Highlights of Fairfield’s History
In 1635, Puritans and Congregationalists from the Massachusetts Bay Colony sought to establish an ecclesiastical society subject to their own rules. The Massachusetts General Court gave them permission to settle in several areas around Hartford. In 1639, the Fundamental Orders, a set of legal and administrative orders, was adopted and established Connecticut as a self-ruled entity. Roger Ludlowe, one of the framers of the Fundamental Orders, purchased a large tract of land from the Pequonnock Indians, and the town of Fairfield was born. (Over time, the land divided into several other town including Bridgeport, Redding, Weston, Easton, and Westport.)
Please read the links below that describe key points in the evolution of Fairfield from events leading up to its establishment in the Colonial Era through the centuries leading up to its success today as a thriving community rich with history.
The following information is drawn from the Fairfield Museum and History Center’s core exhibition, Landscape of Change. Please visit the Fairfield Museum and History Center for more information.