History of Orange, North Milford, Connecticut, 1639-1949

Compiled by Mary R. Woodruff

Digitized in 2007 and hosted by the Case Memorial Library
Meryl Farber, Director
Jonathan Wiener, Head of Technical Services
Visit our local history collection.

CONTENTS

[front cover]
[title page]
[Foreword]
PART I — LOOKING BACKWARD	1
Early Beginning	3
Indiana [i.e., Indians]	9
The First Settlers	15
Formation of the Church	17
Sectional Names	28
PART II — THE TOWN GETS A NEW NAME	31
Formation of the Town	33
Orange Green	39
Orange Burial Ground	41
Early Military Record	43
Turnpikes	46
Old Houses	53
Mineral Deposits	58
Early Schools	60
PART III — THE MIDDLE YEARS	65
Early Industries	67
The Church Changes Its Name	70
First Town Hall	72
Town Records	72
Murder Scandal	73
PART IV — TRAGEDY STRIKES THE TOWN	79
Occupations and Trades	90
Post Office	93
PART V — THE BUBBLE THAT BURST	99
The Tyler City Bubble	101
The Plumed Knights	107
Landscaping the Green	109
Orange Grange	110
PART VI — THE DAWN OF A NEW CENTURY	113
Public Utilities	115
Orange Fair	117
Later Church Activities	122
Later Military Record	126
PART VII — MODERN ORANGE	133
Orange Cemetery Association	135
Orange Volunteer Fire Association	135
Orange School System	138
Town Court	141
Orange Police Department	141
Public Health Association	142
Recreation	143
Various Organizations	147
Appendix and Bibliography	153
Index	173

ILLUSTRATIONS

Map of the Town in 1868
[frontispiece]
Aunt Icy's One-hundredth Birthday Party	13
The Church and the Horse-sheds	18
Orange Congregational Church	20
Toll-gate House, Derby Turnpike	47
Richard Bryan House	54
Isaac Treat House	54
Edmund Fowler House	55
P. Maxwell House	55
Colonel Asa Platt House	56
Nehemiah Woodruff House	56
2nd District School in 1890	61
Orange High School in 1891	61
First Rural Delivery Outfit	95
Orange Post Office	96
Orange Green	108
Directors of the Orange Fair Association	118
Start of the Big Parade	118
The Parade Gets Under Way	119
Some of the Floats	120
Decorated Vehicles	121
More Decorated Vehicles	122
First and Present Fire House	137
Orange Center School	139
Cedar Crest Recreation Camp	145-146
Lewis Bradley House	151