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Hebron, Connecticut: A Rescued Family and a Ghost Mill Town

Hebron, Connecticut

Pictures from Hebron

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Hebron Congregational Church Split Rock, Gay City State Park

Hebron was settled in 1704 and incorporated on May 26, 1708. It began in Hartford County, shifted to Windham County in 1726, and has been part of Tolland County since 1785; the diamond on its town seal comes from a livestock brand a 1710 Colonial Assembly act required on all horses kept in town. Hebron kept a strong agricultural base into the late 1800s while also manufacturing charcoal, bricks, textiles and paper. In September 1787, six armed men seized Cesar and Lowis Peters and their children in Hebron to sell south; townspeople intervened when tailor Elijah Graves swore out a complaint that let a constable overtake the abductors near Norwich, and Connecticut's General Assembly formally emancipated the family in January 1789. Hebron was also the 1814 birthplace of Josephine Sophia White Griffing, who took part in the Women's Loyal National League and served the Freedmen's Bureau in Washington, D.C. before her death in 1872.

  1. A former Methodist mill village, now ruins along the trails; lakeside beach.

  2. A 50-mile rail-trail with three Hebron trailheads.

  3. Local history collections and building restoration projects.

  4. Connecticut's third-largest agricultural fair, each September.

  5. Hebron's public library on Main Street.

  6. Clubhouse tavern fare, honored for Tolland County dining excellence.

  7. Grill room at a public golf course.

A rescue, an abolitionist, and a lost mill village

In September 1787, six armed men seized Cesar and Lowis Peters and their children in Hebron, intending to sell them south to cover the debts of the loyalist Rev. Samuel Peters. Townspeople intervened: local tailor Elijah Graves swore out a complaint over an unpaid clothing debt so a constable could lawfully overtake the abductors near Norwich and bring the family home. Connecticut's General Assembly formally emancipated Cesar and Lowis in January 1789. Hebron was also the 1814 birthplace of Josephine Sophia White Griffing, who later took part in the Women's Loyal National League founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and served the Freedmen's Bureau in Washington, D.C. before her death in 1872; she is buried in Hebron's Burrows Hill Cemetery. Within Gay City State Park, the ruins of a mill village founded in 1796 by Methodists at odds with Hartford's alcohol restrictions still stand along the trails.

Getting there

Hebron is a drive-to town with no passenger rail station and no interstate of its own. CT Route 66, the town's busiest road at up to 16,000 vehicle trips a day, is the main east-west corridor, feeding traffic toward Hartford and Route 2. CT Route 85 is the north-south spine through Hebron Center, and CT Route 207 (Lebanon Road) serves the southeast and an Air Line State Park Trail parking area. Route 2 and I-84 connect Hebron to the interstate system. There is no passenger rail station in Hebron; the CTrail Hartford Line's nearest access point is Hartford Union Station, reached via Route 2/Route 66, and Amtrak and Metro-North New Haven Line connections are made at New Haven Union Station, well south and west of Hebron.

Where to eat and stay

Hebron's dining leans toward its golf clubs: the Blackledge River Tavern, in the clubhouse at Blackledge Country Club, was named by Connecticut Magazine for overall dining excellence in Tolland County, and Tallwood Country Club runs a grill room alongside its public course. No hotel, inn or B&B could be verified inside Hebron; the nearest overnight options are chain hotels in Manchester, Glastonbury and Colchester, or camping at Gay City State Park's youth-group site.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Hebron?
By car — CT Route 66 is the main east-west corridor and CT Route 85 the north-south spine through Hebron Center, both reached from Route 2 or I-84. There is no passenger rail station in Hebron; the CTrail Hartford Line's nearest access point is Hartford Union Station.
Is there a train to Hebron?
No. Hebron has no passenger rail station. The CTrail Hartford Line's nearest stop is Hartford Union Station, and Shore Line East, Amtrak and Metro-North connections are made well south and west of Hebron.
What is Gay City State Park?
A 1,500-plus-acre state park straddling Hebron and Bolton, built around the ruins of a mill village founded in 1796 by Methodists at odds with Hartford's alcohol restrictions. It has a lakeside beach, hiking trails, and an old burying ground.
What is the Hebron Harvest Fair?
Billed by the town as Connecticut's third-largest agricultural fair, run by the Hebron Lions Agricultural Society each September at 347 Gilead Street, with livestock pulls, a midway, food vendors and live music.
Is there a hotel in Hebron?
No hotel, inn or B&B could be verified inside Hebron. The nearest overnight options are chain hotels in Manchester, Glastonbury and Colchester, or the youth-group camping area at Gay City State Park.

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