Stratford, Connecticut

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Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford's Town Hall, on Main Street
Stratford's Town Hall, on Main Street
Location in Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°12′16″N 73°07′47″W / 41.20444, -73.12972
NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford
Region Greater Bridgeport
Settled 1639
Government
 - Type Mayor-council
 - Mayor James R. Miron
Area
 - Total 51.5 km² (19.9 sq mi)
 - Land 45.6 km² (17.6 sq mi)
 - Water 5.9 km² (2.3 sq mi)
Elevation 15 m (49 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Total 49,943
 - Density 1,096/km² (2,838/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06497, 06614, 06615
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-74190
GNIS feature ID 0213514
Website: http://www.townofstratford.com/

Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639.

The population was 49,976 at the 2000 census. It has a historical legacy in aviation, the military, the arts, and environmentalism. In 1942, Igor Sikorsky with his Sikorsky Aircraft company in Stratford, developed and produced the first successful single-rotor helicopter; every Marine One (the helicopter of the President of the United States) has been manufactured in Stratford from 1957, and projected to at least 2008. The town was also the home of the Stratford Army Engine Plant for the United States military from 1939 to 1998.

In 1955, Stratford, having the same name as Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare's hometown in England, became home to the nationally renowned American Shakespeare Festival, which was housed, until its closure, at its 1,100 seat Stratford Festival Theatre on the Housatonic River. The theatre featured such luminaries as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Jane Alexander, Hal Holbrook, Roddy McDowall, Nina Foch, and John Houseman.

Stratford is also home to Sikorsky Memorial Airport, and the Great Meadows Unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, which neighbors the airport. Today, Stratford has two Superfund sites as designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Stratford is bordered on the west by Bridgeport, Connecticut, on the north by Trumbull, Connecticut and Shelton, Connecticut, and on the east by Milford, Connecticut (across the Housatonic).

Recently, controversy has arisen due to decades of asbestos waste dumping by the Raybestos corporation, housed in Stratford.

Contents

[edit] History

Stratford Public Library, as seen in a 1909 postcard
Stratford Public Library, as seen in a 1909 postcard

[edit] Founding and Puritan era

Stratford was founded in 1639 by Puritan leader Reverend Adam Blakeman (pronounced Blackman), William Beardsley and either 16 families—according to legend—or approximately 35 families—suggested by later research—who had recently arrived in Connecticut from England seeking religious freedom. Stratford is one of many towns in the northeastern US founded as part of the Great Migration in the 1630s when Puritan families fled an increasingly polarized England in the decade before the civil war between Charles I and Parliament (led by Oliver Cromwell). Some of the Stratford settlers were from families who had first moved from England to the Netherlands to seek religious freedom, like their predecessors on the Mayflower, and decided to come to the New World when their children began to adopt the Dutch culture and language.

Like other Puritan or Pilgrim towns founded during this time, early Stratford was a place where church leadership and town leadership were both united under the pastor of the church, in this case Reverend Blakeman. The goal of these communities was to create perfect outposts of religious idealism where the wilderness would separate them from the interference of kings, parliaments, or any other secular authority.

Blakeman ruled Stratford until his death in 1665, but as the second generation of Stratford grew up many of the children rejected what they perceived as the exceptional austerity of the town's founders. This and later generations sought to change the religious dictums of their elders, and the utopian nature of Stratford and similar communities was gradually replaced with more standard colonial administration. By the late 1600s, the Connecticut government had assumed political control over Stratford.

Many descendants of the original founding Puritan families remain in Stratford today after over 350 years; for centuries they often intermarried within the original small group of 17th century Pilgrim families. Stratford's original name was Cupheag, but was later changed to honor Stratford upon Avon in England. Despite its Puritan origins, Stratford was the site of the first Anglican church in Connecticut, founded in 1707 and ministered by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson. [2] Settlers from Stratford went on to found other American cities and towns, including Newark, New Jersey, established in 1666 by members of the Stratford founding families who believed the town's religious purity had been compromised by the changes after Blakeman's death. Other towns such as Cambria, New York (now Lockport, New York) were founded or expanded around new churches by Stratford descendants taking part in the westward migration. U.S. President Gerald Ford was a descendant of one of the Stratford founding families, that led by William Judson.

