Plymouth, Connecticut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plymouth, Connecticut
Town
Town of Plymouth
First Congregational Church in Plymouth
Seal
Litchfield County and Connecticut  Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and Connecticut
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Litchfield
Region	Naugatuck Valley
Incorporated	1795
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
Area
• Total	22.4 sq mi (57.9 km2)
• Land	21.7 sq mi (56.1 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation	873 ft (266 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,671
• Density	539/sq mi (208.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06782, 06786
Area code(s)	860/959
FIPS code	09-60750
GNIS feature ID	0213489

Plymouth is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The town is named after Plymouth, England.

In 2020, about 11,671 people lived in Plymouth. The town includes the smaller areas of Plymouth Center, Terryville, and Pequabuck.

History of Plymouth

Plymouth became an official town in 1795. It was once famous across the country for making clocks. The town got its name from Plymouth, Massachusetts. Before it was called Plymouth, it was known as Northbury and was part of Waterbury. It was first used as a burial ground for Waterbury.

Some old stories say that Plymouth was started by people who thought they found a lot of lead here. But this "lead mine" was never actually found! The oldest house in Plymouth is on Route 6 and was built around 1690 or 1700.

In the 1790s, George Washington visited this area. He traveled through Plymouth to see relatives and to stay away from the coast.

Clock Making in Plymouth

The Terry family played a big part in Plymouth's history. Eli Terry was a famous clockmaker. He worked with Seth Thomas and Silas Hoadley to make clocks in the Greystone part of town.

Eli Terry later gave his factory to Hoadley and Thomas. He then opened his own clock factory near Carter Road in Plymouth Center. Seth Thomas moved to an area called Plymouth Hollow.

Eli Terry, Jr., who was Eli Terry's son, started a company called the Eagle Lock Company. This company made cabinets and locks.

In the 1880s, the Plymouth Hollow area decided to become its own town. It was named Thomaston, after Seth Thomas. The Eagle Lock Company closed in the 1970s. In 1975, most of the old factory buildings burned down.

Schools in Plymouth

The Main Street School was once located in Terryville. It was torn down in the 1930s. A new Terryville High School was built behind it.

Later, Prospect Street School and another Main Street School were closed. A new Terryville High School was built in the Holt area of town. The Harry S. Fisher Middle School became the Harry S. Fisher Elementary School. The old Terryville High School was changed into the Eli Terry Jr. Middle School.

Geography of Plymouth

Plymouth is in the southeastern part of Litchfield County. To the east, it borders the city of Bristol. To the south, it borders Waterbury.

Terryville is the largest community in Plymouth. It is in the eastern part of town. Plymouth Center is in the western part. Pequabuck is on the eastern edge of town, near Terryville.

The town of Plymouth covers about 57.9 square kilometers (22.4 square miles). Most of this area is land (56.7 km² or 21.9 sq mi). A small part, about 1.1 km² (0.4 sq mi), is water. Part of the Mattatuck State Forest is in the southwest corner of Plymouth.

Main Communities in Plymouth

Here are some of the main communities or areas within Plymouth:

• Allentown
• East Plymouth Historic District
• Greystone
• Hancock
• Pequabuck (which has its own post office)
• Plymouth Center
• Terryville (which also has its own post office)
• Tolles
• Town Hill

Population of Plymouth

In 2000, there were 11,634 people living in Plymouth. There were 4,453 households, which are groups of people living together. About 34.2% of these households had children under 18.

The average age of people in Plymouth in 2000 was 38 years old. About 25.8% of the population was under 18 years old.

Education in Plymouth

Plymouth has its own school system called the Plymouth Public Schools District. There are four schools in this district. Students in Plymouth attend Terryville High School.

Transportation in Plymouth

Several main roads pass through Plymouth. These include U.S. Route 6, Connecticut Route 72, and Connecticut Route 262.

Route 6 goes through Terryville and Plymouth Center. If you go east on Route 6, you can reach Hartford, the state capital, about 22 miles away. If you go west, you can reach Watertown, about 8 miles away.

Route 72 goes southeast to Bristol and north to Harwinton. Route 262 takes a winding path south and west to Oakville and Watertown.

Notable People from Plymouth

Many interesting people have lived in Plymouth:

• Judson Allen (1797–1880) – He was a United States congressman from New York.
• Dorence Atwater (1845–1910) – He was a soldier during the American Civil War. While he was a prisoner, he kept records of 13,000 soldiers who died. Later, he became a consul in Tahiti. There is a monument honoring him in Plymouth.
• Moses Dunbar (1716–1777) – He lived in Plymouth and Bristol. He was the only person ever found guilty of high treason in Connecticut.
• Henry Dutton (1796–1869) – He was the 38th governor of Connecticut.
• Calista Flockhart (born 1964) – She is a famous actress. Her family still lives in Todd Hollow, Plymouth.
• Silas Hoadley (1786–1870) – He was a clockmaker who learned from Eli Terry. He owned his own clock factory in the Greystone part of town.
• Ted Knight (1923–1986) – He was an actor from Terryville.
• Frederick A. Scott (1866–1957) – He was a United States attorney for Connecticut and was from Terryville.
• Eli Terry (1772–1852) – He was a very important clockmaker who lived in Plymouth.

See also

In Spanish: Plymouth (Connecticut) para niños