1952 Map of Hartford South

About this map

Hartford and its southern suburbs appear at a moment of significant mid-century expansion along the Connecticut River. This 1952 revision, based on surveys from the early 1940s, shows the transition from the densely packed urban blocks of the city center to the emerging post-war residential patterns in Wethersfield and Newington. Aviation is a central theme of the landscape, with both Brainard Aviation Field and Rentschler Airport established as major infrastructure points near the riverbanks. The map also highlights the specialized institutions of the era, including the State Institute For Blind, State Prison, and Cedar Crest Sanatorium. For local historians, the detailed rendering of neighborhood schools like Bulkeley High Sch and Charter Oak Sch, alongside the sprawling Cedar Hill Cemetery, provides a granular view of the civic and social geography of central Connecticut before the full arrival of the interstate highway system.