The earliest known write-up I have found on Barkhamsted Light House (As seen here, Lighthouse was separated). So, in my work, I have started referencing as such… The Barkhamsted Light House Village.
The Barkhamsted Light House Village was a historical community located in what is now Peoples State Forest in Barkhamsted, Connecticut¹. It was set on a terrace above the eastern bank of the West Branch Farmington River¹. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a small village of economically marginalized mixed Native American, African American, and white residents¹.
The area known as the Barkhamsted Light House Village had its beginnings in the mid-18th century with the purchase of land by James Chagum/Chaugham and later his children¹. The community was eventually abandoned in the 1860s, its residents apparently moving to seek better economic opportunities¹.
The site is accessible via a short hiking trail from East River Road in Peoples State Forest, and has been designated a state archaeological site¹. Excavations have uncovered foundational remains of ten buildings, four charcoal kilns, a well, and a small cemetery¹.
The village was given the name “Light House” because its lights acted as a beacon marking the north–south stage road that paralleled the river¹. The twinkling lights in the teepees & cabin of the Chaughams and their neighbors assured passengers in the night that they still followed the right path².
Sources:
(1) Barkhamsted Lighthouse – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkhamsted_Lighthouse.
(2) Barkhamsted Lighthouse – Bringing Light to the Connecticut Hills – New …. https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/barkhamsted-lighthouse-bringing-light-connecticut-hills/.
(3) “Outcasts” Build Their Own Village in 18th-Century Barkhamsted. https://connecticuthistory.org/outcasts-build-their-own-village-in-18th-century-barkhamsted/.
(4) From the archives: The Barkhamsted Lighthouse was a ‘Sanctuary’ for …. https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/article/From-the-archives-The-Barkhamsted-Lighthouse-was-17046569.php.
(5) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkhamsted_Lighthouse.
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Rita, thank you for being with me since the beginning — readers like you are why I keep digging. 💛 — Coni
What a wonderful note to receive — thank you! Twenty years with Mycenaean and now Hittite at 90… you are living proof that keeping the brain active truly does repay you. I’m honored my ancestors’ stories have given you some enjoyable reading. Wishing you right back a good weekend — stay safe, and keep deciphering! — Coni
Well Coni it’s obvious you have enjoyed tracing your ancestors and we have enjoyed reading about them . You know what they say…keep the brain active and it will repay you with a good life. For instance I have been studying the Mycenaean Ancient language for the past 20 years and am now studying the ancient Hittite language and I am now 90 years old a little slower in my movements but now with my brain thank goodness. Have a good weekend and stay safe.
Thank you, Rita. I am doing well and hope all is good on your end. I have over 30+ years invested in my research and truly am honored to call them my ancestors. I will be doing it to my last breath I believe 😉
Hello Coni Thankyou for this interesting post about the Barkhamstead Village. Hope all is well with you . You have put an awful lot of research into the Barkhamstead Lighthouse which I have followed since you began.