Melrose, Connecticut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Melrose
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Broad Brooks and Melrose Rds, East Windsor, Connecticut |
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| Area | 250 acres (100 ha) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic, Mid 19th Century Revival, Late 19th Cent. American |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000577 |
| Added to NRHP | August 26, 2010 |
Melrose is a small, historic village in East Windsor, Connecticut. It's a quiet, rural area that looks much like it did over 100 years ago. This special place was settled in the 1700s. It grew into a farming community in the 1800s.
Today, Melrose covers about 250 acres (100 hectares). It includes old farmhouses, farmlands, and even the remains of an old distillery. There's also a schoolhouse from the 1800s that is now a library! Melrose was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
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Exploring Melrose Village
Melrose is located in the northeastern part of East Windsor, Connecticut. East Windsor is a town known for its history of farming. The village is found far from the Connecticut River. It is bordered by the Scantic River to the west. Broad Brook is to the south. The towns of Enfield and Ellington are to the north and east.
What Does Melrose Look Like Today?
Melrose today is mostly a group of homes. These homes are centered around the meeting point of Broad Brook Road and Melrose Road. The village spreads mainly to the east and west along Melrose Road. The way the land is used hasn't changed much since the 1800s. Houses are close to the road, and farmlands stretch out behind them.
The area also has a small cemetery. There's a schoolhouse from the 1800s that now holds a small library. You can also find the remains of a small distillery. This old distillery is located on the banks of Broad Brook.
Homes and Farms of the Past
Most of the houses in Melrose were built in the 1800s. Some newer homes from the 1900s have also been added. You will see many barns and other farm buildings in the area. These show Melrose's long history of farming. Many barns are from the late 1800s or early 1900s. But there are also older barns. They show how farming changed over time in this area.
How Melrose Began
Melrose was first settled in the early 1700s. For a while, it was known as "Irish Row." This was because many of the first settlers were from Scotland and Ireland.
Early farming in Melrose was mostly for "subsistence." This means farmers grew just enough food for their own families to eat. Later, in the 1800s, tobacco became a very important "cash crop." A cash crop is something grown to be sold for money. Tobacco farming was a big part of the local economy. It continued to be important well into the 1900s.
The district schoolhouse was built in 1850. It served the town's children until 1938. After that, it was changed to become the library we see today.
