East Haddam, Connecticut


East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower [Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region]. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. It includes summer resorts, historical sites, and natural areas.
WWW Official Site

History

Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Niantic. The Indigenous nations called the area "Machimoodus", the place of noises, because of numerous earthquakes that were recorded between 1638 and 1899. Loud rumblings, the "Moodus Noises", could be heard for miles surrounding the epicenter of the quakes near Mt. Tom. The land, which is now Haddam and East Haddam, was purchased by settlers from the natives in 1662 for thirty coats, worth about $100.
Layout of the highways began in 1669 with Creek Row about ¼ mile east of the River and Town Street “The Great Highway” about ¼ mile east of Creek Row. The first permanent settlers established homesteads along Creek Row in 1685. By 1700, there were thirty families living in East Haddam. Agricultural and timber farming, shipbuilding, tanneries and blacksmiths were among the early commerce. Captain John Chapman began ferry service across the Connecticut River in 1695, which ended with the completion of the swing bridge in 1913.
East Haddam was incorporated as a separate town from Haddam in 1734. By 1756, there were nearly 2,000 residents, with the Millington District as the most populated. Growth of commerce brought a surge in population to around 3,000 people by the mid-1800s. In the nineteenth century, Moodus was the “Twine Capital of America,” with twelve mills in operation. In the winter of 1773, American patriot Nathan Hale briefly taught in a one-room schoolhouse in East Haddam which is now a living history museum operated by.
Visitors and residents such as actor William Gillette whose castle home was completed in 1914, were drawn to the area known for its rural charm and natural scenery. The growth of the resort areas of Lake Hayward, Bashan Lake and Moodus Reservoir began in the early 1900s and was a booming business for the next fifty years. Lake Hayward is a small private lake community within East Haddam that is home to around 120 families, most living at the lake only during summer months.
East Haddam was listed as one of the 52 Places to Love in 2021 by the New York Times.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Principal communities

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,333 people, 3,174 households, and 2,285 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 4,015 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 97.26% White, 0.84% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 3,174 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $62,304, and the median income for a family was $70,091. Males had a median income of $45,500 versus $36,055 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,112. About 1.0% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over. 2017 CERT Town Profile, click here.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
PartyPartyActive VotersInactive VotersTotal VotersPercentage
Democratic1,529911,62028.72%
Republican1,181561,23721.93%
Unaffiliated2,5981792,77749.24%
Minor parties5160.11%
TotalTotal5,3133275,640100%

Education

Public

The East Haddam Public School System has about 1,100 students in grades Pre-K–12; about 121 certified teachers, 70 support staff and 7 administrators. Ms. Teresa DeBrito is superintendent of schools.
Located in Moodus, Connecticut, the three schools in the public school system are:

Private

  • Franklin Academy – "A Boarding and Day School for Students with Nonverbal Learning Differences in grades 8–12", according to the school's Web site. The private, nonprofit school was opened in 2003 and has a campus of.

Attractions

Cultural

  • East Haddam Libraries – two public libraries, The East Haddam Free Public Library] and The Rathbun Free Memorial Library. EHFPL is well known for its teen and family programs, while Rathbun Library is known for its adult and child programs. Both have special collections in addition to offering basic library fare
  • Goodspeed Opera House – twice Tony award-winning theater, on Route 82 near the East Haddam Bridge.
  • Music on the River - annual summer series of free concerts held on the Goodspeed Opera House green.
  • Scherer Library of Musical Theatre - at the Goodspeed Opera House; the only library dedicated solely to American musical theatre in the world.
  • Venture Smith Day – annual celebration at First Church Cemetery honoring Venture Smith, East Haddam resident and author of early slave narrative

Historical

Natural

Notable people

Filming Location