Woodbury, CT
Some may not know that the town of Woodbury, Connecticut has a very rich heritage. The town is located in Litchfield County along the Pomperaug River. The area was settled in 1659, and Woodbury was split off and named as a town in 1673. The Pootatuck Path, an early Native American trail, crossed what is now Woodbury’s Main Street (where Studio Hill is located). The town was named Woodbury in recognition of its function as a “dwelling place in the woods.” However, what was once an early agricultural community, today Woodbury is known for its Colonial-era homes and antiques.
According to lawyer William Cothren of Woodbury, the first party of town settlers were a group who traveled up the rivers from Stratford to find and claim the plantation of Pomperaug from the Native Americans. They were a minority group in their original church, and, after a lot of controversy, they decided to forge a new town of their own: the town of Woodbury.
By the end of the eighteenth century, Woodbury had developed as a thriving center of agricultural trade because of its closeness to the Housatonic River. A good measure of Woodbury’s wealth at that time was the large number of artisans and tradesmen such as millers, blacksmiths, and clothiers who resided in the town.
As a reflection of the town’s growing prosperity, by the mid-nineteenth century, industrial growth led to a building boom of Greek Revival-style houses. Main Street eventually became fully developed from South Pomperaug Avenue to Quassuk Road, with the Victorian mansions and cottages interspersed with the earlier colonial homes. The south end of Main Street became the civic center, however it remained more residential. While the upper end, known as North Main Street, was the location of new commercial and residential growth.
The early twentieth century saw the Americanization movement, which idealized colonial life and transformed the center of Woodbury. Because of this, the many multi-colored houses were painted stark white, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church lost its Victorian embellishments and returned to its colonial form.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Woodbury, CT
During the latter half of the twentieth century, Woodbury changed from a rural community to a suburban community. This change began in the 1950s and subsequently accelerated until the community became as it is now. Today, the true strength of the community of Woodbury takes many forms—from the vibrancy of local businesses, to the commitment of the civic and faith organizations and the dedication of citizen volunteers in local government. The town is a unified body where the simplest act of extending a helping hand to a neighbor in need is encouraged and even expected.