Woodstock, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Woodstock is a town
in Windham County
, Connecticut
, United States
. The population was 7,221 at the 2000 census.
, a Puritan
missionary to the American Indians
, established "praying towns" where Native Americans took up Christianity and were expected to renounce their religious ceremonies, traditional dress, and customs. One Praying town, called Wabaquasset (Senexet, Wabiquisset), six miles west of the Quinebaug River
in present-day Woodstock, was the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns.
In 1675, when King Philip's War
broke out, some of the town's Indians, (especially in the southern part of the town) sided with the Mohegans and the English while others sided with the Indians led by Philip, rallying to arms on what is now Curtis Island in present Holland, Massachusetts and Brimfield, Massachusetts. During the war, the Praying town became deserted, and the English with their Indian allies marched through Woodstock to present day Thompson in the summer of 1676 burning any crops or stored corn they could find.
In 1682, Massachusetts bought a tract of land, which included Woodstock, from the Mohegans. A group of 13 men from Roxbury, Massachusetts
(home of the Pastorate of Woodstock's earlier visitor, John Eliot), settled the town in 1686 and named it New Roxbury. Judge Samuel Sewall suggested the town change its name to Woodstock in 1690, and in 1749 the town became part of Connecticut.
. "By 1820, there were 2 distilleries, 2 wheel wrights, an oil mill, fulling mill, carding machines, grist mills, saw mills, a goldsmith, and twine and cotton batting operations. Woodstock Valley was known for its shoe factories," according to the history page at the Woodstock town government Web site.
By the middle of the 19th century, industry almost ceased, and Woodstock reverted back to a rural state. The town then became a summer destination for wealthy city dwellers from around the East coast of the United States.
Critical to this development was Henry Bowen (see below), who had grown up in Woodstock and moved to Brooklyn NY, where he headed the lay managers of the famed Plymouth Church. Henry Ward Beecher, the pastor, was a charismatic figure who helped to redefine Protestantism, changing it from a religion based on fear of damnation to one based on on the certainty of God's love. In conformity with his principals, Beecher became deeply involved in the mid-19th Century debates over slavery and increasingly embattled in the political controversies that fueled the formation of the Republican party. Bowen invested heavily in the improvement of his home town, built a home there (the so-called Pink House), where Beecher frequently visited. Bowen encouraged other lay leaders of Plymouth Church to summer with him in Woodstock. Included were Frederick Hinrichs, whose descendents still live there; the Holts (the famed publishers) and the Tappans; and Albert Lythgoe, an Egyptologist renowned for pioneering the use of scientific methods in the unearthing of antiquities
U.S. Presidents visited Bowen's summer home on Woodstock Hill: Ulysses S. Grant
, Benjamin Harrison
, and Rutherford B. Hayes
, as his guests and speakers for 4 July celebrations. However, only Grant visited while he was a sitting President. Grant spent a night there in spite of the fact that Bowen (a teetotaler) forbade drinking and smoking in his home (Grant was made to smoke his cigars out on the porch, and he drank covertly).
Other prominent visitors were Henry Ward Beecher
and John C. Fremont
.
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Roseland Cottage
, also known as the Pink House or the Bowen House, was a summer home built by wealthy businessman Henry C. Bowen in 1846. This is where Bowen hosted U.S. Presidents for his then-famous Independence Day celebrations at Roseland Park. Ulysses S. Grant
bowled his first strike in the bowling alley located in the carriage barn.
The pink colored house features "tall, angular gables, gingerbread trim, and 21 formal flower gardens outlined by dwarf boxwood hedges," according to a Hartford Courant article. Roseland is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival style, which can be seen in its pointed gables, scrolled bargeboards, many tall chimneys, and leaded glass windows in diamond shapes. The outside walls, of board and batten wood siding, have been painted 13 different colors over the past 150 years—all shades of pink (as of the summer of 2006 the house was a coral or salmon color). The house still has the owners' original furniture and knickknacks.
