This timeline represents an on-going accumulation of research concerning the history of Westbrook and Westbrook Harbor. All of the information contained in this timeline finds its source either in historic newspaper articles or books. Every source is listed.
Of Special Note: The name, “Westbrook”, did not exist until the citizens of the area established their own parish, called the “First Society of Westbrook”. But the village itself continued to be called “Pochogue” (after the original Pequot name) until residents petitioned to change this name to “Westbrook” in 1810. Even after this official name change, Westbrook was still just a village within Saybrook. That changed in 1840, when the Town of Westbrook officially ceded from Saybrook. Suffice to say, all references to “Westbrook” between 1630 and 1840 are merely referring to the land that would one day become the independent town of Westbrook.
If you know of any further occurrences that could be included here (and which can be verified by source material), please send me an email.
Pre-1630
Native Americans, either of Pequot origin or otherwise under the rule of the Pequots, are living near the mouths of the Patchogue and Menunketesuck Rivers (in what will eventually become Westbrook). Before European arrival, the rivers did not possess these names, however. Instead, the entire area was known to the Native inhabitants as Pochoug, and the English simply applied this name to the easternmost river as time went on.
My Notes: Pochoug is believed to mean either “turning place” or “bend in the river”, referring to the Patchogue River. Linguists have suggested that the area once known as “Pachaug” in Voluntown, Connecticut drew its name from the same term in reference to a completely different river. The same applies to the Patchogue Creek in Islip, NY.
1637
The Native Americans living in Westbrook, being of Pequot origin or rule, leave the area after the English decimate the Pequot Nation during the Pequot War of 1637.
A group of Native Americans from the Nehantic tribe of Rhode Island, led by a chief named Obed, move into the area at some point after the Pequots leave. They are generally called the “Menunketesets” and these are the Native Americans that the English will eventually discover living along the shores of Westbrook Harbor (though the harbor will not be so-named for roughly two centuries).
Sources:“Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley” by George Simon Roberts, 1906
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
1650
It is believed that some of the first English began to venture into the frontier of Westbrook around this year.
“The above facts, and many others that could be adduced, lead easily to the conclusion that… adventurous men had taken up their abode along the flat lands near the shore… as early as 1650.”
My Notes: These original settlers would have been pioneers in the truest sense -people that were setting off alone into the wilderness to live away from established colonies. Thus, their presence does not constitute “settlement” in the formal sense.
Source:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
1655
The tract of land from Menunketesuck Point to Barney’s Cove is granted to James Fitch, the first minister of the Saybrook colony.
Source:
The Day: July 20, 1916
1664
Westbrook is formally settled by the English. At this time, the village is called “Pochoug” and is part of Saybrook; it will not be known as “Westbrook” for another 146 years and will not become an official town (distinct from Saybrook) for another 176 years.
Source:
“Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley” by George Simon Roberts, 1906
1666
Uncas, sachem of the Mohegans, is given the deed to the area of Westbrook beside the westernmost river. The Mohegans call this territory Manaquatesett.
Source:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
My Notes: To this day, the westernmost river in Westbrook is known as the Menunketesuck River.
1675-1676
King Philip’s War erupts, being the last great war between English colonists and Southern New England Native Americans. Perhaps fearing that they might become embroiled in the conflict, the Nehantics living at Westbrook leave and return to Rhode Island.
Source:
“Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley” by George Simon Roberts, 1906
My Notes: King Philip’s War erupted in Massachusetts, where numerous tribes began launching massive strikes against English settlements. During the year of 1675, roughly half of the towns in Massachusetts had been destroyed. Most of the conflict was restricted to the Massachusetts area, but considerable spite and distrust towards Native Americans spread throughout all of the Southern New England colonies in these years. Despite promising initial success on the part of the Native Americans, the tide of the war had turned by 1676 and the English emerged as the victors.
1705
The General Court, realizing that many of the inhabitants of Westbrook probably did not have proper legal ownership of their land, passed an act that gave current residents full deed to whatever places they currently possessed.
Source:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
My Notes: Up until this point, English settlers had simply set off into the backcountry and settled upon Westbrook by virtue of the fact that the land was available. Thus, they never procured the proper deeds to the land, and many of them technically did not own the property upon which they were living.
1724
Westbrook is incorporated as a distinct parish known as the “First Society of Westbrook”. However, it is not incorporated as a distinct town; it is still just a village within Saybrook and goes by the name, “Pochogue”.
Source:
“Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley” by George Simon Roberts, 1906
1775
Smallpox inoculations take place at a makeshift hospital on Duck Island.
