[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 96 (Thursday, June 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E933-E934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE TOWN OF MIDDLEFIELD, CONNECTICUT AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 
                      SESQUICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2016

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise today to extend my 
heartfelt congratulations to the communities of Middlefield and 
Rockfall, Connecticut as they celebrate the Town's 150th Anniversary. 
This is a very special milestone for this small community of just over 
four thousand residents. Over the course of the year, celebratory 
activities have been organized by a dedicated group of volunteers. 
Though small in number, the community is mighty in spirit--working 
together every day to meet the changing needs of its residents while 
preserving the unique, quintessentially New England, rural character of 
the Town.
  Originally a part of Middletown, in 1744 the Connecticut General 
Assembly recognized Middlefield as a separate religious society but it 
was not until 1866 that is was officially incorporated as a separate 
town. In fact it was one of the last of Connecticut's 169 cities, 
towns,

[[Page E934]]

and boroughs. From the Millers and Lymans to the Hubbards, Coes, and 
Augurs, the community is still home to many descendants of its founding 
members--one of the many things that makes this community a special 
place to live.
  Middlefield has a rich agricultural and industrial history that 
continues to today. In its earliest years, it was settled by farmers 
and in fact it remains home to one of the oldest family-run businesses 
in the United States, Lyman Orchards. In time, light industry came to 
town with a paper mill and later a powder mill coming into operation, 
followed by factories for nail cutting and pistol making as well as a 
grist and saw mill. Today, Middlefield is home to the Cooper Atkins 
Corporation as well as Zygo Corporation and the Cahill & Sons 
companies.
  The Town is also full of beautiful natural resources and protected 
open spaces. Wadsworth State Park offers a beach and small lake for 
swimming as well as trails for hiking. It is also home to Wadsworth 
Falls, one of the largest and finest waterfalls in Connecticut, where 
the West River falls thirty-five feet and when the river is running 
high the roar of the falls can be heard for miles around. Pekham Park 
offers residents and visitors a wide variety of year round activities 
including ice-skating, baseball, basketball, soccer, and a wonderful 
jungle gym. On Lake Beseck you can often find the locals fishing or 
simply enjoying the water. And, of course, at Lyman Orchards you can 
pick your own fruit in the summer and fall and enjoy apple-picking, the 
corn and sunflower mazes, and pumpkin fields in the fall.
  It has been an honor for me to serve as Middlefield's U.S. 
Representative these last twenty-five years and I am proud to have this 
opportunity to extend my heartfelt congratulations to every member of 
this special community as they celebrate their 150th Anniversary.

                          ____________________