Union

Union, incorporated in 1734, was the last town settled east of the Connecticut River because of its rough terrain and poor soil. In 1633, John Oldham, an adventurer from Massachusetts, obtained specimens of black lead, or graphite, from Indians there, and during the Revolutionary War Governor Trumbull used this valuable resource at cannon foundries. Union, containing 12,500 acres, was sold by the General Assembly on July 1, 1720, to twelve proprietors for £307. The earliest actual settler, James McNall, arrived in 1727. The first Connecticut census in 1756 recorded Union's population as five hundred, approximately the same as today. Lumbering was a leading industry during the 19th century, and shoes and axe handles were also made there. The only surviving industries are agriculture, forestry, and the manufacture of charcoal, and Union is now mainly a residential community.

Union, Connecticut · United States