• Collections
• Exhibits
• Middletown
HistoryHeritage Trail General Mansfield

• Education
• Genealogy
• Links
• Newsletter

Middletown

Middletown today is a thriving, diverse community of 48,000 people.  The early immigrants of the 19th century have been joined by a recent influx of people from India, Southeast Asia, and Tibet, as well as Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.  Main Street is lined with restaurants reflecting the culinary tastes of these many nations.

The community is home to Wesleyan University, Middlesex Community College, and four high schools.  Middletown High School, founded in 1840, was the first public high school in Connecticut.  These schools, along with the Middlesex County Historical Society, Russell Library, Oddfellows Playhouse, and Kid City Children’s Museum, provide a cultural richness that enhances life in Middletown.

In 1900, in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Middletown, a plaque was placed on the memorial boulder beside Riverside Cemetery, the oldest burying ground in Middletown.  Listed are the names of 13 Native Americans who granted the land and the 23 first English settlers.  On the occasion of the 350th anniversary in 2001, a second plaque was dedicated listing the names of the first female settlers.