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 Norwich, CT

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Norwich is located at the convergence of the Thames, Shetucket, and Yantic Rivers about 25 minutes north of New London.  

The city, founded in 1660, has a rich Colonial history.

The photo at left shows the Thames as it flows towards downtown Norwich.

City of Norwich web site 

Colonial Life Centered around the Green, an open space bordered by buildings. Norwich Green Markers commemorate the original settlement

On June 6th, 1659 Uncus, Chief of the Mohegan Tribe and other Indians, sold 9 square miles of land to settlers for 70 pounds. The area became known as Norwich Plantation as shown in these early colonial documents.   

 

Text from Marker

Houses and church along Norwichtown Green. 
 
Norwichtown is the present day name for the area of the original settlement. Many colonial buildings still remain.

Benedict Arnold, the one time patriot and ally of George Washington, who later became a traitor to the US by aiding the British forces, was born in Norwich in 1741. A marker a few blocks from the Green indicates the location of his birth, but the house no longer exists.

The Mohegan Tribe Royal Burial Ground is located in Norwich. Present day Mohegans are noted for their casino, the Mohegan Sun Casino

John Mason, Puritan, Co-Founder of Norwich 1660

The early life of John Mason in England (born circa 1600-1001) is obscure. A puritan, he served as an officer  under Sir Thomas Fairfax in the Netherlands against Spain.  He made the 63 day passage to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with Reverend Wareham's party in 1630. One of the few experienced military men, he was elected captain at Dorchester, and eventually helped found Windsor, CT., where the Connecticut River Indians had invited settlement.
In 1636 the first Pequot war began in New England, between Indians and the English. The colony had but a few hundred English inhabitants. Mason commanded a contingent of 90 solders, and with the principal aid of Uncus and the Mohegans, he defeated the powerful Pequot nation in 1637.   Disobeying orders, he made strategic decisions on his own, which helped gain victory over a more numerous enemy.  He lost 2 dead and 20 wounded. Mason said of Uncus... "He was a great friend and did great service."

Major Mason was the chief military officer in the colony for 35 years.  He was magistrate and major at Windsor for 8 years.  He married his second wife, Anne Peck, after the death of his first wife, and had altogether 8 children.  A son John Jr., was mortally wounded in King Phillip's war (another English/Indian struggle) in 1675.  For the next 12 years he was placed in charge of a fort in Saybrook. In 1660 with his son-in-law, the Rev. James Fitch, he founded Norwich.  During the first 8 years he was made deputy governor and for two years was acting governor while Gov. Winthrop was in England seeking Connecticut's charter from King Charles.  He died January 30, 1672. 

Marker courtesy of a grant by the Gernon Trust

  The downtown harbor accommodates leisure craft of all sizes.  The Norwich Navigators, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, makes their home here. A detailed map of the attractions and a schedule of events are available on the Norwich website. 

Vintage postcards of Indian Leap, Broadway, town hall, and the 1659 Reynolds's Place  can be seen on the GenWeb site.

Norwich Tourism Office
69 Mainstreet Norwich, CT
Stop in for up to date activities and directions for the self conducted walking tours.  There is also a driving tour audio cassette available for sale.  860-886-4683

Walking Tours 
Norwichtown Village - Colonial town built in 1659.
Old Norwichtown Burial Grounds - Colonial cemetery with many grave markers in tact.  Twenty of  the French soldiers serving under General Lafayette were buried here in 1778. 
Washington and Broad Street - Elaborate homes built by 19th century mill owners.
Broadway and Union Streets - Examples of mid 1800s to turn of the century architecture.

Leffingwell Museum
  - Furnished home of Christopher Leffingwell, supplier of provisions to General George Washington during the Revolutionary war
348 Washington St, Norwich
860-889-9440

Norwich Rose Garden - The beautiful Norwich Rose Garden is located on Rockwell Street in Mohegan Park. The garden features 2500 rose bushes in 120 varieties.

The Marina at American Warf

Norwich Municipal Ice Rink   

The Norwich Navigators
Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants   1-800-64-GATOR
or 860-887-7962.

Putts Up Dock  - Norwich
Miniature golf, bumper boats in downtown Norwich at the wharf.
860-886-Putts

Norwich Bulletin newspaper

Otis Library

See Michael Melford's photo tour of Norwich at vacation-mystic-connecticut.com

Heritage Trail Vineyards in Lisbon

The University of Connecticut's Colonial Connecticut Records site contains original historical documents that date from 1636.  

History of Norwich Connecticut From Its Possession By the Indians, To the Year 1866 (1660-1866) buy this and other documents on microfiche.

Rose City Genealogy Club  A brief history of Norwich

The Patent of the Town of Norwich, A.D. 1685

The Deed for the City of Norwich (1659)

Other early settlers:   William Backus ,   John and Sara (Backus) Reynold

Puritan in the Wilderness A Biography of the Rev. James Fitch, 1622-1702

Genealogy Sites for early Norwich families (Bushnell, Huntington, Redfield)

Norwich Heritage Trust

Diocese of Norwich

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