I am pleased to welcome our residents, longstanding business owners, visitors, as well as new and future businesses to the Town of Thomaston’s new and improved website. We hope that this user-friendly webpage will enable everyone to easily see what we have long known – Thomaston is a Town for All Time.
The story of our town is closely tied to a man named Seth Thomas, who in 1813 came to what was then known as Plymouth Hollow to manufacture clocks. By 1856, he was labeling his clocks with “Thomas Town.” Seth Thomas and his clocks helped create the route of the Naugatuck Railroad through the area, linking us with the brass mills of Waterbury. On July 6, 1875, Thomas Town became Thomaston in memory of Seth Thomas.
From these beginnings a thriving New England mill town developed. The manufacturing tradition continues in Thomaston, as we are proudly home to businesses in such diverse industries as metalworking, electronics, defense contracting, and cosmetics packaging. We are also happy to be home to a diverse range of tradespeople and craftspeople.
Thomaston offers a wide variety of historical and recreational opportunities. Landmark Community Theatre at the historic Thomaston Opera House is home to numerous productions every year. The Railroad Museum of New England operates year-round with train tours and holiday events. St. Thomas Church here in Thomaston was the final parish of Blessed Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus.
If you enjoy the outdoors, Northfield Brook Lake and Thomaston Dam offer excellent opportunities for hiking, picnicking, and even trail biking! Black Rock State Park is just next door with swimming and camping opportunities. Nystrom’s Pond is Thomaston’s main recreation facility, with a track, swimming area, ball fields, and picnicking.
Seasonal events include opening the winter holiday season with Light Up Thomaston. In the summer months, we offer a weekly concert series at Seth Thomas Park and our Annual Firemen’s Parade and Carnival. The fall season brings our Annual Car Show held in our town center and the Diane Burr Memorial 5K Flag Run/Walk that is held on Veterans Day.
After a busy day enjoying these events, visitors can dine at one of Thomaston’s many excellent restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisine including sandwiches, pizza, fine Italian, Chinese, Thai, sushi, and seafood. Thomaston even has its own brew pub.
Thomaston residents pride themselves on their civic engagement as well as caring for their fellow residents. We have numerous volunteers staffing our emergency services and serving their community on boards and commissions. Our residents collaborate to keep the local food pantry well-stocked and are quick to lend a hand to members of our town family who may be in need.
As rich as Thomaston’s history is, we are also looking forward to our future. The Town of Thomaston has recently achieved Sustainable CT Bronze-level certification. Thomaston is actively designing and preparing to build sections of the Naugatuck River Greenway. Seth Thomas Park in our historic town center will be renovated this summer, bringing exciting improvements to augment our arts and culture offerings. Members of our community are actively planning a year-long celebration of the town’s 150th anniversary to begin at Light Up Thomaston 2024.
Thomaston is proud of its history, its people, and its culture. We look forward to sharing all that we have to offer with newcomers and visitors to our town.
Ed Mone
First Selectman
