New London Facts
Fact 1: Although playwright Eugene O'Neill was born in NYC, his personal sense of home was connected to New London, where his family's summer residence (Monte Cristo Cottage) was located. He used the town as inspiration for many of his plays and set two of them in the cottage directly. O'Neill is the only American playwright to have earned the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Fact 2: New London, albeit small, is home to two prominent schools. Connecticut College is a small, selective school overlooking Long Island Sound and known for its interdisciplinary programs. The US Coast Guard Academy is the nation's maritime, military, and academic training ground for cadets, each of whom is on full scholarship and will serve the country for at least five years following graduation.
Fact 3: Connecticut's long history boasts many ties to the Revolutionary War and America's thrust for independence. Nathan Hale, the native patriot executed by the British, taught in New London before becoming involved in the war. (The one-room schoolhouse where he taught can still be found at 20 State Street.) In less noble circumstances, Benedict Arnold, a Norwich native, led the British in an attack on New London in 1781.
Fact 4: The Lighthouse Inn Resort, one of the area's most elegant hotels, was once a private estate known as Meadow Court. In earlier centuries, it was, unsurprisingly, a social magnet and a place where notable figures gathered. In fact, such famed celebrities as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis once roamed its refined halls.
Fact 5: In America's infancy, it wasn't unusual for new towns to be named after places familiar to, and beloved of, immigrants. New London, obviously named for England's capital city, was also fortunate enough to have its own river Thames. However, rather than the UK's "tims," Connecticut's is pronounced just as it appears – with a strong "th" and rhyming with "James."
Fact 6: Across the Thames from New London immediately lies Groton and beyond it the town of Mystic. The first is home to the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, and the Submarine Force Museum. It is also a leading manufacturer of submarines. Mystic, then, is a picturesque coastal town that boasts Mystic Seaport, a recreated 19th century village with a museum and all sorts of historic and family-friendly entertainments. Both are great destinations if you want to explore beyond New London.
Fact 7: Given its seaside home, it's of little surprise that New London still has maritime traffic. Downtown, in fact, boasts four ferry terminals, from which vessels depart for New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. They run year-round and offer a fun, round-trip, sightseeing jaunt if you've got time to spare (in addition to transporting business-minded folks to their destinations).
Fact 8: Just north of downtown sit four stately Greek Revival homes dating to the 1830s and 1840s. Their elegant facades are prominent on Huntington Street, especially given the architectural similarity of the homes. Since the four were owned by prosperous captains and merchants who found wealth in whaling, the cluster of homes is known as Whale Oil Row.
Fact 9: In Connecticut's early days, New London (founded in 1646) extended well beyond its current bounds. At that time, the town encompassed not only nearby Waterford and Groton but stretched northward to take in Montville as well. From 1705 to 1801, all three broke away and were incorporated as separate towns.
Fact 10: Joshua Hempsted, an early resident of New London, has proven to be an invaluable resource in the town's history. Hempsted kept a detailed diary from 1711 until his death in 1758 and documented a host of domestic and social facets of Colonial life. The diary has been particulary useful to folks reconstructing genealogies and to amateur and professional historians.
