About the Redding, Connecticut Area 

• About Redding
• Redding Landmarks

• History of Redding
• Redding Demographics

• Redding Schools
• Redding Parks & Recreation

Named for an early settler, the eighteenth-century lawyer and land speculator John Reed, Redding is located eight miles south of Danbury. The town, situated among the characteristic wooded hills and rolling countryside of Western Connecticut, is largely residential.

The rolling hills of Redding provide a tranquil setting in which to settle down. This may account for the many creative people who have called Redding home over the decades.

Mostly residential, Redding is a town with little commercial activity. The Redding Land Trust preserves more than 400 acres of land dedicated to open space.

With little business and much open space, Redding is known for its parks, ponds, and marshes as well as hiking and riding trails. The town's enviornmentally aware and preservation oriented residents enjoy their abundant natural assets and are committed to controling land use and maintaining the quality of life.

There are over 55 miles of hiking and riding trails in Redding including Topstone Park, a 170 acre reserve.

Mark Twain, a prominent Redding resident of a century ago, is still honored for helping establish the town's public library, known today as the Mark Twain Library.

Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,270 at the 2000 census. Georgetown is largely in Redding. West Redding, Redding Center, and Redding Ridge are three other parts of town.

Trivia

• The two secondary schools are named Joel Barlow High School and John Read Middle School.
• Redding was selected as "Connecticut's Best Small Town."
• Bridgeport Hydraulic is a major landowner.
• The fictional book My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier was based in Redding during the Revolutionary War

What's it like to live in Redding?

Redding* Connecticut U.S.
Median household income $117,960 $60,888 $44,684
Cost of living (% of national avg) 190% 114% 100%
Unemployment 5% 5% 5%
Violent crime index (1 is lowest) 1 2 3
Days per year with some sun: 206
Days per year with some precipitation: 118
Population: 8,698
* Based on zip code 06896

Source: Sperling's Best Places

Redding compared to Connecticut state average:

• Median household income significantly above state average.
• Median house value significantly above state average.
• Unemployed percentage significantly below state average.
• Renting percentage significantly below state average.
• Number of rooms per house significantly above state average.
• Number of college students below state average.
• Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher significantly above state average.

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Town of Redding - A Historical Journey
Courtesy - Town of Redding

In the early 1700s, Redding, Connecticut, was home to an Indian village whose leader was named Chickens Warrups. In 1714, John Read, the first white man to settle in Redding (which was then part of Fairfield), claimed 500 acres to set up a homestead for his wife and children. Lonetown Manor, as Read's home was called, soon became the center of a busy and populous farm settlement, and a number of mills and other enterprises associated with farmer's needs soon took root.

Col. John Read
Although the elder John Read moved to Boston in 1722, his son, Col. John Read, took over administration of Lonetown Manor. In 1767, the Connecticut General Assembly incorporated the Town as Redding, which had less than 1,000 inhabitants.

Redding's Business and the Railroad
In 1852, the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad line was completed through the west side of Town with depots at Georgetown, Topstone, and West Redding. By this time, farmland was left unplanted as floods increased and lower-priced western product came to eastern markets. New steam-powered factories were sprouting up along main rail lines. Redding's small waterpowered industries could no longer compete and gradually ceased operations. Only Georgetown's Gilbert & Bennett, with access to the new railroad for coal and raw materials and for shipment of its finished wire goods, was able to survive. Despite a disastrous fire in 1874, Gilbert & Bennett rebuilt immediately with modern buildings and machinery. The company continued to prosper and expand, employing nearly 600 workers by the early 1900s. Consequently, Georgetown grew, adding new homes and streets, while the rest of Redding remained rural and pastoral. The Town's population began to decline.

Housing History
Home building in Redding slowed, but did not cease during the Great Depression years of the 1930s. About two dozen farms were still operating, although the land was now about 70% forest and woodland. With the close of World War II and the beginning of the great post-war housing boom, new house construction in Redding began at a vigorous pace. Now within easy commuting distance of job centers in Danbury, Bridgeport, and lower Fairfield County, Redding began to attract speculative developers. Its citizens realized a potential avalanche of development threatened the character of its Town. Following a public referendum (link), the Town's first zoning regulations became effective in June 1950.

