Farmington

Farmington. . , On January 16, 1640 the Connecticut General Court empowered a committee to "view those parts by Vnxus Sepus wch may be suitable" for settlement. Soon afterward a small group of families traveled nine miles westward over the hills from Hartford and made a settlement beside the Tunxis River. On December 1, 1645 the Court voted "that the Plantation cauled Tunxis shalbe cauled Farmington" and set its boundaries. The original name "Tunxis Sepus" was from the Indian language, meaning "at the bend of the little river." , By far the largest town in the colony, Farmington once contained over 225 square miles and was divided into nine parishes. In 1775 the town boasted the second largest tax list in the colony. By 1869, seven towns had been carved from the mother town of Farmington – Southington (1779), Berlin (1785), Bristol (1785), Burlington (1806), Avon (1830), New Britain (1850), and Plainville (1869)., The community of Unionville, known since the era of the Farmington Canal as a center of industry, has remained a vital part of the town. The Canal commenced operations in 1828 and after 1835 carried passengers and freight between New Haven and Northampton until it was superseded by the railroad. , Farmington was active in the Revolutionary War from the time when its first company marched off to Boston on May 18, 1775 after the opening of hostilities at Lexington. George Washington traveled through the town several times and the French troops under General Rochambeau encamped here on their way to and from the siege of Yorktown, Virginia. , Farmington is noted for its beautiful homes, including the Stanley-Whitman House (1660), now the Farmington Museum; for Miss Porter's School for Girls, founded in 1843; and for the Hill-Stead Museum of Art.