In 1650, Middletown earned its name due to its location, halfway between
the mouth of the Connecticut River and the first Connecticut settlement
of Windsor.
Growing from a key Native American village into a colonial one, then
into a major seaport, Middletown eventually became the wealthiest town
in Connecticut by the mid-1700s. In the early 1800s, although
international disputes adversely affected Middletown's seafaring trade,
manufacturing prospered. Factories turned out everything from ship
hardware and textiles to sleigh bells and sidearms for Union army
officers. Trolleys encouraged suburban expansion while railroads, and
later highways, greatly influenced commercial development, while many
immigrants from Europe made Middletown their home around the
turn-of-the-century. Today, Middletown is perhaps best-known as the
location of Wesleyan University, one of the Little Three liberal arts
colleges.