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Windsor, Connecticut

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Windsor, Connecticut
Official seal of Windsor, Connecticut
Seal
Motto(s): 
First in Connecticut, First for its Citizens
Location in Hartford County, Connecticut
Location in Hartford County, Connecticut
NECTAHartford-West Hartford-East Hartford
RegionCapitol Region
Settled1633
Named1637
Government
 • TypeCouncil-manager[1]
 • Town managerPeter Souza
 • Town councilDonald S. Trinks,
Mayor;
Timothy Curtis,
Deputy Mayor;
Robert B. Gegetskas II;
William H. Herzfeld;
Donald A. Jepsen, Jr.;
Michael W. McDonald;
Catherine L. Moreton;
Wayne G. Mulligan;
Alan J. Simon
Elevation
17 m (55 ft)
Population
 (2005)[1]
 • Total28,778
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06095
Area Code860
Websitehttp://www.townofwindsorct.com/
Elevation noted at Town Hall. [2] [3]

Windsor was the first English settlement in the State of Connecticut, the 5th Colony to receive Statehood in the United States of America. Windsor is a suburban community in Hartford County, adjacent to the north to Connecticut's Capital, Hartford, with a relatively diverse population.

Poquonock is a northern area of Windsor that has its own zip code (06064) for PO Box purposes.[2] Other areas in Windsor, which are not incorporated, include Rainbow and Hayden in the north, and Wilson and Deerfield in the south.

The Day Hill Road area is know as Windsor's Corporate Area, although other centers of business include Kennedy Industry Park and Kennedy Business Park, both near Bradley International Airport and the Addison Road Industrial Park.

History

The Pequot and Mohawk were at war, catching the Podunk in the crossfire and forcing them to pay tribute to the Pequots, who claimed their land.

The Sicaog tribe made a similar offer to the Dutch in New Amsterdam, but they declined to send settlers, since their interest in Connecticut was limited to the fur trade.

A small party of settlers from Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded a trading post at Windsor after the Podunk Indians invited them to provide a mediating force between other tribes, and granted them a plot of land. After Edward Winslow from Plymouth inspected the site, William Holmes led a small party there. This initial group arrived at Windsor on September 26, 1633, settling at the confluence of the Farmington and the west side of the Connecticut Rivers. They were about 50 miles up river at the end of ship navigable waters and above the Dutch fort at Hartford. They were in a good position to trade with the Indians before the Dutch.

More settlers arrived in 1635 led by the Revs Maverick and Warham with about 60 people who trekked overland from Dorchester, Massachusetts where they had first settled after coming on the ship "Mary and John" to the New World from Plymouth, England in 1630. More settlers from Dorchester moved to Windsor in the next few years. Out numbering the original settlers they soon displaced the original Plymouth settlers, who mostly returned to Plymouth.

Native Americans referred to the area as Matianuck. (book- "Dorset Pilgrims" by Frank Thistlewaite) Reverend Warham renamed the settlement Dorechester in 1635. In 1637, the colony's General Court changed the name to Windsor. [3]

Windsor's name is believed to be named after the city of Windsor England on the Thames River. Windsor is believed to be a corruption of the Saxon words 'windlass Oran' meaning a bank of a river with a windlass.[citation needed] The name of Windsor derives from Windlesore, or 'Winding Shores' where boats were pulled by windlass ('windles') up the river. As with all such names that date back many centuries, there are other claims as to the derivation of the name. It has also been thought that the name derived from 'winding' meaning 'meandering' shores. A third school of thought stemmed from the belief that the name derived from 'a sore wind' referring to the wind that blew across the mound upon which Windsor Castle, England was built but this fails on chronological grounds. [4]

Several towns that border Windsor were once entirely or partially part of Windsor including: Windsor Locks; South Windsor; East Windsor; Ellington, (which was later part of East Windsor); and Bloomfield, (originally called "Wintonbury"; a composite of the town names Windsor, Farmington and Simsbury). [5]

The first "highway" in Connecticut opened in 1638 between Windsor and Hartford. As other towns were settled further up the the Connecticut river like Springfield, Massachusetts and Northampton, Massachusetts trading routes were extended to all of them. Hartford & Springfield Street Railway connected with the Conn. Co. in Windsor Center until 1925. Buses replaced trolleys between Rainbow (a northern section of Windsor) and Windsor Center in 1930; cars continued to run from Windsor to Hartford until 1940. [6]

These original Windsor settlers have many descendants around the country and beyond. Many are members of The Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor (DFAW) based in the Windsor area.