Roseland was designed (under Bowen's direction) by architect Joseph C. Wells. The design was influenced by the architectural design books of architectural critic Andrew Jackson Downing.
Fine Homebuilding magazine named Roseland one of the 25 most important houses in America in its 2006 Fine Homebuilding Houses Annual Issue.
Roseland Cottage was purchased by Historic New England in 1970 and is currently open to the public for tours.
, the town has a total area of 61.8 square miles (160.1 km²), of which 60.5 square miles (156.7 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km² or 2.10%) is water. It is the second-largest town in Connecticut in terms of land area (after New Milford
).
of 2000, there were 7,221 people, 2,754 households, and 2,048 families residing in the town. The population density
was 119.3 people per square mile (46.1/km²). There were 3,044 housing units at an average density of 50.3 per square mile (19.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.37% White, 0.17% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races
, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 2,754 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,313, and the median income for a family was $65,574. Males had a median income of $46,017 versus $30,222 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $25,331. About 1.9% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
The town has an "Independent New England Academy" (a special public / private school governed by a 30 member Board of Trustees) called Woodstock Academy
, and one private school (The Hyde Schools).
, a "New England Academy" which is a corporate school (there are two others in the State; Norwich Free Academy
and The Gilbert School) and is governed by a 30 member Board of Trustees, is located in Woodstock. Founded in 1801 as a New England Academy, Woodstock Academy briefly closed twice in the 19th century, and the second time was revived by local philanthropist and Academy graduate Henry C. Bowen. After Bowen's death, his family set up an endowment fund to help keep the school running. In 1915 it became designated the town of Woodstock's public high school. In 1932 Eastford, a nearby community, also designated it as its town high school. From 1915 until 2004 the Town of Woodstock had officially designated the Academy as its public high school. Since then the town's Board of Education and the Academy Trustees have been unable to come to an agreement, although Woodstock continues to send its students to the Academy for its high school.
Today the school serves the towns of Woodstock, Eastford
, Pomfret
, Union
, Canterbury
, and Brooklyn
with a student population of over 1100. The school is often described as "independent" as it is not controlled by any of the municipalities that it serves or by a regional high school board.
Presently the Woodstock Board of Education is in the process of negotiating a new contract with the school, but negotiations have been at an impasse these last two years as the Woodstock Board of Education has been trying to get more financial control over Woodstock Academy, a school which is, as of 2009, is administered by itself with oversight by the state of Connecticut.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Windham County
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 7,221 at the 2000 census.
Annual events
- The Woodstock Fair, run by the Woodstock Agricultural Society (established in 1846) has been held since 1860. The current President of the Woodstock Fair is Susan Z. Hibbard. For more information, visit their Web site.
17th century
In the mid-17th century, John EliotJohn Eliot (missionary)
John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...
, a Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
missionary to the American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, established "praying towns" where Native Americans took up Christianity and were expected to renounce their religious ceremonies, traditional dress, and customs. One Praying town, called Wabaquasset (Senexet, Wabiquisset), six miles west of the Quinebaug River
Quinebaug River
The Quinebaug River is a river in south-central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut, with watershed extending into western Rhode Island. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern New England Native American term, spelled variously Qunnubbâgge, Quinibauge, etc., meaning "long pond", from...
in present-day Woodstock, was the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns.
In 1675, when King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
broke out, some of the town's Indians, (especially in the southern part of the town) sided with the Mohegans and the English while others sided with the Indians led by Philip, rallying to arms on what is now Curtis Island in present Holland, Massachusetts and Brimfield, Massachusetts. During the war, the Praying town became deserted, and the English with their Indian allies marched through Woodstock to present day Thompson in the summer of 1676 burning any crops or stored corn they could find.
In 1682, Massachusetts bought a tract of land, which included Woodstock, from the Mohegans. A group of 13 men from Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
(home of the Pastorate of Woodstock's earlier visitor, John Eliot), settled the town in 1686 and named it New Roxbury. Judge Samuel Sewall suggested the town change its name to Woodstock in 1690, and in 1749 the town became part of Connecticut.
