[2] Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Niantic.

The Indigenous nations called the area "Machimoodus", the place of noises, because of numerous earthquakes that were recorded between 1638 and 1899.

Loud rumblings, the "Moodus Noises", could be heard for miles surrounding the epicenter of the quakes near Mt.

Captain John Chapman began ferry service across the Connecticut River in 1695, which ended with the completion of the swing bridge in 1913.

In the nineteenth century, Moodus was the “Twine Capital of America,” with twelve mills in operation.

[4] In the winter of 1773, American patriot Nathan Hale briefly taught in a one-room schoolhouse in East Haddam which is now a living history museum operated by Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution[usurped].

Visitors and residents such as actor William Gillette whose castle home was completed in 1914, were drawn to the area known for its rural charm and natural scenery.

[9] The East Haddam Public School System has about 1,100 students in grades Pre-K–12; about 121 certified teachers, 70 support staff and 7 administrators.