[edit] Towns created from Stratford

Stratford was one of the two principal settlements in southwestern Connecticut (the other was Fairfield). Over time, it gave rise to several new towns that broke off and incorporated separately. The following is a list of towns created from parts of Stratford.

[edit] Modern role in aviation and the military

In 1939, one of the world's first successful commercial helicopters was developed in Stratford by Igor Sikorsky and flown at his plant. His company, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is still the town's largest taxpayer. Also in 1939, Lycoming produced Wright radial engines here. After WWII, the plant was converted to produce turbines.

[edit] Toll Booths

In January 1983, a truck slammed into a line of cars waiting to pay a toll on Interstate 95 in Stratford, due to brake failure. Seven people were killed. This accident was one of the reasons why tolls were removed throughout the state; these changes took six years to complete.[1].

A toll booth from Connecticut's Merrit Parkway is on display in Stratford's Booth Memorial Park. It was in service from 1940-1988.

[edit] Military and Industrial Significance

[edit] Sikorsky Aircraft

Sikorsky Aircraft Black Hawk helicopter in flight.
Sikorsky Aircraft Black Hawk helicopter in flight.

Stratford is also home to Sikorsky Aircraft, a United Technologies Corporation subsidiary founded by Igor Sikorsky, the inventor of the helicopter. Based in Stratford, Connecticut, Sikorsky has major facilities in other Connecticut locations as well as in Florida and Alabama.

[edit] Stratford Army Engine Plant

The Stratford Army Engine Plant (SAEP) was a U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command installation, and was a manufacturing industrial facility, along the Houstatonic River and Main Street, opposite Sikorsky Airport. Due to the Base Realignment and Closure actions of the United States Department of Defense, the closure of the plant was recommended in July 1995. The SAEP closed on September 30, 1998.

The U.S. Army, which still owns the 77-acre site which sits on the river across Main Street from the airport recently indicated that it will be putting the property up for auction. For the past 11 years the Army has been involved with developer "Team Stratford" to develop the property, a developer that promised to go by Stratford's reuse plan once the Army turned the property over to the developer.

Being that never happened, and the Army is putting the property out to bid again, Fredette said he and the Zoning Commission are concerned that whoever the Army picks "may not have the same sensitivity for local development priorities.The town will lose $11 million, and any other partnership the Army enters into with a developer, the town will be excluded and will lose complete control of what happens.

[edit] Local politics and government

[edit] Form of government

The Town of Stratford operated under a classic Council-manager government form from 1921 until 2005. In 2005, the Town of Stratford elected its first Mayor to a four-year term. The Town has a ten-member Town Council, elected to two-year terms. The Town Council is elected by district, and appoints one of its members to serve as Chairman. The Mayor and the Town Council are responsible for setting policy through the enactment of ordinances and resolutions. The first mayor, James Miron, was elected on November 8, 2005 and inaugurated on December 12, 2005.

[edit] Local schools

Frank Scott Bunnell High School.
Frank Scott Bunnell High School.

Stratford has fourteen public grade K-12 schools as of 2006.

  • Chapel Street Elementary School
  • Eli Whitney Elementary School
  • Franklin Elementary School
  • Stratford Academy
    • Honeyspot House (elementary) (K-2)
    • Johnson House (elementary) (3-6)
  • Lordship Elementary School
  • Nichols Elementary School
  • Second Hill Lane Elementary School
  • Wilcoxson Elementary School
  • David Wooster Middle School
  • Harry B. Flood Middle School
  • Frank Scott Bunnell High School
  • Stratford High School
  • A.L.P.H.A. (Formerly S.A.F.E.) Alternative High School
  • St. Mark School (K-8)
  • St. James School (K-8)

[edit] Local sites and attractions

[edit] Shakespeare Festival Theater

Stratford Festival Theatre.
Stratford Festival Theatre.

Stratford, Connecticut once had a thriving theater, the American Shakespeare Festival Theater; it opened in 1955. Some of the world's biggest stars performed on this stage including Katharine Hepburn, Jessica Tandy, Nina Foch, James Earl Jones, and Hal Holbrook. John Houseman served as its artistic director during the late 1950s.

