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A−History
History · Windsor Locks

Windsor Locks dates to 1633, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #105 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: 27 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1860.

1633founded
4on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
27old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Windsor Locks’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Windsor Locks began

When was Windsor Locks founded?

1633

Windsor Locks dates its founding to 1633 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,587 in 1860393 years

How historic is Windsor Locks?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1833.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Windsor Locks’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Windsor Locks is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #105 of 155 in Connecticut. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Windsor Locks’ overall grade.
Founding era1633, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194013.8% of homes (±3.9) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register4 listings, 10 historic buildings, 7.9 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 32%

Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Windsor Locks’ 7.9 sits below most of its state (7% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1633.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Windsor Locks’ past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1633, 143 years before the Declaration of Independence.A town in old photos27 old photos, postcards and papers.On the map since 18927 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1984. Watch Windsor Locks change.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Windsor Locks, 1633 to 1940

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1633
    FoundingWindsor Locks is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1833Post officeThe Windsor Locks post office opens
  5. 1836Born hereJohn Mahlon Marlin is born here
  6. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1919Born hereElla Grasso is born here
  9. 1922Born hereWalter S. Gorka is born here
  10. 1936In the archiveConnecticut - Norwalk through
  11. 1940In the archiveJack Delano, Tobacco famers near Windsor Locks, Conn., 1940
By decade

Windsor Locks, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s14 items
Connecticut - Norwalk through1936Connecticut - Norwalk throughTobacco near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1937Tobacco near Windsor Locks, ConnecticutTobacco field1937Tobacco fieldRailroad Yard Workers, Windsor Lakes, CT1939Railroad Yard Workers, Windsor Lakes, CTWindow display1939Window displayTextile mills1939Textile millsWindow display1939Window displayMagazine stand1939Magazine standSign in window1939Sign in windowSign on garage1939Sign on garageRailroad workers eating lunch1939Railroad workers eating lunchRailroad workers eating lunch1939Railroad workers eating lunchFall window display at Windsor Locks, Connecticut1939Fall window display at Windsor Locks, ConnecticutFall clothing window display1939Fall clothing window display
1940s13 items
Jack Delano, Tobacco famers near Windsor Locks, Conn., 19401940Jack Delano, Tobacco famers near Windsor Locks, Conn.…Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Lyman, Polish tobacco farmers near1940Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Lyman, Polish tobacco farmers nearTextile mill on the Connecticut River at Windsor Locks, Connecticut1940Textile mill on the Connecticut River at Windsor Lock…Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Harvest market1941Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Harvest marketHarvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Harvest market near Windsor Locks, ConnecticutWindsor Locks (vicinity), Connecticut. Harvest market1941Windsor Locks (vicinity), Connecticut. Harvest marketHarvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Harvest market near Windsor Locks, ConnecticutHarvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Harvest market near Windsor Locks, ConnecticutMelons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Melons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Co…Melons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Melons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Co…Melons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut1941Melons piled in harvest market near Windsor Locks, Co…Harvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut sees a rushing business at Connecticut1941Harvest market near Windsor Locks, Connecticut sees a…Windsor Locks, Connecticut (vicinity). Jewish farmer1942Windsor Locks, Connecticut (vicinity). Jewish farmer
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Dunkin2024DunkinMNR M6 90142019MNR M6 9014Popeye's2018Popeye'sConnecticut River2016Connecticut RiverGAMX tank car near Bradley Airport, January 20152015GAMX tank car near Bradley Airport, January 2015Human Terrain Team DVIDS1935232009Human Terrain Team DVIDS193523Connecticut Town History Sign2007Connecticut Town History SignConnecticut Town History Sign2007Connecticut Town History Sign
On the map

Windsor Locks on the map, 1892 to 1984

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

Windsor Locks on the 1892 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1928 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1946 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1953 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1964 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1972 USGS mapWindsor Locks on the 1984 USGS map1892Hartford 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 Windsor Locks.

