Sharon, Connecticut
Sharon is a town located in
Litchfield County,
Connecticut, in the northwest corner of the state. It is bounded on the north by
Salisbury, on the east by the
Housatonic River, on the south by
Kent, and on the west by
Dutchess County, New York.
The
Appalachian Trail passes through a few miles east of Sharon, near
West Cornwall and
U.S. Highway 7.
As of the
2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,968, roughly a third more than it had had 220 years earlier.
The first inhabitants of the area they called
Poconnuck were the
Mattabesec Indians. These were part of what became known as the
Wappinger confederacy which in turn belonged to the loose
Algonquian confederacy.
*
1739: Sharon is incorporated. It is named after the
Plain of Sharon.
*
1765:
John Cotton Smith, son of
Cotton Mather and a prominent Connecticut politician, is born in Sharon.
*
1782: The population of Sharon grows to over 2,230 people.
*
1960:
Young Americans for Freedom was founded at the estate of
William F. Buckley, Jr. in Sharon (The
Samuel Elliot House)
Sharon in 1919
The following is a description of Sharon and its surroundings from a
1919 guide book to
New England travel [
1]:
This is a village of rural loveliness which attracts many summer boarders. The
Street, 200 feet [actually 12
rods] wide and two miles long, is bordered by grand old
elms forming a natural arbor. The Soldiers' Monument with a stone cannon, and a stone clock tower are the modern features of the village. The Governor
John Cotton Smith House, a fine specimen of
Georgian architecture, is still perfectly preserved. The fine old George King brick house (1800) is at the head of the street. The C. C. Tiffany house (1757) is perhaps the oldest in the town. The old Pardee brick house (1782) stands by the Stone Bridge. The Prindle house is a spacious
gambrel roof dwelling on Gay St. near the charming lakelet which furnishes a natural reservoir for the village water supply. The picturesque old Gay House has the builder's initials "M. G. 1765" on a stone in the
gable.
In the early days Sharon was a place of busy and varied industries.
Iron was manufactured here as early as
1743, and continued an important industry up to fifty years ago. During the
Civil War munitions were made here, and it was then in the shops of the
Hotchkiss Company in this village that the
Hotchkiss explosive shell for
rifled guns was invented, which led to the expansion of the company and its removal to
Bridgeport.
To the north of the village is
Mudge Pond, or Crystal Lake, and beyond,
Indian Mountain (1200 ft). At the western foot of the mountain, on the [New York] State line, lies Indian Pond, now called
Wequagnock Lake. On the edge of this lake was an Indian village where the
Moravians early established a mission that did great work among the Indians. To the Moravians it was known as " Gnadensee," the Lake of Grace.
From Sharon the route runs northward past
Lake Wononpakook and
Lake Wononskopomuc, the latter an Indian word meaning "sparkling water." Between the lakes, as the road forks right, is situated the widely known
Hotchkiss School. On the right, half a mile from
Lakeville, is the residence of Hon. Wm. Travers Jerome, formerly
District Attorney of New York City.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 154.3
km² (59.6
mi²). 152.0 km² (58.7 mi²) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.44% water.
Sharon is part of the
Northwest Highlands of Connecticut, a region in and around the
watershed of the
Housatonic River.
As of the
census2 of
2000, there are 2,968 people in the town, organized into 1,246 households and 775 families. The
population density is 19.5/km² (50.6/mi²). There are 1,617 housing units at an average density of 10.6/km² (27.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 96.87%
White, 0.94%
African American, 0.57%
Asian, 0.44%
Native American, 0%
Pacific Islander, 0.34% from
other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population are
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There are 1,246 households out of which 25.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% are
married couples living together, 7.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% are non-families. 31.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.87.
In the town the population is spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 45 years. For every 100 females there are 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $53,000, and the median income for a family is $71,458. Males have a median income of $42,841 versus $31,375 for females. The
per capita income for the town is $45,418. 7.2% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the
poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.4% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
*
Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, a leading 19th century American ordnance engineer. His widow
Maria Bissell Hotchkiss founded the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon in her husband's memory.
*
J. Frank Grimes, founder of the
Independent Grocers Association founded in Sharon in
1926The presence of Sharon Hospital, a sizeable regional hospital, has led to Sharon being birthplace to several people who did not live in the town.
*
Samuel Berger,
U.S. National Security Advisor to
President Clinton, 1997-2001. Born in Sharon on October 28, 1945, raised in nearby
Millerton, New York.
*
Michael Cole (born Michael Shawn Coulthard), announcer of
WWE Friday Night SmackDown! and former journalist with
CBS Radio. Born in Sharon on December 8, 1966, raised in nearby
Amenia, New York*
Philip Amelio, 1980's child actor. Born in Sharon on November 3, 1977, raised in nearby
Pine Plains, New York*
Sharon Historical Society*
Historic USGS map including Sharon, in the southwest corner of the quadrangle
*
1935 Description of Sharon*
Housatonic Meadows State Park in Sharon, along the
Housatonic River*
Mudge Pond, a 206 acre (834,000 m²) lake located in Sharon
*
Sharon Audubon Center*
Northwest Connecticut Arts Council*
Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau*
Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winstead
