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Storrs, Connecticut: A Farm Gift Grows Into UConn

Storrs, Connecticut

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Betsy Paterson Square, Storrs Center Horsebarn Hill, UConn Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts

Storrs is a village inside the Town of Mansfield, which separated from Windham and incorporated in 1702 on land purchased from the Mohegan people, once known as “Ponde Place.” Mansfield's early economy ran on silk: the country's first silk mill opened here in 1810, and area households raised mulberry trees and spun silk until the industry faded by the mid-1800s, while nineteenth-century mills also turned out gunpowder, organ pipes, and bronze cannons. The village takes its identity from brothers Charles and Augustus Storrs, whose 1881 gift of a former orphanage, 170 acres, and $6,000 established Storrs Agricultural School, which opened that September with three instructors and thirteen male students. The school became Connecticut's land-grant college in 1893, began admitting women, and was renamed twice more before reaching University of Connecticut status in 1939. The Gurleyville Grist Mill's 1830s stone structure, which ground grain until 1941, survives as Connecticut's only stone gristmill.

  1. More than 3,000 puppets, part of UConn's School of Fine Arts.

  2. UConn's art museum; free admission, closed each summer until September 1.

  3. UConn's venue for touring music, dance, and theater.

  4. Local history museum, open weekends 1:30-4:30 p.m.

  5. Connecticut's only surviving stone gristmill, milled until 1941.

  6. Hiking and multi-use trails around a 500-acre lake.

  7. Ice cream from the original Creamery recipe since 1953.

  8. All-day breakfast in Storrs Center.

  9. Farm storefront run by the Stearns family for ten-plus generations.

  10. Lunch and dinner at the c. 1734 Spring Hill Inn.

  11. The only hotel directly on UConn's campus.

  12. Six-room c. 1734 guest house a mile south of campus.

From farm gift to land-grant university

Mansfield's silk era began in 1810, when the country's first silk mill opened in town; households across the community planted mulberry trees and took up silk production, an industry that had faded by the mid-1800s. Nineteenth-century Mansfield also diversified into gunpowder, organ pipes, and bronze cannons. The turning point for what became Storrs came in 1881, when Governor Hobart Bigelow signed legislation accepting brothers Charles and Augustus Storrs' gift of a former orphanage, 170 acres of farmland, $6,000, and a few barns, establishing Storrs Agricultural School. Classes began that September 28 with three instructors and thirteen male students. In 1893 the school became Storrs Agricultural College and Connecticut's land-grant college, and began formally admitting women — three had already taken classes there since 1890. Further renamings followed: Connecticut Agricultural College in 1899, Connecticut State College in 1933, and finally the University of Connecticut in 1939, with its main campus still in Storrs.

Getting there

Storrs is a drive-to destination in Connecticut's Quiet Corner: most visitors take I-84 to Exit 68, then follow Route 195 south about seven miles into the village, crossing Route 32 along the way and turning onto Route 44 for the final approach. No passenger rail serves Storrs or anywhere in the Town of Mansfield — the CTrail Hartford Line's closest stop is Hartford Union Station, which also carries Amtrak service, well to the west. Storrs Center's Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center serves as the village's transit hub, with regional bus connections onward; check current routes and schedules before relying on one.

Where to eat and stay

Storrs Center anchors most everyday eating, from Dog Lane Cafe's all-day breakfast to Mountain Dairy Creamery's farm storefront, run by the Stearns family for more than ten generations. UConn's own Dairy Bar has sold ice cream from the campus Creamery's recipe since 1953, and the Tavern at Spring Hill, at the c. 1734 Spring Hill Inn, serves lunch and dinner a mile south of campus. For lodging, the Graduate by Hilton Storrs is the only hotel directly on the UConn campus and sells out during Commencement; Spring Hill Inn offers six historic guest rooms nearby. The property once marketed as the Nathan Hale Inn now operates as the Graduate.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Storrs?
By car — I-84 to Exit 68, then Route 195 south about seven miles into the village. There is no passenger rail station in Storrs or anywhere in the Town of Mansfield; the closest CTrail Hartford Line and Amtrak stop is Hartford Union Station, well to the west.
Is Storrs its own town?
No — Storrs is a village within the Town of Mansfield, which incorporated in 1702. UConn's main campus sits in Storrs, but town government and much of the area's earlier history belong to Mansfield.
What is the Gurleyville Grist Mill?
A stone gristmill on the Fenton River, built in stages from 1723 to the 1830s and used until 1941. It's Connecticut's only surviving stone gristmill, preserved by Joshua's Trust since 1979 and open seasonally for tours.
Where can I see art or puppetry in Storrs?
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, part of UConn's School of Fine Arts, holds more than 3,000 puppets. The William Benton Museum of Art, UConn's art museum, offers free admission but closes each summer, reopening to the public September 1.
Where can I stay in Storrs?
The Graduate by Hilton Storrs is the only hotel directly on the UConn campus; Spring Hill Inn, a c. 1734 guest house a mile south, has six rooms. Book early around Commencement — the Graduate reliably sells out.

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