Formerly part of Windsor and named after Tolland in England, Tolland was settled in 1713 and granted a charter in 1715. The first homes were built in 1713 on a highway at Grant's Hill, so called from ancestors of President Ulysses S. Grant. Tolland became prosperous with many industries and was designated the county seat in 1785. The County Courthouse, built in 1822 on the Green and afterward used as a library, is a rare example of early Connecticut civic architecture. The Tolland County Jail, more than a century old, has been preserved as a museum by the Tolland Historical Society.