Chatham, Connecticut
| East Hampton, Connecticut | ||
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| Town | ||
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| Nickname(s): Belltown, USA | ||
 Location within Middlesex County, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates: 41°34′N 72°30′W / 41.567°N 72.500°WCoordinates: 41°34′N 72°30′W / 41.567°N 72.500°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Connecticut | |
| NECTA | Hartford | |
| Region | Midstate Region | |
| Incorporated | 1767 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-manager | |
| • Council | Barbara Moore (D), Chair Kevin Reich (D), Vice-Chair Patience Anderson (R) Mark Philhower (R) George Pfaffenbach (D) Philip Visintainer (D) Ted Hintz Jr. (R) |
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| • Town Manager | Michael Maniscalco | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 36.8 sq mi (95.3 km2) | |
| • Land | 35.6 sq mi (92.2 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2) | |
| Elevation | 354 ft (108 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 12,959 | |
| • Density | 343/sq mi (132/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 06424, 06414, 06456 | |
| Area code(s) | 860 | |
| FIPS code | 09-22490 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213423 | |
| Website | www |
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East Hampton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,959 at the 2010 census. The town center village is listed as a census-designated place (CDP). East Hampton includes the villages of Cobalt, Middle Haddam, and Lake Pocotopaug.
The southern trailhead of the Shenipsit Trail is in Cobalt, and the Airline State Park (a rail trail) has its southern trailhead in East Hampton, at Main Street in the Village Center. The 884-acre (358 ha) Hurd State Park, Meshomasic State Forest, and Salmon River State Forest are located in town. , more commonly known as the Comstock Covered Bridge and the only remaining covered bridge in eastern Connecticut, spans the Salmon River near Route 16 in East Hampton.
The Chatham Historical Society Museum and the Joseph N. Goff House Museum and Cultural Center are located in the town.
The European-derived first settlers of the area arrived in 1739 by sea from Eastham, Massachusetts. They traveled up the Connecticut River to Middle Haddam parish between the two adjacent towns of Middletown and Haddam. Led by Isaac Smith, some of these settlers went on to the hills near Lake Pocotopaug, the present-day location of East Hampton. In 1746, the settlers named their community Easthampton parish after their former home of Eastham. In 1767, the community was separated from Middletown incorporated by the Connecticut General Assembly as the township of Chatham, after Chatham, Medway due to the important shipbuilding industries that both places had in common. An iron forge at the outlet of Lake Pocotopaug was one of the earliest in Connecticut. The forge supplied the local needs and the shipbuilding industry on the banks of the Connecticut River. Shipbuilding up the Connecticut River was given a boost during the War of 1812 when the British raided a town at the mouth of the Connecticut River. The knowledge gained in forging and casting iron was later used for creating other items including waffle irons. Bell making continued to grow during the 1800s with firms utilizing the water power of the Pocotopaug Stream. After the Civil War numerous coffin trimming concerns lined the stream. Some firms changed focus over time such as the Watrous Mfg. Co. which started making just bells, later making coffin trimmings, and still later making bell toys.
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