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Things to Know About Branford, Guilford, and North Branford

A BIT ABOUT BRANFORD

Branford, known as Totoket in its earliest days, was named after Brentford in England and was a port, a farming community, and, in the early 1900s, a summer resort with 20 hotels. The Totokets were a tribe of Quinnipiac Indians who resided in the areas of Branford and North Branford.

Branford, which has an engaging town green, contains 3,700 condominiums in 50 complexes. Its homes cover a range of designs, all best suited to their location.

Branford is all about the sea: 20 miles of coastline on Long Island Sound, with narrow roads following coves and inlets. Two of the beach areas are limited to summer cottages only. The seaside neighborhoods begin on the western edge of town with Short Beach and Granite Bay and continue east through Branford Harbor and Branford Point, Pawson Park, Indian Neck, Haycock Point, Hotchkiss Grove, Pine Orchard, and Stony Creek. Views of Long Island Sound and the Thimble Islands stretch out in front of rows of houses of all colors and sizes.

Branford offers plenty to do outdoors: swimming, boating, kayaking, and fishing in the Sound; hiking and birding in seven public parks with many miles of trails. Cruises that take passengers on tours of the Thimble Islands depart (seasonally) from the Stony Creek dock.

A great place to visit, but an even greater place to live!

Submitted by Kathy Testa

Local Brews

Branford is quickly becoming known as the beer capital of Connecticut. Why? These fine brewers answer that question well:

Stony Creek Brewery believes this is the time for Connecticut craft beer. The small, ambitious team is doing its part to contribute creative, high-quality beers.

The modern brewery is a sight to be seen, with a stunning indoor-outdoor taproom, a game pit, dock access, and a first-hand look at canning and bottling lines right from the taproom.

The team is a mix of ambitious, dedicated local residents working alongside some of the industry's most talented brewers, who now call Connecticut their home. Together, they aim to make the best, highest-quality beer in the region and to introduce craft-beer drinkers to flavors that are both familiar and new.

Thimble Island Brewery was founded by Justin Gargano and Mike Fawcett. The two friends shared the dream of one day opening a brewery. In 2010 they officially founded the Thimble Island Brewing Company, named for the cluster of islands off the coast of Branford. Both had day jobs, but spent their nights and weekends in a garage working to turn their hobby into a business.

The dream became a reality in July 2012 when they sold their first pint of beer, American Ale, to a pub. It was well received, and their business grew steadily. Just six months later, the pair released their next beer, Coffee Stout, made with coffee beans.

Thimble Island Brewing Company continues to present new recipes, now offering several standard varieties to bars and restaurants throughout the Connecticut shoreline, as well as specialty brews found only in the brewery's tasting room. A larger new facility was completed in summer 2015.

Submitted by Kathy Testa

James Blackstone Memorial Library

The James Blackstone Memorial Library's mission is to provide "essential access to information, resources, and unique shared

experiences to help ensure Branford is an educated and enriched community." This historic library offers residents 21 public computers and Wi-Fi access. Construction of the stately 1896 marble building was funded by the railroad executive Timothy Beach Blackstone in honor of his father, James, a longtime Branford resident. The $300,000 cost was matched by a $300,000 endowment and a 5,000-book collection. Impressive portraits and murals adorn the library walls. Except for the arrowhead collection, most of the library's historical items were moved to the Branford Historical Society. But the book collection has expanded to include downloadable books, DVDs, and databases. The library offers meeting spaces, photocopying, faxing, and scanning. Events for both children and adults are varied and plentiful—from lectures on cultural heritage and marble sculpture to 3D file design, from the tenets of Islam to a history of local fires, from Scrabble to opera, and from rock and roll to Medicare.

Museum passes may be borrowed, and a library card from Blackstone may be used in any Connecticut public library.

Submitted by Mary von Ziegesar

Branford Festival

If it is June and tents are popping up all over the Branford Green, that can only mean it is time for the Branford Festival. Now in its 32nd year, the event runs from Friday through Sunday, drawing more than 30,000 people. Amazingly, nearly all the work is done by volunteers. It truly takes a town to put on this show.

The festival kicks off on the Friday before Father's Day with an evening filled with concerts, great food, and many rides for children. No sooner than the end of festivities on day one, the Green is transformed to accommodate the highly popular craft and community exposition. The Green becomes a sea of tents. Coordinated by the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, this day features more than 200 vendors, including crafters, businesses, and artisans. Close to 5,000 people will visit these booths throughout the day.

While this is taking place, music fills the air as local bands play all day on Main Street. After 5 p.m., high-profile bands are featured on the main stage in front of Town Hall, playing hits both old and new.

