About Quizzes

History of Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, 42 miles northeast of New York City, on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Norwalk River. In 1640, Roger Ludlow and Daniel Patrick purchased the site of Norwalk from the Indians. The first settlers arrived from Hartford in 1649 and the town was incorporated in 1651. The city was formed in 1913 when Norwalk and South Norwalk consolidated. Norwalk was burned by the British under Governor William Tryon of New York on July 12, 1779. According to legend, Tryon sat in a chair and calmly observed the conflagration. It was from Norwalk that Nathan Hale set out on his fatal spy mission to New York. Norwalk Hospital, founded in 1892, is affiliated with Yale's Medical School. The Maritime Museum at Norwalk is devoted to Long Island Sound. One of the earliest surviving Second Empire Style country houses in the United States is the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion. The Norwalk Historical Society operates its museum in an 1835 town house at Mill Hill Historic Park. The Stepping Stone Museum for Children is designed for children aged 1 to 10. Popular culture owes a great deal to Norwalk. Cartoonist Hank Ketcham, originator of the "Dennis the Menace" cartoon strip, was born in Norwalk in 1920. The Norwalk Museum was instrumental in getting Raggedy Ann added to the National Toy Hall of Fame. Raggedy Ann was invented by Johnny Gruelle in Norwalk, in 1915. The Maritime Aquarium provides a glimpse into the marine life and maritime culture of Long Island Sound. Norwalk boasts about 1,000 acres of beaches, parks, and recreations areas with Calf Pasture Park and Cranbury Park being the largest.