[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9409-9410]
[From the U.S. 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, 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.

[[Page 9410]]

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.

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