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Our Essex, CT real estate website provides a wealth of information for home buyers and home sellers. Below, you will find information on the history and culture of the community as well as links to more detailed information such as demographics and schools. You may view a virtual tour, search homes for sale, access information on different types of properties such as condos, farms, foreclosures, and vacation homes. We also offer valuable reference materials for home buyers and home sellers. This website will give you everything you need to buy or sell a home in Essex, CT.
Essex CT Community Profile & History
Essex, Connecticut is a small town on the Connecticut River in southern central Connecticut. Essex began life as part of the Saybrook Colony, which was first settled in 1635. The colony encompassed an area that includes the towns of Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, Lyme, a small portion of East Lyme, Essex, Deep River, Chester and Westbrook. The Saybrook Colony became part of Connecticut in the 1640s and was divided into quarters in 1638.
The land that eventually became Essex was part of the Potapoug Quarter, which also included the contemporary towns of Essex, Deep River and Chester. By the middle of the 18th century, the village of Centerbrook had become the "center" of Potapoug Quarter, with a church and a number of small farms along the Falls River. Dams along the river powered a sawmill, gristmill, trip hammer shop and iron works among other industries.
By the late 1700s, neighboring Essex Village had developed a budding shipbuilding industry. Located on Potapoug Point, a peninsula jutting into the Connecticut River, Essex Village would soon eclipse Centerbrook as the regional center for industry and commerce. On April 8, 1814, Essex Village was the site of an attack by British forces, who destroyed 28 ships that had been built for use by privateers. Though the attack was a devastating blow for Americans, the United States would ultimately prevail in what has since been known as the War of 1812.
Essex was formally separated from Saybrook in 1852 and became a town in its own right after splitting from the newly formed town of Old Saybrook in 1854. Today, the town is primarily residential in nature, serving as a bedroom community for the nearby cities of Hartford and New Haven, though small manufacture persists in the Centerbrook area. In a 1994 book, Essex was named "The Best Small Town in America" for its exceptional quality of life and loving preservation of historical landmarks.
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