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Columbia, Connecticut: A Schoolhouse That Seeded Dartmouth

Columbia, Connecticut

Pictures from Columbia

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Columbia Congregational Church Chapel on the Green, Columbia Air Line State Park Trail, Columbia

Columbia began as the North Society of Lebanon, known to settlers as "Lebanon Crank," and was incorporated as its own town in May 1804, taking the patriotic name Columbia after the national personification of the United States. In 1754, the Rev. Eleazar Wheelock founded Moor's Charity School here to educate Native American students; the surviving 1755 schoolhouse still stands on land donated by Joshua Moor. Wheelock moved the school to Hanover, New Hampshire in 1769-1770 under a royal charter, where it became Dartmouth College — the last college chartered in colonial America before the Revolution. Mohegan minister Samson Occom, who raised some 12,000 pounds in England for the school, protested that Wheelock diverted the money to found Dartmouth instead. Columbia Lake is man-made, created in 1865 when a Willimantic linen company flooded local meadowland for millpower, and the town's 19th-century economy ran on water-powered lumber, grist and paper mills.

  1. The 1755 schoolhouse that grew into Dartmouth College.

  2. 43 contributing buildings, including where Rochambeau's officers planned the march to Yorktown.

  3. The town's swimming beach on Columbia Lake.

  4. A 54.9-mile rail-trail crossing Route 87 on Columbia's south side.

  5. A 20.8-mile rail-trail along Columbia's northern border.

  6. A 56-acre farm winery with a tasting room and vineyard patio.

  7. Roadside burgers, hot dogs and ice cream, reopened in 2026.

  8. Full-service Italian-American bakery on US Route 6.

  9. Weekday breakfast-and-lunch counter.

  10. Nutrient-dense cafe inside Crossroads Fitness Center.

Moor's school and the road to Dartmouth

The Rev. Eleazar Wheelock founded Moor's Charity School in 1754 to give Native American students a classical Christian education; the surviving schoolhouse, built in 1755, still stands on Columbia Green, its land and building donated by Joshua Moor. About 67 Native students attended between 1750 and 1768 before Wheelock moved the school to Hanover, New Hampshire in 1769-1770 under a royal charter, where it became Dartmouth College — the last college chartered in colonial America before the Revolution. Mohegan minister Samson Occom, who had raised roughly 12,000 pounds in England for the school, protested that Wheelock diverted the money to found Dartmouth instead. Columbia Green's other Revolutionary connection: officers of General Rochambeau's French army were quartered at the Landmark Inn here while planning the march from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia. The green, with 43 contributing buildings, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Getting there

Columbia has no passenger rail station and no interstate of its own. Route 66 is the main east-west approach, running from I-91/I-691 in Meriden through Marlborough into Columbia, where it meets Route 87 and then US Route 6 at the west end of the Willimantic bypass. Route 87 (Trumbull Highway) is a two-lane rural road running north from Route 32 in Franklin through Lebanon and Columbia center, skirting the north shore of Columbia Lake before crossing into Andover. US Route 6 clips the town's northern side, reached from I-84 via I-384, which ends at US 6/US 44 in Bolton Notch. There is no CTrail Hartford Line station anywhere in eastern Connecticut; the nearest stop with both Hartford Line and Amtrak service is Hartford Union Station, about 25 miles west, and New London, about 30 miles southeast, is the nearest Amtrak/Shore Line East stop. The Windham Region Transit District serves Columbia as a Dial-A-Ride member town (860-456-2223); its fixed routes run on corridors outside Columbia.

Where to eat

Columbia's dining clusters along Routes 66 and 6: The Main Moose is a roadside stand for burgers, hot dogs and ice cream, reopened in July 2026 under new ownership; Motta's Bakery is the town's full-service Italian-American bakery; Thunderbird Cafe is a weekday breakfast-and-lunch counter; and Faith Cafe, inside Crossroads Fitness Center, serves nutrient-dense food and gluten-free baked goods. No hotel, motel, inn or bed-and-breakfast could be verified in Columbia itself; the nearest confirmed option is The Inn on Storrs, roughly 10-12 miles north in Mansfield Center.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Columbia?
By car — Route 66 is the main east-west approach from I-91/I-691 in Meriden, meeting Route 87 and US Route 6 in town. There is no passenger rail station in Columbia or anywhere in eastern Connecticut; the nearest Hartford Line/Amtrak stop is Hartford Union Station, about 25 miles west.
What is Moor's Charity School's connection to Dartmouth College?
The Rev. Eleazar Wheelock founded Moor's Charity School in Columbia in 1754 to educate Native American students. In 1769-1770 he moved the school to Hanover, New Hampshire under a royal charter, where it became Dartmouth College — the last college chartered in colonial America before the Revolution. The 1755 schoolhouse still stands on Columbia Green.
Is Columbia Lake natural?
No — it is man-made, created in 1865 when the American Linen Company of Willimantic flooded local meadowland to secure waterpower for its mills. The watershed later reverted to town ownership.
What trails pass through Columbia?
The Air Line State Park Trail crosses Route 87 on the town's south side, and the Hop River State Park Trail runs along Columbia's northern border, both on former railroad beds managed by Connecticut DEEP.
Is there a hotel in Columbia?
No hotel, motel, inn or bed-and-breakfast could be verified in Columbia itself. The nearest confirmed option is The Inn on Storrs, roughly 10-12 miles north in Mansfield Center.

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