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History · Union

Union dates to 1734, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 16 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1790.

1734founded
1on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Union began

When was Union founded?

1734

Union dates its founding to 1734 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 631 in 1790292 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1822.The full story ↓

What stands out about Union’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1800 and 1930, then grew 4-fold.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1983. Watch Union change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1734, 42 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Union’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Union’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Union, census by census

020040060080018001850190019502000767 in 1800Low: 196

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1800 and 1930, then grew 4-fold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Union’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Union on the map, 1892 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Union. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Union on the 1892 USGS mapUnion on the 1921 USGS mapUnion on the 1945 USGS mapUnion on the 1952 USGS mapUnion on the 1970 USGS mapUnion on the 1983 USGS map1892Woodstock sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Union.

The story

How Union came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Union.

Read it all →

The first European Settlement in Union was in 1727, making Union the last Connecticut town east of the Connecticut River to be settled. The first settler was James McNall of Ireland. He was closely followed by his brother William. The town was incorporated in October 1734. The name Union designates "union of lands".

Union was first a town in Windham County. It became a town in Tolland County upon its formation from part of Windham County on October 13, 1785.

There were 500 people in the town in 1756. The population grew to 767 by 1800, but declined thereafter. There were just 431 people in Union in 1890. The official population of the town is still less than 1,000 residents today.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Union in 1893

Passages that mention Union, cut from the printed page as they were published.

the next morning- (14th) about 8 o'clock, and nineteen miles were covered during the day. Camp was pitched at night in the sand at a place called " Nichols Ferry," near a saw-mill owned by a Union man on the bank of the Dan River. The next morning all were ferried across the river in small boats, b…
The history of the Fifteenth Connecticut volunteers in the war for the defense of the Union, 1861-18651893Read the page →
Read the text

the next morning- (14th) about 8 o'clock, and nineteen miles were covered during the day. Camp was pitched at night in the sand at a place called " Nichols Ferry," near a saw-mill owned by a Union man on the bank of the Dan River. The next morning all were ferried across the river in small boats, but only a five mile tramp had been made when a halt was ordered at Wolf Trap station near a railroad.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
" We, the undersigned Citizens of New Haven, hereby agree to pay the sums of money set against our respective names, to be placed at the disposal of the National Union Committee of the town of New Haven, to be expended in promoting volunteer enlistments with the design of raising an entire regiment…
The history of the Fifteenth Connecticut volunteers in the war for the defense of the Union, 1861-18651893Read the page →
Read the text

" We, the undersigned Citizens of New Haven, hereby agree to pay the sums of money set against our respective names, to be placed at the disposal of the National Union Committee of the town of New Haven, to be expended in promoting volunteer enlistments with the design of raising an entire regiment in the town of New Haven." Then follows a long list of names, whose aggregate subscriptions

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Union, 1734 to 2010

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1734
    FoundingUnion is established
  3. 1785Born hereEbenezer Stoddard is born here
  4. 19th century
  5. 1813Born hereAlonzo Horton is born here
  6. 1822Post officeThe Union post office opens
  7. 1851Post officeThe Mashpaug post office opens
  8. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1905Post officeThe Union post office closes
  11. 1907Post officeThe Mashpaug post office closes
  12. 21st century
  13. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 854
By decade

Union, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
The history of Union, ConnDate?The history of Union, ConnBook
Today14 recent
War memorial on town green of2025War memorial on town green ofUnion's 250th Birthday Time Capsule plaque 2025-12-062025Union's 250th Birthday Time Capsule plaque 2025-12-06History board on town green, Union, Connecticut, 2025-12-062025History board on town green, Union, Connecticut, 2025…Union Historical Society2024Union Historical SocietyUnion Free Public Library2024Union Free Public LibraryMashapaug directional sign2024Mashapaug directional signConnecticut Route 892024Connecticut Route 89Congregational Church of Union2024Congregational Church of UnionUnionCT TownGreen2012UnionCT TownGreenNipmuckTrailSignOnCT-171OutsideBigelowHollowStatePark2011NipmuckTrailSignOnCT-171OutsideBigelowHollowStateParkCFPANipmuckTrailsignonBigelowHollowRoadAKACTRoute197nearBigelowHollowStatePark2011CFPANipmuckTrailsignonBigelowHollowRoadAKACTRoute197n…Union CT lg2010Union CT lgUnion ct highlight2007Union ct highlightConnecticut Town History Sign2006Connecticut Town History Sign
On the National Register

1 listing protects 16 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
16
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Union Green Historic District
Union Green Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Italian Villa1
Classical Revival1
Union Green Historic DistrictItalian Villa

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Union

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
E
Ebenezer StoddardAmerican politician · b. 1785
Alonzo HortonSan Diego developer · b. 1813
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Union had its own post office from 1822 to 1905. Another post office, Mashpaug, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Union
1822–1905
Mashpaug
1851–1907
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mashapaug
1cemetery inside Union
Rindge

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Woodstock7 historic placesA−Stafford2 historic placesAAshford4 historic placesB+Eastford4 historic placesA−Willington2 historic placesA

Questions about Union’s history

What year was Union founded?

In 1734, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Union’s post office opened in 1822, and the first U.S. census counted 631 people here in 1790.

What is on the National Register in Union?

One place: the Union Green Historic District (listed 1990).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (15), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.