The Revolution & Aftermath When the 1770s dawned, New London’s merchants, wharves, and warehouses were booming with the West Indies trade. The British were happy, too, thanks to the heavy import duties on imports of rum, sugar, tea and other goods. Those stiff taxes were an important source of revenue, helping finance Britain’s expensive wars […]
New London CT’s Loneliest Grave
It was over 50 years ago when I first spotted this ancient, lonely headstone beside the river in New London, Connecticut. The cemetery itself was knee-high in weeds. Modern steel train tracks ran right beside this ancient holy ground. Hoboes who’d hopped off their ride huddled by their warming fires nearby. But even as a […]
A Short History of New London (Part 2)
The West Indies Trade Years: In 1650, a mere four years after New London’s initial founding, a Welsh ship-builder known as “good Master [John] Coit” arrived at the fledgling town. (Missed Part 1 about New London’s founding? Find it here!) A master carpenter, Coit had left his native Wales […]
A Short History of New London (Part 1)
New London’s Beginnings When a pair of young journalists paid a flying visit to New London, Connecticut in 1881, relics from the town’s whaling past were still much in evidence. Abandoned shipping office buildings. Antiquated warehouses. Musty ships’ logs. Hulks of once-proud whaling ships still tied to their piers: spars broken, paint […]