Essex.
<1> Town (2020 pop. 6,733), Middlesex co., SE Conn., in the
Connecticut River Valley. Three villages are incorporated into the town: the
farming community of Centerbrook, settled in the pre-revolutionary era;
Essex Village, developed in the early to mid 19th centuries; and Ivoryton, a
center of ivory and piano key manufacturing from 1890-1920. It is one of the
only cities in the U.S. that was attacked by a foreign power; the British
raided and burned much of the town, then known as Potapoug Point, in Aug.
1814 as part of the War of 1812. The town features many historic homes.
<2> Uninc. city (2020 pop. 40,505), Baltimore co., NE
Md., a suburb of Baltimore. Mostly residential, there is some light industry
production.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