Two-Acre Zoning
The rush of new development became a reality. Several large tracts were subdivided into one-acre lots, new subdivision roads were built, and school population began to spiral upward. Responding to Town-wide demand, in 1953 the Zoning Commission enacted two-acre zoning for the entire Town outside Georgetown, which had, and still has, multiple-family, ½-acre, and one-acre zoning. Concern about the Town's future persisted, and in 1956 a Town Meeting authorized the establishment of a Planning Commission. The Commission prepared regulations to control the layout of subdivisions, and these regulations were adopted in 1957.

Newcomers and Automobiles
During the 1890s, Redding was discovered by prominent summer visitors from New York City. Writers (including Mark Twain), artists, and business and professional people, who were enchanted by the Town's tranquil beauty, established country estates. By 1910, Redding's more adventurous and affluent residents were driving automobiles on the Town's dirt roads.

Telephones
A few years after Mark Twain came to Town, Redding's first telephone exchange began operation. It was located in a private dwelling on Cross Highway and had a small group of subscribers.

Highways
In 1916, the State of Connecticut began to construct a network of highways to link population centers and provide farm-to-market access for the rural towns. By 1921, Routes 7 and 58 had become two-lane paved highways. Other roads followed in the 1920s and 1930s. By the mid-1930s, hard-surfaced roads reached every section of Town along with telephone and electric lines. The Town's rural isolation passed into history.

Saugatuck Reservoir
A major controversy raged during the 1930s over Bridgeport Hydraulic's plan to flood the Saugatuck valley for a large new reservoir. A reservoir would inundate the historic village of Valley Forge and much of Redding Glen. Opponents lost their appeals, and the Saugatuck Reservoir was completed in 1942.

Putnam Memorial Park
The high terrain of Redding, with views south to Long Island Sound and northward toward Danbury, assumed strategic importance during the Revolutionary War. In April 1777, the road over Redding Ridge and Sunset Hill was the invasion route used by British forces in their assault on Continental army provisions stored in Danbury. A year later, in 1778 and 1779, Putnam's division of Washington's army was in winter encampment at three key locations in Redding to protect the left flank of American forces then holding the Hudson Valley. Remains of the largest of these campsites are preserved on 35 acres of land donated by a Redding citizen in the 1880s. Putnam Memorial State Park contains a monument to the American troops and a colonial museum.

Documented History
Redding has turned the corner from the 20th century to the 21st century and looks to our wealth of history to guide us in the new century. The Board of Selectmen funded An Historical and Archeological Assessment Survey of Redding by Stuart Reeve. Working with the Redding Historical Society, the Town has supported an ongoing project to produce a Town history book. The book will augment Charles Burr Todd's The History of Redding, first published in 1880 and revised in 1905. Dan Cruson, a long-time teach at Joel Barlow High School, published Images of Redding and Easton in 2000.

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History of Redding Schools
In 1737, the people of the parish of Redding voted to have a public school with three districts, "the Ridge, the west side, and Lonetown." One schoolmaster went from one to the other, teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. By 1742, the parish voted for "three separate schools, each to be kept by a master."

In 1878, a citizen of Redding funded the establishment of a public high school, the Hill Academy, in Redding Center. Ten one-room schoolhouses in strategic areas of Town served younger students in Redding, and the Town shared an 11th with Redding. One of them, the Umpawaug School, built in 1789, still stands on Umpawaug Road near Route 53. Every November, the Redding Historical Society holds an open house at the Umpawaug School, which closed in 1931. One of its teachers, Luemm Ryder, approaching a century of living, lives just up the road from the school.

Early in the 1900s Gilbert & Bennett opened a public school for the Georgetown Recreation.

By 1931, the Town had closed all of its one-room schoolhouses and enlarged the Hill Academy to four classrooms to serve the eight elementary grades. The Hill Academy closed in 1948 when Redding Elementary School opened. Redding paid tuition to Danbury for its high school students to go to Danbury High School.

In 1959, the Town converted the Hill Academy to Town Hall.

