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On October 10, 1667 the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the “making of a village on the East River” to 38 planters and freeman. The “long highway” located on the ridge of the hill above the sandy plain along the Quinnipiac River is the present Main Street, Wallingford. On May 12, 1670 the bounds were set for the settlement and about 126 people settled in the town in temporary housing. Six-acre lots were set out and by the year 1675, 40 houses stretched along the street.

During the 19^th Century Main Street hummed with enterprising industry- the manufacture of razor straps, pewter pots, matches, beaver hats, paper boxes, shoes and boots, a fanning mill for grain, and a tannery in addition to the family businesses along the “Long Highway.” During the Revolutionary War, 456 men from the Wallingford area served with the rest of the populace supplying provisions and supplies for the Army. In 1775 George Washington stopped in town to buy gunpowder for his troops and again in 1789, as President, he paid the citizens another visit. Lyman Hall, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a native son.

 

During the 19^th Century, Wallingford industry expanded with a considerable concentration of small pewter and Britannia ware manufacturers. By mid-century, Robert Wallace acquired the formula for nickel silver and established with Samuel Simpson., R. Wallace & Company the forerunner of Wallace Silversmiths. It was also during this period that many of the small silver and Britannia plants were combined to form the International Silver Company with its headquarters in Meriden and several plants in Wallingford.

 

Wallingford is proud to be the home of a large variety of industries and major corporations spanning the spectrum of the medical, service, hi-tech and metal businesses.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has established its research and development headquarters in town. Yet the presence of rolling hills, farmland, historic homes and the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall have allowed Wallingford to retain the New England country flavor.

 

 

Wallingford is an incorporated town with a mayor and town council consisting of nine members who represent all districts of the town. The council meets on the 2^nd  and 4^th Tuesday of each month.

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