Stafford Springs is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
located in
Stafford, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,780 at the
2020 Census. The village was a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
until November 1991, when it was disincorporated.
Located near the source of the
Willimantic River, the mill industry grew in the town due to its location and became the largest industry in the area. The village has the
Holt Memorial Fountain and the former railroad station. A portion of the village center 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 2025.
In the 18th century, the
spring at Stafford Springs was famous for its reputed ability to cure "the
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
, sterility, pulmonary, hysterics, etc."
[Frank Chapelle, ''Wellsprings: A Natural History of Bottled Spring Waters'' (Rutgers University Press, 2005), pp. 107-08.] In 1771,
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
, then a young lawyer, visited Stafford Springs for several days after suffering from overwork and anxiety.
Stafford Springs was once the headquarters of Station C of the
Connecticut State Police, and subsequently was the site of the Troop C Barracks.
Currently
Route 32,
Route 190,
Route 19, and
Route 140 pass through or originate in the village.
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 CDP has a total area of 6.41 mi
2 (16.6 km
2), of which 6.37 mi
2 (16.5 km
2) is land and 0.036 mi
2 (0.093 km
2) (0.56%) is water.
References
External links
Town of StaffordMapQuest Directions
Census-designated places in Connecticut
Census-designated places in Tolland County, Connecticut
Stafford, Connecticut
Former municipalities in Connecticut
Populated places disestablished in 1991
National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut
{{Connecticut-geo-stub