood Forest, and Woodridge Estates). Other minor communities and geographic areas are Aljen Heights, Barrett Park, Colonial Manor, Cranwood Homestead, Highlands, Lakeside, Lantern Hill, Long Pond, Parsonage Hill Manor, Presidential Estates, Quaker Town, and Stonehenge. The town also contains the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, in the northeastern corner of the town.

Notable people

Frederick Ayer Frederick Ayer (December 8, 1822 – March 14, 1918) was an American businessman and the younger brother of patent medicine tycoon James Cook Ayer. Early life Ayer was born on December 8, 1822, in Ledyard, Connecticut, and was the son of F ...

(1822–1918), industrialist born in Ledyard * Dennis Blair (born 1947), Admiral, USN retired; Director National Intelligence Agency; lived in Ledyard * Andy Dick (born 1965), actor/comedian, grew up in Ledyard * Doc Hammer (born 1967),

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

and co-creator of '' The Venture Bros.'', born in Ledyard * Richard Arthur Hayward (born 1947), Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe for twenty-three years, worked in Ledyard * Ron Jirsa (born 1959), men's college basketball coach born in Ledyard * Anna Matilda Larrabee (1842-1931), First Lady of Iowa * Lyn-Z (born 1977), bassist for

Mindless Self Indulgence Mindless Self Indulgence (often referred to as MSI) is an American electropunk band formed in New York City in 1997. Their music has a mixed style which includes punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno, industrial, hip hop, and b ...

, grew up in Ledyard *

Casey Neistat Casey Owen Neistat (; born March 25, 1981) is an American YouTube personality, filmmaker, vlogger and co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, which was later acquired by CNN. In 2018, he founded ''368'', a creative space for creators to ...

(born 1981), filmmaker, grew up in Ledyard * Jackalyne Pfannenstiel (1947–2017), former US

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depart ...

; grew up in Ledyard * Fuller Potter (1910–1990),

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

artist, lived most of his life in town *

Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalis ...

(1729–1796), Second Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, born in Ledyard * Gordon Waller (1945–2009), member of Peter & Gordon, lived in Ledyard

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 2000, there were 14,687 people, 5,286 households, and 4,101 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,486 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was: *88.23%

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 ...

*3.51% Native American *2.70%

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 of any race *2.50%

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 ...

*2.19% Asian *0.07%

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 ...

*0.84% from other races *2.66% from two or more races There were 5,286 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were

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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.12. The ages of Ledyard's population were spread out, with: *28.3% under 18 *6.3% from 18 to 24 *31.0% from 25 to 44 *25.4% from 45 to 64 *9.0% from 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $62,647, and the median income for a family was $69,214. Males had a median income of $46,582 versus $32,339 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 $24,953. About 2.9% of families and 4.0% 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 4.5% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Ledyard has three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The superintendent of schools is Jason Hartling. The assistant superintendent of schools is Dr. Jennifer Byars, who previously served as principal and assistant principal of many of the town's schools. The superintendent is appointed by the board of education. Elementary schools: *Gales Ferry School (Grades K through 2) *Gallup Hill School (Grades K through 5) *Juliet W. Long School (Grades 3 through 5) Middle school: *Ledyard Middle School (Grades 6, 7 & 8) High school: * Ledyard High School (Grades 9 through 12) Former schools: *Ledyard Center School (Closed in 2019)

Government and emergency services

The Town of Ledyard is governed by the mayor–council form of government. The mayor is elected by registered voters and serves as the town's full-time administrator and chief executive; elected mayors serve for a term of 4 years and there are no term-limits. The mayor, with advice from the town council and voters appoints officials to positions such as: Town Clerk, Town Attorney, Director of Finance, Director of Public Works, and many of the other administrative positions. The town council appoints officials to a number of boards and commissions, as well as fire marshals and town treasurer. Registered voters also elect the members of the board of education.

Police

The Town of Ledyard operates an independent police force, administered by Chief of Police John Rich. The town previously had provided police services through the Resident State Trooper Program. The department employs 22 highly trained personnel, including the chief, captain, lieutenant, an administrative assistant, and one detective. The Town of Ledyard Police Department is also tasked with operating the Ledyard Animal Control Division and the Ledyard Emergency Communications Center. The LECC has 7 full-time 911 Dispatchers and provides 911 service to both the Town of Ledyard and the Town of Preston.

Fire and EMS service

There are two fire departments in the Town of Ledyard. They are the Ledyard Fire Company and the Gales Ferry Fire Company. Both departments rely on volunteers for staffing, along with paid firefighters that staff both departments Monday thru Friday. EMS service is the responsibility of American Ambulance Service, Inc. American Ambulance took over EMS service on July 1, 2018, following the disbanding of the Ledyard Volunteer Emergency Squad. American Ambulance houses 1 ambulance within the Town of Ledyard, which is staffed 24 hours a day.

Employers

The

, located immediately south of Ledyard in Groton, is a significant employer of Ledyard residents. Other major employers include

Electric Boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...

, and

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

Media

Television

Ledyard was featured on an episode of the

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

show '' MADE'', in which Katherine, a shy, book-loving teenager, is made into Miss Congeniality in her town's beauty pageant for Miss Ledyard Fair.

Points of interest

* Allyn's Point on the Thames River

National Register of Historic Places

* Applewood Farm – founded in 1826, it was listed on the NRHP in 1987. * Gurdon Bill Store – built in 1818, it was added to the NRHP in 1982. * Nathan Lester House – built in 1793, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. * Main Sawmill – built in 1869, it was added to the NRHP in 1972. * Mashantucket Pequot Reservation Archeological District – added to the NRHP and declared a

U.S. National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1993. * Perkins-Bill House – built in 1781, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. * Capt. Mark Stoddard Farmstead – built in 1770, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Ledyard Center panorama

References

External links

*
Town of Ledyard official website

Ledyard Public Schools
{{authority control Towns in New London County, Connecticut Towns in Connecticut 1836 establishments in Connecticut Populated places on the Thames River (Connecticut) Towns in Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut