History of Hartford, Connecticut

Here is a partial list of the 163 men and women included in the Book of Distribution of Land as being those who settled in Hartford, Connecticut, before February, 1640.

Dutch fur traders from New Amsterdam, now New York City, set up trade on the site as early as 1623, following Adriaen Block's exploration in 1614.

By 1633, Jacob van Curler had added a block house and palisade to the post and New Amsterdam had sent a small garrison and pair of cannons.

Therefore, Thomas Hooker wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a document investing the authority to govern in the people, instead of in a higher power.

These supporters organized torch-light parades that were both political and social events, often including fireworks and music, in celebration of Lincoln's visit to the city.

Once-flourishing department stores such as Brown Thompson, Sage-Allen, and G. Fox & Co. all shut down as suburban malls such as Westfarms and The Shoppes at Buckland Hills grew in popularity.

In 1975, Howard Baldwin moved his prospering New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association into the brand new Hartford Civic Center and began play.

Many great players of hockey played for the Whalers including Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen, Ulf Samuelsson, Mike Liut, Joel Quenneville, Pat Verbeek, Chris Pronger, Brendan Shanahan, Glen Wesley, and Geoff Sanderson.

In 1997, the city lost its professional hockey franchise, the Hartford Whalers, to Raleigh, North Carolina despite an increase in season ticket sales and an offer of a new arena from the state.