Westport's roots can be traced back to the days when a dissident group of the original Massachusetts Bay Colony, led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker, ventured south to seek freedom of expression and independence for themselves and their families. Their victory in the Swamp War in 1637 against the Pequot Indians opened up the territory for colonization. The early colonists founded Fairfield in 1639, but a group known as the Bankside Farmers continuing the tradition of independence broke away and formed their own community in Green's Farms. In those early times, the seeds of democracy were planted in the form of the church and the parish. In 1835, striking another blow for freedom, the descendants of some of the early settlers petitioned the legislature in Hartford to incorporate a new town, comprised of Fairfield, Westport, and Norwalk, to be known as Westport. Since those days, Westport has been the destination for those who want to freely express themselves, live in relative privacy, and yet be part of a vital community, as well as for those who want to work and travel elsewhere but always return to an attractive home base where they feel safe, secure, and accepted. Continue reading from Klein, ix-x