Tobacco

File:WindsorCTshedsinrow.jpg
Rows of Tobacco Sheds

Windsor was formerly known for its thriving tobacco farms, some of which still exist today. Tobacco grown here beneath a netting of gauze approximates the humidity and growing conditions of Honduras. Windsor tobacco leaves are highly prized by fine cigar makers, and are used as the cigar's outer wrapping, called Broad Leaf or Shade Tobacco. Occasionally, teenagers will climb on top of the shade tobacco gauze, a popular phenomenon that is known locally as "net hopping."

34,000 acres (140 km²) in Connecticut are covered by "Windsor Soil," named after the town. [7]

While much of the Day Hill section of town has been given over to industry, the long red wooden sheds that are used to store and dry the tobacco are still noticeable. A Tobacco Museum containing authentic farming implements and tools can be found at Northwest Park. [4]

Historical Society

The Windsor Historical Society manages a collection of old homesteads that have existed since the 17th and 18th centuries and are available for tour. [5]

On historic Palisado Avenue, one can find the First Church In Windsor, Congregational and adjacent graveyard. [6]

Across the street on the Palisado green stands a statue of John Mason (a founder of Windsor and colonial leader in the Pequot War).

Further down the road is the home of Oliver Ellsworth, second Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. [7]

The town center is well-planned in comparison to many of the others in the Greater Hartford area, including a relative diversity of chains and local shops, as well as a recently restored Amtrak station that dates to the 1850s.

The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut is also located in Windsor. [8]

National Register

[8]

  • Allyn, Capt. Benjamin, II, House - 119 Deerfield Rd. (added 1979-06-26)
  • Barber, Giles, House - 411--413 Windsor Avenue Connecticut Route 159 (added 1988-09-15)
  • Bissell Tavern-Bissell's Stage House - 1022 Palisado Avenue Connecticut Route 159 (added 1985-08-23)
  • Broad Street Green Historic District - Rougly along Broad Street Connecticut Route 159 from Batchelder Rd. to Union St. (added 1999-12-30)
  • Case, Benomi, House - 436 Rainbow Rd. (added 1988-09-15)
  • Chaffee, Hezekiah, House - Meadow Lane, off Palisado Green (added 1972-07-31)
  • Chapman, Taylor, House - 407 Palisado Avenue Connecticut Route 159 (added 1988-09-15)
  • Ellsworth, Horace H., House - 316 Palisado Avenue Connecticut Route 159 (added 1988-09-15)
  • Ellsworth, Oliver, Homestead - 778 Palisado Avenue Connecticut Route 159 (added 1970-10-06) [9]
  • Farmington River Railroad Bridge - Spans Farmington River and Pleasant St. W of Palisado Ave. (added 1972-08-25)

Windsor Today

File:WindsorCTeagle.jpg
Monument on Windsor's Town Green which reads "To The Patriots of Windsor"

Education

  • One public school for pre-school and kindergarten: Roger Wolcott Early Childhood Center,
  • Four public elementary schools (Grades 1-5): Oliver Ellsworth Elementary School, Clover Street Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Elementary School, and Poquonock Elementary School,
  • One public middle school (Grades 6-8): Sage Park Middle School and
  • One public high school (Grades 9-12): Windsor High School. [10]
  • Two public libraries: Windsor Public Library [11] and Wilson Public Library
  • Saint Gabriel's School is a private school that teaches grades kindergarten through eighth. [12]
  • Trinity Christian School is a private school that teaches grades kindergarten through seventh. [13][14]
  • Praise, Power, Prayer Christian School is a private school that teaches grades kindergarten through twelfth. [15][16]
  • Baran Institute of Technology is located on Day Hill Road.[18]

Parks

  • Windsor Meadows State Park is in the south east corner of town. [19] The park runs down the shore of the Connecticut River.
  • Northwest Park, Windsor's largest park, is located in the northwest corner of Windsor. It includes a nature center, trails and a petting zoo. [21]

Events

  • The 53rd Annual Shad Derby will be held during May 2007. It includes a fishing contest, pegeant: crowning a Shad Derby Queen for high school seniors, parade, road race, craft fair, and festival.
  • The Northwest Park Country Fair is held every fall. [22]
  • The 22nd Annual Columbus Day Soccer Tournament will be held Columbus Day weekend, October 2007. Players ages 9-14 participate from the area. [23]

