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Connecticut- Avon - 1
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About Avon
Avon is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2005,
the town has an estimated total population of 17,209.
Avon was settled in 1645 and was originally a part of Farmington but sold to the
Puritans in a land charter granted by the Duke of York in 1830. Avon was
originally called Northington (the north parish) before it broke off from
Farmington. According to the Avon Historical Society, Avon's independence was
rooted in the need for a church that was more accessible to the growing town's
population than the Congregational Church in Farmington. They eventually
commissioned someone to come north from the Yale Divinity School to found the
first church. It is generally considered a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms
School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named
the 3rd safest town in America by Money Magazine. It is home to the Pine Grove
School House, built in 1865 and remains open today as a museum. Avon was listed
as one of the "preppiest" places in the United States in the 1980s best-seller
The Official Preppy Handbook.
On Nov. 11, 1996, the Town and the Gildo T. Consolini Post 3272, Veterans of
Foreign Wars, dedicated the Avon Veterans Memorial on the Town Green. In the
Mexican War (1846-1848), three Avon men served, and one was lost. During the
Civil War (1861-1865), Avon sent off a heartbreaking sum of 98 men to fight when
the whole population of the town was only 1,059. Twenty-five soldiers did not
return. For the First World War (1917-1918), Avon contributed 77 men, and lost
none. For the Second World War (1941-1946), 300 men and women from Avon served,
and losses numbered 13. In the Korean War (1950-1955) 51 from Avon served, with
no losses. In the Gulf War (1990-1994), 32 men and women served, with no losses.
In Vietnam (1961-1975), among the 153 men and women were served, there was one
death and one man Missing in Action.
Avon reaches a fine milestone in 2005: it has been a town for 175 years. Its
history stretches back to 1830, and much further. With help from volunteers and
donors, the historical collections and programs of the town continue to grow.
The Avon Historical Society, and the Avon Free Public Library’s Marian Hunter
History Room continue to collect (respectively) Avon-related artifacts and
archives.
We hope that Avon’s anniversary events this year will heighten appreciation for
our history, and strengthen those organizations, town officials, residents,
businesses and volunteers who seek to promote and preserve Avon’s heritage.