Mystic, Connecticut History
Mystic, Connecticut has a convoluted history as it is not only divided between two Connecticut towns, Groton and Stonington, but different areas within this region were given this name. Although the Mystic River separates the two towns, they share a Fire District, postal code, and an iconic drawbridge. The famous Mystic Seaport located here is no longer a bustling seaport; it is, instead, the location of the country’s leading maritime museum, originally established in 1929 as the Marine Historical Association.
Mystic, Connecticut history begins with the Pequot, an Algonquin-speaking Indian tribe that originally resided in this area. They gave the area its name as well, which in their language described a large river with waves created by wind or tides. The Pequot term was “missi-tuk.” The first colonial era settlers arrived here in 1654.This year is commemorated as the Mystic, Connecticut history founding year, even though the first community of Mystic was named in 1665.
The original English settlers who began Mystic, Connecticut history farmed the land. Robert Burrows settled on the western side of the river and George Denison settled on its eastern side after receiving grants from John Winthrop, Jr., the original settler of the nearby area currently named New London. The first Mystic community was located on the eastern side of the river. It was formerly named Southerton, until its name changed in 1665.
The Name Change to Old Mystic and Mystic
Presently, the first community in Mystic, Connecticut history is known as Old Mystic, a name it was given in 1890. Other communities bearing this name sprang up after installation of the first bridge connecting the two sides in 1819. The area on the west side of the bridge, located south of the original community, was named Portersville. The east side was named Mystic Bridge in 1835. In 1850, Portersville’s name changed to Mystic River.
When the first Mystic community’s name changed to Old Mystic in 1890, Mystic River and Mystic Bridge changed their name to Mystic. Their name change was instigated by the requirements of the US postal system that has since then treated them as one zip code. The museum is situated on the site of one of the former busy shipyards in the area. In Groton, Electric Boat Corporation builds ships for the U.S. Navy, so a modern shipyard
still exists in this area.
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