Shelton, in Fairfield County, is located in western Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. Settled in 1639 as part of the town of Stratford, the area was known as Coram, and also Ripton, before being incorporated in 1789 as Huntington. In 1882, it was renamed Shelton, before being incorporated as a city in 1915. The harnessing of abundant waterpower from the Husatonic River dam and a local canal allowed for the production of everything from pins to pianos. Today, Shelton remains a manufacturing center and the headquarters of many international companies. Included among Shelton’s manufactured goods are Wiffle balls—a Connecticut invention.
More on Shelton from the CT Digital ArchiveBrowse more interactive content on the CT Digital Archive website.
“Derby Historical Society,” 2016. Link.
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Indian Well State Park,” 2012. Link.
“Kosciuszko (Polish-American) Historical Society, Inc,” 2017. Link.
Shelton Historical Society. “Shelton History Center,” 2012. Link.
Hughes & Bailey. “Aero View of Shelton, Connecticut 1919.” Bird’s-eye. Boston, MA: Hughes & Bailey, 1919. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
“Derby, Shelton, and East Derby, Conn.” Bird’s-eye. New York: Landis and Hughes, 1898. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
“Shelton Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
LaMacchia, Jeanette, and Shelton Committee. A Pictorial History of Shelton, Connecticut. Gettysburg, PA: Herff Jones, 1987.
Shelton Historical Society. Shelton. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2002.
Molloy, Leo. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley: Compiled by Leo T. Molloy on the Occasion of the 300th Anniversary of the Settlement of Connecticut. Containing a History of Derby, Ansonia, Shelton and Seymour. a Chronicle of the Progress and Achievement of the Several Cities and Towns. Ansonia, CT: Emerson Brothers, 1935.