Southington

SOUTHINGTON To the fertile valley south of Farmington came Samuel Woodruff in 1698 to hunt and fish. Shortly thereafter Woodruff established a homesite, and with his settlement came other families from surrounding areas. The organization of a parish apart from Farmington led to the incorporation of Southington as a separate township in 1779. In June, 1781 Lieutenant General Count de Rochambeau, leading an auxiliary French army, camped in Marion for several days prior to joining forces with General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, where in October of that year the surrender of British forces ended the Revolutionary War and assured American independence. (Continued on other side) SOUTHINGTON (Continued from other side) The Farmington Canal, opened in 1828, enabled Southington industrialists and farmers to ship goods north and south. In 1847 the towpath along the waterway became the rail bed for the Canal Line Railroad. Southington was an early leader in the manufacture of many items, notably buttons, britannia ware, cement, tinware, and carriage hardware. The nut and bolt industry established in 1840 by Micah Rugg continues as a vital business in Milldale. In close proximity to state highways, Southington remains a flourishing industrial area. Fruit growing is the major agricultural occupation.