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Wallingford, Connecticut: A Silver Town Between Two Cities

Wallingford, Connecticut

Pictures from Wallingford

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Wallingford Center Historic District Choate Rosemary Hall in autumn A vineyard in Wallingford Wharton Brook State Park

The Connecticut General Assembly authorized "the making of a village on the east river" on October 10, 1667; roughly 126 residents settled by May 12, 1670, when boundaries were set and Wallingford incorporated. A separate borough incorporated in 1853 and consolidated back into the town in 1958. The town takes its name from Wallingford, England, and sits roughly halfway between New Haven and Hartford. Wallingford's defining industry was silver: small pewter and Britannia-ware shops gave way to nickel silver after Robert Wallace obtained a formula and joined Samuel Simpson to found R. Wallace & Company, forerunner of Wallace Silversmiths. John Humphrey Noyes's Oneida Community ran a Wallingford branch commune from 1851 until 1880, moving from farming into tin-plated silverware production from 1877 — an important original site for what became Oneida Limited. The Great Wallingford Tornado of August 9, 1878 killed 34 people, the most destructive tornado to strike Connecticut up to that time.

  1. Wallingford's marquee touring-music venue since 1954.

  2. A hilltop tasting room on the Connecticut Wine Trail.

  3. Home stage of the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra.

  4. A walkable district anchored by the 1916 Beaux-Arts Town Hall.

  5. One of Connecticut's earliest state parks, a designated Trout Park.

  6. Wallingford's hometown craft brewery.

  7. A downtown American tavern known for its Penne alla Vodka.

  8. A small family-owned breakfast-and-lunch bistro.

  9. A specialty coffee bar founded by two sisters.

Signers, aces and a saltbox house

Wallingford native Lyman Hall served in the Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence; the 1916 Beaux-Arts Town Hall is named for him. World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery spent his childhood in Wallingford. Choate Rosemary Hall traces its founding to Rosemary Hall in 1890; The Choate School followed in 1896 and the two merged in 1978, with the campus centered on Christian Street at North Elm Street. Wallingford's oldest standing building is the 1672 Nehemiah Royce House at 538 North Main Street, one of Connecticut's most notable saltbox houses, though it is privately owned and not open to visitors — the Samuel Parsons House, a c.1759 former tavern and stagecoach stop at 180 South Main Street, is the one notable historic house open to the public as the Wallingford Historical Society's headquarters.

Getting there

Wallingford sits on the I-91/U.S. Route 5 corridor midway between New Haven and Hartford, and — unusually for a town this size — it has a real rail station at 343 North Cherry Street, unstaffed but with ticket machines, elevators and a covered platform, served by both CTrail's Hartford Line and Amtrak Northeast Regional and Valley Flyer trains. You can arrive without a car from New Haven, Hartford or Springfield, or with a change at New Haven from New York. Wallingford is not on Metro-North's New Haven Line or Shore Line East; connect to those at New Haven Union Station. CTtransit's Meriden/Wallingford Division buses connect at the station.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Wallingford?
By car on I-91 or U.S. Route 5, or by CTrail Hartford Line or Amtrak train to Wallingford station, 343 North Cherry Street — unstaffed but with ticket machines, elevators and free parking. Wallingford is not on Metro-North's New Haven Line; connect to that at New Haven Union Station.
What happened in the Great Wallingford Tornado?
On August 9, 1878, a tornado cut a path roughly half a mile wide and two miles long across the north of town, killing 34 people, injuring 70, and destroying 40 houses and the Oneida Community's windmill and brick factory — the most destructive tornado to strike Connecticut up to that time.
Is there a winery in Wallingford?
Gouveia Vineyards, a hilltop tasting room on Whirlwind Hill Road pouring estate wines with long valley views, is one of the best-known stops on the Connecticut Wine Trail's central stretch. Open daily; hours Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Is there a hotel in Wallingford?
Three chain hotels list Wallingford addresses — a Courtyard by Marriott, a Hilton Garden Inn and a Fairfield Inn — but their current operating status could not be independently verified beyond a chamber-of-commerce directory. Call ahead, or look to Hampton Inn & Suites in North Haven or Residence Inn in Hamden.

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