Amidst Cultivated and Pleasant Fields: A Bicentennial History of North Haven, Connecticut

by Lucy McTeer Brusic

Spanning some 350 years, this book is a skillful recounting of North Haven’s evolution from a tiny seventeenth century settlement to part of the eastern megalopolis. Along the way of this historical progress, North Haven has been home to English settlers. Puritan ministers, a Tory politician, Revolutionary patriots. Baptist dissenters, charming Victorian characters, and numerous Italian immigrants. The lives of these people are woven into the fabric of the town’s history as the story unfolds from the geologic origins of the North Haven landscape to the constructions of modern 20th century municipal buildings. What gives this history its unusual appeal is the constant intermeshing into the story of significant national events which helped shape the town’s development and history, Residents of North Haven adapted in their own ways to national problems and changes such as social upheavals, wars, and depressions. The story of North Haven’s churches is told in terms of the larger theological and economic events which shaped the pre-Revolutionary period. The story of North Haven’s evolution as a major brick-producing town in the late 19th century is seen against the background of immigration. The present is tied to the past by numerous maps and photographs that illustrate the narrative and evoke images of the town as it once was. As often as possible, historic events are described in terms of current locations.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the early chapters on the formation of the land and the native cultures that preceded European colonization, as well as the way that early North Haven (and the surrounding area) were administered. I'd no idea how New England politics had developed or about the tensions between the churches. interesting stuff. pretty much the whole thing was fascinating, especially to notice references to places I knew well, having grown up there. the part that threw me was the last chapter or two, that seemed to summarize the bulk of the 20th century, and the most formative years for me, in a cursory fashion. I left the town for the most part after my high school graduation in 1983 (just before this was published), and I'd expected more detail about the 20 years prior to that, but it was a little thin. I'm hoping that someone has written or will write a history that covers the years since this one wrapped up - be interesting to see what I've missed. it was always a nice little town to live in.