Editing Simsbury, Connecticut (section)

==History==

===Early history===
{{further|Massaco}}
At the beginning of the 17th century, the area that would become known as Simsbury as of 1670 was inhabited by [[indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous peoples]]. The [[Wappinger]] were one of these groups, composed of eighteen bands that were organized not formally as a tribe, but more akin to an association, like the [[Lenape|Delaware]]. These bands lived between the [[Hudson River|Hudson]] and [[Connecticut River|Connecticut]] rivers. The Wappingers were one of the [[Algonquian peoples]], a linguistic grouping which includes hundreds of tribes.{{sfn|Trelease|1997|p=4–9}} One of the Wappinger bands, the [[Massaco]], lived near, but mostly west of, what became known as the [[Farmington River]], in the area that would become known as Simsbury and [[Canton, Connecticut|Canton]],<ref name="Massaco" />  the latter as of 1806.<ref name="canton">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/cantonsesquicent00unse |title=Canton Sesquicentennial, 1806-1956; A Short Illustrated History of Canton |publisher=Canton Sesquicentennial Committee |year=1956}}</ref>

In 1633, [[Windsor, Connecticut|Windsor]] was the second town in Connecticut settled by Europeans and the first English settlement (the first European settlement being [[Fort Hoop|Huys de Goede Hoop]], established by the Dutch in the Hartford area as a frontier settlement for the [[New Netherland]] Colony ten years earlier). For some time, the area of Massaco was considered "an appendix to the towne of Windsor."{{sfn|Connecticut|1852| p=97}} Settlers in Windsor forested and farmed in the area, but did not settle in Massaco permanently for a number of years. In 1642, the General Court of the colony of Connecticut ordered that:{{sfn|Connecticut|1850| p=71}}
<blockquote>
the Governor and Mr. Heynes shall have liberty to dispose of the ground uppon that parte of Tunxis River cauled Mossocowe, to such inhabitants of Wyndsor as they shall see cause.
</blockquote> Despite this order, there is no record that any settlements immediately ensued. Five years later the General Court issued another order:{{sfn|Connecticut|1850| p=161}}
<blockquote>
The Court thinks fitt that Massacoe be purchased by the Country, and that ther be a Committee chosen to dispose of yt to such inhabitants of Wyndsor as by the shalbe judged meet to make improuement therof...
</blockquote>
but there is no record of land grants arising from this order.{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=10}}

In 1643, John Griffin and Michael Humphrey started a [[tar]] and [[turpentine]] business in Windsor. A few years later, a Massaco Indian named Manahanoose started a fire which destroyed tar belonging to Griffin. The Court ordered the payment of "five hundred fathom of [[wampum]]" as compensation. As he was unable to pay this amount, Manahanoose was instead ordered by the Court to either serve Griffin or be exchanged for Black [[Slavery in the colonial history of the United States#17th century|slaves]]. To avoid this, he instead delivered a deed to the land at Massacoe. The deed was agreed to by Manahanoose as well as other Indians, identified as "the proprietors of Massaco".{{sfn|Trumbull|2009| p=342}} In 1653, the General Court granted {{convert|50|acre|m2}} of meadowland to Lieutenant Aaron Cook, {{convert|60|acre|m2}} to John Bissell and {{convert|50|acre|m2}} to Thomas Ford, all in Massacoe.{{sfn|Connecticut|1850| p=247}}

Settlers did not build permanent settlements until the following decade. Aaron Cook built one of the early homes in the area established {{circa}}1660 as [[Terry's Plain Historic District|Terry's Plain]], and John Griffin also built a home, possibly in 1664—the date associated with a deed to land in Massacoe.{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=12}} The settlement of Massacoe continued in the late 1660s. The General Court awarded a land grant of two hundred acres to John Griffin in 1663. A deed description from 1664 indicates he had become a permanent inhabitant. In 1669, a survey found that there were thirteen permanent residents of Massacoe. One of those residents, John Case, was appointed to the position of constable.{{sfn|Connecticut|1852| p=118}} This is the first recorded civil office held by residents of the area.{{sfn|Trumbull|2009| p=342}}

