In the Southwest
corner of Harwinton is an area known as Campville. One
would think that perhaps its name was derived from some
sort of encampment that took place during our revolt
against England or a muster area where our brave troops
gathered in 1861 at the onset of the great civil war.
One rarely thinks about it being named after an individual,
but that is exactly where it came from.
Jabez Camp was the
son of Northfields first settled minister, Joseph E.
Camp. In 1840 Jabez was the highest bidder on a parcel
of land that was sold at public auction from the estate
of Julius Brown. Over the next couple of years, Jabez
would purchase many more parcels of land in the same
southwest corner. Early maps of the town show this area
as "Camps Mills" as he built and operated
a saw mill, a grist mill and a grinding mill.