18th and 19th centuries
A farming town in the 18th century, Woodstock began attracting industry after the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. "By 1820, there were 2 distilleries, 2 wheel wrights, an oil mill, fulling mill, carding machines, grist mills, saw mills, a goldsmith, and twine and cotton batting operations. Woodstock Valley was known for its shoe factories," according to the history page at the Woodstock town government Web site.
By the middle of the 19th century, industry almost ceased, and Woodstock reverted back to a rural state. The town then became a summer destination for wealthy city dwellers from around the East coast of the United States.
Critical to this development was Henry Bowen (see below), who had grown up in Woodstock and moved to Brooklyn NY, where he headed the lay managers of the famed Plymouth Church. Henry Ward Beecher, the pastor, was a charismatic figure who helped to redefine Protestantism, changing it from a religion based on fear of damnation to one based on on the certainty of God's love. In conformity with his principals, Beecher became deeply involved in the mid-19th Century debates over slavery and increasingly embattled in the political controversies that fueled the formation of the Republican party. Bowen invested heavily in the improvement of his home town, built a home there (the so-called Pink House), where Beecher frequently visited. Bowen encouraged other lay leaders of Plymouth Church to summer with him in Woodstock. Included were Frederick Hinrichs, whose descendents still live there; the Holts (the famed publishers) and the Tappans; and Albert Lythgoe, an Egyptologist renowned for pioneering the use of scientific methods in the unearthing of antiquities
Fourth of July celebrations
Henry C. Bowen, a native of the town who became wealthy (through the dry goods business and publishing in Brooklyn, New York) and helped found the Republican Party, subsequently hosted July 4 celebrations in Woodstock at his Roseland Park during the latter part of the 19th century. These celebrations attracted as many as 10,000 people who heard speeches, saw fireworks, and drank pink lemonade. Bowen, often called "Mr. Fourth of July," was an important benefactor of the town, and the founder of the anti-slavery newspaper The Independent. Bowen gave his Roseland Park, which included a man-made lake, to the community.U.S. Presidents visited Bowen's summer home on Woodstock Hill: Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
, Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, and Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
, as his guests and speakers for 4 July celebrations. However, only Grant visited while he was a sitting President. Grant spent a night there in spite of the fact that Bowen (a teetotaler) forbade drinking and smoking in his home (Grant was made to smoke his cigars out on the porch, and he drank covertly).
Other prominent visitors were Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist, and speaker in the mid to late 19th century...
and John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
.
Roseland Cottage
Roseland Cottage
Roseland Cottage, also known as Henry C. Bowen House or as Bowen Cottage, is a historic house located on Route 169 in Woodstock, Connecticut...
, also known as the Pink House or the Bowen House, was a summer home built by wealthy businessman Henry C. Bowen in 1846. This is where Bowen hosted U.S. Presidents for his then-famous Independence Day celebrations at Roseland Park. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
bowled his first strike in the bowling alley located in the carriage barn.
The pink colored house features "tall, angular gables, gingerbread trim, and 21 formal flower gardens outlined by dwarf boxwood hedges," according to a Hartford Courant article. Roseland is an example of Victorian Gothic Revival style, which can be seen in its pointed gables, scrolled bargeboards, many tall chimneys, and leaded glass windows in diamond shapes. The outside walls, of board and batten wood siding, have been painted 13 different colors over the past 150 years—all shades of pink (as of the summer of 2006 the house was a coral or salmon color). The house still has the owners' original furniture and knickknacks.
Roseland was designed (under Bowen's direction) by architect Joseph C. Wells. The design was influenced by the architectural design books of architectural critic Andrew Jackson Downing.
Fine Homebuilding magazine named Roseland one of the 25 most important houses in America in its 2006 Fine Homebuilding Houses Annual Issue.