Entertainment

  • Tradition Golf Club. [24]
  • Keney Park Golf Club. [25]

Religion

  • Hopewell Baptist Church, 280 Windsor Avenue.
  • Windsor Home Church, 271 Rainbow Road.
  • Pilgrim Way Baptist Church, 19 Columbia Road.
  • Grace Baptist Church, 830 Marshall Phelps Road.
  • Greater St. Paul's Baptist Church of Deliverance, 12 Windsor Avenue.
  • Saint Gabriel's Church, Roman Catholic, 379 Broad Street.
  • Saint Gertrude's Church, Roman Catholic, 550 Matianuck Avenue.
  • Saint Joseph's Church, Roman Catholic, 1747 Poquonock Avenue.
  • The First Church in Windsor, United Church of Christ, 107 Palisado Avenue.
  • Poquonock Community Church, United Church of Christ, 1817 Poquonock Avenue.
  • Wilson Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 691 Windsor Avenue.
  • Holy Zion Church of the Jubilee, Nondenominational, 235 Palisado Avenue.
  • Mount Carmel Christian Ministries, Nondenominational, 599 Matianuck Avenue.
  • Faith Community Church, 100 Pigeon Hill Road.
  • Grace Episcopal Church, 311 Broad Street.
  • Archer Memorial Ame Zion Church, African Methodist Episcopal, 321 Hayden Station Road.
  • Trinity United Methodist Church, 180 Park Avenue.
  • Christ the King Lutheran Church, 465 Park Avenue.
  • Congragation Beth Ahm, Jewish, 362 Palisado Avenue.
  • River of Life Christian Church, 500 Bloomfield Avenue.
  • Tohrah Judea, 452 Bloomfeild Avenue
  • Connecticut Valley Church of Christ, 61 Cook Hill Road.
  • Praise Power & Prayer Temple, Pentecostal, 209 Kennedy Road.
  • Islamic Center of Connecticut, 68 White Rock Drive.

Transportation

  • See also: Windsor, Connecticut (Amtrak station)
  • A single train line runs along the Connecticut River through Windsor, with one stop for Amtrak trains in Windsor's Center.

Safety

  • Windsor Police Department is located at the Windsor Safety Complex, in the middle of town, next to I-91, on Bloomfield Avenue. [27]
  • Windsor Volunteer Fire Department has 5 stations: Windsor Station (at the Windsor Safety Complex), Wilson Station, Poquonock Station, Rainbow Road Station and Hayden Station. [28]
  • Windsor Volunteer Ambulance is also located at the Windsor Safety Complex. [29]

Large and Distinctive Companies

  • Advo, Inc. -- The country's largest direct mail company has its headquarters in Windsor. [31] [9]
  • Stanadyne Corporation -- Maintains its headquarters in Windsor.[36]
  • SS&C Technologies, Inc. -- Has its corporate headquarters at 80 Lamberton Road in Windsor.[37]
  • Spencer Turbine -- Is headquartered at 600 Day Hill Road in Windsor.[38]
  • Mototown USA -- Recently opened in 2006. At over 200,000 square feet, the complex is the largest indoor motocross facility in the world.[39]
  • Limra -- Has a North American office in Windsor on Day Hill Road.[42]
  • ING Group -- Construction of a new building in the Day Hill Road Corporate Area. [45][46]

Hotels/Lodging

Notable People

Geography

Windsor's highest point is on Day Hill at 230 feet (70 m). [12]

Windsor's lowest point is at the Connecticut River shore at 5 feet (2 m). [12] The Connecticut River defines Windsor's east border.

The city of Hartford, the Capital of Connecticut, is adjacent to Windsor to the south.

The town of Windsor Locks, home of Bradley International Airport, is adjacent to Windsor to the north.

The towns of East Windsor and South Windsor are on east side of the Connecticut River, which defines Windsor's eastern border.

The town of Bloomfield is to the west.

The town of East Granby is to the northwest.

Windsor is only 2 towns, or 20 minutes, south from Massachusetts.

The Farmington River joins the Connecticut River in Windsor. The Farmington River is dammed in the northwest corner of Windsor to form the 234 acre Rainbow Reservoir. [13]

Demographics

File:WindsorCTtownhallfountain.jpg
Windsor's Town Hall and Fountain on the Town Green

Population

Year Population
1850 3294
1900 3614
1950 11833
2000 28237[14]

Population density was 368.0/km² (953.0/mi²).

