Cheshire may be a small town, but it has an interesting and well documented history. Whether you have lived here all your life or just moved to Cheshire, you might have fun exploring the library’s local history collection.

You may be aware that the Farmington Canal ran through Cheshire and the rail trail goes right by Lock 12 park. If you have ever wanted to know more about the history of the Farmington Canal, we have the book: Reflections on the Canal in Cheshire, composed by Raimon L. Beard and published by the Cheshire Historical Society in June of 1976. This 81-page booklet gives a complete account of the inspiration, construction and usage of the Farmington Canal during a time when actual boats moved goods and people through the town of Cheshire. There are illustrations and some fun stories. It’s well worth the read and probably something to read while you’re sitting on one of the benches on the linear park.

If you’re curious about the earliest history of Cheshire, History of Cheshire Connecticut from 1694-1840, by Joseph Perkins Beach is a good one to read. It takes you from the arrival of the first ships in New Haven Harbor until 1840. The first half of the book is a historical narrative and the second half are records from various churches, tombstones, and the Town Hall, listing individuals who were born, baptized, married, and died in Cheshire.  The Cheshire Daughters of the American Revolution were responsible for getting this book finished and published. This is a good book for those who are looking for early history and it is also available for free online.

One book that I always love to read and reread is Landmarks of Old Cheshire, published by the Cheshire bicentennial committee in 1976. Landmarks is the go-to book for Cheshire history. It is logically laid out by geographical area and pulls from several historical accounts. It covers information and stories from the colonial area to the mid-20^th century. Kathleen Gagnon did an incredible job providing about a hundred illustrations for this book. Even if you don’t read the book, just look at the pictures!

Glaciers to Greenhouses, the Changing Landscape of Cheshire Connecticut, from Mile-High Ice to Surburban Backyards is a recent book by local author Jeanne R. Stewart, our town historian from 2012-2019. This one takes quite a different spin on the history of the area. It begins with the ice age and the history of the Native Americans in our area, the Quinnipiac. The book includes many illustrations and is so wonderfully written that it is hard to put down.