Plan of a proposed Turnpike road leading from New Haven City to Chapman's Ferry at Connecticut River
SurveyorSurveyed by
Unknown
SurveyorLocated by
Moses Warren Jr.
(1762 - 1835)
Date1817
MediumDrawings; black ink and watercolor on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (bottom, part a, image height x width): 48 1/2 x 13 1/2in. (123.2 x 34.3cm)
Sheet (bottom, part a, height x width): 48 1/2 x 13 1/2in. (123.2 x 34.3cm)
Primary Dimensions (top, part b, image height x width): 64 7/8 x 10 3/8in. (164.8 x 26.4cm)
Sheet (top, part b, height x width): 64 7/8 x 10 3/8in. (164.8 x 26.4cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number2012.312.176a,b
DescriptionMap in two pieces showing a proposed turnpike road as it was suggested to run from Olive Street in New Haven, Connecticut, to a spot near the Connecticut River. The Mill and Dragon Rivers are shown near New Haven. The Hammonasset and Farm Rivers are also depicted. Along the road, some residences are depicted with small drawings of the buildings, with the owner's name next to it. One church is shown but not labeled. Turkey Hill and the "Pinnacle of Haddam" are labeled and located close to the Connecticut River. Town lines are included but the names of the towns are not. Another turnpike road is shown crossing the one surveyed. At the bottom of part a is the Explanation.
Label TextDuring the late 1700s and early 1800s, many new roads were being built throughout Connecticut, many of them by private companies that operated them for profit as toll roads or turnpikes. This map shows the western portion of the proposed route of the colorfully named "Dragon Turnpike," which was to run from New Haven to Norwich, crossing the Connecticut River at Chapman's Ferry in Haddam. The road took its name from the town of Dragon (later known as East Haven) and the Dragon River (better known as the Quinnipiac) which lay near the western end of the route. The Dragon Turnpike Company was granted a charter by the Connecticut legislature in 1817, despite lengthy debate over the plan and claims that the proposed route was not the shortest possible and that it was being laid out to benefit certain individuals. The road was never built.
NotesCartographic Note: Scale: 1/2 inch equals 10 chainsConstituent Note: "Messr. Warren," whose name appears on the map, was Moses Warren, of Lyme, Connecticut, the surveyor of New London County, and the man who collaborated with George Gillet on an important early map of the state of Connecticut. Warren apparently supported the plan for the Dragon Turnpike despite the fact that it would by-pass Lyme completely, crossing the Connecticut River farther north. The identity of Rossiter and Griswold, the other two men who "located" the turnpike, has not been established, nor has the surveyor who apparently drew this map, J. Sidney or Lindsay, been identified.
Status
Not on view
Silvermine Production
1973
