Editing Weston, Connecticut (section)

==History==

{{stack begin}}[[Image:WestonCT Sign Front.JPG|thumb|right|Town sign for Weston (front)]]{{stack end}}
In the 17th century, Weston's first English settlers were mostly farmers living in the town of [[Fairfield, Connecticut]], the boundaries of which extended to Weston until the late 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2011 |title=Weston - Connecticut History {{!}} a CTHumanities Project |url=https://connecticuthistory.org/towns-page/weston/ |access-date=May 2, 2022 |website=Connecticut History {{!}} a CTHumanities Project - Stories about the people, traditions, innovations, and events that make up Connecticut's rich history. |language=en}}</ref> The Norfield Parish was created in the area now occupied by the towns of Weston and [[Easton, Connecticut|Easton]]. In 1787, the area was formally incorporated as the Town of Weston. It is believed to be named after Weston-super-Mare, which was a small fishing village surrounded by countryside farmland, which many of the early British farming settlers originated from.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoEyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA335|year=1903|publisher=Connecticut Magazine Company|page=335}}</ref> In 1845, the Town of Easton was split off from Weston.

A [[Weston meteorite|meteor]] exploded above the town on December 14, 1807.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Weston Meteorite|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2008/pdf/2163.pdf|website=lpi.usra.edu}}</ref> Six pieces, totaling {{convert|28|lb}}, were recovered and examined by scientists, who issued a report. This experience provided information that expanded the contemporary thinking about meteors for many.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Edward M. | last=Lerner | title=Rock! Bye-Bye, Baby | work=Analog | publisher=Dell Magazines | location=New York, NY | page= 43 | date=November 2009  }}</ref><ref>[http://www.peabody.yale.edu/collections/met/met_weston.html The Weston Meteorite | Meteorites and Planetary Science: Collections: Yale Peabody Museum]. Peabody.yale.edu. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.</ref>

Despite rocky soil, farmers in town grew apples, onions, and potatoes. Grist, cider, lumber, and fulling mills were built. The town had nine manufacturers by 1850, but two decades later only the Bradley Edge Tool Company still thrived. That factory burned down in 1911.<ref name=nyt31592/>

Unlike other nearby towns, Weston never had a railroad built through it, which stifled the development of non-agricultural businesses. Between the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and the [[Great Depression]], the town's population dropped from approximately 1,000 to a low of 670, by 1930. Artists, writers, and actors from New York became attracted to the community in the 1930s and began settling in it. Construction of the [[Merritt Parkway]], which arrived to the south of Weston in 1938, resulted in further population growth.<ref name=nyt31592/>