Nestled in the crossroads of Connecticut's eastern highlands, Columbia
was home to Eleazar Wheelock's Moor's Indian Charity School, founded in
1754. This Puritan parish was transformed by the early-19th-century
Industrial Revolution and was later changed into an exurb of Hartford by
the 20th-century automobile. Beginning in 1720, Columbia residents
harnessed waterpower for all manner of mills, including grist, cider,
sorghum, carding, fulling, saw, shingle, and wood turning. Hop River
Village was the site of the first large-scale industrial cotton mill in
Connecticut in 1837. Today, the mills are long gone. The Ten Mile River,
Hop River, dramatic Columbia Lake Ravine, Utley Hill Preserve, and
pristine Columbia Lake hold clues to a once bustling commercial center.
Post-World War II Columbia grew into a vital residential, recreational
community with small industries and an agricultural heritage.