In the town the population was spread out with
24.6% under the age of 18,
5.9% from 18 to 24,
28.7% from 25 to 44,
26.2% from 45 to 64, and
14.5% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median age was 40 years.
For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

7,604 families residing in the town.
10,577 housing units at an average density of 142.0/km² (367.9/mi²).

10,577 households out of which
32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them,
55.7% were married couples living together,
13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and
28.1% were non-families.

23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and
8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10.

Income

Median income for a household in the town was $64,137, and
the median income for a family was $73,064.
Males had a median income of $45,443 versus $37,476 for females.

Windsor was one of a handfull of towns in the country where, in the United States Census, 2000,
median income for black households ($64,159) [15]
was larger than white households ($63,624). [16]
Asian households had a median income of $75,716. [17]
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) households has a median income of $69,808.[18]

The per capita income for the town was $27,633.

About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including
4.3% of those under age 18 and
5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Diversity

Racial makeup of the town was
White 65.12%,
African American 27.09%,
Native American 0.16%,
Asian 3.14%,
Pacific Islander 0.03%,
other races 2.09%, and
2.38% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% of the population.

Windsor High School has 1471 students enrolled and demographics for 2004-2005 were:
Black 46.2%,
White 41.1%,
Hispanic 8.8%,
Asian 3.8%, and
Native American 0.1%. [19]

Politics

Connecticut House of Representatives: Ruth C. Fahrbach (R) [52], Peggy Sayers (D) [53][54]

Connecticut Senate: Eric D. Coleman (D) [55]

United States House of Representatives: John B. Larson (D) [56]

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[20]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage of Population

Template:American politics/party colours/Democratic/row

Democratic 7,295 329 7,624 26.5%

Template:American politics/party colours/Republican/row

Republican 3,046 146 3,192 11.1%

Template:American politics/party colours/Independent/row

Unaffiliated 7,980 429 8,409 29.2%

Template:American politics/party colours/Libertarian/row

Minor Parties 12 1 13 0.5%
Total 18,333 905 19,238 66.8%

References

  1. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-05-09.csv U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=85000US060&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-format=ZI-1&-_sse=on
  3. ^ http://www.city-data.com/city/Windsor-Connecticut.html
  4. ^ http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/brief.html
  5. ^ http://www.bloomfieldct.org/Pages/BloomfieldCT_WebDocs/about
  6. ^ http://www.bera.org/trolleytowns/trolleyhtml/windsor.html
  7. ^ http://www.ct.nrcs.usda.gov/soil-windsor.html
  8. ^ http://www.nr.nps.gov/iwisapi/explorer.dll?IWS_SCHEMA=NRIS1&IWS_LOGIN=1&IWS_REPORT=100000039
  9. ^ http://www.courant.com/business/hc-advo1219.artdec19,0,2310956.story?coll=hc-headlines-business
  10. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055279/
  11. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119940/
  12. ^ a b http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=41.86029&lon=-72.66805&datum=nad27&u=4&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50
  13. ^ http://www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?931
  14. ^ http://clear.uconn.edu/projects/landscape/local/town.asp?townname=164&Go=Go
  15. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=06000US0900387000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US09%7C05000US09003%7C06000US0900387000&_street=&_county=windsor&_cityTown=windsor&_state=04000US09&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=004&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060%3A004&_keyword=&_industry=
  16. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=06000US0900387000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US09%7C05000US09003%7C06000US0900387000&_street=&_county=windsor&_cityTown=windsor&_state=04000US09&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=002&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060%3A002&_keyword=&_industry=
  17. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=06000US0900387000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US09%7C05000US09003%7C06000US0900387000&_street=&_county=windsor&_cityTown=windsor&_state=04000US09&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=012&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060%3A012&_keyword=&_industry=
  18. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFIteratedFacts?_event=&geo_id=06000US0900387000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US09%7C05000US09003%7C06000US0900387000&_street=&_county=windsor&_cityTown=windsor&_state=04000US09&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=060&_submenuId=factsheet_2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=400&qr_name=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060&reg=DEC_2000_SAFF_R1060%3A400&_keyword=&_industry=
  19. ^ http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/SCH0405/sr139.pdf
  20. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved 2006-10-02.

Further reading



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