===Incorporation===
In 1670, John Case, along with Joshua Holcomb & Thomas Barber, presented a petition to the General Court, requesting that Massacoe become a town of the colony of Connecticut.{{sfn|Trumbull|2009| p=343}} On May 12, 1670, the General Court granted the petition, and ordered that the plantation should be called "Simmsbury". The boundaries at that time were [[Farmington, Connecticut|Farmington]] on the south and [[Windsor, Connecticut|Windsor]] on the east, with the extent of Simsbury running {{convert|10|mi|0}} north of Farmington and {{convert|10|mi|0}} west of Windsor. The northern border, subject to dispute with [[Massachusetts]], was left to be resolved later.{{sfn|Connecticut|1852| p=127}} This area includes the township Simsbury as well as [[Granby, Connecticut|Granby]] and [[Canton, Connecticut|Canton]], which would later separate from Simsbury in 1786<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.southwickma.org/Public_Documents/SouthwickMA_WebDocs/about |title=Town of Southwick, Massachusetts |access-date=October 14, 2007 |archive-date=August 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805220040/http://www.southwickma.org/Public_Documents/SouthwickMA_WebDocs/about |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 1806,<ref name="canton" /> respectively.

The precise origin of the name of the town is not known for certain. The town records covering the first ten years after incorporation were accidentally burned in 1680 and 1681. One possibility is that the name of Simsbury comes from the English town of [[Symondsbury]].<ref name="Fry" /> Holcomb, one of the petitioners, originally came from Symondsbury. Another possibility is that the name was derived from Simon Wolcott's name. He was known familiarly as "Sim", and he was considered one of the prominent men of the town.{{sfn|Trumbull|2009| p=343}}

===King Philip's War===
In 1675, rumors of unrest among the indigenous peoples began to surface. The rumors proved accurate, and [[King Philip's War]], a war between a number of tribes and the New England settlers, began in the summer. The war extended through parts of four colonies, with Simsbury on the western edge of the conflict. At the time, it was seen as a [[frontier settlement]].{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=21}} The conflict was largely over by August 1676, although it did not formally end until a treaty was signed in 1678.

The colony of Connecticut formed a Council of War. In the days leading up to the war, they ordered settlers to keep night watches and to work in the fields in armed groups of at least six.{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=20}} By the time of the colony's General Court meeting of October 14, 1675, the situation was considered serious enough that the court ordered the residents of Simsbury to move to safety in Windsor. The order read:

{{blockquote|text=This Court orders, that the people of Simsbury shall have a week's time to secure themselves and their corn there, and at the end of the week from this date, the souldiers, now in garrison at Simsbury, shall be released their attendance there.|sign=Colony of Connecticut General Court{{sfn|Connecticut|1852| p=269}}}}
In March 1676, the town of Simsbury was first pillaged, then burned to the ground. This destruction has been described as the most extensive of any event of any Indian War in New England.{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=24}} The settlers remained in Windsor until the spring of 1677, during which most moved back to Simsbury, though some never returned.{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=25}}

=== Daniel Hayes ===
In 1707, Daniel Hayes, then aged twenty-two, was captured by indigenous people and carried to [[New France|Canada]]. The capture was witnessed and a rescue party was raised, but the group did not catch up with the captors. Hayes was tied up each night and bound to saplings. It took thirty days to reach Canada, where Hayes was forced to [[gauntlet (punishment)|run the gauntlet]]. Near the end of the gauntlet, he hid in a [[wigwam]] to avoid an attempted blow by a club. The woman in the wigwam declared that the house was sacred and, having lost a husband and son to a war, adopted Hayes as her son. He remained for several years, attending to the woman. Eventually, he was sold to a Frenchman, who learned that Hayes had skill as a weaver and put him to work in that business. Hayes managed to earn enough to buy his freedom after two years. He then returned to Simsbury, settled down on a farm and married. He became a prominent figure in civil affairs, as well as the church at Salmon Brook (now Granby).{{sfn|Phelps|1845|p=37–44}}

===Patent Safety Fuse factory explosion===
[[File:PostcardMainStSimsburyCT1921.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Main Street in 1921]]
{{clear}}

On Tuesday, December 20, 1859, the two-story Patent Safety Fuse factory located near the center of town exploded, killing seven women and one man. The blast also injured several other people, including the factory owner. The factory made cord fast-burning fuses used for blasting, which resulted in the explosion. Two days later, on Thursday, December 22, 1859, the ''New York Times'' ran a story about the explosion.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date=December 22, 1859 |title=The Explosion at Simsbury, Conn.; A SAFETY-FUSE FACTORY BLOWN UP--SEVEN LIVES LOST. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1859/12/22/issue.html |url-access=subscription |work=The New York Times |location=Simsbury |access-date=January 27, 2023}}</ref>