View of the Connecticut River in Old Lyme near its mouth at Long Island Sound.

Old Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,406 at the 2000 census. It is a popular summer resort and artists' colony. Old Lyme and its neighboring town Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease.

The US headquarters of Sennheiser is located in Old Lyme, as is the Florence Griswold Museum, the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and the Lyme Art Association.

Background and History

Old Lyme is a community of about 7500 permanent residents, in addition to several thousand seasonal vacationers who occupy a seaside community of summer residences. It is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River at its confluenece with the Long Island Sound. The town is marked by independence, volunteerism, and a long-standing commitment to the arts. Numerous examples of Colonial and Federal architecture can be found throughout the town.

The town of Lyme was set off from Saybrook (now known as Deep River), which is on the west bank of the river mouth, on February 13, 1665. Old Lyme was later incorporated from Lyme in 1855, but Old Lyme contains the oldest-settled portion of the Lymes.^[1] Old Lyme occupies about 27 square miles of shoreline, tidal marsh, inland wetlands and forested hills. Its neighbor to the north is the Town of Lyme and to the east, East Lyme. Other placenames from the same root are Hadlyme, Connecticut (north of Lyme) and South Lyme (a beach resort area of Old Lyme). The placename Lyme derives from Lyme Regis, a small port on the coast of Dorsetshire, England from which it is believed the early settlers migrated in the 17th Century.^[2]

The "Lyme" in Lyme Disease was named after the town. It was discovered in 1975 after a mysterious outbreak of arthritis in children who lived near Lyme/Old Lyme, Connecticut.

The 2006 independent film The Big Bad Swim was filmed in Old Lyme.

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Bennett Rockshelter (added August 31, 1987)
• Florence Griswold House and Museum — 96 Lyme St. (added May 19, 1993)
• Lieutenant River III Site (added August 31, 1987)
• Lieutenant River IV Site (added August 31, 1987)
• Lieutenant River No. 2 (added August 31, 1987)
• Natcon Site (added August 31, 1987)
• Old Lyme Historic District — Lyme Street from Shore Road to Sill Lane, Old Boston Post Road from Sill Lane to Rose Lane (added November 14, 1971)
• Peck Tavern — 1 Sill Lane (added May 12, 1982)
• Springbank — 69 Neck Road (added September 17, 2001)

Notable people, past and present

• Robert Ballard (b.1942) Oceanographer who is famous for finding the wrecks of the RMS Titanic,and the battleship Bismarck.
• Jim Calhoun (b. 1942) head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, which won two national championships, and who was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, began his career as a coach in town at Lyme-Old Lyme High School.
• Elsie Ferguson (1883-1961), actress and resident
• Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996), naturalist and resident
• John McCurdy (b.1724) George Washington stayed at his home during the Revolutionary War. He was also the grandfather of CT Supreme Ct. Judge Charles McCurdy. His home was the resting place for General Washington on 10 APR 1776 while on his way to NY City to take on the mighty British Army and formidable Navy. (source: Papers of George Washington, CT State Library)
• Ella Grasso (1919-1981), politician and resident, Governor of Connecticut, first female governor in the United States elected in her own right. Owned a summer home at White Sand Beach.
• Elisabeth Gordon Chandler (1913-2006), sculptor, resident, and founder of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.
• Luanne Rice (b. 1955), novelist and resident
• Albert Einstein had a summer home on the Old Lyme shore.
• Talk Show Host Sally Jessy Raphael lives in Old Lyme.
• Henry Ward Ranger (1858-1916), artist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Lyme Art Colony
• Childe Hassam (1859-1935), artist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Lyme Art Colony
• Wilson Irvine (1869-1936), artist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Lyme Art Colony
• Ellen Louise Wilson (1860-1914), first wife of president Woodrow Wilson, came as an art student to the Florence Griswold House
• Willard Metcalf (1858–1925), artist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Lyme Art Colony

Geography

Barefoot tourists

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 74.6 km² (28.8 mi²). 59.8 km² (23.1 mi²) of it is land and 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²) of it (19.85%) is water.

Demographics

Relaxing behind the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT

As of the census² of 2000, there were 7,406 people, 2,958 households, and 2,153 families residing in the town. The population density was 123.8/km² (320.6/mi²). There were 4,570 housing units at an average density of 76.4/km² (197.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.37% White, 0.26% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.

There were 2,958 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.93.

Poetically beautiful waterfront

In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,386, and the median income for a family was $75,779. Males had a median income of $52,110 versus $39,158 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,386. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration

Schools

1,602 children from Old Lyme are enrolled in the 5 schools of Regional District 18. The students are enrolled based on age. Both Lyme Consolidated School and Mile Creek School are pre-K to grade 2. Lyme Consolidated School also provides grades 3-5. From grades 3-5, Center School provides 298 Old Lyme students with education. In grades 6-8, 382 children enroll in the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, followed by subsequent enrollment in Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Old Lyme also has a number of students who travel to private schools, including nearby parochial schools such as Xavier High School and St. Bernards High School, and some students who go to college preparatory schools for high school. Regional School District 18 has an 11.3:1 faculty to student ratio, and spends around $9,489 per pupil.

Colleges

Founded in 1976 by Elisabeth Gordon Chandler as a figurative academy for the teaching of sculpture, drawing, and painting, the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts is a unique school dedicated to the fine arts offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the disciplines of painting and sculpture. The college also offers Post Baccalaureate and a 3 year Certificate program. Over the years the College has earned a reputation as a forerunner in contemporary Fine Arts higher education, “…many in the art world believe the (Lyme) Academy has contributed to the renaissance of representational art." New York Times.

The College is the sole fine-arts-only art school accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Academy is also accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the State of Connecticut, and also is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design and the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges.

Surrounded by one of the most beautiful, safe, and unspoiled areas in America, the College is only two hours from Boston or New York City. It is known for its focus on teaching techniques and the history and tradition of representational art, centered on the study of nature and the figure. Its small student body offers a uniquely personal education.

References

External links

• Old Lyme homepage
• Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools Web site (Regional District 18)
• Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
• Florence Griswold Museum
• Mystic Country: The Eastern Regional Tourism District

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