New Haven: History

Religious Colony Becomes Important Port

New Haven, its name declaring a new haven from religious oppression, was settled by a company of English Puritans in 1638. The group, led by the charismatic Reverend John Davenport, had originally called their settlement Quinnipiac, after the local Native American tribe of that name, but changed the town's name to New Haven in 1640. The settlement soon outgrew its confines and several neighboring towns grew up to form New Haven Colony. New Haven, however, made a poor political choice in sheltering Britain's fleeing regicidal judges who had condemned King Charles I to death in England. In 1664, as a punishment for its treachery, New Haven lost its status as an independent colony and was absorbed into the Hartford-ruled Connecticut Colony. Hartford and New Haven were co-capitals of the state from 1701 to 1873, when Hartford became the sole capital.

Colonial New Haven initially thrived on trade with the West Indies and with other towns along the Atlantic seaboard. Later, New Haven ships traveled to the Orient to import tea, porcelain, and silk. By the Revolution, New Haven was renowned not only for its flourishing sea trade but for its educational resources. Yale University had moved to New Haven in 1716 and a newspaper soon began publishing. Long Wharf was built and the first elm trees were planted on the Green in the center of the city. During the Revolutionary War, New Haven was looted and burned by invading British troops but the violence did not dull New Haven's thirst for independence from England. Roger Sherman of New Haven was the only patriot to sign all four major documents upon which the present-day U.S. government is based: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.

In 1784, New Haven was incorporated as a city and its industrial star went into ascent. Goods manufactured in the city included Winchester repeating rifles, carriages, hardware, pianos, watches, corsets, bicycles, and cigars. Eli Whitney, a New Haven local and the inventor of the cotton gin, devised a system of manufacturing with interchangeable parts, setting the stage for mass production of goods. Also in New Haven Charles Goodyear developed vulcanized rubber, later essential to the bicycle and automotive industries. Rail travel entered the city in 1839, providing a way to transport these goods to other parts of the young nation.

Industrial Diversity Precedes Renewal

Before and during the Civil War, New Haven was an important center of Abolitionist sentiment. The war itself served to undermine one of the city's industries. With the fall of the South, the demand for New Haven-built carriages waned. Other industries took up the slack, however, notably the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, makers of the rifle that helped open the American West for settlement.

New Haven in 1957 became one of the first eastern U.S. cities to begin large-scale urban renewal of older downtown areas. The result of these first efforts was the Chapel Square Center, which restored housing and other community facilities and attracted commercial development. In 1967, racial tension exploded into serious rioting when minority groups protested that they had been left out of the development planning process. Further urban renewal included the erection of the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, as well as a market development near New Haven Harbor, a facility that houses the Long Wharf Theatre. In addition, Wooster Square, which in the 1950's was a slum, is now home to new commercial and industrial buildings and an established historic district, and in 1994 the Audubon Arts Center Complex was completed.

As of 2000, revitalization had also begun in Science Park, the East Shore community, the harbor front, Upper State Street, and many other areas of the city. The Livable City Initiative, a historic new approach to housing and neighborhood revitalization, is making a tangible difference in the city's neighborhoods, reducing vacant structures in the city by 70 percent. The Elm City—Green and Clean initiative, the revitalization of Ninth Square and the redevelopment of downtown are restoring a sense of hope and future to the fabric of the community. In 2004 the city announced plans for a $230 million development project, including $180 million in state bond funding, to relocate Gateway Community College and Long Wharf Theater to brand new facilities downtown as the first step in an ambitious development effort to transform a long vacant downtown. The city has taken steps to shore up its public school system as well. New Haven's $1.1 billion school construction program has received national and statewide attention for effectively leveraging the state's matching funds to create new and improved schools with smaller classroom sizes for New Haven's children.

Spurred by the city's resurgence, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. referred to New Haven as "a reborn American city." In an article in the journal Government Finance Review Stefano further summed up the keys to the city's turnaround: "City officials have returned the jurisdiction back to a sound fiscal footing and are recreating a place where children learn in good schools, residents live in safe neighborhoods, and everyone has the opportunity to make the most of his or her talents. The city has accomplished this by following a path that avoids temporary, quick fixes in favor of creating a climate for sustainable economic growth and social well-being. New Haven has regenerated itself through competition and compassion."

Historical Information: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 14 Whitney Ave., New Haven, CT 06510; telephone (203)562-4183