Sherman, Connecticut Facts for Kids

Sherman is a small town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is the northernmost town in the county and has the fewest people. In 2020, about 3,527 people lived there.

Sherman became a town in 1802. It was created from the northern part of New Fairfield. The town is named after Roger Sherman. He was a very important person in American history. He was the only person to sign all four of the United States' founding documents! Roger Sherman also had a shoe repair shop in Sherman. It has been rebuilt and you can see it today.

The famous Appalachian Trail goes through the northern part of Sherman. Also, part of Squantz Pond is located in the town. Many people from New York City visit Sherman on weekends. About one-third of the people living there are weekend visitors. Sherman is about 62 miles (100 km) northeast of New York City.

Sherman has a special place called the Sherman Historic District. This area is on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes old houses, the town hall, and other historic buildings.

History of Sherman
Education in Sherman
Famous People from Sherman
Geography and Nature
Population Information
Images for kids
See also

History of Sherman

The land where Sherman is now was once home to native people. They were mainly from the Algonquian family.

In 1724, settlers from Fairfield, Connecticut, wanted to start a new town. They tried to make a deal with Chief Squantz of the Schaghticoke tribe. Some stories say he moved away and refused to sell the land. Other stories say he died, and his sons did not want to sign the deeds.

Four years later, in 1729, a group of white men called "The Proprietors" finally bought a large area of land. This land is now New Fairfield and Sherman. They paid 65 pounds sterling, which was about 300 dollars at the time. The deed for this purchase is kept in the State Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut.

Education in Sherman

Sherman has one public school called the Sherman School. It teaches about 325 students from pre-school up to 8th grade.

Sherman does not have its own high school. Instead, students can choose to attend one of five high schools nearby. Sherman pays for them to go to these schools. The choices are:

New Milford High School
New Fairfield High School
Henry Abbot Tech
Shepaug Valley High School
Nonnewaug High School

Famous People from Sherman

Many well-known people have lived in Sherman. Here are a few:

Mikhail Baryshnikov (born 1948) – A famous dancer.
Martha Clarke (born 1944) – An American director and choreographer.
Vinnie Colaiuta (born 1956) – A talented drummer.
Malcolm Cowley (1898–1989) – A literary critic who lived in a converted barn.
Daryl Hall (born 1946) – A musician, known from Hall & Oates.
Bob Iger (born 1951) – The CEO of Disney.
Durward Kirby (1911–2000) – A TV co-star from Candid Camera.
Jeffrey Toobin (born 1960) – A lawyer and legal analyst for CNN.
Diane von Furstenberg (born 1946) – A famous fashion designer.
Rob Zombie (born 1965) – A musician and film director.

Geography and Nature

Sherman covers about 23.4 square miles (61 km²). Most of this area is land, and about 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) is water. Sherman shares borders with other towns:

To the south: New Fairfield
To the east: New Milford
To the north: Kent
To the west: Pawling, New York

Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook

Sherman is home to a very long-named brook: Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook. It has 29 letters! This name comes from a native language and means "water flowing from the hills." A local land trust, Naromi Land Trust, got its name from this brook.

This brook is also sometimes called Deep Brook. For a while, it was officially known as Morrissey Brook. But in 2001, its long original name was made official again. The state even made a special road sign for it!

Candlewood Lake

Candlewood Lake is the largest lake in Connecticut. Part of it reaches into Sherman at a park called Veterans' Field. This lake is not natural. It was created for a power plant that uses water to make electricity. Water is pumped into the lake from the Housatonic River.

Squantz Pond

Sherman is at the northern end of Squantz Pond. This pond was a natural body of water that became larger when Candlewood Lake was created.

Sherman Town Center

The main part of Sherman, known as the town center, is listed as the Sherman Historic District. It was recognized in 1991 for its important old buildings. These include houses, the town hall, the school, and old factories.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	949	—
1820	957	0.8%
1830	947	−1.0%
1840	938	−1.0%
1850	984	4.9%
1860	911	−7.4%
1870	846	−7.1%
1880	828	−2.1%
1890	668	−19.3%
1900	658	−1.5%
1910	569	−13.5%
1920	533	−6.3%
1930	391	−26.6%
1940	477	22.0%
1950	549	15.1%
1960	825	50.3%
1970	1,459	76.8%
1980	2,281	56.3%
1990	2,809	23.1%
2000	3,827	36.2%
2010	3,581	−6.4%
2020	3,527	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, the population of Sherman was 3,581 people. Most of them were white (3,469 people). There were also 35 Asian people, 15 black people, and a few Native Americans and people of other backgrounds. About 76 people identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The average income per person in Sherman is about $55,920. This includes all adults and children. The average income for a household (a family or group living together) is about $118,750.

There were 1,388 households in Sherman. About 460 of these households had children under 18 years old.

Images for kids

Spring view of Sherman end of Candlewood Lake with Candlewood Mountain

Sherman, Connecticut facts for kids

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