Lower Merryall, Connecticut

Lower Merryall, otherwise referred to as just Merryall, is a rural community in the town of New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States.^[1]

Lower Merryall, Connecticut
Unincorporated village
Lower Merryall Location in Connecticut Show map of Connecticut Lower Merryall Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°38′48.34″N 73°24′56.44″W[1]
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Litchfield
Town	New Milford

History

The name "Merryall" was given to the land in 1726 by a group of surveyors, after having dinner by a spring and sharing a bottle of spirits. With the contents of the bottle, all had become merry and the land was named accordingly.^[2]

The district was originally established as Merryall but was later divided into Upper Merryall and Lower Merryall.^[2] However, they are often grouped as a single Merryall.

Historical sites

• Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel 1890
• Lower Merryall Schoolhouse (1759^[3] – 1937)^[4]
• Cobble Hill Farm^[5]
• West Meetinghouse Cemetery
• Smyrski Farm^[6]
• The Merryall Community Center^[7] – the former Aspetuck Valley Grange, established as a community arts center in 1952

Geography

Lower Merryall is made up of rolling farmland and forests. Thanks to conservation groups like the Friends and Neighbors of Historic Merryall, much of the area's signature rural charm has been able to stay intact, despite years of rapid growth in other areas of New Milford.^[8]

The total land area of Lower Merryall is debatable however, the Merryall district as a whole (including Upper Merryall) has a total land area of 11.4 square miles (30 km²), making up the northeast corner of New Milford.^[9]: 1

The West Aspetuck River is Lower Merryall's primary waterway,^[9]: 1 running through the center of the community.

The highest point in elevation in Lower Merryall is Bear Hill (1,281 ft).^[9]: 5

Notable people

• Candice Bergen – American actress
• Diane von Fürstenberg – Belgian fashion designer
• Eartha Kitt – American singer and actress
• Orange Merwin – United States House representative
• Eric Sloane – American landscape painter, illustrator, and author

References

1. "Merryall". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. Orcutt, Samuel (1882). History of the towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1803–1882 (PDF). Press of the Case, Lockwood and Brainard Company. p. 104. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
3. "A 1759 Schoolhouse Turned Industrial-Style Home Asks $450K in Connecticut". Dwell Media. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
4. "New Milford Teacher Out As School Closes". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. December 7, 1937. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
5. "$1.7 Million For Cobble Hill Farm Sets Record in New Milford". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. November 11, 2001. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
6. "Smyrski Farm, New Milford". Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
7. "Map of Aspetuck Valley". Woldemar Neufeld. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
8. Schoenberger, Karl (August 26, 1985). "New Milford Group Buys Land To Preserve Its Rural Nature". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
9. "Environmental Review Team Report – Merryall District" (PDF). King's Mark Environmental Review Team Report. King's Mark Resource & Development Area. February 1986. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

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