Litchfield

Litchfield, town (township), Litchfield county, northwestern Connecticut, U.S. It includes the boroughs of Litchfield and Bantam. The lands that became Litchfield were purchased from the Tunxis Indians in 1715–16. The town, named for Lichfield, England, and incorporated in 1719, was settled in 1720–21. During the American Revolution it became a supply point and rest stop for American troops en route to Boston. Judge Tapping Reeve established the country’s first law school there in 1784; its alumni include the U.S. vice presidents Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun. The judge’s house (1773) and school are preserved. Litchfield village was incorporated in 1818 and the borough in 1879. The town was the birthplace of Ethan Allen, leader of the Green Mountain Boys during the American Revolution, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852).

Litchfield is the centre of a resort and agricultural (dairy products) area. The Litchfield Historical Society Museum houses a collection of early American crafts. Area 56 square miles (145 square km). Pop. (2000) 8,316; (2010) 8,466.