South Norwalk, Connecticut

The area of present-day South Norwalk developed out of a local well referred to as the "Old Well", where sailing ships would refill their water casks.[8] Said well was in service since at least 1738, when a deed referred to nearby Washington Street as "the highway that leads to ye landing place called Ye Old Well".[8] The well's location was depicted as east of Water Street, and about 75 feet South of Washington Street in a 1867 map by American cartographer Frederick W. Beers,[8][9] although the exact location is unknown, though presumed to be near the site of Donovan’s Tavern, since sailors are said to have frequented the tavern.[8]

The area evolved into a settlement named Old Well. after the well, and was involved in coastal trade, manufacturing, and shipbuilding, as well as having many farms with diversified crops.[8]

“Old Well was scarcely a village in those days, but rather a group of farms, and the well which gave the place its name was on Water street, near the corner of Haviland street, on the property of Eliakim Raymond, a patriarch of several Norwalk lines. His house stood at the corner of Washington and Water streets before the Revolution and was burned with rest of the town."[10]

"Norwalk was made a borough in 1836, and the village of Old Well, named from an ancient well where vessels were supplied with water, was incorporated into a city in 1868, and named South Norwalk two years afterward."[11] "South Norwalk, formerly called "Old Well" was organized a city August 18, 1870, under a charter granted by the Legislature of Connecticut, July 5 of the same year".[10] In 1873, the City of South Norwalk was incorporated within the Town of Norwalk, although it maintained its city status and retained control over its own assets.[2][12] "The 1870 charter was revised by the Legislature April 19, 1882, and the city continued its existence under this revised charter until May 27, 1897, when the Legislature approved a revised and amended charter, under which the city has since continued and worked."[10][13]

Around this time, Norwalk had refused to share its water system with South Norwalk, contributing to a sense of ill will between the two cities, which would compete for economic development throughout subsequent decades.[2]

"In the 1800s, industrialization started to take place--large factories manufacturing goods such as firearms, buttons, shoes, cloth and hats were increasing in Connecticut and in Norwalk. Workers came up from Chesapeake, Maryland, to work as oystermen. Wealthy owners and managers of businesses lived on Golden Hill overlooking South Norwalk. Immigrants came into Norwalk from many places. One of the largest [group] to come here in the early 1900s was the Hungarians; there were also many Eastern European Jews and Italians, among others."[14]

Horse-drawn trolleys began serving South Norwalk in the 1860s, until being upgraded to electric trolleys in 1894.[8]

Industrialization in South Norwalk resulted in the city becoming a center for local industry, hosting its own railroad station, the Norwalk Harbor, an electric trolley system, its own water company, electric company, and well-developed school system.[2][12]

Despite the industrialization of South Norwalk, various economic forces pressured the city South Norwalk to merge into Norwalk, as both cities were often too small independent of one another to host large industries.[2] South Norwalk was hesitant to consolidate into Norwalk, due to South Norwalk's industry surpassing that of Norwalk.[2][12] South Norwalk, alongside East Norwalk, even tried to leave the Town of Norwalk altogether in 1902, with South Norwalk's mayor Mortimer M. Lee touting that South Norwalk had "a large water system, a splendid electric light plant, a separate sewer system, a public library and a library building and schools second to none".[12] In 1903 the Connecticut State Legislature passed a bill to create an independent Town of South Norwalk, but it was vetoed by then-governor Abiram Chamberlain.[12][15]

As a compromise, Norwalk allowed for South Norwalk, East Norwalk, and Rowayton to join Norwalk as taxing districts, allowing them to largely maintain their own municipal services while within Norwalk.[2]

A street scene along a portion of Washington Street, part of the South Main and Washington Streets Historic District created in 1977

In 1935, South Norwalk's trolley system was discontinued, and replaced by a bus service.[8]

South Norwalk began suffering from a period of deindustrialization in the 1950s, as many industries, including Norwalk's sizable hat industry, either went into decline or relocated out of New England.[12] This industrial decay led to the enactment of various urban renewal projects beginning in the 1960s, namely, the demolition of older buildings and factories along western Washington Street to build new offices, a shopping center, and low-cost housing.[12] The Norwalk Redevelopment Agency planned to continue this effort in the 1970s, with plans to replace the older buildings along eastern Washington Street, but were thwarted by local residents, who successfully got the buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[12]

In 1988, the Maritime Aquarium was opened in a disused factory building.[12]

During the 21st century, South Norwalk has seen a period of redevelopment centered around the construction of new apartments, many of which are located near South Norwalk station.[4][5]