Goshen was settled in 1738 and incorporated in 1739, with many early residents coming from Wallingford and Farmington. The Congregational Church was founded in 1740, an Episcopal society existed before 1776, a Methodist society flourished during the 1800's with churches in North and West Goshen, the Catholic Church was established during that period, and the Mormon Church was the most recent addition. Early Goshen was a prosperous business and farming community where gristmills, sawmills, tanneries, and blacksmith shops grew with the town. During the Revolutionary War a factory manufactured muskets. Noted businesses included a pineapple cheese factory and the Brooks pottery shop, and clock factories and a carriage shop also operated there. The community was a leader in education: its first school was built in 1753, ten schools and districts had been formed by 1850, a seminary for young women was established in 1819, and Goshen Academy was created in 1823 for advanced study and became a prominent preparatory school during the 1800's.