Strong Fowler house build ca. 1750

Native Americans occupied parts of Northwestern Connecticut as long as 10,000 years ago. Torrington’s Native American population was an offshoot of the Algonquian family of tribes and numerous stone points and stone tools have been found here documenting their presence over thousands of years. In 1720 Hartford and Windsor purchased a large tract of land in western Connecticut from the Native Americans. Torrington was included in that purchase but there were no Native American settlements in Torrington at that time.

This purchase cleared the title to lands previously claimed by Hartford and Windsor and in 1732 the Colony of Connecticut finalized the transaction by granting to Windsor several towns including Torrington. At the same time the General Assembly authorized Windsor to subdivide Torrington’s 20,924 acres among 136 of Windsor’s taxpayers. Ebenezer Lyman Jr. of Durham purchased land from one of the Windsor proprietors and in 1735 became Torrington’s first settler.

The first school, store and church were built high on the hills, west of the Naugatuck River, near the homes of the earliest settlers. The next area to be settled was the eastern hill known as Torringford. These hills provided the best agricultural land for the settler’s agrarian lifestyle. Torrington was given permission to organize a town government and an Ecclesiastical Society in October 1740. One year later, the first church was organized and was referred to for some time as the Church of Christ in Torrington. Before the first meeting house was erected in 1746, services were held in the homes of the settlers.

One of the first priorities was the need for protection. In October 1744, the settlers voted to build a fort near Ebenezer Lyman’s place on the west side of what is now Klug Hill Road. It was built to protect the people from attacks by the Indians from the north and west but in fact was probably more reassuring than useful. The fort, which was 75’ x 100’ was built of chestnut logs split in half and stood about eight feet high. The alarm usually was given by lighting signal fires on the hills from Albany eastward.

In 1752, a committee voted to lay a highway from north to south through the center of town. This was to become Main Street. Another road was laid out along the west branch of the Naugatuck River until it met with Main Street and was called Water Street. These two roads were intersected by the old road coming down from the eastern hills. In 1801 this thoroughfare was chartered as the Litchfield Turnpike, a toll road between West Simsbury and Litchfield. The road followed what is now East Main Street and crossed the river at Center Bridge. The old north south highway was later chartered as the Waterbury Turnpike and it intersected the Litchfield Turnpike at center bridge. The junction of these roads triggered commercial development in this area which would later be known as Wolcottville and is now the central business district or downtown Torrington.

View of Torrington, ca. 1835, John Warner Barber

Near Water Street, the west branch of the Naugatuck River dropped in elevation and its rapidly moving water was harnessed to provide water power for developing industries. Significant industrial growth began to occur here in 1813 when Frederick Wolcott erected a woolen mill. The mill attracted a relatively large workforce with its consequent demand for housing, goods and services. In 1834 Israel Coe and Erastus Hodges began the construction of rival brass mills. This was the beginning of the brass industry in Torrington, an industry that would later be synonymous with the entire Naugatuck valley. Also contributing to the growth of Torrington was the Naugatuck Valley Railroad, completed to Torrington in 1849. The railroad linked Torrington with other population centers thereby ending its isolation and stimulating industrial development.

Major immigrants to Torrington in the mid 19th century included: English, Irish and Germans, who found employment opportunities in the growing factories and in building Torrington’s infrastructure. During the late nineteenth century both the Torrington Water Company and the Torrington Electric Company were founded. The Wolcottville Fire District was also formed at this time. Sewer lines were laid and sidewalks soon followed. By the 1890s the population had doubled from 6,000 to 12,000. New immigrants during this period included the Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Italians and Lebanese. Most of the Italians came from Northern Italy and brought with them their skills as stonecutters, masons and carvers. Their architectural contributions to the city can still be seen today in its cut granite buildings and red brick masonry.

Main Street ca. 1950

In 1923, with a population of 23,000, Torrington was chartered as a city. During the growth and expansion of Torrington in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the city experienced a facelift which reflected the Art Deco and Art Moderne architectural themes of that period. Several buildings along Main Street, including the Post Office, City Hall, Allen Block, Mertz and the Warner Theater, were designed in this style. William E. Hunt of Torrington was the architect responsible for much of the work..

Spurred by World War II, Torrington’s industrial production jumped to new heights as factories worked around the clock producing defense materials such as machine tools, bearings and shell casings. After the war came the inevitable drop in factory orders and with it the resultant slowdown in growth. In August 1955, another severe setback occurred caused by the disastrous flooding of the Naugatuck River, which destroyed the center of town, killing seven and causing $13,000,000 in property damage. After the waters receded flood control projects began. Old dams were removed, the river was widened and new flood control dams were constructed north of the center

Traditional manufacturing jobs have always been the backbone of this Naugatuck Valley community. Today the economy still has a significant industrial component. Several companies which were started in the 19th century, such as Turner & Seymour and the Torrington Company (now Timken Corporation ), are still in existence. Many of the older industries have closed but several small, new firms have filled the manufacturing gap. As elsewhere, there is a growing trend toward service related business. Principal manufacturing industries today include electronics, bearings, automotive parts, golf club shafts, sewn products, metal castings, thermoplastic components, universal joints and fuel cells.

Fifty years ago, most of Torrington's residents worked in town. Today, many residents commute to other cities such as Waterbury, Hartford, and Danbury. Since the 1950s housing developments have been spreading out further from the central business district. The construction of new Route 8 in the 1960s was a catalyst for industrial and commercial development to move outward from the traditional center as well. Much of this recent growth has been in Torrington's east end and along the Winsted Road where new industrial parks, shopping centers and subdivisions have been built on former agricultural lands.

Today, Torrington has a population of about 35,000 people, many of them living in these outlying areas. To meet the needs of this widespread population, the city undertook the modernization of the school system, police and fire departments. Some of the older neighborhood schools were closed but others were renovated for new generations of students. A new high school opened in 1963 and renovations to that school took place in 2000. In 1976, a new East School was built and the old one was made into offices. South School closed in 1982 and the building was later converted into apartments. Riverside and North Schools both closed in 1986. In 1980, a new firehouse was built on Water Street and, in 1990, the North School was renovated into a much larger and improved police department.

Torrington Research Company

In the last thirty years, Torrington's downtown experienced a decline as shopping centers and strip malls were built in outlying areas. In an effort to improve and revitalize the central business district a number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve the business climate. Chief among them has been an effort to recognize the architectural and historical significance of downtown Torrington. In 1988, the Downtown Torrington National Register Historic District was formed and, in 2003, the same honor was extended west from the center as the Water Street Historic District.

During the last half of the 20th century, the city experienced cultural growth which continues to this day. In 1956, Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss died, leaving her Main Street estate to the Torrington Historical Society, which was established in 1944. Committed to the preservation and interpretation of Torrington's diverse history, the Torrington Historical Society's Hotchkiss-Fyler Museum, History Museum, research library, and special exhibits are visited by thousands of people each year.

In 1961, the Torrington Civic Symphony was founded and a decade later Torrington native Sharon Dante established the Nutmeg Ballet, which would grow to become a ballet school of national renown. In 2001, the Nutmeg Ballet, and the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, moved into a greatly expanded and newly renovated Main Street building. The Warner Theatre, saved from demolition in 1981, and reopened in 1983, was fully restored in 2002. Today the Warner Theatre presents a full schedule of concerts, plays, ballets, and operates a school for the arts in downtown Torrington. Artwell, a visual arts organization, has opened a lively Water Street gallery and maintains an ambitious schedule of exhibitions and performances.