Want some Weston facts? Ridiculously old, Weston’s history traces to 1639. Heroic Weston mothers fled with their children as the British passed through on their way to burn down Danbury. A gigantic meteor exploded over Weston and left behind a 30-pound hunk of stone that ended up in Yale’s museum. They used to farm onions here. In the 1930’s the town’s population fell under 700. The above info reflects just some of the nuggets that can be found on this two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It can be found on a grassy area right in front of Town Hall. It has different inscriptions on each side. It dates to 1977 and is showing signs of vertical streaking from water damage on both sides. The full inscription reads: Weston Originally the Nor’field parish of old Fairfield(1639) to the south, present Weston was divided into long lots circa 1670, commencing our agricultural development. By 1757 there were enough families to become a separate ecclesiastical society. During the Revolution British General Tryon’s forces passed nearby en route to and from the burning of Danbury. To escape, Weston mothers fled with their children to the Devil’s Den, a wilderness landmark since earliest times. Near dawn, December 14, 1807 a large meteorite exploded over Weston, one of the first such phenomena recorded in America. A thirty-pound fragment became the nucleus of Yale University’s meteorite collection. Incorporated since 1787, Weston prospered from onion farming and numerous early industries. Our forested slopes provided charcoal and our rapidly falling rivers the water power for iron forges and foundries shipping their products all over the East. [ back ] Peaking at 2997 in 1830, the population steadily fell of to 1117 in 1860, 840 in 1900, and 670 in 1930. The decline resulted from the loss of territory to form Westport and Easton, the opening of the richer Ohio farmlands, the rise of steam powered industry on the coast, and isolation from canals and railroads. Lyon’s Plain and Valley Forge, once thriving villages, lingered as population centers. As late as the 1880’s wandering Indians still camped in the Den. Early in the 1900’s artists, musicians, theatre people, writers, and summer colonists discovered Weston, the vanguard of the waves of commuters who arrived by automobile after the Second World War and brought the sleepy town vigorously back to life. The mixture gives Weston its special character. Erected by the Town of Weston The Weston Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1977
