Page 30 - Covelee Flipbook

The Story of Norwalk

The Name “Norwalk” itself comes from the Algonquin

word “noyank” meaning “point of land”, or its Native American

name, “Naramauke”, a Native American chief. Norwalk was pur-

chased in 1640 by Roger Ludlow.

The original purchase included all land between the

Norwalk and Saugatuck rivers and a day’s walk north from the

sea. Norwalk was chartered as a town on September 11, 1651.

The traditional American song “Yankee Doodle” has

Norwalk related origins. During the French and Indian War, a

regiment of Norwalkers arrived at Fort Crailo, NY, the British

regulars began to mock and ridicule the rag-tag CT troops who

only had chicken feathers for uniforms.

Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, who was a British army surgeon,

added some new words to a popular tune of the time, Lucy

Locket (for example, “stuck a feather in his cap and called it

“macaroni, macaroni being the London slang at the time for a

foppish dandy).

In 1849, the New York and New Haven Railroad started

operating through Norwalk. In 1852 the Danbury and Norwalk

Railroad connected Norwalk with Danbury. Both railroads even-

tually became parts of the New York, New Haven and Hartford

Railroad.

Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut. It is

estimated that Norwalk is the sixth largest city in Connecticut,

and the third largest in Fairfield County. The city is part of the

New York Metropolitan area. Residents of Norwalk are often

referred to as “Norwalkers”.