The story

How Windsor Locks came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Windsor Locks.

Read it all →

Originally part of Windsor, Windsor Locks incorporated as a separate town in 1854. It is named after the thriving Enfield Locks going around Enfield Falls, which opened in 1829. Bradley International Airport opened as a military base in 1940, and opened to civilian use in 1947. In 1967 the town boundary was altered due to the opening of the Bradley Airport Connector. The town boundary between Windsor Locks and Windsor changed several times and currently sits with Windsor Locks being on the westbound side and Windsor on the eastbound side of the median of CT Route 20.

Chapters1965 Little League World Series Win

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Windsor Locks in 1859

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

Windsor Locks. The northern portion of the ancient town of Windsor, was, from its early settlement, called Pine Meadow, down to 1833, when a post office was established and the name changed to Windsor Locks, combining the good old name of Windsor with the canal improvements which were completed in …
History of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, including East Windsor, South Windsor, and Ellington, prior to 1768, the date of their separation from the old town1859 · page 500Read the page →
Read the text

Windsor Locks. The northern portion of the ancient town of Windsor, was, from its early settlement, called Pine Meadow, down to 1833, when a post office was established and the name changed to Windsor Locks, combining the good old name of Windsor with the canal improvements which were completed in 1829.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
were reckoned at two thousand. At that time, it was the general opinion, that there were nineteen Indians, in that town, to one Englishman. There was a great body of them in the centre Haydon of Windsor Locks, has a little of the corn raised by the Windsor Indians, which bears strong marks of its c…
History of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, including East Windsor, South Windsor, and Ellington, prior to 1768, the date of their separation from the old town1859 · page 85Read the page →
Read the text

were reckoned at two thousand. At that time, it was the general opinion, that there were nineteen Indians, in that town, to one Englishman. There was a great body of them in the centre Haydon of Windsor Locks, has a little of the corn raised by the Windsor Indians, which bears strong marks of its culture. It is a portion of a bushel or more, which was uncovered by the breaking away of the banks of the Connecticut River, a little above the mouth of the Tunxis or Farmington, some years since. It probably dates back prior to the settlement

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.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Connecticut - Norwalk through
Retake this viewConnecticut - Norwalk through, 1936

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Windsor Locks’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

4 historic places in Windsor Locks

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Windsor Locks Passenger Station
Windsor Locks Passenger StationDavid Pinney House and BarnMemorial HallMontgomery, J.R., Company Industrial Complex
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Mid 19th Century1
Romanesque Revival1
Windsor Locks Passenger StationBuilding
David Pinney House and BarnMid 19th Century
Memorial HallRomanesque Revival
Montgomery, J.R., Company Industrial ComplexDistrict

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

People over time

Windsor Locks, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000190019502000Peak: 15,080

Between 1,587 and 15,080 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Windsor Locks

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

See all →
Ella GrassoAmerican politician; 83rd governor of Connectic… · b. 1919
J
John Mahlon MarlinAmerican firearms manufacturer and inventor · b. 1836
W
Walter S. GorkaUnited States Navy Air Medal recipient · b. 1922
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Windsor Locks’s post office has been open since 1833.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bull Run CornerGreen Manor Village
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Windsor Locks
GroveSaint Marys

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

Help out

Finish Windsor Locks’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewConnecticut - Norwalk through: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Windsor41 historic placesASuffield12 historic placesAEast Granby5 historic placesA−East Windsor6 historic placesA−Enfield7 historic placesA

Questions about Windsor Locks’ history

What year was Windsor Locks founded?

In 1633, according to Wikidata. Windsor Locks’ post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1860 counted 1,587 people here.

How does Windsor Locks rank for history?

Windsor Locks is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #105 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Windsor Locks?

4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Windsor Locks Passenger Station (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Montgomery, J.R., Company Industrial Complex, with 6 contributing buildings. 10 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Windsor Locks?

14% of Windsor Locks’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1961.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (23), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.