Long before Adrian Block discovered the beautiful river and its inviting banks in 1614, the Indians that inhabited this region called it Quinnipiac, meaning “long water land.” By the late 18th century, numerous fishing huts, farms and homes had sprung up on both sides of the river. Settlers and sailors referred to the area as “Dragon” named after the harbor seals (called sea dragons) that then populated the river. According to John Barber in the Connecticut Historical Collections, “the tradition is that at the time of the first settlement of New Haven this point was the place of resort for seals, which lay here and basked themselves in the sun.”
In the late 18th century, Andrew Hotchkiss' enterprising real estate purchases helped establish a village that straddled the river. In 1791, Quinnipiac’s first bridge brought unity and community to the river’s banks. With its rich oyster beds and river port, the area began to prosper. Oyster operations became its lifeblood and, in the early 1800s, earned the area the nickname “Clamtown.”
In 1824, the community surrounding the Quinnipiac River came together to change its name from “Dragon” to “Fair Haven.” They turned to colonial records indicating the opinion of a Captain Richard Russell when he first viewed the land in 1639. “The sight of the harbor did so please the captain of the ship that he called it the “Fayre Haven.” And thus Fair Haven was born.
“With its dignified new name, Fair Haven seemed to gain in stature in every way,” commented John Barber in the Connecticut Historical Collections. Indeed the area did flourish: a railroad bridge, a civil war training camp, and significant new immigration, industry and expansion.
For the next 50 years, the area adjacent to the river waxed and waned in prosperity. Recently, with two new management groups and the efforts of many dedicated residents, the village has begun to achieve the historic grandeur it once exhibited. With the addition of Quinnipiac River Village’s new and exciting commercial project on the water, this river neighborhood should finally be restored to the eminence it has enjoyed since the late 1700s.
Today, John Barber’s observation of the area echoes as true as it did in 1836. “The population and business in general is constantly increasing and there is every promise of this being one of the most prosperous villages in the state.”
