The Dublin Hill neighborhood in Southbury became an Irish farming neighborhood in the mid-19th century. Stephen Collins and his wife Bridget were the first to purchase land, obtaining 14 acres with a dwelling house and other buildings for $600 in 1859. Patrick and Ellen Doolan purchased 8 acres just south of Collins in 1860.
Photo: Street sign at Dublin Hill Road and Main Street North.
An 1868 map from the F.W. Beers Atlas of New Haven County shows another family, the O'Briens, shown next to the Doolan farm. This Irish farming enclave came to be known as Dublin Hill, and the name was eventually officially transferred to the road.
"A bit of rural Ireland took seed in the soil of Western Connecticut," The Shanachie vol. 25, no. 2, 2013, pp. 3-8.
A 19th century settlement of Irish land owning farmers.
Date(s): Mid-19th century
Accessibility:
Exterior visible from public road.
The Irish experience has had a profound impact on Connecticut's past, and its narrative spans all periods of the state's history and touches every one of its eight counties and 169 towns.