by Guilford Keeping Society (Author)
Located in south-central Connecticut on Long Island Sound, Guilford has a long and notable history. Founded in 1639 by a Puritan minister and his followers, the town by 1750 had grown to 2,300 residents, whose primary occupation was farming, with
a substantial minority engaged in maritime activities. A shallow harbor kept Guilford from developing into a major port, and the lack of a significant waterpower source precluded large industrial development in the early nineteenth century. Yet, by the late part of that century, Guilford had become a town of significance, bustling with small enterprises that were operated mainly by
descendants of the original families. Guilford captures the excitement of the period from 1880 to
1920, when the town experienced the improvements of that time: photographic processing that made wonderful images possible, the automobile, the trolley, telephone service, and electricity. All of
these contributed to the comfort of life and made it practical for visitors to come to Guilford. With its beautiful coastline, Guilford attracted many new summer residents, most with the means to build their own cottage. These same residents valued the many Colonial houses still standing in town and the picturesque town green, leading to early preservation efforts. The quarries at Leetes Island
and Sachem's Head were the largest business enterprises of the time, bringing Scandinavian and Italian workers to live in Guilford.