Finally, on Sunday, there's more music, great food, a car show, and the five-mile Branford Road Race, which draws close to 5,000 participants

The Branford Festival offers something for everyone. Clearly a not-miss weekend.

Submitted by Ed Lazarus

Stony Creek Quarry

Stony Creek Quarry is a source for iconic landscapes and architecture throughout America. Stony Creek granite is an integral part of America's landscapes and architectural history, from the West Point Battle Monument to Boston's South Station. It appears in buildings at some of the most prestigious universities, including Yale, Columbia, and Quinnipiac. Today its stone is used in notable urban landscapes including New York City's Battery Park and Federal Plaza, as well as distinguished residential projects. The quarry is one of only three stone companies in the world to receive the ANSI/NSC 373, the gold standard for sustainability certification.

To visit the quarry or to make Stony Creek granite part of your next project, go to http://stonycreekquarry.com to learn more about this unique, historic stone and see how it can bring your vision to life.

Submitted by Stony Creek Quarry

A BIT ABOUT GUILFORD

Guilford was named after the town of Guildford, in England. First settled by Europeans in 1639 after being purchased from tbe Native American leader Wequash, Guilford has one of the largest collections of historic homes in New England, with important buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There are five historic house museums, including the Henry Whitfield House (1639), the oldest stone house in New England, and the Dudley Farm. The Comfort Starr House (1645–'46) is one of the oldest wooden-framed private dwellings in Connecticut and one of the few houses remaining of the original signers who settled Guilford.

The northwest side of Guilford is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous traprock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in Guilford include Totoket Mountain; its most notable peak, Bluff Head; and two eastern high points on the Totoket Mountain ridge named East Sugarloaf and West Sugarloaf. The 50-mile Mattabesett Trail traverses Bluff Head; a shorter network of trails crisscrosses the Sugarloaves. Guilford also contains the Westwoods Trail System, which covers 39 miles of trails on 1,200 acres of land.

Guilford has its own Town Marina, a boat launch, and beaches, plus many restaurants and unique shops. The Town Green, considered by many to be the most beautiful green in New England, is used by residents as a place to walk, play with their children, eat lunch, or attend one of the many fairs that occur there throughout the year.

Museums

House museums provide a look into the history of our communities. In Guilford, one can visit the Henry Whitfield State Museum, 248 Old Whitfield Street; Hyland House, 84 Boston Street; Thomas Griswold House, 171 Boston Street; Medad Stone Tavern, 197 Three Mile Course; and Dudley Farm, 2351 Durham Road.

Submitted by Kathy Testa

Guilford Free Library

"Aimed at enhancing love of learning and enjoyment of the written word," the Guilford Free Library strives to provide "the greatest possible diversity of books, media, information, and programs to meet the recreational, cultural, and educational aspirations of all members of the Guilford community." Libraries were first formed in the area in 1737. Several followed before the Guilford Free Library was built in 1891. In 1934, the library moved to its present site with a collection of 5,414 volumes. In 1986, the LION network of 17 Connecticut libraries was linked by computer. During the most recent expansion, in 2008, the building grew to 34,000 square feet. The collection currently holds more than 120,000 items. Events and groups are diverse in subject and appeal. A sampling of some of the events sponsored by the library: Hula Hooping, Lego building, Sing Like a Bird, John Sayles Film Festival, Teen Tech Tuesday, Buzz About Bees, Tots & Tunes, End of Life Decisions, Opera, College Essay Writing, Paws & Read, and Duct Tape School Supplies. Public computers and Wi-Fi access are available, as are DVDs, downloadable audiobooks, and e-books. Museum passes, meeting rooms, faxing, photocopying, study rooms, and book clubs are also offered.

The Guilford Agricultural Fair

The Guilford Agricultural Fair started in 1859 as a single-day cattle exhibition. It took place on the Guilford Green, along with other agricultural exhibits. After 110 years, the fair moved to its existing location on Lovers Lane. A Library of Congress Local Legacy, the fair takes place over three days on the third full weekend in September. It is run by a volunteer nonprofit organization called the Guilford Agricultural Society.

The Guilford Fair continues the tradition of celebrating the talents of our community while commemorating our agricultural roots. There are cattle, goat, and sheep shows. Horse and oxen pulls are competitions that recall the importance of owning strong teams of working animals. Exhibits of the varied products of the town include flowers, vegetables, jams, baked goods, needlework, photographs, and arts and crafts. The Guilford Fair has the unique tradition of hosting the only donkey and mule show in the state. The Woodruff Antiques Barn houses educational exhibits, including a display of old-time farming equipment. The fair also presents demonstrations of open-hearth cooking, rope making, and spinning.

