View source for Northford Center Historic District

{{short description|Historic district in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Northford Center
| nrhp_type    = hd
| nocat        = yes
| image        = NorthfordCongregationalChurch.jpg
| caption      = Northford Congregational Church
| location     = Roughly along Middletown Ave. and parts of Old Post Rd., [[North Branford, Connecticut]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|41|24|0|N|72|46|59|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = Connecticut#USA
| area         = {{convert|230|acre|ha}}
| architect    = [[Henry Austin (architect)|Henry Austin]]; Boylan, Alfred W.
| architecture = Colonial, Early Republic
| added        = December 31, 2002
| refnum       = 02001629<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
The '''Northford Center Historic District''' encompasses the historic village area of [[Northford, Connecticut|Northford]] in northern [[North Branford, Connecticut]].  The basically linear district extends along Middletown Avenue from the village center at its southern end, to a point beyond its northern junction with Old Post Road.  The area was settled in the early 18th century, and was transformed into a rural industrial village in the 19th century by the locally prominent Maltby and Fowler families.  The district includes many fine pre-Civil-War houses (including the [[Howd-Linsley House]]), two churches (including the gothic-revival Northford Congregational Church designed by [[Henry Austin (architect)|Henry Austin]]), and a schoolhouse (the [[Fourth District School]]).<ref name=NRHP/> It was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2002.<ref name="nris"/>
==Description and history==
Northford was originally part of the [[New Haven Colony]] in the 17th century, and was settled in the early 18th century as part of [[Branford, Connecticut|Branford]].  It became part of North Branford when that town was incorporated in 1831.  It was at first a rural outpost of Branford, which was granted a separate Congregational parish in 1745.  The village center of Northford, now at the southern junction of Middletown Avenue and Old Post Road, grew around the [[colonial meeting house]] that was erected soon afterward.  It served primarily the local farming community, and also travelers along the post road; one of the oldest surviving buildings in the district is a tavern built in 1776.<ref name=NRHP/>
The village was transformed in the 19th century into a small industrial center, whose major early industry was the manufacture of pins, screws, and other fasteners.  These industrial efforts were largely run by members of the interrelated Maltby and Fowler families.  As a result, the district is architecturally diverse, with buildings dating from the 18th to the early 20th century.  Most of the buildings were built before the [[American Civil War]], although there are a few residences, including several fine ones, built later by the industrial leaders.<ref name=NRHP>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=02001629}}|title=NRHP nomination for Northford Center Historic District|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2015-01-23}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
[[Category:Historic districts in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:North Branford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut]]