The Town of Stratford received the deed for the Stratford Festival Shakespeare Theater on February 8, 2005 from the State of Connecticut. On May 10, 2006 the town selected a New York City development company, Koerner Kronenfeld Partners LLC (http://www.kkpnyc.com), to reopen the theater as a worldwide tourist destination. KKP's contract was terminated in July 2007 due to lack of progress. The town issued a Request for Proposals in September 2007 seeking qualified Architects to perform an assessment of the needs of the Theater building.

[edit] Brakettes

Stratford is also home to one of the most successful women's fastpitch softball teams in history, the Brakettes. They have won 24 national championships, including a record eight consecutive titles, from 1971 to 1978. Formed in 1949 as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars, and later the Raybestos Brakettes, they ceased being sponsored by Raybestos in 1985 and became known as the Stratford Brakettes. More recently, they have become the Connecticut Brakettes. Their most recent title came in 2004, capping another three-peat (titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004). They won the national championship again in 2006 in Amherst, NH.[2]

[edit] National Helicopter Museum

A small museum in the former Stratford railroad station (eastbound, or northern side of the tracks) at 2480 Main Street, the museum contains a photographic history of the helicopter and many models. The museum has free admission and is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day through October.

[edit] Great Salt Marsh

Stratford is home to the Great Meadows Unit of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, which is adjacent to Sikorksy Airport.

[edit] On the National Register of Historic Places

[edit] Superfund Sites

Clean up of a Raymark Industries Superfund site, in Stratford.
Clean up of a Raymark Industries Superfund site, in Stratford.

Today, Stratford has two Superfund sites as designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. These include a variety of locations related to asbestos dumping and disposal by the Raymark corporation, whose manufacturing was previously headquartered in Stratford, and the former Stratford Army Engine Plant.One of these sites, Raymark, is on the EPA's National Priority List. Stratford Army Engine Plant is not on the National Priority list, but is being cleaned up by the US Army.

From 1919 to 1989, Raymark manufactured friction products, such as brake pads, for the automobile industry, and disposed of wastes containing lead, asbestos, PCBs and other hazardous substances at its Stratford manufacturing plant. Raymark dried the waste material and made it available for use as fill material for lawns, playgrounds, and schoolyards. In 1993, the EPA and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection began working together to complete the cleanup of contamination Raymark left behind in Stratford. EPA completed its cleanup of the contaminated residential properties in 1995 and the former Raymark plant property in 1997. Plans for cleanup of the Ferry Creek area and surrounding properties where additional Raymark waste was historically disposed are currently being developed by EPA.[3]

The cost of cleaning up the Raymark Site is estimated to exceed $200 million.[4]

Stratford Point Lighthouse.
Stratford Point Lighthouse.

[edit] Geography and Demographics

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.5 km²), of which, 17.6 square miles (45.6 km²) of it is land and 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²) of it (11.52%) is water.

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 49,976 people, 19,898 households, and 13,630 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,841.9 people per square mile (1,097.0/km²). There were 20,596 housing units at an average density of 1,171.2/sq mi (452.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.76% White, 9.79% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.14% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.80% of the population.

There were 19,898 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $53,494, and the median income for a family was $64,364. Males had a median income of $45,552 versus $34,575 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,501. About 3.5% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Sister cities

Stratford has three sister cities:[6]

[edit] Notable people associated with Stratford

[edit] Books about Stratford

  • Stratford Images of America Series, a pictorial history, 1850-1970
  • In Pursuit of Paradise: a History of Stratford, CT, Lewis G. Knapp-$30.00
  • History of Stratford, 1639-1939, by Wm. Howard Wilcoxson, (occasionally available from the Stratford Historical Society)
  • The Stratford Devil, by Dr. Claude Smith

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ nytimes.com: Dead Identified In Turnpike Crash
  2. ^ brakettes.com: National Championship results
  3. ^ epa.gov: U.S. SUES RAYMARK INDUSTRIES FOR ESTIMATED $192 MILLION CLEANUP OF CONNECTICUT SUPERFUND SITE
  4. ^ epa.gov: SETTLEMENT PROTECTS SETTLING STRATFORD HOMEOWNERS FROM SUPERFUND COSTS
  5. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ [1] Web page titled "Online Directory: Connecticut, USA" at Sister Cities International Web site, accessed March 27, 2007
  7. ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

[edit] External links

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