In 1636, thirty families were settled in Pyaug, a tract of land belonging to Wethersfield on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River bought from the Native American Chief, Sowheag, for 12 yards of trading cloth. In 1672, Wethersfield and Hartford were granted permission by the General Court to extend the boundary line of Pyaug 5 miles to the East. By 1690, residents of Pyaug had gained permission from Wethersfield to become a separate town and, in 1693, Glastonbury came into existence. The ties have not been completely broken: the oldest continuously operating ferry in the United States still runs between South Glastonbury and Rocky Hill, also then part of Wethersfield, as it did as far back as 1655.
During the Revolution, Glastonbury was home to George Stocking’s gunpowder factory. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, Glastonbury was a shipbuilding town, located between the Connecticut River, oak forests, and reliable waterpower. The shipyards’ needs were filled by sawmills, charcoal kilns, and foundries.
