Description
The Early History of Spring Hill, Mansfield Connecticut
Written by Roberta K. Smith
A publication of the History Workshop of the Mansfield Historical Society, first edition 1983, second edition 2004.
This 70 plus page history of the Spring Hill area tracks early settlement (1700s) through the 1850s. It chronicles the families and farming that the area became well known for. Many early families found it to be an ideal farming community due to easy access to water (hence the Spring Hill name), fertile soil and a growing season that was often longer than other lower elevations in town. Families such as Arnold, Barrows, Cross, Eastabrook, Freeman, Hall, Howe, Huntington, Kingsley, Sargeant and Storrs are profiled within its pages. Spring Hill also became the seat of Mansfield’s government in the 1840s with the establishment of a ‘Town House’ at what is now 954 Storrs Road and the current home of the Mansfield Historical Society. Like many historc parts of Mansfield this neighborhood has fought to preserve it’s historic charm and Roberta’s book is an excellent resource for visioning what Mansfield’s agrairian past was like. Truly a well reaserached and heart felt chronicle of a part of our history that Roberta had a direct connection with. Roberta was a native of Mansfield and grew up in one of Spring Hill’s historic homes, living there until she passed away at the age of 100 in 2021. Her contribution to the history of Spring Hill were a true labor of love.
