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Sherman, Connecticut: The Forgotten Founder's Namesake Town

Sherman, Connecticut

Pictures from Sherman

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Sherman Center Church The 1886 Town Hall in the Sherman Historic District The Old Store, Sherman

Sherman was incorporated in 1802, split off from the northern portion of neighboring New Fairfield, and named for Roger Sherman — the only Founding Father to sign all four of the nation's founding documents. The underlying land traces to a 1729 purchase: Fairfield settlers, approved in 1724 to form a township, bought a roughly 31,000-acre tract covering today's New Fairfield and Sherman for 65 pounds sterling. Sherman is the northernmost and least-populous town in Fairfield County, bordering New York State to the west. Candlewood Lake, completed in 1928, forms Sherman's eastern shoreline and engulfed the southern portion of the town's farmland when it was built. In the 1800s Sherman was known for superior tobacco leaf; working farms survive today on land protected by the Naromi Land Trust.

  1. A community theater since 1926.

  2. The Historical Society's main museum.

  3. A restored village store.

  4. Small-batch wines from farm-grown fruit.

  5. Hiking trails overlooking Candlewood Lake.

  6. The AT crosses Sherman's northwest corner.

  7. The town's public library.

  8. The anchor of the village center, since 1993.

  9. The town's early-morning coffee-and-sandwich stop.

The Forgotten Founder's town

Roger Sherman signed the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution — the only person to sign all four. The Sherman Historical Society runs a Roger Sherman Learning Center by appointment and keeps its main museum in the Northrop House. The road between Sherman Center and New Milford, today's Route 37, was once the New Milford and Sherman Turnpike, chartered in 1818; the Sherman Historic District, centered on the Route 37/39 junction, was added to the National Register on July 31, 1991.

Getting there

Sherman has no rail station and no interstate of its own. Route 37, an 18.66-mile road beginning at I-84 in Danbury, runs through New Fairfield and Sherman — as Greenwoods Hill Road through Pootatuck State Forest, then Barnes Hill Road — to US Route 7 in New Milford; Route 55, just 2.64 miles long, runs from the New York state line to US Route 7 in Gaylordsville. The nearest rail is Metro-North's Danbury Branch at Danbury, south on Route 37, or the lightly used Harlem Valley-Wingdale station across the New York line.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Sherman?
By car — Route 37 north from I-84 in Danbury through New Fairfield, or Route 55 west from US Route 7 at Gaylordsville. There is no train station in Sherman.
What was Roger Sherman's connection to the town?
The town is named for him. He is the only Founding Father to sign all four founding documents of the United States: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
Is White Silo Farm & Winery open year-round?
No — it's open late April through December, Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Fridays to 8 p.m. in July and August), plus Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.
Is there a hotel in Sherman?
No lodging inside Sherman could be verified. The nearest option is the Fife 'n Drum Restaurant & Inn in Kent, about 12 miles north.

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