When you think of the Guilford Fair, you think of family entertainment. It is well known for its large midway by Rockwell Entertainment, plus leading musical acts, featuring a Nashville star on Saturday nights. Every year an additional act performs three times a day for all three days. These acts have included Hilby, a juggling comedian, and David Garrity, a popular illusionist.

The foundation of the entertainment at the Guilford Fair is the annual Guilford Fair Family Circus, featuring the Flying Wallendas, a branch of the famous Wallenda circus family. Weather permitting, the circus is performed seven times over the three-day weekend. The musical acts and circus are included with the price of admission.

The annual planning for the Guilford Fair is a process that doesn't seem to have a beginning or an end. As one fair is being put on, the volunteers of the Agricultural Society are already planning the following year's fair.

Submitted by Larry Kalbfeld

A BIT ABOUT NORTH BRANFORD

North Branford was originally a mill and farming community incorporated in 1831. The year prior, Maltby Fowler had opened a button-making shop that became a success. The inventiveness of Fowler's six sons, who devised a range of machines to produce such things as screws, embossed silk, pins, and horseshoe nails, led to the rise of new manufactories along the town's Farm River. By the early 1900s, North Branford's abundant supply of traprock, a material used for making roadways, made quarrying a growth industry. Today, the town's manufacturing sector is concentrated in electronics, although farming is the town staple.

Much of the town's acreage is dominated by Totoket Mountain, part of the Metacomet Ridge, a traprock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound almost to Vermont. The north side of Saltonstall Mountain is also located in North Branford. Totoket Mountain contains Lake Gaillard, a reservoir that was formed in 1926 and is managed by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. The authority maintains a network of hiking trails on Totoket Mountain in the Big Gulph area of Northford.

The high school in town is North Branford High School; its athletic teams are known as the North Branford Thunderbirds. The middle school is North Branford Intermediate School; it has recently undergone new construction that renovated the existing structure and added approximately 35,000 square feet. There are two elementary schools: Jerome Harrison and Totoket Valley.

Headquartered in town is the Totoket Historical Society. Founded in 1958 as the Northford Historical Institute, the society runs four buildings in town: the Reynolds-Beers House (the main museum and office), the Miller Barn, the Little White Gas Station, and the Little Red Schoolhouse. The society has a vast collection of local historical artifacts, many now being digitized. These include historical photographs, business documents and ledgers, and documents relating to land transfer and the incorporation of the town. In the Miller Barn is a collection of vintage farm equipment.

The Reynolds-Beers House is open regularly. Other society buildings are opened to the public on predetermined dates or by appointment.

Northford Center Historic District, also known as Northford Center, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It is located along Middletown Avenue (Route 17) and includes parts of the Old Post Road in North Branford. It encompasses a village center that began as an agrarian center and was transformed in the 19th century into a small industrial hub whose major early industry was the manufacture of pins, screws, and other fasteners. The district is architecturally diverse, with buildings dating from the 18th century to the early 20th. Most were built before the American Civil War.

North Branford Library System

The North Branford Library system has been providing service to area residents since 1933. Today, the system has a collection of more than 60,000 books and magazines and offers a wide range of electronic resources ranging from CD-ROMs to Internet access.

In 1933, the League of Women Voters converted the Little Red Schoolhouse into the first North Branford Library. James Atwater (in memory of his father, Charles) funded the construction of a new library, the Atwater Memorial Library, which opened in 1943.

The Edward Smith Library, in Northford, was originally known as the Northford Public Library. It opened in 1956, with a grant from Clara Smith (in memory of her father, Edward), on land donated to the town by the Northford Congregational Church.

Both libraries have been under construction at different points over the years, expanding to accommodate the growing collection of books. Patrons can request items from other libraries in the state. Rules may vary depending on the owning library and the item being requested.

GOLF COURSES

There are three 9-hole golf courses in the immediate vicinity of Branford, Guilford, and North Branford. Two are public courses, and one is semi-private (with an "accompanied by member" policy).

Here are the names, locations, phone numbers, and a brief description of each course.

Twin Lakes Golf Course

Twin Lakes is a public 9-hole, par-3 course located just over the Branford line in North Branford. It is a daily-fee golf course and is open to the public.

241 Twin Lakes Road, North Branford, CT 06471, 203-481-3776

Guilford Lakes Golf Course

This is a municipal 9-hole course at the Guilford Lakes Golf Course facility in Guilford. It is open to the public.

200 North Madison Road, Guilford, CT 06437, 203-453-8214

Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club

Pine Orchard is a semi-private 9-hole regulation course located at the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club in Branford. Pine Orchard has an "accompanied by member" guest policy.

2 Club Parkway, Branford, CT 06405, 203-488-0481

Submitted by Bob Levy