Glastonbury–Rocky Hill Ferry Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Glastonbury-Rock Hill Ferry Historic District
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly along Tryon St., Ferry Ln. and Glastonbury Ave., Meadow and Riverview Rds., Glastonbury, Connecticut |
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| Area | 230 acres (93 ha) |
| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal, et al. |
| NRHP reference No. | 05001046 |
| Added to NRHP | September 21, 2005 |
The Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry Historic District is a special area in Glastonbury and Rocky Hill, Connecticut. It's like a living museum that shows over 300 years of history, from the time of the first European settlers until today.
This district includes the places where the Rocky Hill – Glastonbury Ferry lands on both sides of the Connecticut River. This ferry is one of the oldest running ferry services in the entire country! The district also covers the old farms and the small village around the ferry landing. This important area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
A Look Back in Time
The towns of Rocky Hill and Glastonbury were first settled in the mid-1600s. Back then, they were both part of a larger town called Wethersfield. Glastonbury became its own town in 1693, and Rocky Hill followed much later, in 1843. Even though they grew in different ways, the ferry has always been there since 1655, connecting the two sides of the river.
Farming Life in Glastonbury
The area in South Glastonbury, near the eastern ferry landing, has a very long history of farming. Before English colonists arrived, Native Americans used these wide, flat meadows near the Connecticut River for farming. In the 1640s, settlers from Wethersfield measured and divided this land.
Houses were built just above the flood plain, on what is now Tryon Street. The oldest house in the district, the Thomas Treat house, was built around 1700 and is on Tryon Street. Several other houses from the early 1700s are also there. Later, in the 1700s and 1800s, more farm buildings and structures for the ferry were added on the Glastonbury side. Families and businesses on this side of the river kept strong connections with those across the river.
Rocky Hill's Port History
Rocky Hill stayed part of Wethersfield for a much longer time. The Rocky Hill Landing area became its main port after a big flood in 1700 destroyed Wethersfield's old port. The land on the west side of the river has a narrow flood plain. Most of this land was owned by the town and was never built on much.
A steep hill separates the landing from the main town center. This hill helped shape Rocky Hill's growth in the 1700s and early 1800s as an important port and a place where ships were built. In 1871, the Connecticut Valley Railroad was built through the landing area. This made it easier to transport goods from South Glastonbury to markets.
