In

1830,

a

young

Dennis

Stone

built

a

home

on

Orange

Center

Road

which

was

actually

North

Main

Street.

After

all,

streets

were

only

dirt

roads

with

names

that

fit

where

they

were

with

South

Main

Street

somewhere

below

High

Plains

also

named

for

where

it

was

located.

His

home,

looking

small

from

the

outside,

is

surprisingly

very

large

inside

with

4

bedrooms

on

the

second

floor,

a

kitchen,

a

parlor,

a

small

bedroom

and

what

was, at that time, a general store.

Mr.

Stone

was

well

known

in

town

as

he

wore

many

hats.

Farmer

was

obvious

as

many

of

the

townsfolk

were

farmers

of

some,

but

his

hats

included

Justice

of

the

Peace,

selectman,

post

master,

tax

collector,

and

grand

juror.

The

town

had

recently

been

named

Orange,

a

mere

eight

years

prior

to

having

been

North

Milford.

The

citizens

in

what

became

Orange

had

their

roots

in

Milford

when

it

was

established

in

1639.

Many

of

the

names

we

know

to

be

Orange

were

Milfordites

and

wanting

more

land

they

made

the trek through the woods to what we have now.

There

is

a

sign

at

the

cemetery

stating

that

you

are

entering

the

Historic

District.

The

2nd

sign

has

gone

missing

for

a

few

years,

but

the

placement

is

just

south

of

Porter

Lane.

This

is

considered

by

the

State

of

Connecticut

to

be

an

area

that

is

to

be

preserved

and

with

it

goes

some

serious

rules

for

the

homes

there.

Orange

Center

was

part

of

the

tract

granted

to

Richard

Bryan

known

as

Bryan’s

farms.

The

sachem,

Antsanatwae

of

the

Paugusetts

deeded

various

pieces

of

property

from

the

very

beginning

of

Milford’s

history.

By

1791,

the

citizens

set

aside

a

portion

of

the

town

for

use

by

the

public

for

grazing

of

their

animals

and

a

small

meetinghouse

was

constructed

at

the north end. This is our Green.

So,

what’s

in

the

district?

Houses?

Businesses?

No

businesses.

Although

in

the

beginning,

there

were

businesses

all

around

the

center

of

North

Milford

located

in

homes.

Shoemakers,

blacksmiths

and,

of

course,

Mr.

Stone’s

store.

Dennis

Stone,

building

his

house

in

1830

on

the

corner

of

Tyler

City

tilled

the

land

as

a

farmer,

but

it

is

notable

say

that

he

served

5

terms as First Selectman.

Dennis’

son

LeGrand

had

ideas

of

going

west

and

took

44

families

from

New

Haven

with

him

to

Kansas.

At

the

age

of

66,

Dennis

agreed

to

accompany

his

son

and

the

family

each

homesteading

160

acres

complete

with

Native

Americans

and

buffaloes.

Dennis

wrote

to

his

nephews

who

lived

up

on

Grassy

Hill

Road

that

he

would

soon

return

to

Connecticut

for

a

spell

and

some

bushels

of

oysters

and

clams

but

he

wrote,

“it

will

not

do

for

me

to

change

this

pure

air

for

your

damp,

foggy,

wet

April

weather.”

He

died

in

1877,

never to return to his New England home.