Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac was the homeland of Indigenous communities around the harbour and river later called New Haven. Their villages stood near the waters of Long Island Sound, where inhabitants grew crops, hunted and gathered shellfish. In 1638 an English company led by John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton arrived to establish a new settlement beside the harbour.

The English made agreements for land with the Quinnipiac sachem Momauguin, who also sought protection against raids by the Pequot and Mohawk. The settlers laid out their town in nine squares, with an open marketplace at its centre. Land was reserved for Quinnipiac families, but colonial restrictions and the steady spread of settlement narrowed their room to live and cultivate. The community continued to maintain ties to the shore even as its members moved elsewhere.