Mill Hill Historic Park facts for kids
Fitch law office building ca. 1740
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1767 |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States of America United States |
| Type | Historic site |
Mill Hill Historic Park in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a special place where you can experience history firsthand. It's like a living history museum, meaning you can see buildings and objects from the past and imagine what life was like long ago.
The park has three main historic buildings:
- The old law office of Governor Thomas Fitch IV, built around 1740.
- The Downtown District Schoolhouse, from about 1826.
- The Norwalk Town Hall, built in 1835.
There's also a historic cemetery here, sometimes called the Town House Hill Cemetery. You might also hear the park called the Mill Hill Historical Complex or the Norwalk Mill Hill Museum.
Today, the Norwalk Historical Society and the Norwalk-Village Green Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution help take care of Mill Hill Park.
You can find Mill Hill Park in Central Norwalk, near East Wall Street. The cemetery, which is the third oldest in Norwalk, was started in 1767 by the First Congregational church. Many important people are buried here, including 11 brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Contents
Governor Thomas Fitch Law Office
The original house of Governor Thomas Fitch was built around 1740. It stood on a hill that is now part of East Avenue. Governor Thomas Fitch was an important leader in Connecticut. He passed away on July 18, 1774.
His house was partly burned during a British attack on Norwalk in July 1779. This attack was called Tryon's raid. The British usually spared homes of people who supported them (called "Tories"). Governor Fitch's wife, Hannah, had left town to avoid the raid.
After the raid, the house was rebuilt. Fitch's family members lived there until 1945. In 1956, the part of the house that survived the fire was moved to Mill Hill. This happened because a new highway, the Connecticut Turnpike, was being built. In 1971, this old part of the house was restored. It was made to look like an 18th-century law office, just like the one Governor Fitch would have used.
Downtown District Schoolhouse
Norwalk's first schoolhouse was built around 1678. It was located in East Norwalk. Over the years, several other school buildings were constructed. One of these was probably burned during the British raid in 1779.
The schoolhouse you see at Mill Hill was built around 1826. It was originally located near Willow Street and East Avenue. It became known as the "Down Town District Schoolhouse." This was because "Down Town District" was the old name for what we now call East Norwalk.
The building was used as a school until 1876. Over the years, it was moved several times as the area around it changed. When Interstate 95 was built through East Norwalk, the schoolhouse was moved to its current spot at Mill Hill.
Norwalk Town House
When the Town of Norwalk was founded in 1651, people planned to build a meeting house. This was finished by 1659. This first building was used for both town meetings and as a church.
By 1726, the church members wanted town meetings to be held somewhere else. So, town leaders started holding meetings in private homes. Later, they used a school building. In 1736, the first "Town House" for Norwalk was built. This building was also burned in the 1779 British raid.
After the fire, a group of community members, including Colonel Thomas Fitch V, worked to rebuild the Town House. But it wasn't finished until 1794. This 1794 Town House wasn't kept in good shape. By 1834, it was in such bad condition that it was torn down.
The Town House you see at Mill Hill today was built in 1835. Captain Lewis Raymond built it using bricks that came to Norwalk as ship ballast (heavy material used to balance a ship). It was one of the first brick buildings in town. This Town House served Norwalk until 1913. After that, town business moved to the City Hall in South Norwalk.
In 1924, the Norwalk Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution began using the Mill Hill Town House. They added a kitchen and bathroom to the building.
Today, the Town House is still used for many things. You can see historic items on display, and it hosts meetings, social events, and educational programs. Many schoolchildren visit to learn about Norwalk's past!
Notable burials
- Eliphalet Lockwood (1675–1753), a church leader and member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
- John Betts, Jr. (1692–1767), also a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
- Thaddeus Betts (1724–1807), a doctor and member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
- Taylor Sherman (1758–1815), a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. He was the grandfather of famous Civil War general, General Sherman.
- Edwin Lockwood (1799–1878), who was a leader (Warden) of the Borough of Norwalk.
See also
