A hill town on the New York line, named in 1740 by settlers from Fairfield, that farmed and ran small shops for nearly two centuries before Candlewood Lake, the largest in Connecticut, filled the valley on its eastern side.

Fairfield County · Record checked October 11, 2026

13,579Population2020 census1
1740Incorporatedand split into two parishes the same year2
8.4Candlewood Lakesquare miles, the largest lake in Connecticut3
670Population in 1890a farm town with no public transportation4
2National Registerplaces, all still standing5

New Fairfield on the map

Click the map to look closer.

Map of New Fairfield, Connecticut in 2026, with Candlewood Lake, Squantz Pond, Ball Pond, Candlewood Isle and 27 numbered landmarks

2026

New Fairfield today

By KNOWOL

Shaded hills from Beaver Bog Mountain and the Pootatuck woods down to Ball Pond, every street from Ball Pond Road to Warwick Road, Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond, and a guide of 27 numbered landmarks with the National Register sites marked.3

See the 2026 printMore about this map

The story of New Fairfield

Two parishes in one long town

When New Fairfield was named and incorporated in 1740, it reached all the way up to what's now Sherman, and the same vote split it into two parishes. The lower parish ordained the Rev. Benajah Case on November 9, 1742, and the upper parish ordained the Rev. Thomas Lewis in 1744. Distance shaped church life. About 1758 Noah Smith's family, ten miles from the south meetinghouse and only four from the north one, asked to be moved to the north parish, and the Assembly agreed. In 1763 the south parish's minister, James Taylor, was charged with false doctrine and sent for trial, and two years later the parish had the Assembly tax its land a penny an acre to pay for preaching. The upper parish went its own way as the town of Sherman in 1802.26781

Hats, wagons and a drained swamp

New Fairfield lived by farming, but its streams kept a few small shops going. In 1818 the town had a grain mill, a fulling mill, two carding machines and a tannery. By 1845 there were hat and cap, chair and comb factories, two wagon and sleigh factories and two tanneries, and wagons were still being made in 1901. Lewis L. Hopkins, later mayor of Danbury, ran a hat factory here until it burned to the ground, then tried making shirts. In the 1880s Barzillai B. Kellogg started the Wood Creek Drain Company, formed of the owners of about 2,000 acres of swampy muck land along Wood Creek. His son raised tobacco on one of the biggest farms in town and in 1882 brought the road-making machine to this part of the state.91011

The valley under the lake

For most of its history New Fairfield was a quiet farm town. In 1890 it had 670 people, and the nearest public transportation was in Danbury or Brookfield. The thick woods of the Big Basin supported a modest timber trade. Then on July 15, 1926, the power company's board approved a plan for the first large-scale pumped storage operation in the United States, and the basin was flooded to make Candlewood Lake, now the largest lake in Connecticut. That same year the state bought a 138-acre farm to start Squantz Pond State Park, and Elliott B. Bronson bought the 960 acres of Pootatuck State Forest for $10 an acre, keeping them out of the power company's hands. In 1929 developers bought Candlewood Isle for a summer colony.4312131415

Through the years

25 moments from 1724 to today.

  1. 1724Settlers from Fairfield get leave from the General Assembly to start a new township here.1
  2. 1728The new township is annexed to Fairfield County.2
  3. 1729A deed for some 31,000 acres, now New Fairfield and Sherman, is recorded.1
  4. 1740New Fairfield is named and incorporated, and the same vote divides it into two parishes.2
  5. 1742The lower parish ordains its first minister, the Rev. Benajah Case, on November 9.2
  6. 1743About twenty Church of England families in New Milford and New Fairfield hold their own Sunday readings.16
  7. 1758About this year a family ten miles from the south meetinghouse is moved to the north parish, four miles away.6
  8. 1763The Rev. James Taylor of the south parish is charged with false doctrine and sent for trial.7
  9. 1765The Assembly taxes the south parish's land a penny an acre for three years to pay for preaching.8
  10. 1772New Fairfield is named in a bid for a new county with Danbury as its seat. The legislature says no.17
  11. 1777When the British burn Danbury, its probate records are saved by being carried to New Fairfield.18
  12. 1802The northern part of town becomes the town of Sherman.1
  13. 1824The Rev. Medad Rogers dies after a lifetime as the town's minister on a small salary.19
  14. 1838Dr. Isaac Knapp, the first physician to practice in New Fairfield, dies.20
  15. 1843About this year young Hendrick H. Wildman starts three years at the New Fairfield Academy, doing chores for his board.21
  16. 1845The town has hat, chair, comb, and wagon and sleigh factories, a fulling mill and two tanneries.9
  17. 1867A fire at the town hall destroys the town's early records.22
  18. 1880About this year, family tradition says, New Fairfield's first Roman Catholic Mass is held in the Cosier-Murphy House.23
  19. 1882A New Fairfield farmer brings the road-making machine to this part of the state.11
  20. 1890The census counts 670 people, and the nearest public transportation is in Danbury or Brookfield.4
  21. 1926The power company approves the plan that floods the Big Basin to make Candlewood Lake.12
  22. 1926The state buys a 138-acre farm to start Squantz Pond State Park, and 960 acres for Pootatuck State Forest.3
  23. 1929Developers buy Candlewood Isle for a summer colony.15
  24. 1932The book designer Bruce Rogers makes his home in New Fairfield.24
  25. 2014The Williams House on Williams Road is listed on the National Register.22

Places to see

The numbers match the landmark guide printed on the 2026 map.

