Resuming our regular Journey, we enter Thomaston, one of the youngest of the Connecticut towns, incorporated in 1875. Before that it was a part of Plymouth, and known as Plymouth Hollow. The first settler was Henry Cook in 1728.
This locality, with its valuable waterpower, became an important link in the development of the clock industry. Eli Terry opened a factory in 1810 (there were small clock shops here before that date) and in 1814 brought out a clock known as the "patented wood shelf clock," which was produced by the hundreds of thousands and "made Terry famous, and many othens rich." He retired from active business about 1833. In 1812, Seth Thomas (1785-1859) formerly associated with Terry, set up a factory on the present site. His clocks came to have a worldwide market, and the village began to be known as Thomas Town. Besides the Seth Thomas Clock Co., there is a large brass plant, with a number of minor industries.
We go north from Waterbury on U. S. 8, which makes a scenic drive, the rugged hills on both sides of the Naugatuck being part of Mattatuck State Forest. Another attractive trip is by Rt. 109 to Litchfield, along the raviine of the East Branch and the Lower Waterbury Reservoir; part of the highway and the parallel Mattatuck Trail are on the Thomaston side of the line. The most picturesque section of the gorge is the Devil's Kitchen, below the Reservoir, about 2 1/2 miles from U. S. 8. About 2 mile north of the dam is the beautiful Staghorn Brook.
Lattin Hill, 3 miles west of Thomaston village by Hickory Hill Rd., rises to 1022 feet and gives a good view of the surrounding country, especially toward the south.