Incorporated in 1702, the Town of Mansfield was part of a tract of land acquired from the Mohegans by a group of settlers in Norwich. Most of the first settlers were farmers, and Mansfield has remained largely a rural town. Rivers powered saw mills and grist mills from the early days, and during the nineteenth century mainly textiles, but also steel products, bits and augers, bells, bronze cannons, gunpowder, and organ pipes, were manufactured in Mansfield. The first silk mill in the United States was built at Hanks Hill in 1810, and for many years, Mansfield led the country in silk production.
The Storrs Agricultural School was established in 1881 and became the University of Connecticut, now one of the largest employers in eastern Connecticut. The University is the flagship university for the State of Connecticut with a local student population of close to 17,000.
U.S. News and World Report has named the University of Connecticut as the number one public research university in New England, and in the top 25 in the nation.
