History of Colchester, Connecticut, USA

Colchester is a post township situated in the northwestern extremity of the county, 23 miles from Hartford, and 40 from New-Haven; bounded on the north by Marlborough and Hebron, the former in Hartford, and the latter in Tolland county, on the east by Lebanon and Bozrah, the former in Windham county, on the south by Montville and Lyme, and on the west by East-Haddam and Chatham in Middlesex county; so that the township borders upon four different counties, and eight different towns. Its average length is about 9 miles, and its average breadth nearly 6 miles, comprising an area of about 50 square miles. The face of the country is uneven, being considerably hilly, and is somewhat rough and stony; the prevailing soil is a gravelly loam, and generally hard and course, but tolerably strong and fertile...

Colchester, Connecticut
New London county. This is a pleasant town, the site of Bacon academy. It lies 20 miles N.W. from New London and 23 S.E. from Hartford. First settled, 1701. Population, 1830, 2,068. The surface of the town is uneven, with a strong gravelly soil. Excellent iron ore is found here.

Rev. John Bulkley, a grandson of president Chauncey, was the first settled minister in this place. Mr. Bulkley was a very distinguished scholar. He died in 1731. He published a curious treatise, in which he contended that the Indians had no just claim to any lands but such as they had subdued and improved by their own labor. Th following story is told in an old book.

"The Rev. Mr. Bulkley of Colchester, Conn., was famous in his day as a casuist and sage counsellor. A church in his neighborhood had fallen into unhappy divisions and contentions, which they were unable to adjust among themselves. They deputed one of their number to the venerable Bulkley, for his services, with a...

Colchester, a beautiful post-village of New London co., Connecticut, 20 miles N. W. of New London. It is the seat of Bacon Academy, an old and liberally endowed institution. Population of the township, 2405.

COLCHESTER, a township of New London co., in the state of Connecticut, 24 m. SSE of Hartford, watered by Salmon river. It presents a hilly surface. Its soil ia a fertile gravelly loam. Pop. 2,101.

Colchester, köl'ches-ter, a post-borough of New Lon don co., Conn., in Colchester township, about 25 miles S.E. of Hartford, and 14 miles W. of Norwich. It is 3 miles from the Air-Line Railroad, with which it is connected by the Colchester Railroad, extending to Turnerville. It contains the Bacon Academy, which is liberally endowed, and 5 churches, and has manufactures of india-rubber goods, cradles, wheels, and spokes. Pop. of the township, 2988. The township contains a hamlet named Westchester.

Colchester, a banking post-borough of New London co., Conn., in Colchester township (town), 25 miles SE. of Hartford. Pop. in 1900, 858 ; of the town, 1991.

...the sand man occasionally awakens sleepers as a Willimantic man can testify. He was asleep in the rear seat of a car which was being driven in Colchester last February when highway department workers were spreading sand on slippery highways. The car in which he was sleeping was driven past the sand truck just as an employe tossed out a shovel full of sand. The sand hit the windshield, broke it and the flying glass cut the innocent sleeper...