﻿F 
  ALL 
  the 
  towns 
  in 
  Connecticut 
  there 
  is 
  

   none 
  more 
  beautiful 
  nor 
  containing 
  more 
  

   historical 
  objects 
  of 
  general 
  interest 
  than 
  

   Farmington. 
  It 
  is 
  delightfully 
  situated 
  on 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  hill, 
  with 
  mountain 
  peaks 
  

   towering 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  it 
  

   falls 
  gracefully 
  to 
  the 
  meadows, 
  beyond 
  

   which 
  is 
  the 
  Farmington 
  River 
  making 
  its 
  great 
  bend 
  and 
  

   flowing 
  toward 
  Avon 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  Connecticut. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  acci- 
  

   dental 
  combination 
  

   of 
  river 
  and 
  moun- 
  

   tain 
  landscape 
  that 
  

   makes 
  Farmington 
  

   so 
  picturesque 
  and 
  

   beautiful. 
  

  

  The 
  place 
  w 
  a 
  s 
  

   first 
  known 
  as 
  

   Tunxis 
  Sepus, 
  signi- 
  

   f 
  y 
  i 
  n 
  g 
  a 
  crooked 
  

   river, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   named 
  after 
  a 
  tribe 
  

   of 
  Tunxis 
  Indians 
  

   which 
  inhabited, 
  not 
  

   only 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  

   known 
  as 
  Farming- 
  

   ton, 
  but 
  also 
  its 
  sur- 
  

   rounding 
  meadows 
  

   and 
  forests. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  1639, 
  when 
  

   the 
  town 
  of 
  Hart- 
  

   f 
  o 
  r 
  d 
  had 
  been 
  

   founded 
  three 
  and 
  

   one-half 
  years, 
  that 
  

   its 
  inhabitants 
  began 
  

   to 
  think 
  their 
  broad 
  

   meadows 
  were 
  too 
  

   limited, 
  and 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  with 
  the 
  

   towns 
  of 
  Windsor 
  

   and 
  Wethersfield 
  ap- 
  

   plied 
  to 
  the 
  General 
  

   Court 
  for 
  some 
  en- 
  

   largement 
  of 
  accom- 
  

   modation. 
  A 
  com- 
  

   mittee 
  was 
  ap- 
  

   pointed 
  to 
  view 
  the 
  

   valley 
  of 
  the 
  Tunxis 
  

   and 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  The 
  Entrance 
  to 
  "Old 
  Gate," 
  the 
  Summer 
  Home 
  of 
  Rear- 
  Admiral 
  

   William 
  Sheffield 
  Cowles 
  

  

  General 
  Court 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  February. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   wintry 
  weather, 
  the 
  investigation 
  was 
  not 
  taken 
  up 
  till 
  the 
  

   15th 
  of 
  June, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  interim 
  Captain 
  John 
  Mason, 
  

   who 
  had 
  recently 
  rid 
  the 
  colony 
  of 
  six 
  hundred 
  Pequots, 
  was 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  committee, 
  which 
  concluded 
  the 
  conditions 
  for 
  

   the 
  planting 
  of 
  Tunxis. 
  In 
  1645 
  tne 
  village 
  of 
  Tunxis 
  Sepus 
  

   became, 
  by 
  legislative 
  enactment, 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Farmington. 
  

   The 
  settlers 
  found 
  the 
  natural 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  much 
  

   the 
  same 
  as 
  we 
  see 
  them 
  to-day. 
  The 
  main 
  street, 
  extending 
  

  

  from 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   town 
  to 
  the 
  other, 
  

   with 
  its 
  houses 
  built 
  

   by 
  the 
  settlers 
  on 
  

   what 
  was 
  termed, 
  in 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  colo- 
  

   nists, 
  town 
  lots, 
  is 
  

   typical 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  

   New 
  England 
  vil- 
  

   lages. 
  The 
  farm 
  

   and 
  pasture 
  lands 
  

   were 
  separate 
  allot- 
  

   ments 
  to 
  the 
  settlers, 
  

   and 
  they 
  extended 
  

   up 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   side 
  toward 
  the 
  east 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  

   the 
  west. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  main 
  

   street 
  houses 
  began 
  

   to 
  rise, 
  log 
  huts 
  at 
  

   first, 
  each 
  provided, 
  

   as 
  required 
  by 
  law, 
  

   with 
  a 
  ladder 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  ridge 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  per- 
  

   mitting 
  the 
  chimnev 
  

   viewers 
  to 
  examine 
  

   the 
  chimneys 
  of 
  

   each 
  house 
  every 
  six 
  

   months. 
  These 
  log 
  

   huts, 
  however, 
  sub- 
  

   sequently 
  gave 
  way 
  

   to 
  more 
  substantial 
  

   and 
  pretentious 
  

   houses. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  fortunate 
  

   that 
  the 
  early 
  citi- 
  

   zens 
  of 
  Farmington 
  

   were 
  able, 
  energetic 
  

  

  