Wethersfield, Connecticut

Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag. The population was 26,271 at the 2000 census.

History
Founded in 1634 by a group of Puritans led by John Oldham, Wethersfield is the second-oldest town in Connecticut after Windsor. Along with Windsor and Hartford, Wethersfield is represented by one of the three grapevines on the Connecticut state flag signifying the state's three oldest settlements.

Four witch trials and three executions for witchcraft occurred in the town in the 17th century. Mary Johnson was convicted of witchcraft and executed in 1648, Joan and John Carrington in 1651. Landowner Katherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.

Silas Deane, commissioner to France during the American Revolutionary War, lived in the town. His house is now part of the Webb Deane Stevens Museum. In May 1781, at the Webb House on Main Street, General George Washington and French Lt. Gen. Rochambeau planned the battle of Yorktown, which culminated in the independence of the then rebellious colonies.

The Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature on May 12, 1803, making it the first formally chartered fire department in Connecticut, and is the oldest chartered volunteer fire department in continuous existence in the United States.

A meteorite fell on Wethersfield on November 8, 1982. It was the second meteorite to fall in the town in the span of 11 years, and crashed through the roof of a house without injuring the occupants, as the first Wethersfield meteorite had also done. The Wethersfield Meteor is part of a collection at the Yale Peabody Museum.

Popular culture
Wethersfield was the setting for Elizabeth George Speare's novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond, also the setting of the one-act play The Valiant by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass. Wethersfield native, author Thomas Tryon also set his action/romance novels The Wings of the Morning and In the Fire of Spring in Wethersfield, as also a mystery/horror novel The Other.

Geography
Wethersfield is located at 41° 42' 43" North, 72° 39' 48" West (41.7122° -72.6636°).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34.0 km²), of which, 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (5.49%) is water.

Wethersfield is bordered by Hartford on the north, Rocky Hill on the south and Newington on the west, and across the Connecticut River by East Hartford on the northeast, and Glastonbury on the east.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,268 people, 11,214 households, and 7,412 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,119.9 people per square mile (818.7/km²). There were 11,454 housing units at an average density of 924.3/sq mi (356.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.19% White, 2.09% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.82% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.

There were 11,214 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,289, and the median income for a family was $68,154 (these figures had risen to $66,044 and $86,432 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $43,998 versus $37,443 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,930. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The Connecticut Department of Correction has its headquarters in Wethersfield.

Transportation
Greater Hartford's only major method of public transportation is Connecticut Transit (CTTransit), a Connecticut Department of Transportation-owned bus service operating routes throughout the New Haven, Stamford and Hartford metro areas, including Wethersfield.

Education
The Wethersfield public school system encompasses five elementary schools (Highcrest School, Charles Wright School, Emerson-Williams School, A.W. Hanmer School and Webb Elementary School), one middle school (Silas Deane Middle School) and one high school (Wethersfield High School).

Wethersfield is also the home of Corpus Christi School, a Catholic K-8 school of 440 students.

Streets and paths
Major streets include
 * Main Street in Old Wethersfield
 * Route 175 (Wells Road)
 * Route 99/Silas Deane Highway
 * Route 15 (Berlin Turnpike and Wilbur Cross Highway).

Heritage Way, a "linear park" developed in the 1990s, is a multi-use path that connects Wethersfield's open areas and recreation facilities.

Points of interest

 * Wethersfield Cove
 * Keeney Memorial Culture Center
 * Wethersfield Historical Society
 * Hurlbut-Dunham House
 * Captain James Francis House
 * Broad Street Green
 * Great Meadows
 * Ancient Burying Ground
 * WinterGreen Woods - 100 acre forest with vernal pools and walking trails
 * Wethersfield Skate Park
 * Willard Pool
 * Millwoods Park/Pond
 * 9/11 Memorial Sports Center

Landmarks and historic districts
Four buildings in Wethersfield are designated as historic landmarks by the National Register of Historic Places:
 * Buttolph-Williams House &mdash; 249 Broad St. (added December 24, 1968)
 * Joseph Webb House &mdash; 211 Main St. (added November 15, 1966)
 * Roger Butler House &mdash; 146 Jordan Ln. (added September 15, 1996)
 * Silas Deane House &mdash; 203 Main St. (added November 6, 1970)

In 1970, Old Wethersfield, the district bounded by Hartford, the railroad tracks, I-91 and Rocky Hill, was added as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people, past and present

 * Tony DiCicco, coach, United States women's national soccer team, 1994–1999
 * Betsey Johnson, fashion designer
 * Mark Linn-Baker, actor and director
 * Chris Murphy, former State Senator and current United States Representative from Connecticut’s 5th District
 * John Pinone, basketball player for Villanova University and the Atlanta Hawks.
 * Annabella Sciorra, actress
 * Tom Tryon, actor and novelist
 * Richard Treat (or Trott) (1584–1669) was an original settler of Wethersfield and a Patentee of the Royal Charter of Connecticut, 1662.
 * John Deming (abt 1615 - 1705) was an early Puritan settler and original patentee of the Connecticut Colony and a founder the town of Wethersfield.
 * Levi Warner, United States Representative from Connecticut.
 * Benjamin Wright, chief engineer of the Erie Canal
 * Sophie Tucker, 20th Century Comedienne and Singer, interred in Emanuel Cemetery, Wethersfield
 * Karen Smyers, World Champion Triathlete
 * Bruce Edwards (caddy), Tom Watson's caddy of almost 30 years, subject of the book and documentary "Caddy For Life: The Bruce Edwards Story"