Stagecoaches and Railroads in Tolland, Vernon and Rockville:  1807-1863

by

Marshall A Atwater

The first road building spree in America occurred between 1790-1830 in which turnpikes were built in New England with Tolland as the hub for turnpikes in northeastern Connecticut. Stagecoaches became the first transportation system for long distance overland travel. In the 1830s, more than 50 stagecoaches a week traveled between Hartford, Worcester and Boston through Vernon and Tolland.  The Golden Age of Tolland in the 1830s gave prominence to the county seat and a good economic basis for the area.

Building the railroad from Hartford through Vernon to Willimantic in 1849 led to the demise of long distance stagecoaches through the area by 1851.  The textile industry formed in Vernon about 1810 and expanded in Rockville section of Vernon in the 1840s. Sufficient water power provided energy for many textile mills.

A railroad connection between Vernon and Rockville in 1863 ended the stagecoach era in the area.  Rockville became known for fine woolens and the county courts moved from Tolland to Rockville.

The book is available at the Tolland Historical Society, the Red and White store in Tolland and the Vernon Historical Society.