In April 1771, Eliezer Jewett opened a sawmill on the Pachaug River. This area became the beginning of a small village known as Pachaug City before the close of the Revolutionary War. About 20 years later, Eliezer Jewett named the area first Jewet's or Jewet's City, and finally Jewett City. On February 15, 1895, the village of Jewett City petitioned the Connecticut General Assembly for incorporation as a borough in the Town of Griswold, now known as Jewett City. On July 18, 1895, Jewett City adopted its charter by a vote of 135 to 20. The governing body, the Board of Warden and Burgesses, was first elected August 1, 1895.