Deep River

DEEP RIVER The former Saybrook, now Deep River, was founded in 1635 as part of Saybrook Colony. Over the years land areas separated from the original settlement and new towns were established. The last separation, in 1859, left Saybrook with the villages of Deep River and Winthrop. In 1947 an Act of the Connecticut Legislature changed the name of the Town to Deep River, a name originally given to the stream flowing through the vicinity of Winthrop and Deep River. John Winthrop, Jr., first governor of Saybrook Colony, held lumber rights to land at the head of the Deep River, which led to establishment in the 1600's here on the Connecticut River of a landing for the shipment of barrel staves. Lumbering, the manufacture of piano actions, quarrying, and shipbuilding were some early industries that brought prosperity to the Town. The ivory business began with Phineas Pratt's factory on the Deep River in 1809 and ended in 1938 with the removal of Pratt, Read & Co. (Continued on other side) DEEP RIVER (Continued from other side) George Read (1787-1859), influential in the ivory trade, the Underground Railroad helping slaves to escape before the Civil War, and in many village institutions, has been referred to as the "Chief Founder of the Town." By the late 1700's shipbuilding was well established and hundreds of vessels were launched. Native-born Samuel Mather, captain of the clipper ship NIGHTINGALE, set a speed record from New York to Melbourne, Australia. Morrison Bay, in the Strait of Magellan, was named after a local navigator, Captain George Morrison. During the Civil War, Brevet Major General Alpheus S. Williams was cited for "gallant and meritorious service." The Town Hall (1893) is on the National Register of Historic Places and holds the Saybrook Land Records and Vital Statistics from 1660. The Baptist Church in Winthrop (1744) is the second oldest of this denomination in the state. The Deep River Fife and Drum Corps Muster, over one hundred years old, is held annually during the summer.