Redding Elementary School
Redding Elementary School (tel. 938-2519), with eight classrooms, was completed in 1948. In 1957, a new wing doubled its capacity. Kathleen Kelly has been it's principal since 1994.

John Read Middle School
In the mid-1960s, the Town began planning for another school. John Read Middle School (tel. 938-2533) opened in 1966, housing students in grades 5 through 8. In 1980, the fifth grade moved to the Elementary School. As an echo baby boom caused the school population to grow, a new wing was added to the Middle School in 1999, and the fifth grade moved back.

Joel Barlow High School
In 1957, Redding and Easton referenda approved the formation of a regional school district, and a 35-acre site was purchased from a farm on Black Rock Turnpike for a high school designed to serve 650 students. Joel Barlow High School, originally serving grades 7 through 12, opened for classes in the fall of 1959. The school now serves grades 9 through 12.

In 1971, a major addition doubled the size of the building and increased its capacity to 1,000 students. In 1974, the Town purchased 78 more acres to build athletic fields. An addition and two portable classrooms were built in 1984, and the school was renovated in 1994. The Town is now engaged in a construction project to add more instructional space and athletic fields.

Redding Elementary Schools

Redding Elementary School
33 Lonetown Rd, Redding, CT 06875
(203) 938-2519
District:Redding School District public PK-4 728

Landmark Academy- Building B
20 Portland Avenue, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 544-8393 private PK-K not available

Landmark of Redding Academy
20 Portland Avenue, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 544-8393

Redding Middle Schools

John Read Middle School
33 Lonetown Rd, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 938-2533
District:Redding School District public 5-8 551

Redding High Schools

Joel Barlow High School
100 Black Rock Tpke, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 938-2508
District:Regional School District 09 public 9-12 935

Redding Private Schools

Landmark Academy- Building B
20 Portland Avenue, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 544-8393 private PK-K not available

Landmark of Redding Academy
20 Portland Avenue, Redding, CT 06896
(203) 544-8393 private PK-K 300

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Attractions

• Highstead Arboretum, which may be visited by appointment.
• The Mark Twain Library, endowed by Redding's most famous resident of 1908-1909.
• Redding Road House, restaurant-cum-bar with live music.
• Devil's Den Preserve, which features hiking and scenic views of the Saugatuck Reservoir from the "Great Ledge."
• Putnam Memorial State Park, of historical interest for the American Revolutionary War, and for it's unique geology and caves

Mark Twain Library

Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him. A brief description of how the library started, written by one of the original trustees, Albert Bigelow Paine, is featured on the library's Web site.

"When Mark Twain moved into his new home in Redding he found that he had a great many more books than his library at Stormfield would hold. He proposed that as Redding had no public library he would contribute these books as the nucleus of one. Shelves were put in a little chapel standing on the Umpawaug Road, and the library opened with a small gathering of farmers and summer residents, on which occasion Mark Twain made one of his happy speeches. A year or so later, a more permanent location being desired, Mr. Theodore Adams, an old resident of the "Four Corners," donated a corner lot for the new library building."

"Shortly before Mark Twain's death, he realized a sum of money from the sale of a small farm, left by his daughter Jean, who had died at the end of the previous year. He told me that he would like to build the Redding library with this money as a memorial for Jean, and it was only a few days before his death that he gave me a check for that purpose, naming William E. Hazen, Harry A. Lounsbury and myself as trustees of this fund. This was in April, 1910. The library was ready for occupancy that winter, or early in 1911, and was called the Jean Clemens Memorial Library.

"A sum being needed for current expenses I wrote to Andrew Carnegie, a very old friend of Mark Twain, and asked him if he would like to provide it. His reply was that he would be proud to do this in memory of his friendship with Mark Twain.

"From that day until Mr. Carnegie's death, the library received $500.00 yearly from him. Following his death, the Carnegie Foundation sent a lump sum to provide that amount of income.

"Other contributions have been received and a variety of entertainments have aided in keeping the library open."

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Demographics

As of the census of 2004, there were 8,270 people, 2,918 households, and 2,413 families residing in the town. The population density was 101.4/km² (262.5/mi²). There were 3,086 housing units at an average density of 37.8/km² (98.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town as of 2005 was 93.94% White, 1.51% African American, 0.14% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 1.93% from other races or from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.89% of the population.

