In 1680 the Colony
of Connecticut had much concern that its charter might
be taken away by the British Government. Fearing that
these "Western Lands" might be lost, the entire
northwest corner was given to the Hartford and Windsor
Plantations. After the threat had subsided the General
Assembly asked to have the land back but Hartford and
Windsor refused on the grounds that it was now theirs
as it was legally given to them.
It would be 1726
before a settlement was agreed upon resulting in the
Colony taking back the western portion while Hartford
and Windsor kept the eastern portion. This eastern section
would become Hartland, Barkhamsted, Winchester, Colebrook,
Torrington, New Hartford and Harwinton. Hartford and
Windsor formed a committee and divided these sections
into three and a half townships for eventual parceling
out to the proprieters who were living in Hartford and
Windsor.
Hartford became
the owner of East Harwinton and Windsor the owner of
West Harwinton. The border was North and South Roads.
In 1732, anticipating
the eventual declaration as a "Township" the
name of this new town, known as Hartford
and Windsor's
town (Har-Win-Town)
logically became simply "Harwinton."
There is a Harvington
- pronounced "Harwinton", in Worcestershire,
England that the name could have been derived from,
but there is absolutely no evidence that it is.
One of the most
unsettling things that native Harwintonians hear is
having the town referred to as "Harwington".
I guess because we are in close proximity to Torrington,
people assume we are "Harwington". We are
"HARWINTON"
and here is the only location in the world that you
will find this unique town name right here in Litchfield
County! The best way to get on the good side of our
natives is to refer to the town the proper way. That
way you will definitely start off on the right foot.
Of course, pure
native Harwintonians reserve the right to refer to "our"
town, using our best old New England accent as simply
"HAR-TEN"
Sources:
Lloyd T. Shanley Jr. research
Connecticut Town Origins by Helen Earle Sellers
(1973)
