I guess when you have a list of data, one thing has to be first and one thing has to be last. A cool fact about Union is that it was the last town settled east of the Connecticut River, they can thank their rocky terrain and crummy soil for that. This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background, is located just on the side of Route 190(Buckley Highway) adjacent to a small town green. The inscription is the same on both sides. The marker dates to 1978 and is in very good condition. One amazing fact I learned was that when the marker was set in 1978, the town’s population was just 500 –the same population it had in 1756. What’s today’s population? The Town of Union’s website reports«the census of 2000 showed the population of Union at 694». The markers full inscription reads: This was the last town to be settled east of the Connecticut River, because of it’s rough terrain and poor soil. In 1633 John Oldham, an adventurer from Massachusetts, obtained from the Indians here specimens of black lead or graphite. During the Revolutionary War this valuable resource was tapped by Governor. Trumbull for use at cannon foundries. Union, containing 12.500 acres, was sold by the General Assembly on July 1. 1720 to twelve proprietors for £307. The earliest actual settler, James McNall, came here in 1727. The first Connecticut census in 1756 showed the population of Union at five hundred, approximately the same as today. Lumbering was a leading industry during the 19th century. Shoes and axe handles were also made here. The only surviving industries are agriculture, forestry and the manufacture of charcoal. Union is now mainly a residential community.