Roseland Cottage was purchased by Historic New England in 1970 and is currently open to the public for tours.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 61.8 square miles (160.1 km²), of which 60.5 square miles (156.7 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km² or 2.10%) is water. It is the second-largest town in Connecticut in terms of land area (after New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
).
Principal communities
- East Woodstock
- Harrisville
- Kenyonville
- North Woodstock
- South Woodstock
- West Woodstock
- Woodstock HillWoodstock Hill Historic DistrictWoodstock Hill Historic District is a historic district and the town center village of Woodstock, Connecticut, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The area is centered on the town green known as Woodstock Common....
(town center) - Woodstock Valley
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,221 people, 2,754 households, and 2,048 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 119.3 people per square mile (46.1/km²). There were 3,044 housing units at an average density of 50.3 per square mile (19.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.37% White, 0.17% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 2,754 households out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,313, and the median income for a family was $65,574. Males had a median income of $46,017 versus $30,222 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $25,331. About 1.9% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Woodstock is served by the Woodstock School District. Woodstock Elementary School (Pre-Kindergarten through 4) and Woodstock Middle School (5-8) serve Woodstock. Dr. Francis Baran is the Superintendent. Woodstock Elementary School serves children in pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade. Enrollment exceeded 500 as of 2006. Woodstock Middle School, acquired in 1996, has an enrollment of more than 400 in Grades 5-8.The town has an "Independent New England Academy" (a special public / private school governed by a 30 member Board of Trustees) called Woodstock Academy
Woodstock Academy
Woodstock Academy, founded in 1801, is an endowed academy or independent high school for students located in Woodstock, Connecticut, United States....
, and one private school (The Hyde Schools).
Woodstock Academy
Woodstock AcademyWoodstock Academy
Woodstock Academy, founded in 1801, is an endowed academy or independent high school for students located in Woodstock, Connecticut, United States....
, a "New England Academy" which is a corporate school (there are two others in the State; Norwich Free Academy
Norwich Free Academy
The Norwich Free Academy founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a high school located in the city of Norwich, Connecticut. The Academy serves as the primary high school for Norwich and the surrounding towns of Canterbury, Bozrah, Voluntown, Sprague, Lisbon, Franklin, Preston andseveral...
and The Gilbert School) and is governed by a 30 member Board of Trustees, is located in Woodstock. Founded in 1801 as a New England Academy, Woodstock Academy briefly closed twice in the 19th century, and the second time was revived by local philanthropist and Academy graduate Henry C. Bowen. After Bowen's death, his family set up an endowment fund to help keep the school running. In 1915 it became designated the town of Woodstock's public high school. In 1932 Eastford, a nearby community, also designated it as its town high school. From 1915 until 2004 the Town of Woodstock had officially designated the Academy as its public high school. Since then the town's Board of Education and the Academy Trustees have been unable to come to an agreement, although Woodstock continues to send its students to the Academy for its high school.
Today the school serves the towns of Woodstock, Eastford
Eastford, Connecticut
Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, Pomfret
Pomfret, Connecticut
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,798 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, Union
Union, Connecticut
Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...
, Canterbury
Canterbury, Connecticut
Canterbury is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,692 at the 2000 census.-History:The area was first settled in the 1680s as Peagscomsuck, consisting mainly of land north of Norwich, south of New Roxbury, Massachusetts and west of the Quinebaug River and the...
, and Brooklyn
Brooklyn, Connecticut
Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...
with a student population of over 1100. The school is often described as "independent" as it is not controlled by any of the municipalities that it serves or by a regional high school board.
Presently the Woodstock Board of Education is in the process of negotiating a new contract with the school, but negotiations have been at an impasse these last two years as the Woodstock Board of Education has been trying to get more financial control over Woodstock Academy, a school which is, as of 2009, is administered by itself with oversight by the state of Connecticut.
See also
- History of Woodstock, by Ellen Larned, a 19th century historian, who also wrote the History of Windham County.
- History of Woodstock, by Clarence W. Bowen, privately published, 1929.