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Welcome to the Town
of Clinton's official web site.
Clinton traces its history from 1663 when the
land between Guilford and Saybrook, as they were
then bounded, was known as Homonoscitt. In
this year, a committee was appointed by the
General Court at Hartford to lay out this area
as a plantation. In 1667 the settlement was
designated a town and named Kenilworth. By the
middle of the eighteenth century, through
changes in usage, this name became Killingworth.
In 1838, the southern portion was incorporated
by the General Assembly as the Town of Clinton,
the northern portion retaining the name of
Killingworth. The line marking the division
between the towns of Killingworth and Clinton
was the same as that which divided the first and
second ecclesiastical societies, or, as they
were later known, "school societies," which were
established in 1735.
As in most small New England shore towns, life
centered about fishing, farming, shipbuilding,
and the church. One of the early leaders of
Clinton's church was the Reverend Abraham
Pierson. In 1701, when the General Court of the
Colony in Hartford granted a charter for "the
founding of a collegiate school within His
Majesty's Colony of Connecticut, " its founders
chose the Reverend Mr. Pierson as its rector.
The first classes were held in his parsonage in
Clinton. In later years the school was moved to
Saybrook and then to New Haven, where it
eventually became Yale University.
(Data provided by Clinton
Historical Society)
With beautiful views
of Long
Island Sound, this gem of a town is
approximately 100
miles from both New York and Boston and is easily
accessible from New Haven, Middletown and New
London.
A picturesque New England
town, Clinton is a wonderful place to live and work. Clinton has an estimated population of 13,500 which almost
doubles in size during the summer months as visitors flock here to enjoy
our sunny beaches, antiquing, historic buildings and New England charm.
We welcome you to explore, relax and celebrate. |
