Incorporated 1739
Area: 45.6 square miles
Population : 2470
Government: Selectmen, Town meeting
Goshen is located in the center of Litchfield County, bordered
by Torrington to the East, Norfolk to the North, Litchfield to the
South and Cornwall to the west. During early settlement the town
was one of the fastest growing in what is now Litchfield County
as it was expected to become the County Seat for the new county
forming in the hills of Northwest Connecticut. In later years its
population was surpassed by Torrington, Litchfield and the village
of Winsted in Winchester. It remains small, giving Goshen a lot
of its current charm as a typical New England Town.
It is the most elevated township in the state, but not generally mountainous;
the surface being undulating, affording an interesting diversity of
hills and vales. The soil is a gravelly loam, deep, strong and fertile,
admirably adapted for grazing. This is one of the best towns for the
dairy business in the state. Goshen Village, built at the intersection
of two main roads, is on a commanding site, and the white Congregational
Church is a landmark for many miles. The old Academy, known as Eagle
Hall, the third building south of the church, is now used for the
Public Library. Still farther south is the handsome stone house built
by Myron Norton in 1840, with 2-story columns. West of the village,
a side road turns south to Woodbridge Lake, an attractive development
of second and primary homes on the water and in the surrounding hills.
Just to the east is Dog Pond with both upper end and more modest homes.
East Street, which runs from South Norfolk through North Goshen is
a scenic drive, which leads northeast to the foot of Ivy Mountain.
On a clear day it is possible to see the Catskills to the west, the
Bolton Mountains beyond the Connecticut on the east, and the Meriden
hills to the southeast. The summit is now a State
Park , and famed for its low-bush blueberries. Along the attractive
Hall Meadow Brook, the first road to the right leads to Rock House,
an Indian cave. About 3/4 mile northwest of North Goshen is Tipping
Rock, a glacial boulder weighing 80 tons which can be slowly moved
back and forth. It lies about 100 yards north of a small reservoir.
Goshen
Elementary and on to Womogo
High Schoolin Ltichfield.