There were 2,918 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.7% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.3% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $104,137, and the median income for a family was $109,250. Males had a median income of $77,882 versus $52,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,687. About 1.2% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

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Redding Country Club (RCC) History:

In 1966 Louis Nazzaro, a local businessman, and two other local gentlemen set out to create “a place of complete enjoyment, and relaxation for you, and your children, and a place where you will be proud to entertain your guests.” Their vision for a “little club in the country” began to take shape in 1968 when they purchased the site of the former Costello farm and created the Redding Country Club Holding Corporation. Louis Nazzaro became the first President of this new Club.

The Holding Corporation was subsequently unwound and The Redding Country Club was formed, owned by the members. Nestled high atop the hills in the beautiful rural community of Redding, Connecticut, about 60 miles from New York City, this very family oriented country club is renowned as much for the friendly atmosphere as it is for its amenities. The Club today has 300 members and is a full service, family oriented, country club.

Golf Course

In 1973, Golf course architect, Ed Ryder designed a 9-hole course for the Club. Work was completed and the course was opened to members in 1974. Four years later in 1978, Golf course architect, Rees Jones transformed the original 9 holes into a unique and challenging 18-hole layout and among the finest in the Metropolitan area. Jones took full advantage of the natural streams and ponds, found on 12 holes, and incorporated the precipitous changes in elevation to carve out a deceptively long short course measuring only 6, 317 yards.

Bob Tway, winner of the PGA championship in 1986, won the Men’s Club Championship in 1973 at the age of 13.

The course yardage, rating and slope are:

Tees Par Yardage Rating Slope

Men's Black 71 6277 71.9 139
Men's Blue 71 6064 71.0 136
Men's White 71 5780 69.8 133
Ladies' White 72 5434 71.7 126
Ladies' Red 72 4880 68.3 119

The course, golf practice facility, and Pro Shop are typically open April thru December weather permitting.

Racquet Sports

Tennis is played in the spring and summer on four har-tru courts located to the north of the Clubhouse. Seasoned professionals condition the courts from dawn until dusk all summer. Two of the courts are illuminated for night play. Men, women, and juniors take full advantage of the clinics, inter-clubs, and tournament schedule that runs from May thru mid-September. At that time the Paddle Tennis, also known as Platform Tennis, program takes off. This fun outdoor activity fulfills a social as well as physical need in the cooler months. The warming hut and two courts, lighted for night play, are situated on the southeast corner of the property.

Pool

The pool complex, consisting of one full size 25-yard competition swimming pool and one wading pool for small children, is located at the northernmost corner of the Club. A separate pool house with changing room and locker facility stands between the two pools. Awnings surround the aquatic venues providing shade and a place to catch up on summer reading. Each year over 60 children make up the Swim Team that competes in the Stateline League. In addition various activities and “wacky days” are interspersed throughout June, July, and August for the enjoyment of all.

Clubhouse

Completely rebuilt in April 1999, the new Clubhouse features New-England style architecture with a distinctive façade and a wrap-around veranda type porch/patio. The completed structure and its amenities surpassed even the most fastidious expectations of the membership. The original “farmhouse” after years of add-ons, was dismantled and a new state of the art facility took its place.

After entering through the main foyer one may enter the grille room to the right, or the main dining room to the left. The grille room, a warm inviting room with a working fireplace and pub like atmosphere, is a favorite spot for lunch and casual dinners. The main dining room is the primary member destination for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year. Dinners are also served on Thursdays and Sundays during the busy summer months at the Club. (The Club is closed for six weeks starting Feb. 1). A spacious kitchen with modern appliances complements the dining areas.

Separate men’s and women’s locker facilities are situated downstairs and are complete with full-length cherry and alder lockers and shower, wash and toilet facilities. Offices and a meeting/conference room are located on the second floor. The patio, replete with Adirondack chairs and tables for fair weather dining, offers spectacular views of the golf course and panoramic sunsets to the west unmatched in the state.

Special Thanks S. Klein Wassink and historyofredding.com for this information. The official RCC site is http://www.reddingcc.org.

