1892 Map of Gilead

About this map

Moodus and Colchester anchor this late nineteenth-century survey of the Connecticut interior, where industrial hamlets and agricultural crossroads are connected by a dense network of early rail lines. The New Haven and Hartford Railroad Air Line Division cuts diagonally through the landscape, passing through Turnerville and serving Westchester Station. The region’s water power is evident in the development of Moodus Reservoir and Columbia Reservoir, alongside numerous brooks and rivers that supported local milling operations. Smaller settlements like Gilead, Liberty Hill, and Exeter represent the rural character of the Tolland and Hartford county borders. This survey, conducted by Henry Gannett and his team, captures the transition between the traditional New England town structure and the rising industrial influence of the railroad era.