North Stonington, CT

The History of North Stonington

North Stonington’s earliest history is deeply entwined with that of neighboring coastal Stonington, first settled by the English in 1649. As generations spread inland to cultivate the stony soil, a distinct community began to form.

• 1717 The area established its own identity as the “North Society” of Stonington’s Congregational community.
• 1807 The town officially incorporated as North Stonington, despite initial requests from residents to name it Jefferson.

During the mid-1700s the religious fervor of the “Great Awakening” swept through the region, making North Stonington a bastion for the Baptist denomination. Today a striking Greek Revival Congregational Church (built in 1846) and several early Baptist churches still grace the landscape.

From Industrial Hub to Dairy Farming

Using the power of its swift-flowing rivers, early locals established sawmills, gristmills, tanneries, ironworks, and dye houses through the late 1700s and 1800s. Historic districts like Clarks Falls, Laurel Glen, and Milltown — the village center — thrived as industrial hubs.

Before the Civil War the local economy relied heavily on cottage industries producing woolen goods, carpets, and silk. For generations the town was also famously known for raising turkeys, including a local storekeeper who shipped a massive flock on foot all the way to Washington, D.C., to grace the President’s Thanksgiving table.

Today, while Milltown’s 18th- and 19th-century buildings comprise most of the 58 town sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, dairy farming remains a principal local industry.