Dutch Settlers
NUGGET #73
Dutch settlers: John Sturtevant, Sturdevant or Stirtivant, a native of Holland, was among the original proprietors. He died before he was able to develop his Main Street lot and 22 years after his death in 1718, the land was set aside for building an Anglican or Episcopal church. Dutchman Swamp may be named for his family, or for the Dykman (Dikeman, Dykeman) family, early settlers of the Scotland district who were probably of Dutch ancestry.
More Historical Nuggets
First Pride Day, 1998
FIRST ‘PRIDE’ DAY: “A Celebration of Community: Straight, Gay and Lesbian“ took place in 1998, on the Community Center lawn. Just a year later, a Rainbow Flag was flown for the first time in the nation over a state capitol, Hartford, on March 21, 1999.
Hezekiah Scott (1789-1879)
Hezekiah Scott was a weaver and operated a distillery on the brook near his home on Barlow Mountain Road — a stream now called Kiah’s Brook.
Paving
The first road paving, part of a state experiment, was done on the eastern end of Branchville Road around 1912. Catoonah Street was paved in 1922.
Lillian Barnard Gilkes and Louise “Lulu” Davidson
Gilkes, Lillian Barnard, (1903-1977), was a nationally recognized scholar, author and critic who lived at 93 Olmstead Lane with stepsister.
