Located in south-central Connecticut on Long Island Sound, explore Guilford's long and notable history through the words and images of the people who lived it.Founded in 1639 by a Puritan minister and his followers, the town by 1750 had grown to 2,300 residents, whose primary occupation was farming, with a substantial minority engaged in maritime activities. A shallow harbor kept Guilford from developing into a major port, and the lack of a significant waterpower source precluded large industrial development in the early nineteenth century. Yet, by the late part of that century, Guilford had become a town of significance, bustling with small enterprises that were operated mainly by descendants of the original families.
Guilfordcaptures the excitement of the period from 1880 to 1920, when the town experienced the improvements of that time: photographic processing that made wonderful images possible, the automobile, the trolley, telephone service, and electricity. All of these contributed to the comfort of life and made it practical for visitors to come to Guilford. With its beautiful coastline, Guilford attracted many new summer residents, most with the means to build their own cottage. These same residents valued the many Colonial houses still standing in town and the picturesque town green, leading to early preservation efforts. The quarries at Leetes Islandand Sachem's Headwere the largest business enterprises of the time, bringing Scandinavian and Italian workers to live in Guilford.
The Guilford Keeping Society, founded in 1947, operates the Thomas Griswold House Museum and maintains a large collection of photographs and documents pertaining to Guilford. Members of the society have combined the best of their collection with fascinating narrative and have come up with Guilford, a tribute to the town's rich past.
