Our District

Shelton is a small town nestled in the Naugatuck Valley in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Shelton’s original heritage is agricultural while the downtown section of Shelton had its surge of growth during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800’s.  Fortunately, much of our industrial and agricultural history has been preserved for us today.

The Paugassett indians were the earliest known settlers of the area we now call Shelton.

The town’s early beginnings as a community of European lineage began around 1680 as people began moving north from the Stratford settlement to the Long Hill section of town to establish a farming community, known as Coram. In 1717, the settlement petitioned for a separate parish and the Ripton Parish was subsequently established.

Between 1676 and 1740, 13 mills and 2 dams were established on the Far Mill River. These included saw, grist, paper, woolen, and fulling mills. In 1789, Ripton Parish became the town of Huntington, named in honor of Samuel Huntington, signer of the the Declaration of Independence, and later governor of Connecticut.  According to the 1860 census, there were 206 farms, most of which had a team of oxen and one horse, two milk cows and a couple of swine. Popular crops included rye, oats, Indian corn, hay, and Irish potatoes.

Many of our mill buildings still exist and are in the process of being redeveloped into residential and mixed-use structures that will drive the rebirth of downtown for decades to come.   It is an exciting time to be leading Shelton forward.

Edward N. Shelton formed the Ousatonic Water Power Company in 1863 and organized the building of a dam on the Housatonic River to use as a source of power, which was completed in 1869.

With the construction of the dam began Shelton’s rich industrial history of mills and looms.  There were twelve factories built in Shelton before the 1880’s each with a workforce of 1,000 men as the City became an industrial center which boasted a mile of busy brick factories making everything from pins, tacks, bolts, paper boxes, silver plate, a printing press, the famous Huntington piano, and much more.

By the 1870’s, Shelton became the accepted name of the area along the river. Named after Edward N. Shelton, founder of the Shelton Company and of the Ousatonic Water Company. Shelton became the legal name of the borough in 1882.

By 1910 the population had more than tripled to 5,545 people, most of whom lived in close proximity to the factories… and downtown Shelton was born.  As downtown grew and flourished, much of the town has preserved its rural character and Shelton is now known throughout New England and greater New York for its agri-tourism.  Many families have shared their farms with the public for generations and have become tremendous stewards of the land and of Shelton’s farming history.

One such example is Guy Beardsley, who has been the driving force behind Shelton’s immensely popular Farmers’ Market.  On weekends you can meet Guy as he hustles to make the market such a tremendous success.

Shelton is also widely recognizable for the Jones Family Farm.  Philip Jones, a Welsh-Irish immigrant, and the five generations that followed have taken good care of the land he began farming in the 1850’s.

Vistors to the farm can find seasonal crops of many varieties.  Strawberries and blueberries in the summer, pumpkins in the fall and, of course, Christmas trees after Thanksgiving.  In recent years, Jamie Jones has pursued a new endeavor in winemaking and the Jones Family Winery has become a wonderful attraction for locals and visitors to the region.

In addition to its rich history, Shelton is widely recognized for its tremendous economic development success.  The Route 8 corridor has become home to dozens of successful corporations.  Job growth and supporting retail build-out have made Shelton an enviable destination for both businesses and residents, alike.

Shelton has evolved to become a City of 40,000 with a balance of commercial, industrial, and residential development.  It offers to all residents and visitors a rich history of industrial and agricultural heritage.

***Special thanks to the Shelton History Center, the Jones Family Farm, and Carol Kononov for their contributions to this piece.  I recommend this great site for more excellent Shelton History.