Middlebury

<br> <center>The name of the town derives from the central<br> position its meeting house occupies, six<br> miles from three older neighbors, Waterbury,<br> Southbury and Woodbury.<br> Winter ecclesiastical privileges, permitting<br> local church services, were established for<br> West Farms, originally the southwest portion<br> of Waterbury, in 1768. In 1790, West Farms<br> and adjoining portions of Woodbury and South-<br> bury became a distinct ecclesiastical society<br> under the name of Middlebury. The first<br> house in the area was erected by Isaac<br> Bronson before 1702 on Breakneck Hill.<br> During the Revolutionary War, French General<br> Rochambeau and his troops established a camp<br> in the Breakneck Hill section on their march<br> to the final campaign at Yorktown, Virginia.<br> First petition to the General Assembly for<br> independence of Middlebury from Waterbury was<br> made in 1800. After much opposition<br> incorporation was granted in October, 1807.<br> <center><small>Erected by the Town of Middlebury<br> the Middlebury Historical Society, Inc.<br> and the Connecticut Historical Commission<br></small> 1976</center>