Pomfret, Connecticut
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Pomfret is a town in
Windham County, Connecticut Windham County ( ) is one of the eight counties in the U.S. state of Connecticut, located in its northeastern corner. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core o ...
with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. It was incorporated in 1713 and was named after
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...
in
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. The land was purchased from local Indians in 1686 in a deal known as the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase".


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 (0.64%) is water. Pomfret is bordered on the north by
Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
, on the east by Putnam and Killingly, on the west by Eastford, and on the south by
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and Hampton.


Villages

Pomfret includes several villages, neighborhoods, or sections: * Abington * Elliotts * Pomfret * Pomfret Center * Pomfret Landing


Other geographic features

The principal roads through the town are U.S. Route 44 (running east–west) and Routes 169 (running north–south), and 101 (running east–west). Mashamoquet State Park and Wolf Den State Park are both located in Pomfret, near the intersection of US 44 and CT 101. Wolf Den State Park is the alleged site of General
Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
's slaying of the last wolf in Connecticut. Rocky paths connect the small cave, which is the actual wolf den with a nearby boulder called the Indian Chair. Camping and cook-out facilities are available for a nominal fee. The Air Line Trail is a former railroad bed which joins the town of Pomfret with the town of Putnam to the east. The Airline Trail runs , much of it through an
Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
property named the Bafflin Sanctuary, a nature preserve. Pomfret has no formal town center due to the town's significant southward expansion after its establishment. The town office is located on US Route 44. The
Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
stood on the eastern edge of the old town green on Pomfret Hill until its destruction by fire on December 7, 2013, across from the Pomfret School, a college preparatory school founded in 1894. Approximately one mile north of the Congregational Church site is Christ Episcopal Church, which contains several windows designed and constructed by
Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is associated with the art nouveauLander, David"The Buyable ...
. The Rectory School is across from Christ Church on the west side of Route 44, founded in 1920. At the divergence point of US 44 and CT 169 is Most Holy Trinity
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Town House Road is the location of the historic Pomfret Town House, built in 1841 at a location chosen by a committee of Selectmen from neighboring towns when Pomfret citizens could not agree on a location; it is listed on the National Register. Pomfret First Church was established in the Pomfret Hill area; Pomfret Second Church covered what is largely the Town of Brooklyn; while Pomfret Third Church was established in the Abington area.


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 4,247 people, 1,582 households, and 1,123 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.7%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% 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 of any race were 1.9% of the population. Of the 1,582 households: 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 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 $82,661, and the median income for a family was $96,641. Males had a median income of $54,042 versus $45,526 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 $39,712. About 3.8% of families and 6.3% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Major firms in Pomfret include: * Loos & Co.


Education

Pomfret residents are zoned to the Pomfret Community School for grades Kindergarten through 8. Pomfret students are eligible to attend Woodstock Academy, which became Pomfret's zoned high school in 1987 Two private schools, the Pomfret School and the
Rectory School The Rectory School is an independent, coeducational, junior boarding (5–9) and day school (K–9) in Pomfret, Connecticut. The school was founded by the Rev. Frank H. Bigelow in 1920. It has expanded to , 26 buildings, 250 students, and 65 fa ...
, are also located in Pomfret.


Historic sites

A portion of the town, along Pomfret Street, is listed as a
historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
on the U.S.
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 ...
. The Pomfret Street Historic District comprises properties along Route 169, from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road. The district was added to the National Register in 1998. Other properties listed on the National Register in the town are: * Brayton Grist Mill – US 44 (added 1986) * Gwyn Careg US 44 (added 1994) * Israel Putnam Wolf Den – Off Wolf Den Road (added 1985) * Pomfret Town House – Town House Road (added 1989)


Notable people

*
Jim Calhoun James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is an American former college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships ( ...
(born 1942), former head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, lives in the town * Effingham Capron (1791–1859), born in Pomfret, anti-slavery champion at Uxbridge, MA, state and national anti-slavery leader * John Capron (1756–1834), "clothier" at Pomfret, built first woolen power looms at Uxbridge, MA * Augustus Sabin Chase (1827–1896), industrialist of Waterbury, Connecticut *
Rivers Cuomo Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeaste ...
(born 1970), member of American rock band
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...
, lived in the town *
Ernest Flagg Ernest Flagg (February 6, 1857 – April 10, 1947) was an American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility. Early life and education Flagg was born in Brooklyn, New ...
(1857–1947), designer of the
Singer Building The Singer Building (also known as the Singer Tower) was an office building and early skyscraper at the northwestern corner of Liberty Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Serving as the headqua ...
designed the main buildings of the Pomfret School Campus * Wawa Gatheru (born ca. 1999), climate activist and
Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...
* Lemuel Goodell (1800–1897), Wisconsin politician * Nathan Goodell (1798–1883), Mayor of
Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...
* Roswell Eaton Goodell (1825–1903), politician and businessman * Bertram Goodhue (1869–1924), an architect renowned for his work in the neo-Gothic style and the designer of notable typefaces, was born in town *
Robert Hillyer Robert Silliman Hillyer (June 3, 1895 – December 24, 1961) was an American poet and professor of English literature. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1934. Early life Hillyer was born in East Orange, New Jersey ...
(1895–1961), poet, novelist, and critic, lived in the town * Asa Lyon (1763–1841) a
United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from Vermont was born in town * Louise Chandler Moulton (1835–1908), poet, story-writer, and critic, was born in town *
Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
(1718–1790), a major general serving George Washington, lived in the town * Swami Satchidananda (1914–2002), Indian religious figure, lived in the town * Solomon Spalding (1761–1816), is believed to have authored the Manuscript Story while staying at the Post Road Tavern in the town * Warren L. Wheaton (1812–1903) philanthropist and co-founder and namesake of Wheaton College and
Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...
, was born in Pomfret *
James Abbott McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral a ...
(1834–1903), a painter and printmaker, lived in the town *
Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger ( ; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Renée Zellweger, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four ...
(born 1969),
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning actress, owned a home in the town


See also

* Abington Congregational Church


References


External links


Town government Web site
{{authority control Towns in Windham County, Connecticut Towns in Connecticut 1713 establishments in Connecticut Populated places established in 1713 Towns in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut