Plymouth is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

Litchfield County Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is th ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

, United States. It is named after

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. The population was 11,671 at the 2020 census, down from 12,243 at the 2010 census. The town of Plymouth includes the villages of Plymouth Center, Terryville and Pequabuck.

History

The town was incorporated in 1795 and became known nationally for the manufacture of clocks. The town was named after

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known ...

. Plymouth (formerly Northbury, a section of Waterbury) was originally used as a burying ground for Waterbury. History records show that it was founded by a group of people who believed they had found a large deposit of

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

. This fabled "lead mine" never actually existed (or is still yet to be discovered). The oldest home in the community is on Route 6, and dates to 1690–1700. In the 1790s,

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

traveled through here, both to visit relatives and to stay away from the coastline. The Terry family participated in a great deal of Plymouth's history. Eli Terry became partners with Seth Thomas and

Silas Hoadley Silas Hoadley (1786 – December 28, 1870) was an American clockmaker. Biography Hoadley was born in Bethany, Connecticut on January 31, 1786. He was a cousin of the architect and builder David Hoadley. He received little formal education befor ...

to manufacture clocks in the Greystone section of town. Terry gave the factory to Hoadley and Thomas, and opened his own clock factory near Carter Road in Plymouth Center, while Thomas moved to Plymouth Hollow. Eli Terry, Jr. (son of Eli Terry) joined with another man who was interested in the cabinet and lock industry, and they opened the

Eagle Lock Company The Eagle Lock Company (established 1833) was, at one time, the largest trunk and cabinet lock maker in the world. It was based in Terryville, Connecticut. The Eagle Lock Company was at the forefront of padlock security at the time. History The E ...

. In the 1880s, the Plymouth Hollow section of Plymouth decided to split off and become the town of Thomaston, named after Seth Thomas. The Eagle Lock Company closed in the 1970s, and in 1975 the entire abandoned site burned, leaving one building left undamaged. The rest of the buildings were torn down or had floors removed. The Main Street School was located on the green (Baldwin Park) in Terryville. It was demolished in the 1930s, and the new Terryville High School was constructed behind the green on North Main Street. In the mid-2000s, Prospect Street School and Main Street School (previously called East Main Street) were left abandoned, so the construction of the new Terryville High School could begin in the Holt section of town. The Harry S. Fisher Middle School was turned into the Harry S. Fisher Elementary School, and the old Terryville High School was turned into the Eli Terry Jr. Middle School.

Geography

Plymouth is in southeastern Litchfield County and is bordered to the east by the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains th ...

and to the south by the city of Waterbury in

New Haven County New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, Ne ...

. Terryville, the largest community in Plymouth, is in the eastern part of town, while Plymouth Center is in the west. The community of Pequabuck is on the eastern border of the town, southeast of Terryville. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town of Plymouth has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.99%, are water. Part of

Mattatuck State Forest Mattatuck State Forest is a Connecticut state forest spread over twenty parcels in the towns of Waterbury, Plymouth, Thomaston, Watertown, Litchfield, and Harwinton. The Naugatuck River runs through a portion of the forest. The largest sectio ...

is in the southwest corner of the town.

Principal communities

* Allentown *

East Plymouth Historic District The East Plymouth Historic District is a historic district in the town of Plymouth, Connecticut. It encompasses a small rural village in the northeastern part of the town, whose main focus is the 1792 St. Matthew's Church, one of the oldest sur ...

, listed on the NRHP in Connecticut * Greystone * Hancock * Pequabuck (has its own post office) * Plymouth Center, listed on the NRHP in Connecticut * Terryville (has its own post office) * Tolles * Town Hill

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 11,634 people, 4,453 households, and 3,228 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.34%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.78%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population. There were 4,453 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $62,610. Males had a median income of $41,985 versus $32,359 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $23,244. About 2.7% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Plymouth is served by the

Plymouth Public Schools Plymouth Public Schools is a school district that serves Plymouth, Massachusetts. It operates 12 schools, making it one of the largest town school districts in the state. In June 2021, the Plymouth Public Schools were placed into a state program f ...

District. There are four schools in the district and students attend Terryville High School.

Transportation

The town is served by U.S. Route 6, Connecticut Route 72, and

Connecticut Route 262 Route 262 is a state highway in west central Connecticut running in a "U" pattern from Watertown to Plymouth. Route description Route 262 begins at an intersection with US 6 in Watertown. It heads southeast and east to Route 8, turning north ...

. Route 6 passes through Terryville and Plymouth Center, leading east through

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, the state capital, and west through Thomaston to Watertown. Route 72 least southeast to Bristol and north to Harwinton, while Route 262 south and west via a circuitous route to Oakville and Watertown.

Notable people

* Judson Allen (1797–1880),

United States congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

* Dorence Atwater (1845–1910), soldier who recorded 13,000 soldiers' deaths while he was a prisoner during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

; later a consul at Tahiti A monument honoring Atwater is on a hill overlooking Baldwin Park * Moses Dunbar (1716–1777), the only person ever convicted of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

in the state of Connecticut; lived in Plymouth and Bristol at the time * Henry Dutton (1796–1869), 38th

governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...

Calista Flockhart Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for portraying the title character on the Fox television series '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe Award in 199 ...

(born 1964), actress; family still lives in Todd Hollow *

(1786–1870), a clockmaker who learned from Eli Terry; owned his own clock factory in the Greystone section of town *

Ted Knight Ted Knight (born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka; December 7, 1923August 26, 1986) was an American actor well known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', Henry Rush in ''Too Close for Comfort'', and Judge Elihu ...

(1923–1986), actor from Terryville * Frederick A. Scott (1866–1957), United States attorney for the district of Connecticut from Terryville * Eli Terry (1772–1852), resident, clockmaker

References

External links

Town of Plymouth official website

Terryville Public Library

Plymouth Public Schools

ePodunk: Profile for Plymouth, Connecticut
{{authority control Towns in Litchfield County, Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area Towns in Connecticut 1795 establishments in the United States