Significant Dates
There has been a certain amount of confusion regarding the timing of the founding of Essex, when it was named, and when the current geographical configuration came into effect. Initially, a look into when the town was first settled is in order.
The Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at Saybrook Point. This new Colony was not part of Connecticut at the time, and encompassed the current towns of Old Lyme, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Essex, Deep River, Chester, and Westbrook. Within 10 years, a sale arrangement was reached between the Colony of Connecticut and Lord Fenwick, the head of Saybrook Colony. As a result, Saybrook became part of Connecticut. In 1648, the Saybrook Colony was divided into sections. An area including current Chester, Deep River, and Essex was named Potapoug Quarter. However, this does not mean Essex was settled then. It was explored and roughly surveyed. The question here revolves around the definition of the word "settlement." If this means the permanent presence of a few families and an accompanying amount of economic activity, then 1664 is the first meaningful settlement date. In that year, the small ship "Diligence" was sent with some cargo from Potapoug Point (the greater Main Street area) to Barbados. At this juncture, it can be seen that there were already three dates that could pertain to the settlement of this part of the lower Connecticut River Valley.
The population of Potapoug Quarter remained sparse through the 18th century, and with the tremendous importance of the Puritan Church with the Connecticut Colonial government, new towns could not be formed unless a Congregational Church could be supported. As a result, another date applicable to our town's founding comes into the picture. The Colony of Connecticut allowed the formation of the Second Ecclesiastical Society in 1722. This indicated that Potapoug Quarter now had enough residents to be considered separate from the First Ecclesiastical Society in Saybrook, and thereby support a church of its own. In effect, 1722 was the time that Essex (also Chester and Deep River) could be considered a town of its own.
This situation prevailed for almost 100 years, when the State Legislature recognized Essex Borough as a separate entity in May 1820. This was essentially the Essex Village of today, roughly from the Connecticut River west to the Middlesex Turnpike (Route #154). The tremendous growth, both demographically and economically of this area due to shipbuilding was the reason for this recognition. It was a separate little town with its own officials. This borough status remained in vogue until 1852, and it was during this 32-year period that many of the streets in Essex Village were laid out and named.
In the spring of 1852, the State Legislature made another change in the status of our town. They formed the town of Old Saybrook, which included Essex Borough and the current town of Old Saybrook. This immediately turned into an untenable situation, for although Essex was far smaller geographically, it contained 60% of the population and represented two thirds of the tax base. As a result, in May 1854, the Legislature made a further change in the status of Essex. It was separated from Old Saybrook, and made a town in its own right. This new status of Essex remained in effect for only five years, when on May 23, 1859, the Legislature further altered the geographical shape of the town. At that time, what was then the Centerbrook and West Centerbrook (later Ivoryton) sections of Saybrook were made part of Essex. This created the approximately 12 square mile town we live in today.
This constant change in the borders of Essex, was really in recognition of the changing center of social and economic activities in town. We moved from the spiritually and agriculturally oriented Centerbrook, to the shipbuilding-dominated Essex Village, to the industrially defined Ivoryton. This helps to explain why there are three Post Offices, three Congregational churches, two libraries, etc. in such a small town. Overall, it can be seen that there are many dates that can define the establishment of Essex. It all depends on how one views the relative importance of a period.