Historic Settlements and Architectural Heritage of Cornwall, Connecticut

Unlike the founders of older Connecticut towns, Cornwall’s first settlers did not establish a town residential center surrounding its church and a town green. Rather, they settled land throughout the town’s boundaries in order to make the most of productive soils and waterpower. Little settlements developed into villages and hamlets known as the “seven Cornwalls” — Cornwall Plains (or Village), Cornwall Center, Cornwall Hollow, North Cornwall, East Cornwall, West Cornwall, and Cornwall Bridge.

Twenty-five years after its founding in 1739, the town supported a larger population than it has today. Cornwall experienced industrial, commercial, and residential growth and by 1850 the population peaked at 2,041. However, by the end of the century population declined and many of the little villages and hamlets diminished and became isolated leaving only Cornwall Village, West Cornwall, and Cornwall Bridge as population centers.

Cornwall Village and Its Early Evolution

What today is known as Cornwall Village was originally known as Cornwall Valley and covered with pines five or six feet in diameter and 100 feet tall. Although today Cornwall Village is the town center, when Cornwall was first settled in 1740, the center was where Town Street meets Sharon-Goshen turnpike. It was there that the first settlers gathered to attend town meetings and the Congregational church services.

By the 1770s, a division developed in the church, and with the help of a prosperous landowner a new church was built in 1790 on land that is now the Green. The area came to be known as South Cornwall, then Cornwall Plain, Cornwall Plains or The Plains. The Village acquired a post office in 1850, and eventually became the site of the town hall, the library, and many homes.

West Cornwall: Industry and the Covered Bridge

West Cornwall sits where Mill Brook plunges into the rapids of the Housatonic River. Originally known as Hart’s Bridge, the tiny riverbank settlement received its name “West Cornwall” in 1841 when the Housatonic Railroad reached it. Though best known today for its covered bridge, built in 1864, West Cornwall was, in the nineteenth century, an active industrial site and the business center of the township.

The community had a post office, several general stores, several flour and feed mills run by waterpower, and two scissor factories. The settlements largest employer was the Mallinson Shear Shop, established in West Cornwall in 1850. Although these industries no longer exist, the village continues to provide for the basic needs of residents, and new uses for the historic buildings and revitalized businesses will be the next generation to follow the early agriculture and industry eras.

Cornwall Bridge and Southern Settlements

The settlement known as Cornwall Bridge lies toward the southern end of Cornwall along the Housatonic River. It was early known as the South Depot; then as Lewis’s Bridge, and also as Deantown. Dr. Reuben Dean built Cornwall’s first mill, known as Red Mill in about 1750. Mills—sawmills, fulling mills, grist mills—were built along the streams that ran into the Housatonic River. The area became a commercial center after the arrival of the railroad.

Historical Milestones of Cornwall

Year / Period	Significant Event or Landmark
1739	Founding of the town of Cornwall
1750	Dr. Reuben Dean built Cornwall’s first mill (Red Mill)
1841	Hart’s Bridge renamed West Cornwall upon arrival of the railroad
1850	Town population peaked at 2,041; Mallinson Shear Shop established
1864	Construction of the West Cornwall Covered Bridge
1877	Construction of the West Cornwall Congregational Chapel

Key Locations for Historical Exploration

• Cornwall Village: Site of the Town Hall, library, and the historic Green.
• West Cornwall: Famous for the 1864 covered bridge and former industrial sites.
• Cornwall Bridge: Former commercial center known as South Depot and Deantown.
• North Cornwall: Home of the North Cornwall Meeting House.