  • 4Ball Pond Town ParkBall Pond. Park in the southwest community.
  • 6Squantz Pond State ParkSquantz Pond. Swimming and trails since 1926.Visit their website
  • 7New Fairfield Town ParkCandlewood Lake. On the shore of Candlewood Lake.
  • 9New Fairfield Town MarinaCandlewood Lake. Boats on Connecticut's largest lake.
  • 12New Fairfield Free Public LibraryTown center. Next door to the town hall.Visit their website
  • 16Williams HouseWilliams Road. Farmhouse of about 1830.
  • 18Pootatuck State ForestNorth of town. 960 acres bought for $10 an acre.
  • 19Cosier-Murphy HouseCandlewood Corner. Greek Revival house of about 1840.
  • 20New Fairfield Town HallTown center. Beside the public library.
  • 27Congregational Church of New FairfieldTown center. Congregational church near the town hall.

On the National Register

All 2 places in New Fairfield on the National Register of Historic Places that still stand today, oldest first, and why each one matters.5

  • Williams House

    Built about 1830 · Listed 2014 · 5 Williams Road

    A well-kept farmhouse that shows the change from the Federal style to the Greek Revival, with wide chestnut floors and its original plaster, doors and hardware. Its building records burned in the town hall fire of 1867, and the National Park Service estimates it was finished about 1830.22

  • Cosier-Murphy House

    Built about 1840 · Listed 1991 · 67 Route 39

    One of the town's best-preserved houses of the 1800s and a good local example of Greek Revival building. Daniel Murphy, an Irish immigrant who lived next door, bought it from Cosier's widow, his descendants kept it until 1970, and the family says New Fairfield's first Roman Catholic Mass was held here about 1880.23

In their words

“To the north, the high hills of Danbury, New Fairfield and lower Litchfield County rise most imposingly.”

The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut, 192725

“He was a Congregational minister, settled at New Fairfield, and preached on a small salary all his life.”

Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, 1911, on the Rev. Medad Rogers19

“He is a perfect sledge-hammer.”

Henry B. Graves on Hendrick H. Wildman of New Fairfield, as told in the Evening Post Annual, 188526

Nearby towns

Sources

  1. New Fairfield, Connecticut, Wikipedia
  2. The History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut, from 1700 to 1800 (1905), on New Fairfield's incorporation, Internet Archive
  3. Map of New Fairfield, Connecticut in 2026, KNOWOL (USGS elevation, Census Bureau roads)
  4. Register and Manual of the State of Connecticut (1891), Internet Archive
  5. National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Wikipedia
  6. The public records of the colony of Connecticut (1850), on the Smith family's memorial, Internet Archive
  7. Historical sketches and rules of Fairfield East Association and Consociation (1859), Internet Archive
  8. The public records of the colony of Connecticut (1850), on the south society's tax, Internet Archive
  9. Annual report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the State of Connecticut (about 1902), industrial history of the towns, Internet Archive
  10. Commemorative Biographical Record of Fairfield County, Connecticut (1899), on Lewis L. Hopkins, Internet Archive
  11. Evening Post Annual (1887), on the Kellogg farm, Internet Archive
  12. Candlewood Lake, Wikipedia
  13. Squantz Pond State Park, Wikipedia
  14. Pootatuck State Forest, Wikipedia
  15. Candlewood Isle, Connecticut, Wikipedia
  16. Sketches of Church Life in Colonial Connecticut (1902), Internet Archive
  17. The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut (1927), on the plan for a Danbury county, Internet Archive
  18. The historical, statistical and industrial review of the state of Connecticut (1884), Internet Archive
  19. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut (1911), on the Rev. Medad Rogers, Internet Archive
  20. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut (1881), on Dr. Isaac Knapp, Internet Archive
  21. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut (1881), on Hendrick H. Wildman, Internet Archive
  22. Williams House (New Fairfield, Connecticut), Wikipedia
  23. Cosier-Murphy House, Wikipedia
  24. Bruce Rogers (typographer), Wikipedia
  25. The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut (1927), on the view north, Internet Archive
  26. Evening Post Annual (1885), on Hendrick H. Wildman, Internet Archive