“Inocuation for the small-pox is now carried on at the hospital on Duck Island…”
Source:
The Day: July 2, 1976
1810
The village of Pochogue, still a part of Saybrook, begins being formally referred to as Westbrook. In a rather humorous petition to the General Assembly, the residents of Pochogue had complained that they could only spell or pronounce the name with great difficulty and, thus, requested the new name of “Westbrook”.
“At a General Assembly held in New Haven the second Thursday in Oct. 1810, upon the petition of the inhabitants of the third Society in Saybrook… showing to the Assembly that the said society hath from the first settlement of said town to the present time, retained the Indian name of Poochague or Poorchague, which name it is believed very few if any, can either spell or pronounce correctly, which is found to be inconvenient to the said inhabitants and to the public, wherefore our petitioners pray the Assembly to pass a special resolution in their favor, directing that said society within the present bounds and limits, may hereafter be known and called Westbrook…”
Sources:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
“Special Acts and Resolutions of the State of Connecticut, Vol. 1” by The State of Connecticut, 1837
1819
The shad fishing industry, once a primary source of revenue for Westbrook residents, is noted as having largely fizzled out as shad numbers drastically decreased.
Source:
“A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut” by David Dudley Field, 1819
1840
Westbrook is incorporated as an independent town and cedes from Saybrook.
Source:
“Historic Towns of the Connecticut River Valley” by George Simon Roberts, 1906
1849
Westbrook’s shad fishing industry apparently enjoys some measure of resurgence with the advent of “pound-fishing”, a large-scale harvesting method in which long nets were stretched between a series of poles and left to passively snag great quantities of hapless fish.
Source:
“Connecticut Coast: A Town-By-Town Illustrated History” by Diana McCain, 2009
1861 – 1865
The Civil War erupts and Westbrook supplies the Union Army with 55 of its citizens. Four of these men die in battle, a dozen suffer wounds (of which, two men later die) and sixteen more perish as a result of either disease or starvation.
Source:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
1870s
James Lewis (descendant of James Fitch) builds the first cottage in what would soon become a “cottage colony” at Grove Beach. Lewis coins the term “Grove Beach” as the name for his cottage development.
Source:
The Day: July 20, 1916
1872
Captain Elbert Stannard, a sea-faring man and native of Westbrook, returns home from years of sailing and builds a fine house near the Boston Post Road.
Source:
“History”, The Captain Stannard Bed & Breakfast Country Inn.
Accessed online June 27, 2017. <http://www.stannardhouse.com/History.htm >
My Notes: Stannard’s story would’ve been rather unremarkable during Westbrook’s sea-faring era. Only in hindsight does his story take on special meaning, for although it has changed hands and uses numerous times and even been badly damaged by fire, that very house he built in 1872 still stands today as The Captain Stannard Inn.
1891
A breakwater is constructed at Duck Island Harbor.
“Harbor of Refuge, Duck Island Harbor, Connecticut – The total length of the breakwater built last year was 916 feet, at a height of 7½ feet over mean low water, with a top width of 5 feet. Next year the breakwater will be extended and raised and widened, and other breakwaters will be built.”
Source:
New York Times: July 20, 1892
1893
“Pirates” are reported looting boats and households in and around Westbrook Harbor. Eyewitnesses pulling up eel traps at the end of Menunketesuck Island happen to find one of their temporary camps on the shore. In the same article, Duck Island is referred to as “one of the wildest and most secluded portions of the state”.
Source:
Meriden Daily Republican: Aug 29, 1893
1901
Philip D. Feltman purchases Menunketesuck Island.
Source:
Assessors Online Database for Westbrook Connecticut. Town of Westbrook. Accessed Nov 7 2012. <http://data.visionappraisal.com/WestbrookCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=1250>
My Notes: Although official land records verify that Feltman purchased the island in 1901, it is unclear who he purchased it from.
1904
Westbrook cottage owners raise money to build a breakwater at Salt Island.
“The sum of $8,000 has been pledged by wealthy cottagers on Quotonset beach, Westbrook, toward the construction of a breakwater at Salt Island.”
Source:
The Day: Sep 10, 1904
The New Haven Chamber of Commerce petitions Connecticut’s Congressional representatives for the construction of a lighthouse at Duck Island, insisting that:
“…a harbor of refuge is most needed during the night, especially when the weather is bad, and it is of great importance to navigation that a suitable lighthouse shall be erected at this point…”
It is not clear what became of this petition, but a lighthouse never was constructed anywhere along the Westbrook shoreline.
Source:
The Daily Morning Journal and Courier: Dec 23, 1904
1908
An extremely low water level at low-tide completely exposes the “reef” between Menunketesuck Island and Duck Island. Townspeople gather huge quantities of oysters and clams.
Source:
The Day: Feb 4, 1908
1911
“S. Robinson” is noted as owning a house on Salt Island.
