Pomfret, Connecticut

Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,247 in 2010 according to the United States Census. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase") and the town was incorporated in 1713 and named after Pontefract in West Yorkshire, England.[1]

Pomfret, Connecticut
Town
Seal
Motto(s): 
Picturesque Pomfret
Location in Windham County and the state of Connecticut.
Coordinates: 41°52′N 71°59′W
Country United States
State Connecticut
CountyWindham
NECTADanielson
RegionNortheastern Connecticut
Incorporated1713
Government
 • TypeSelectman-Town Meeting
 • First selectmanMaureen A. Nicholson (D)
 • State SenatorDan Champagne
(R-35th District)
 • State Rep.Patrick Boyd
(D-50th District)
Area
 • Total40.6 sq mi (105.2 km2)
 • Land40.3 sq mi (104.4 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation
430 ft (131 m)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total4,142
 • Density103/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06259, 06258
Area code(s)860
FIPS code09-61030
GNIS feature ID0213490
Major highways
Websitehttp://www.pomfretct.com/

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.6 square miles (105 km2), of which, 40.3 square miles (104 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (0.64%) is water. Pomfret is bordered on the north by Woodstock, on the east by Putnam and Killingly, on the west by Eastford, and on the south by Brooklyn and Hampton.

Villages

Pomfret includes several villages, neighborhoods, or sections:

  • Abington
  • Elliotts
  • Pomfret
  • Pomfret Center
  • Pomfret Landing

Other geographic features
Angel Road

The principal roads through the town are U.S. Route 44 (running east–west) and Routes 169 (running north–south), and 101 (running east–west).

Mashamoquet State Park and Wolf Den State Park are both located in Pomfret, near the intersection of US 44 and CT 101. Wolf Den State Park is the alleged site of General Israel Putnam's slaying of the last wolf in Connecticut. Rocky paths connect join the small cave which is the actual wolf den with a glacially positioned boulder called the Indian Chair. Camping and cook-out facilities are available for a nominal fee.

The Air Line Trail, a former railroad bed, joins the town of Pomfret with its neighbor to the east, Putnam. The Airline Trail runs seven miles (11 km), much of it through an Audubon Society property named the Bafflin Sanctuary, a 700-acre (2.8 km2) nature preserve.

Brayman Hollow

Pomfret has no formal town center due to the town's significant southward expansion after its establishment, first around Mortlake, later absorbing that town. The town office is located on US Route 44. The Congregational Church, until its destruction by fire on December 7, 2013, stood on the eastern edge of the old town green on Pomfret Hill, across from the Pomfret School, a college preparatory school founded in 1894. About a mile north of the Congregational Church site is Christ Episcopal Church, which contains several windows designed and constructed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Across from Christ Church on the west side of Route 44 is The Rectory School,[2] founded in 1920. At the divergence point of US 44 and CT 169 is Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.

Town House Road is the location of the historic Pomfret Town House, built in 1841 at a location chosen by a committee of Selectmen from neighboring towns when Pomfret citizens could not agree on a location; it is listed on the National Register. Pomfret First Church was established in today's Pomfret Hill area; Pomfret Second Church covered what is largely today's Town of Brooklyn; while Pomfret Third Church was established in today's Abington area.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18202,042—
18501,805—
18601,673−7.3%
18701,488−11.1%
18801,470−1.2%
18901,4710.1%
19001,83124.5%
19101,8571.4%
19201,454−21.7%
19301,61711.2%
19401,7105.8%
19502,01818.0%
19602,1365.8%
19702,52918.4%
19802,7759.7%
19903,10211.8%
20003,79822.4%
20104,24711.8%
Est. 20144,179[3]−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]
See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 4,247 people, 1,582 households, and 1,123 families residing in the town. The population density was 105.4 people per square mile (40.8/km2). There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 41.8 per square mile (16.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

Of the 1,582 households: 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $82,661, and the median income for a family was $96,641. Males had a median income of $54,042 versus $45,526 for females. The per capita income for the town was $39,712. About 3.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Major firms in Pomfret include:

Education

Pomfret residents are zoned to the Pomfret Community School for grades Kindergarten through 8. Pomfret students are eligible to attend Woodstock Academy,[6] which became Pomfret's zoned high school in 1987[7]

Two private schools, the Pomfret School and The Rectory School, are also located in Pomfret.

Historic sites

A 380-acre (1.5 km2) portion of the town, along Pomfret Street, is listed as a historic district on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Pomfret Street Historic District comprises properties along Route 169, from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road. The district was added to the National Register in 1998.[8]

Other properties listed on the National Register in the town are:

Notable people
  • Jim Calhoun (born 1942), former head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, lives in the town.
  • Effingham Capron (March 29, 1791 – 1859), born in Pomfret, anti-slavery champion at Uxbridge, MA, state and national anti-slavery leader.
  • John Capron (1756–1834), "clothier" at Pomfret, built first woolen power looms at Uxbridge, MA.
  • Augustus Sabin Chase (1827–1896), industrialist of Waterbury, Connecticut
  • Rivers Cuomo (born 1970), lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Weezer, lived in the town in Swami Satchidananda's ashram as a child.
  • Ernest Flagg (1857–1947), designer of the Singer Building designed the main buildings of the Pomfret School Campus.
  • Lemuel Goodell (1800–1897), Wisconsin politician
  • Nathan Goodell (1798–1883), Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • Roswell Eaton Goodell (1825–1903), politician and businessman[9]
  • Bertram Goodhue (1869–1924), an architect renowned for his work in the neo-Gothic style and the designer of notable typefaces, was born in town.[10]
  • Robert Hillyer (1895–1961), poet, novelist, and critic, lived in the town.
  • Asa Lyon (1763–1841) a United States Representative from Vermont was born in town.
  • Louise Chandler Moulton (1835–1908), poet, story-writer, and critic, was born in town.
  • Israel Putnam (1718–1790), a major general serving George Washington, lived in the town.
  • Swami Satchidananda (1914–2002), Indian religious figure, lived in the town.
  • Liev Schreiber (born 1967), Tony award winning actor, lived in the town in Swami Satchidananda's ashram as a child.
  • Solomon Spalding (1761–1816), is believed to have authored the Manuscript Story while staying at the Post Road Tavern in the town.
  • Warren L. Wheaton (1812–1903) philanthropist and co-founder and namesake of Wheaton College and Wheaton, Illinois, was born in Pomfret.
  • James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903), a painter and printmaker, lived in the town.
  • Renée Zellweger (born 1969), Academy Award-winning actress, owned a home in the town.
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See also
  • Abington Congregational Church

References
  1. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 334.
  2. Rectory School
  3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. Archived 2005-05-31 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  9. Ferril, William Columbus (1911). Sketches of Colorado: being an analytical summary and biographical history of the State of Colorado as portrayed in the lives of the pioneers, the founders, the builders, the statesmen, and the prominent and progressive citizens who helped in the development and history making of Colorado. Western Press Bureau Company. pp. 268–269. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  10. http://www.ctgenweb.org/county/cowindham/records/cemetery/pomfret/pomfretpomfretstreetcem.htm
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