Elmwood

Elmwood is a section of West Hartford, Connecticut that encompasses the area south of Interstate 84, particularly along New Britain Avenue from Hartford to South Main Street.

History
Early in 1672, the proprietors of land ordered the division of western Hartford and nearly three years later, their committee laid out an oblong of 72 "Long Lots." It extended a mile and a half from the foot of Talcott Mountain (Mountain Road) to Quaker Lane, and from the western part of Bloomfield to the South Road to Farmington (New Britain Avenue). The area was divided into sections running east and west according to each proprietor's proportionate landholdings in Hartford. The sections varied from broad strips to mere slivers. The smaller holdings were so impractical for farming that a great deal of exchanging and selling of land took place. In 1677, a tract from New Britain Avenue to the western part of Newington was divided into five tiers of lots running north and south - the present Elmwood area. After King Philip's War ended in the 1670's, settlers began migrating into the West Division and built their homesteads along major thoroughfares, such as New Britain Avenue and Quaker Lane. No known surviving structures from this period exist, however; remoteness imparted a sense of separation, which inspired the origin of West Hartford and Elmwood as organized communities.