Source:
The Day: Jul 3, 1911
Schooner Henry H. Willis wrecks on the rocks off Menunketesuck Island; two lives are lost when the ship sinks.
Source:
Norwich Bulletin: Nov 21, 1911
1913
Connecticut’s first highway commissioner, James H. MacDonald, buys Menunketesuck Island after retiring. He purchases the land from a descendant of James Lewis, mentioned earlier as the creator of Grove Beach in the 1870s.
“James H. MacDonald, former highway commissioner, has purchased from William I. Lewis of Grove Beach the property known as Menunketesuck Point.”
Source:
The Day: Dec 27, 1913
1915
Historian gives a talk at a meeting of the Westbrook Village Improvement Association and recalls that:
“…old Salt Island was at one time practically the business center of Westbrook. All lumber, fish and farm produce [had to] leave via Salt Island and all imports [had to] come through the same source, as the only safe and profitable means of transportation was by ship.”
Source:
The Day: Feb 11, 1915
1916
Westbrook residents gather at Salt Island to watch the filming of the motion-picture “Our Other Lives” by the Vitagraph Company of America. The film had “an all star cast featuring Miss Adelle Kelley, Ray Walburn, and Denton Vane.”
“This company seems well pleased with Westbrook’s possibilities as a setting for photo plays and it is intimated that this will not be the last visit here.”
Source:
The Day: Jul 8, 1916
My Notes: Although the Vitagraph Company apparently suggested to the Town of Westbrook that they might be interested in routinely filming other movies there, it seems that they never followed through. Vitagraph stopped producing films in 1925 and was eventually bought by Warner Bros.
1920
Three men go missing after last being seen anchored off Duck Island to go duck hunting. It is thought that severe water overtook the breakwater and the men drowned.
Source:
The Meriden Daily Journal: Dec 17, 1920
1925
The American Bridge Company, most likely under contract with the town, finishes construction of a 127-foot Pratt through-truss bridge over the Patchogue River. The distinctive humming sound produced by the decking when vehicles cross will eventually earn it a lasting nickname: “The Singing Bridge”.
Source:
Singing Bridge, Bridgehunter.com. <https://bridgehunter.com/ct/middlesex/singing/>
1930
Clinton Rod & Gun Club hosts a clambake on Duck Island.
Source:
The Day: Aug 7, 1930
1938
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 decimates coastal Westbrook. In the horrifying aftermath, nine bodies wash up on shore.
Source:
“Connecticut Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival” by Ellsworth Grant, 2006
1949
Three brothers from Waterford, CT are arrested for using a power dredge to dig clams out of Westbrook Harbor about 1,000 feet from shore. The brothers, all veterans of World War II, had pooled their resources and bought the power dredge in hopes of starting a new business out of Westbrook. Although their initial inquiries to the Town of Westbrook led them to believe that it would be allowable, they were ultimately stopped on the grounds of a law created in the 1880s that forbade the use of “powerboats or machines in dredging for any shellfish except on private grounds.”
Source:
The Day: Mar 14, 1949
1950
Roughly 16 duck hunters are stranded on Duck Island after winds of over 50 miles per hour capsize their docked or moored boats.
Source:
The Day: Nov 25, 1950
The Day: Nov 27, 1950
1958
Pilot’s Point is established at the western end of Seaside Avenue.
Source:
The New York Times: May 11, 1958
My Notes: Prior to 1958, the western end of Seaside Avenue terminated at an unpopulated salt marsh. The area had been known, perhaps for a few centuries, as “Hawk’s Nest” and tradition holds that it was the site of a Native American village.
1972
Salt Meadow National Wildlife Refuge is established within Westbrook. Encompassing over 150 acres, it is the first National Wildlife Refuge ever established in Connecticut.
Source:
Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. United States Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed Nov 7 2012. <http://www.fws.gov/northeast/mckinney/aboutus.html>
My Notes: Over time, the Salt Meadow National Wildlife Refuge began growing exponentially; it now encompasses 10 refuge units spread out across 70 miles of Connecticut coastline. In 1987, the name was changed to McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in honor the United States Congressman that championed it’s creation. The original area of the refuge is now called the “Salt Meadow Unit” and has grown to encompass 274 acres.
2005
Menunketesuck Island is purchased by the federal government and incorporated into the Salt Meadow Unit of the McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.
Source:
Assessors Online Database for Westbrook Connecticut. Town of Westbrook. Accessed Nov 7 2012. <http://data.visionappraisal.com/WestbrookCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=1250>
You can find the full text of some of my sources online:
“The History of Middlesex County: Town of Westbrook” by James A. Pratt, 1884
» Read this document
“A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut” by David D. Field, 1819
» Read this document