Putnam Memorial State Park

203-938-2285
492 Black Rock Turnpike, Redding, CT

This was the site of the Continental Army's 1779 winter encampment under the command of General Israel Putnam. The site consists of remains of the encampment, reconstructed log buildings, and a museum.

Directions

Off I-95: take Exit 17. Take Route 136 north for 9 miles, at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 58; take Route 58 north drive 8.8 miles. Putnam Memorial is at the intersection of Route 107 and Route 58.
Off the Merritt Parkway: take Exit 42. Take Route 136 north for 5.2 miles, at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 58; take Route 58 north drive 8.8 miles. Putnam Memorial is at the intersection of Route 107 and Route 58.
From the West: off I-84, take Exit 5. Take Route 53 south for 3.4 miles, at Route 53 and Route 302 follow Route 302 east for 1.6 miles. At the intersection of Route 58 and Route 302, follow Route 58 south for 2.8 miles. Putnam Memorial is at the intersection of Route 58 and Route 107.

Collis P. Huntington State Park

Life-like sculptures of bears and wolves welcome your arrival to this peaceful and tranquil setting featuring open fields and dense woodlands. The park was donated to the citizens of Connecticut by the internationally renowned Huntington family.

Collis P. Huntington State Park was primarily in agricultural use until the Luttgen family acquired the land in the late 1800's and developed the present service roads, trails, and artificial ponds. Reportedly, a small steam paddlewheeler was then kept on the largest pond and is now sunken somewhere under the park waters. A short, stone "lighthouse" still remains on one of the islands. The Starratt family then owned the estate until the 1930's when the land was acquired by Archer M. Huntington, who willed the land of the homestead he called Stanerigg for a state park.

It was there that his wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington, the internationally famous sculptress, worked with clay and scaffolding in her studio. Mr. Huntington centered his activities at Stanerigg as a noted poet, Spanish scholar, art patron, and founder of the Hispanic Society. The park is named after Archer Huntington's father, Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900), the railroad tycoon. Collis Potter Huntington became one of the wealthiest men in the country in the late century by his promotion and completion of the first transcontinental railroad. He also established the largest shipyard and dry dock company in the United States in the late 1800's at Newport News, Virginia.

The estate will most be remembered for Anna Hyatt Huntington, whose sculptures of bears and wolves welcome visitors at the park entrance. Among the most famous of her sculptures are Joan of Arc in New York City; Cid Campeador in Seville, Spain; and the heroic statue of General Israel Putnam at the Putnam Memorial State Park entrance in Redding. Mrs. Huntington was a prolific and hard working artist all her life. The work of Israel Putnam was created when the artist was in her nineties.

Since Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were careful to preserve the natural quality of their land, the 883 acre park is now a wonderful place for tranquility. It spreads over fields and dense woodlands and includes five ponds. The park was opened to the public in 1973 after Mrs. Huntington's death.

Directions

Off I-84: take Exit 5. Take Route 53 south for 3.4 miles, at Route 53 and Route 302 follow Route 302 east for 1.6 miles. At Route 58 and Route 302, follow Route 58 south for 4.6 miles then take a left onto Sunset Hill Road. Collis P. Huntington is 0.8 miles on the right.
Off Merritt Parkway: take Exit 42. Take Route 136 north for 5.2 miles, at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 58, follow Route 58 for 7 miles then take a right onto Sunset Hill Road. Collis P. Huntington is 0.8 miles on the right.

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When home buyers shop for financing, they must consider two important factors--the interest rate and the points. Each point is equal to one percent of the mortgage amount. If you are selling a home, the buyers may ask you to share the points with them.

The buyer usually pays the points. But if the offer is attractive and will give you the amount you want, paying one or more points might be a good idea. When a contract is presented, your real estate agent will go over the price and terms to help you calculate the net price you will receive. If the offer isn't strong enough or has risky contingencies, you might make a counter offer to increase your profit on the sale by eliminating the points from your selling costs or by increasing the price to help you absorb additional costs you will pay.

In some cases, buyers with limited cash may need some assistance from the sellers to make the transaction work. Your real estate agent will help you look at the total picture and the buyer's overall qualifications, so that you can make a decision based on the bottom line.

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